Was James Files telling the truth? Or was he weaving one of the most elaborate stories in the history of the Kennedy assassination?

In this episode of The End of Innocence, we're not going to decide whether James Files was the assassin. Instead, we're going to do what every good investigator should do—we're going to examine the evidence.

We'll compare Files' first prison interview from the early 1990s with his extensive 2003 prison interview. Did his story change over those ten years? Did he contradict himself? Or did the core of his account remain remarkably consistent?

We'll examine what stayed the same, what expanded, what—if anything—changed, and what those differences might tell us about the credibility of his extraordinary claims.

Because consistency alone doesn't prove someone is telling the truth—but inconsistency can certainly raise questions.

So join me as we take a careful, objective look at one of the most controversial confessions in JFK assassination history.

I'm John R. Young, and this is The End of Innocence.

In this series, we’ve already listened to James Files’ original 1993 interview. I think it’s important that we now listen to the interview he gave in 2003 so we can compare the two accounts side by side. Doing so may help us decide whether his story feels legitimate—or whether it’s simply a compelling tale told by a very skilled storyteller.

The 2003 interview was conducted by my good friend and fellow researcher, the late Jim Marrs and Wim Dankbaar. It was conducted on November 19, 2003, while Files was still incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois. With that context in mind, here is part four of the 2003 interview. If you have listened to the 1993 interview, see if you can pick up on some of the new details Files adds into his story this time around.

In this series, we’ve already listened to James Files’ original 1993 interview. I think it’s important that we now listen to the interview he gave in 2003 so we can compare the two accounts side by side. Doing so may help us decide whether his story feels legitimate—or whether it’s simply a compelling tale told by a very skilled storyteller.

The 2003 interview was conducted by my good friend and fellow researcher, the late Jim Marrs and Wim Dankbaar. It was conducted on November 19, 2003, while Files was still incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet, Illinois. With that context in mind, here is part three of the 2003 interview. If you have listened to the 1993 interview in our last few episodes, see if you can pick up on some of the new details Files adds into his story this time around.