This explanation is actually quite reasonable, given that Oswald was not nearly so politically sophisticated as he supposed himself to be, and in all likelihood believed whatever spin the mass media presented concerning these two events. He might well have believed that Kennedy was being “tough on Communism” and, consequently, as a Communist sympathizer, decided that Kennedy had to go.
Another public figure who aroused the ire of Oswald was Major General Edwin A. Walker, a 30-year, heavily decorated Army veteran who was an outspoken anti-communist and defender of states’ rights. Walker had utilized anti-communist John Birch Society material in his Pro-Blue (meaning, “anti-Red”) educational program for the troops under his command in Germany.
Though not mentioned in the movie, Walker very likely came to Oswald’s attention after a front page story about the general appeared in the October 7, 1962, issue of the Communist Worker newspaper to which Oswald subscribed warned “the Kennedy administration and the American people of the need for action against [Walker] and his allies.”