On May 5, 1979, an unusual and quickly defused plot to assassinate President Jimmy Carter unfolded in Los Angeles, California. A drifter named Raymond Lee Harvey, armed with a starter pistol, was arrested near the Civic Center shortly before Carter was scheduled to speak. While no shots were fired and Carter was unharmed, the strange circumstances surrounding the arrest—coupled with Harvey’s claims of a broader conspiracy—injected unease into an already tense political environment.
Political and Social Context
By 1979, Jimmy Carter was facing growing challenges as his presidency entered its final stretch. The American economy was under stress from inflation, rising gas prices, and stagnant wages. Internationally, the Cold War continued to dominate foreign policy, and the Iranian Revolution earlier that year had unsettled the Middle East. Carter’s approval ratings were slipping, and public confidence in government remained fragile in the post-Watergate era.
Domestically, the late 1970s saw a rise in political discontent, anti-government sentiment, and media-fueled anxiety about assassinations. The memory of John F. Kennedy’s assassination and the more recent attempts on Gerald Ford still loomed large. Against this backdrop, even the rumor of an attempt on the president’s life sent tremors through the public consciousness.
The Plot
Raymond Lee Harvey was a 35-year-old unemployed drifter from Ohio with a long history of mental illness and petty crime. On the morning of May 5, he was arrested near the Los Angeles Civic Center, where President Carter was scheduled to give a speech. Harvey was found carrying a starter pistol loaded with blank cartridges.
Upon interrogation, Harvey claimed he was part of a four-man plot to assassinate the president. According to him, the plan involved luring Carter into a vulnerable public appearance and then shooting him using a high-powered rifle from a nearby hotel window. He stated that he was to create a distraction by firing blanks while another conspirator executed the actual attack.
Harvey’s story contained specific details, including hotel names, accomplice descriptions, and a supposed getaway plan. But his erratic behavior and implausible narrative raised doubts from the start.
Timeline
May 5, 1979, ~10:00 a.m.: Harvey is spotted acting suspiciously in the vicinity of the Civic Center Plaza in Los Angeles.
~10:30 a.m.: Los Angeles police officers detain him and discover a starter pistol loaded with blanks.
Later that afternoon: During questioning, Harvey claims he is part of a conspiracy to assassinate President Carter, who is scheduled to speak in the area.
Police and Secret Service: Search the nearby Alan Hotel, where Harvey said his accomplices were staying.
A second man, Osvaldo Espinoza Ortiz, a Mexican national, is arrested and questioned.
May 7, 1979: No weapons or solid evidence of a plot are found. Charges against both men are dropped, and Harvey is placed under psychiatric evaluation.
The Assassination Attempt
No shots were fired, no weapons were discharged, and President Carter remained entirely unaware of the supposed threat during his visit. Still, Harvey’s arrest and his fantastical-sounding confession prompted swift and serious action from federal and local law enforcement.
The LAPD and Secret Service quickly locked down the area and investigated the Alan Hotel, where Harvey claimed the real assassin was stationed. Ortiz, the man Harvey identified as a co-conspirator, was arrested in the hotel but denied involvement and was soon cleared.
Harvey’s own weapon—a starter pistol incapable of firing live rounds—suggested he posed little actual danger to the president. However, the specificity of his statements and the possibility of a broader plot created a climate of concern.
Immediate Aftermath
News of the arrest was initially downplayed, but as details emerged, media outlets seized on the bizarre nature of the incident. Comparisons to earlier assassination attempts on Ford, as well as Kennedy’s death, circulated in the press.
The incident also sparked confusion and fear about whether Harvey’s claims had any truth. Was this the unraveling of a real conspiracy—or the delusion of a mentally unwell man seeking attention?
Within days, authorities determined there was no credible threat and no accomplices. Still, the Secret Service quietly increased its protective measures and reviewed the event as a security learning opportunity.
Investigation and Arrests
Raymond Lee Harvey was taken into custody and charged with firearms violations and making threats against the president. Osvaldo Ortiz was also detained briefly but was never formally charged.
Upon investigation, law enforcement found no firearms, maps, or other material evidence to support Harvey’s claim of a conspiracy. The Alan Hotel room in question yielded no weapons or surveillance equipment. Ortiz denied any involvement, and witnesses could not corroborate any part of Harvey’s account.
Psychiatric evaluations quickly concluded that Harvey suffered from delusions and was not competent to stand trial. The charges were dropped, and he was committed to a mental health facility.
Trial and Legal Proceedings
Since the weapon was nonlethal and Harvey was ruled incompetent, no full trial was ever held. The case was quietly dismissed, and Harvey was hospitalized for psychiatric care.
No evidence of a larger conspiracy ever surfaced, and Ortiz was released without charges. The Secret Service closed its investigation with the conclusion that the president had never been in genuine danger.
Punishments and Legacy of the Conspirator
Raymond Lee Harvey faded from public view after the incident. His brief moment of notoriety was largely forgotten, except for the peculiar coincidence that his name echoed that of John F. Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald.
The strangeness of the case—blank rounds, unverified conspirators, and a name straight out of history—made it the subject of conspiracy theories and pop culture curiosity. But for security officials, the incident reinforced the importance of treating even improbable threats seriously.
Harvey’s ultimate punishment was confinement to a psychiatric facility, where he received treatment for his ongoing mental illness.
Long-Term Impact on the Nation
Though no one was harmed, the May 1979 incident contributed to a growing sense of unease about presidential security and the rise of unstable individuals with delusions of political grandeur. It also highlighted the challenge of discerning real threats from psychotic episodes—a dilemma that would grow more urgent in the decades to come.
The Secret Service made no public statements about procedural changes, but internally, the case became part of its training and threat assessment materials. It underscored the importance of crowd monitoring, informant reliability, and psychiatric evaluation in preempting attacks.
Controversies and Conspiracy Theories
Given the eerie coincidence of Harvey’s name and the Kennedy assassination, conspiracy theorists quickly latched onto the case. Some speculated that Harvey had been set up or was being silenced, or that a real plot existed and was covered up.
However, no evidence ever substantiated such theories. Authorities attributed the case to a mentally ill individual acting alone, with no capacity or resources to carry out an actual attack. Harvey’s own contradictory statements and lack of planning supported this conclusion.
Primary Source Appendix
- LAPD arrest reports and Secret Service incident logs (May 5–7, 1979)
- Psychiatric evaluations of Raymond Lee Harvey
- Press coverage from The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Associated Press (May 1979)
- Statements from Secret Service officials regarding presidential security
- Eyewitness interviews from the Civic Center area
- Federal court records related to Harvey’s brief arraignment and mental health determination
- Retrospective media analysis on political violence and presidential security in the 1970s