The JFK conspiracy theories – you got to love them.
Human nature has a constant need to explain everything that is happening and to have answers to the five W’s: who, what, when, where, how and most importantly, why. When an event is shrouded in fog, and there are more questions than facts, conspiracy theories emerge.
It seems like the Kennedy assassination is the most significant question mark in recent history, and that’s why it is called the mother of all conspiracies. A total of 42 groups, 82 assassins, and 214 people had been accused of the shooting on November 22, 1963, in Dallas to this day in different conspiratorial scenarios. Here are the 6 JFK theories people still believe. We at the Dope Lists can’t be sure about anything anymore. Can you?
#1. Organized crime
When we have no clarity about such an event, we usually blame the Mafia. But what would be the motives of organized crime? The theory is based on the claim that Kennedy could not cope with the Cuban Missile Crisis and overthrow Castro, which led to mafia-run casinos remaining closed.
In 1964, the Warren Commission concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald is the only person behind the president’s murder. However, 15 years later, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) stated that organized crime had nothing to do with the case but allowed the eventuality that individual members might have taken part in.
#2. CIA
A secret organization is always going to be suspect. Moreover, the CIA has grounds. The secret service leader openly showed his dissatisfaction with Kennedy’s policy in the Bay of Pigs. This significantly intensifies speculation even though the organization claims it is not involved in any way.
The Warren Commission affirmed Oswald was not a CIA agent and had no relationship with it. But one of the HSCA detectives predicated they were forced not to investigate Oswald’s connection with the agency. Besides, in 1995 were published documents accusing the CIA and the FBI of participating in or concealing information about the assassination.
#3. The Soviet Union
The Warren Commission and the HSCA rejected this theory too. Nevertheless, the time when the attempt took place definitely looks suspicious. The Cold War was in full swing. The Caribbean crisis provoked the most vigorous opposition between the two blocs when the threat of escalation into a nuclear conflict was real. People who support this theory argue that the Soviet Union’s motive was the disgraceful withdrawal of missiles from Cuba. Furthermore, a Soviet Bloc intelligence defector announced that in a conversation with Nicolae Ceausescu, the Romanian president told him about ten international leaders the Kremlin killed or tried to kill.
#4. Lyndon Johnson
About 20% of Americans impeached Vice President Lyndon Johnson for involvement in the assassination. What is the reason? The presidential election was the next year, and Johnson feared Kennedy would not appoint him vice president again and he would choose NY Governor Terry Sanford instead. Of course, the Vice President denied the theory. But in 1997, something interesting happened. Johnson’s mistress Madeleine Brown accused him of participation in Kennedy’s murder. She further pointed out that they had planned the president’s demise as early as 1960 and that many people were implicated, including FBI and mafia leaders, journalists, and politicians.
#5. Cuba
Many people still believe Fidel Castro was behind the assassination as revenge due to previous CIA attempts to kill him. The night before, one of the anti-Castro group’s sponsors received a strange call. The caller said that Oswald offered to help with Castro’s removal. The group found out Oswald was a communist and a supporter of the Cuban leader when it was too late. Castro denied all the rumors in an interview, highlighting he was not insane to make such a provocation. He also hinted that some people in the American government considered Kennedy a betrayer because he did not invade Cuba when he had the chance.
#6. Two gunmen and the Umbrella Man
This theory provoked disagreement for the first time between the Warren Commission and the HSCA. The first one concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, but the second one alluded that maybe there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll from where Kennedy’s car could be seen. The theory of the Umbrella Man increases the probability. People believe the umbrella was a perfect cover on that sunny day, and he could have shot a poison dart, or at least he may have given a signal. This conspiracy scenario is born of the fact that it is almost impossible to shoot three times in such a short period.
In 1964 the Warren Commission announced Lee Harvey Oswald had acted all alone and there was no conspiracy. However, the HSCA did not entirely agree with this conclusion. It declared the original FBI investigation and the Commission’s report were seriously flawed, and the assassination of Kennedy was a result of a conspiracy. Besides, periodic polls show that people do not stop believing in conspiracy theories for November 22, 1963. And what really happened remains a mystery…