Attribution: Redacted FBI document by National Archives, n.d. Public domain
government secrets?
Ever since the untimely end of Kennedy’s presidency, there has been a downward trend in the American public’s trust in the United States government. This has greatly contributed to conspiracies that the government was somehow involved or compliant with the assassination of JFK. Three factors in particular have contributed to this declining trust.
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First, the Watergate scandal of Nixon’s administration in the early 1970s greatly shook the Americans’ faith in the government.
Second, the incredibly popular 1991 film JFK implicated American officials as having been involved with JFK’s assassination, which in turn led to some of the movie’s viewers to draw the same conclusions. Third and most importantly, there had been great secrecy in the reports of the various government investigations, with many documents having been withheld from the public and even from other assassinations investigative committees. Oliver Stone's JFK, starring Kevin Costner, was chock-full of conspiracies and accusations about Kennedy's death.
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Attribution: JFK. 1991. Retrieved from IMDb Physical rights retained and permission granted by Warner Bros. Used under fair use.
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In an attempt to dispel these concerns over the US government’s trustworthiness, Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, also known as the JFK Act. This meant that unless the President specifically authorizes witholding or redcating documents with sensitive information, ALL of the government’s complete JFK assassination documents would have to be released to the public within 25 years of the law being passed. For even more transparency with the public, the Assassinations Records Review Board that determined what documents counted as an “assassination record” was made up of non-government citizens, and they got input from the public.
This is the seal of the National Archives and Records Administration, which was the agency that oversaw the execution of the JFK Act.
Attribution: Seal of the United States National Archives and Records Administration by U.S. Government National Archives and Records Administration, n.d. Public domain. |
Then-President George H.W. Bush signed the act into law on October 26, 1992, so the 25 year deadline was October 26, 2017 during Donald Trump’s administration. Now, about 88% of the records are completely open to the public.
The last documents were released in seven batches from July 24, 2017 to April 26, 2018 (with further review past the original deadline due to, according to Trump, national security concerns). These were documents that had been kept classified back in the 1990s, but more recent reevaluation allowed them to be released, either in full or partially redacted. This brought the JFK assassination -- and its conspiracies -- back into the news and the American conscience, and it reinvigorated both public interest in the murder and the idea that the government was still hiding something. The huge spike in November 2013 was due to it being the 50 year anniversary of the assassination. The next biggest spike was in November 2017, when then-President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that more documents would be released.
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Attribution: JFK assassination records. October 24, 2017. Retrieved from Boston Globe. Physical rights retained and permission granted by James Abundis. Used under fair use.
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the documents released
An ironic downside to the huge amount of information that the government has released to the public is that the average person isn’t going to actually read much of it or get much out of it. So, despite all this information that’s available, because of the secrecy that was held for the majority of the years after JFK’s assassination and the general American public’s distrust in the government, three main conspiracy theories continue to exist that concern some sort of government involvement.
the driver
At 1:25, this conspiracy theorist points out what he thinks was Greer holding a gun.
One theory was that the driver William Greer shot Kennedy. In a low quality version of the Zapruder film (which captured the assassination), it can look like he turned his head around and reached around his shoulder to shoot JFK. However, a higher quality version of the video shows that he had both hands on the wheel -- meaning he couldn't have made a shot.
the fbi & cia
Attribution: Seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by Federal Bureau of Investigation, n.d. Public domain.
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Attribution: Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency by United States federal government, 17 February 1950. Public domain.
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In general, there are a vast array of conspiracy theories surrounding the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and/or the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) because they are -- and always have been -- so secretive and covert. So, it’s very easy for theorists to point fingers at either of these shadowy entities, and they are often tied to other JFK assassination conspiracy theories: for example, that the Umbrella Man or a second shooter were CIA agents.
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A possible motive for the CIA is the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, which had been an invasion on Cuba during the Cold War. The invasion was partially secretly financed/organized by the CIA, and after its failure, JFK made some personnel changes to the CIA. JFK had also refused to give additional military aid for the invasion even though the CIA had offered to provide an “umbrella” of air protection; the specific use of the word “umbrella” has placed further suspicion on the Umbrella Man's head.
In addition, it’s thought that Kennedy maybe had found out the CIA plot to murder Fidel Castro, causing the CIA to assassinate him to get him out of the way; Castro was a prominent leftist revolutionary leader in Cuba at the time -- and an enemy of the American government’s anti-communist Cold War. |
Attribution: Map of Cuba, showing the Bay of Pigs by Zleitzen, 10 July 2006. Public domain.
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Still from Buzzfeed Multiplayer, The Suspicious Assassination of JFK (2:03).
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Additionally, these two government agencies have been known to hide information, including about JFK’s death, which makes people distrust them even more. For example, the motorcade route itself was chosen by Secret Service agents, but they didn’t tell the FBI the route. The route itself had lots of turns (meaning they would have to drive slowly) and had more than 20,000 overlooking windows -- none of which were inspected.
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As aforementioned, there was also a lot of organization-to-organization information-keeping throughout all of the investigations. More specifically, Allen Dulles was the head of the CIA and was on the Warren Commission. However, the CIA is known to have kept information from the Warren Commission. Technically, CIA/FBI involvement has not been confirmed nor seriously considered by the FBI, the CIA, the Warren Commission, nor the House Select Committee on Assassinations, but obviously, that doesn’t necessarily carry any weight to conspiracy theorists. It doesn’t mean much to people who don’t trust the government if it’s the government itself that is clearing themselves of blame.
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In 1964, Allen Dulles and John Sherman Cooper (another member of the Warren Commission) gave vague statements to the press. The comments on this video are not so kind.
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the mob
This is the spot in Dealey Plaza that Files said he shot from.
Attribution: JFK Wooden Fence by Ben Frantz Dale under CC BY-SA 3.0. |
Just like the FBI and CIA, the Mafia can be easily blamed too because they are known for their secretive dealings. First of all, there had recently been a crackdown on mobs by Robert Kennedy (JFK’s brother, whom JFK had appointed Attorney General). In addition, three separate mobs -- the New Orleans, Miami, and Chicago -- all separately claimed responsibility for Kennedy’s death. Of course, people have also made connections between the mob and the CIA, as they are both shady organizations in the public’s mind, and there have been instances of collaboration in American history.
Ex-Mafia assassin James Files actually first claimed to be the shooter on the grassy knoll in 1994, citing that it was part of a scheme between the Mafia and the CIA. However, in actual analysis of his claims, very few people believe him. |
More people suspect Sam Giancana, who was the head of the Chicago Mafia at the time (and whom Files actually claimed was an accomplice). Rumors existed that Giancana had previously worked with government officials: first with JFK’s father Joseph Kennedy in the 1920s, and later to help JFK win the 1960 election. In fact, Giancana was supposed to testify to the Senate Church Committee in 1975, but before he could, he himself was assassinated.
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Attribution: Sam Giancana by unknown author, n.d. Public domain.
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cuba & the soviet union
This comic book/anti-communist propaganda from the mid-1900s attempts to "stoke" American fears against leftist ideologies.
Attribution: Is this Tomorrow by Catechetical Guild Educational Society, 1947. Public domain. |
Especially at the time during the Cold War, anti-communist and anti-socialist sentiment in the United States was strong. Even now, that still exists, especially among older conservatives (this is a view that is much less likely to be shared by younger generations; millennials are more likely to view socialism, communism, and the Soviet Union more favorably compared to older generations). Because of that, leftist Cuba and Soviet Union -- which were enemies of the USA -- are easy to blame by anti-communists as having anti-American intent, particularly because the CIA was attempting to overthrow the Soviet-backed Cuban regime.
This video gives a more in-depth overview of the Cold War, starting from World War II.
This video explains the McCarthyism of the 1950s, which was a huge (government-sanctioned) panic over leftists in the USA. It's a broader example of the overall paranoia over communism.
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"Didn't the FBI have plenty of evidence that he was a threat before the assassination? If they had acted on that evidence, maybe it wouldn't have taken place. These agencies could be afraid that if the documents all get released, their incompetence and bungling could be exposed." Source: the Washington Post
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Even more damning, Lee Harvey Oswald was actually under FBI and CIA surveillance at the time because he had such strong ties to both those countries. When he visited Mexico City in September 1963 (a mere two months before the killing), the CIA were aware of his contact with the Cuban and Soviet embassies -- and with spies and KGB agents.
The FBI didn’t even tell the Secret Service that Oswald worked at the Texas School Book Depository, which ended up being along the motorcade route. So, some believe that the FBI or CIA knew about Oswald’s plot to kill Kennedy but actively let it happen. |
However, foreign involvement has been ruled out by various government investigations. Cuba and the Soviet Union also reportedly thought of Kennedy as being easier to work with than his Vice President.
So, if Oswald wasn’t acting on behalf of the Soviets or Cubans, then some think that Oswald was chosen to be the scapegoat for an FBI or CIA operation because he had such clear “anti-American” connections and motives, making him incredibly easy to blame.
So, if Oswald wasn’t acting on behalf of the Soviets or Cubans, then some think that Oswald was chosen to be the scapegoat for an FBI or CIA operation because he had such clear “anti-American” connections and motives, making him incredibly easy to blame.
vice president lyndon b. johnson
There has been some speculation that then-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson had arranged for the assassination of President Kennedy, especially since he became president immediately after Kennedy’s death. LBJ supposedly wasn’t satisfied with his more ceremonial role of Vice President compared to when he was a Texas Senator. In addition, he had originally sought the presidential nomination at the 1960 Democratic Convention, which he had lost to JFK, and there were rumors that LBJ wouldn’t be up for reelection in 1964.
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A mere two hours and eight minutes after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, LBJ was sworn into presidency on board of the Air Force One. Jackie Kennedy was still in blood-stained clothes.
Attribution: Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office by Cecil W. Stoughton, 1963 November 22. Public domain. |
"Lyndon and I both wanted to be President, the difference is I wouldn't kill for it." Source: The Washington Post
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LBJ was heavily accused in Oliver Stone’s JFK, but beyond these potential motives and speculation, there hasn’t been any real evidence supporting this theory. So, this isn’t widely believed by the American public, and it’s usually dismissed as being just kind of wild. However, one modern day proponent has been Roger Stone, who was a consultant to Donald Trump and had majorly lobbied Trump into releasing more documents in 2017. Stone’s 2013 book The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ defends this theory; the book itself has come under fire by academics and reporters for being specious.
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Beyond speculation, very little new evidence has arisen throughout the decades. However, as long as distrust in federal administrations and the mystery surrounding the government’s actions continue to rise, people will continue to believe that some sort of inside job conspiracy took place. Even if they don’t believe the government was directly behind it, all of the secrecy in the investigations has led people to suspect that the government knows more than they’re letting on in the “official” story.
This was from a poll conducted in November 10-12, 2003 by Gallup. It shows the percentage of Americans that believe in the various conspiracies discussed in this page.
Attribution: Involved in the Assassination of JFK?. November 21, 2003. Retrieved from Gallup. Physical rights retained and permission granted by Lydia Saad. Used under fair use. |
This data set is from the same Gallup poll conducted in 2003. It shows differences in belief of who was involved depending on the responder's age. You can see that younger people -- people who have grown up in the more recent, less trusted presidential administrations -- are much more likely to blame the Mafia or the CIA. On the other hand, older Americans -- people who have lived through more of the Cold War and have grown up during an era of stronger anti-communism -- are more likely to blame Soviet or Cuban invovlvement.
Attribution: Involved in the Assassination of JFK? by age. November 21, 2003. Retrieved from Gallup. Physical rights retained and permission granted by Lydia Saad. Used under fair use. |
bibliography
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Is James Files telling the truth? JFK Murder Solved. Retrieved April 23, 2020, from http://jfkmurdersolved.com/filestruth.htm
Miller, M. E. (2017, October 29). JFK assassination conspiracy theories: The grassy knoll, Umbrella Man, LBJ, and Ted Cruz’s dad. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/10/24/jfk-assassination-conspiracy-theories-the-grassy-knoll-umbrella-man-lbj-and-ted-cruzs-dad/
Pruitt, S. (2018, November 21). JFK files: Cuban intelligence was in contact with Oswald, praised his shooting ability. History. https://www.history.com/news/what-the-jfk-assassination-files-say-declassified-release-oswald
Saad, L. (2003, November 21). Americans: Kennedy assassination a conspiracy. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/9751/americans-kennedy-assassination-conspiracy.aspx
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. (2019, October 29). JFK assassination records processing project. National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/processing-project
Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation. (2019, October). 2019 Annual Poll. https://www.victimsofcommunism.org/2019-annual-poll
Warner Bros. (1991). Oliver Stone’s 1991 JFK theatrical release poster [poster]. Retrieved from
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102138/mediaviewer/rm2640657664