Background to the JFK Conspiracy Theory
On November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. It is commonly believed that he was killed by a lone shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, who shot at the president’s car multiple times from one of the top floors of an old book depository in Dallas, TX. It is believed that Kennedy was dead before the car stopped and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted completely alone. Not long after the assassination Oswald was assassinated as well, by a nightclub owner with mafia ties Jack Ruby. The events of the Kennedy assassination have led to a variety of conspiracy theories about the events.
There are numerous JFK conspiracies, but there are four that seem to be the most popular. These theories put the blame on the government, the mafia, Lyndon B. Johnson, and the grassy knoll shooter. While we don’t have all the details on JFK conspiracy facts, many of these theories have a legion of believers. It is estimated that only approximately 60% of the United States people believe the “Oswald JFK theory”.
Here are some of the most common JFK conspiracies
Did the Government Kill JFK?
Many believe that John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a government group. One element within the government that may have benefited from the death of the president were those that benefited from the military industrial complex. The president preceding, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had warned the American people about the military industrial complex. There are those that believe that Kennedy had taken Eisenhower’s advice seriously and was planning to reduce the size of the military.
These theorists believe that Kennedy was planning to end all United States involvement in Vietnam and that he was planning on negotiating a long term peace with the Soviet Union. This would have ended the Cold War extremely early. Many believe that the potential reduction in the size of the military serves as a motive for elements in the Pentagon and military contractors to want to make an attempt on Kennedy’s life. While there is not a lot of physical evidence to go along with this particular conspiracy there is definitely a lot of space for a motive, mainly millions of dollars lost by the companies involved.
Did the Mafia kill JFK?
There are also many people believe that the Mafia may have been involved in the death of John F. Kennedy. Many believe that the mafia had worked with Joe Kennedy to help get JFK elected. After getting elected Kennedy failed to protect United States interests in Cuba, which lost the mafia a lot of money. The Kennedy administration had also begun to crack down on organized crime. There is some JFK assassination conspiracy evidence that suggests that the mafia worked with the CIA to make an attempt on the president’s life. The Mafia link continues to intrigue JFK conspiracy theory buffs.
One thing that also points towards the mafia involvement in the JFK shooting was their ties to Jack Ruby. Ruby was the man who gunned down alleged Kennedy shooter Lee Harvey Oswald as he was being transported by police after his capture. Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, was believed to have ties to organized crime and is a big part of the Mafia/Kennedy theory.
Did LBJ have Kennedy killed?
There are many that believe that Lyndon B. Johnson, the Vice President, may have been involved in Kennedy’s death. Lyndon Johnson had a lot to gain from the death of the president. After Kennedy died Lyndon Johnson rushed through his getting sworn in. He supposedly did this to make sure that the country knew it had a president. Many however believe that the Vice President acted too rashly as if he knew the event was going to happen. No actual evidence has been uncovered to implicate Lyndon B. Johnson, but he remains a popular target of conspiracy theories.
The Grassy Knoll
One conspiracy theory that no one has had an answer to has been the shooter on the grassy knoll. The number of shots has been put up for debate several times.
We have physical evidence of three different shots, but several witnesses have claimed that they heard a fourth shot coming from the direction of the grassy knoll. We also have JFK assassination conspiracy evidence that there was a suspicious person on the grassy knoll, known as the “JFK umbrella man”. This combination of evidence has led many to the belief that a second shooter was present on that day. Others have concluded that the second shooter fired the fourth shot that killed the president. If this evidence turned out to be true, then it would mean that someone killed the president and got away with it. Throughout the years the grassy knoll theory remains one of the most popular John F Kennedy conspiracy theories.
JFK Assassination Video Footage – Slow Motion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iU83R7rpXQY
While what is taught in history classes in the United States is that Lee Harvey Oswald was the only person responsible for the death of John F. Kennedy. Theorists will argue that Oswald was just a scapegoat for many of the above theories. Everything that Oswald knew never had a chance to get out as he himself was gunned down shortly after being taken into custody. This is why we may never truly know who shot John F Kennedy.