On November 22, 1963, a doctor at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas pronounced the sitting president, John F. Kennedy, dead at 1:00 PM.
Just an hour before, Kennedy, accompanied by his wife Jacqueline and Governor John Connally, waved to an excited crowd as he rode in a limousine, bubble top down, through Dealey Plaza. A gunshot rang out.
Kennedy reached up to grab his neck. Another rang out and the president slumped to the side, a bewildered Jackie reaching to get out of the vehicle before it rushed out of sight and towards the hospital.
President Kennedy had been assassinated. He was 46-years-old. Governor Connally was also injured when a bullet, now called the “magic” bullet, ripped through the president and then through Connally’s body as he sat in the front seat.
Since that day, America has been fascinated with the mysterious details surrounding JFK’s death. Who shot him? Was it one bullet? Did the government know? Why did they let him ride with the top down? What happened to the pink, iconic blood-splattered suit Jackie refused to take off after her husband’s death?
We’ve been enamored with the Kennedys, a classic American family, since JFK was a sickly student at Harvard, and have remained so even in death, as we imagine what America would be like if he and Jackie’s “Camelot” hadn’t been shattered. And despite the Warren Commission report, which identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone shooter, we’ve challenged the government’s official investigation of his death.
If you’re one of those doubters, here are five conspiracy theories you have to explore.
1. The CIA Killed Kennedy:
It’s one of the most accepted theories on the killing of President Kennedy. The CIA, including some very powerful men (with ties to the Nazis and even the Bush Family), shot the president. Theorists say the members weren’t too thrilled about the Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Others believe he was too involved in Civil Rights movements. For more information on the CIA conspiracy (or the Bush connection), click here.
2. Some Lone Shooter With An Umbrella Killed Kennedy:
Sounds unlikely, but some believe a man pictured with an umbrella shot a dart through Kennedy’s neck. This conspiracy can be debunked in a number of ways, but most glaring is the fact that Kennedy was shot in the head, as well as the neck. For more information on the umbrella conspiracy, click here.
3. The Mafia Killed Kennedy:
Another widely accepted theory is the mafia connection. Many believe JFK’s ties to the mob, Robert Kennedy’s crack down on organized crime, and a theory that the mafia was working with anti-Castro exile groups that were trying to take down JFK are all reason to believe this true. And the mafia connection to Jack Ruby, the man who shot Oswald to death as he was being transported from jail, is more ammo for theorists.
4. The Vice President Killed Kennedy:
It’s a straight-forward theory. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson wanted political gain. There were rumors that he would be taken off the ticket for Kennedy’s re-election in 1964. He was a southerner with sentiments similar to most of America. According to theorists, he believed the presidential seat was his. An added bonus for conspirators? Kennedy was killed in Texas, Johnson’s home state. Believable or not?
5. Oswald & Another Shooter Killed Kennedy, or 2 Other Shooters:
Many of the bare facts point straight to this theory. According to the Warren Commission, Oswald shot three shots, one that missed the limousine, the one magic bullet that penetrated 15 layers of clothing, 7 layers of skin, and approximately 15 inches of tissue, and another that struck Kennedy in head. Believers of the 2 shooters conspiracy don’t buy into the Commission, contending that there probably was someone in the Texas Book Depository (where Oswald shot Kennedy) and another on the grassy knoll that shot Kennedy in the head. In the most famous (and graphic) of films taken that day by Abraham Zapruder, you can clearly see the president’s head jerk back as if the bullet came from the front.
After he was pronounced dead, JFK’s press secretary addressed the media and pointed to the area of entry, from the front.
However, the Commission denied that the shot came from the front. Autopsy photos, however, show that the area where conspirators think the bullet entered (from the front) was surgically cut to destroy the evidence. The Commission, as conspirators believe, wanted it to appear that Oswald acted alone and all shots were fired from the back.
As for the magic bullet that penetrated both JFK and Governor Connally? That bullet was “found” unscathed and completely intact on a stretcher at Parkland Hospital.
Believable? We’ll leave it up to you.
But adding yet another layer to the last and highly likely theory of 2 (or more) shooters is the identity of these shooters. This theory overlaps into many others — the shooters could have been CIA, the mafia, the Soviet Union or LBJ’s team.
Looks like we’ll never know for sure. And as the Warren Commission stands, we already have a shooter identified.
But it’s up to you to make the choice. What do you believe? Sound off below.
SOURCE: National Archives, JFK Library
