Introduction: Why It Matters

I observed the 59th anniversary of JFK's assassination by watching a movie that a jackie ow recommended and which I had heard of, The Men Who Killed Kennedy. It was a typical but more ambitious conspiracy theory account. I like to keep informed of the theories, though I don't remember or keep track of a lot of them. Some of my friends, with whom I may agree on other matters, still accept conspiracy theory or whatever they prefer to call it. But I think now that what's wrong with authority in our society does not need conspiracy theory to explain it. It is wrong enough already without adding speculations and scams. And nowadays such theory has become a danger itself. Conspiracy theory is not the root of all our problems, it just makes them worse. The JFK theory is the start of today's conspiracy culture. I believed it too for 2 or 3 decades. But from there the distrust and the speculation has magnified and found new causes: chemtrails and HARPP, 9-11 inside job, lizard people, staged gun massacres, climate science denial, anti-vax and covid denial, Obama birtherism, QAnon accusations of sexual abuse by Democrats, and others; and finally the Big Lie denying that Trump lost the 2020 election-- which motivate schemes to set him up in power again regardless of real votes.

Seeing the facts more clearly was enough to disabuse me of the JFK theory. But others hold onto it regardless of the facts, and invent specious stories about it. I invite those who still give the JFK theory some credibility, and thus perhaps other conspiracy theories as well, to be willing to be skeptical of them and consider both sides. It is just as valid to be as skeptical of alternative narratives as "official" ones. The US government and parts of the media have lied, especially about war, so that makes distrust more likely. That is very unfortunate and makes us wary. But the conspiracy theories might be lies too, and lead us astray too.

The evidence

I don't know how anyone can omit Oswald as the chief suspect. The evidence against him is overwhelming. He was proven to own the rifle found on the 6th floor. The 3 cartridges found at the "sniper's nest" were accurately linked to that gun to the exclusion of all others, and they had his fingerprints on them. The stretcher bullet and two large fragments found in JFK’s car were also accurately linked to Oswald’s gun to the exclusion of all others. The boxes at the "sniper's nest" on which he propped his gun had his fingerprints on it. The rifle had both his fingerprints and a palm print. Shirt fibers taken from the rifle were from the shirt he wore that day, and which was confiscated by the police that day. The bag witnessed by Mr. Frazier in which Oswald brought the rifle to the Depository on Nov.22 had his fingerprints on it. Witnesses and films saw him or a figure in the window with his rifle. Harold Norman and his two friends heard his 3 shots from right below him, and parts of the ceiling were even falling on them. 6 co-workers testified Oswald was on the 6th floor that day. The trajectory of the single bullet through all the wounds on JFK and Connally directly points to the 6th floor window where he was. The direction of the cracks in JFK's skull shown in the autopsy photos taken before the Humes autopsy show JFK was hit from behind. Oswald was quickly verified to be the only employee missing from the Depository after the shooting. He was identified by many witnesses and by cartridges linked to his pistol for killing J.D.Tippet after his description was put out over Dallas Police radio. Then he tried to kill an officer in the Texas Theater. All this shows a desperate attempt to escape. In April he got Marina to take 3 pictures of him with his rifle and pistol. He gave a copy to George de Mohrenschildt which Oswald signed. Lee's camera is linked to those pictures to the exclusion of all other cameras. There is no such solid evidence against anyone else who may have shot JFK. Questions continue to be raised, but they do not lead us to any other assassin or conspiracy. No conspirators contacted Oswald during the time JFK’s trip to Dallas or its route were known. He was not paid, or given any help to escape. The LINKS here on the main page for this topic has many references to this evidence. https://philosopherswheel.com/thereasonforconspiracies.html see LINKS

To get to the truth in this case, I think anyone inclined to believe the conspiracy, as I originally did for about 25 years or more, needs to question certain assumptions that the theorists like Dr. Wecht just hold on to and refuse to examine. These might include:

1. The government is composed of criminals or directed by a world cabal and cannot be trusted. It spends a good deal of its time and money covering up the truth. Everyone who supports the "official" narratives must be lying and in the pay of conspiracy leaders. No. It is our government, and we are responsible.

2. The single bullet theory is false. Well, maybe it's true. Why not be skeptical and check it out?

3. The large head wound is an exit wound in the back of his head. No, it is much more likely just where the bullet exploded inside JFK's head. In fact, the 2 major bullet fragments from the head shot were found in the front of the car; thus pushed forward. Also, people assume that JFK was shot from the front or right front because the famous film shows his head moving backward and to the left after the head shot. But no, in fact, in the first frame of the film his head moved forward. The principles of jet propulsion show that material pushed out forward from the right side of his head, as the film shows, caused the backward head movement. Why did he then fall to the left? Because there was no space in the car for him to fall to the right. He was sitting right next to the door!

4. The inadequacy of the Humes autopsy was deliberate. No, it was just a bad decision made by the Kennedy Family about where to do the autopsy.

5. Oswald was a patsy. No, he was a criminal, and criminals lie. The evidence against him is too strong to be ignored.

6. Chain of custody issues and rifle ownership issues exonerate Oswald. Maybe not.

7. There were more than 3 shots. Maybe, instead of that claim, bullets that travel twice the speed of sound and make sounds that reverberate make it harder for people around Dealey Plaza to hear how many sounds there were, or where they came from, unless you were near or in the Depository, where the 3 shots were clear. Many have proven that Oswald could fire 3 shots within the time needed; no-one has to assume otherwise, or that there must have been another shooter because Oswald alone didn't have enough time.

8. There were silencers and censors. Assuming this is just an excuse for not having evidence. Witnesses were killed to cover up the crime. Is that why they died?

9. Proving motive and known talk of conspiracy to kill JFK in 1963 proves Oswald didn't do it or act alone. No, motive alone nor evidence of conspiracies happening does not prove who did it, and no-one besides Oswald was proven to do it. Oswald beat all the would-be conspirators to the crime.

10. Jack Ruby shot Oswald to silence him. No, we don't know that. We DO know that Ruby was impulsive and violent and that he loved JFK.

11. Documents are still hidden, so the government is still hiding the truth. No, they are just keeping names and locations safe from outing or injury. Government documents that incriminate the government in this case would have been destroyed long ago.

12. Only a conspiracy could have killed such an important man. No, in fact all killings and attempts on important US people have been done by lone attackers.