Amid Release Of JFK Files, Majority Of Americans Believe There Was A Conspiracy

This month, JFK conspiracy theorists got what they had been waiting for for more than 50 years when the government declassified more than 2,800 files related to the investigation into President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

However, nearly 250 documents were held back from release by President Donald Trump, allowing for a 180-day review by government agencies concerned over the documents’ potential impact on ongoing government activities.

For conspiracy theorists, the 249 withheld documents add fuel to the idea that the government has something to hide when it comes to the assassination. Some of the more outlandish theories suggest that the mafia, the CIA and even Vice President Lyndon Johnson conspired to have Kennedy killed. But while those fringe theories seem extremely unlikely, the majority of Americans continue to be skeptical of the idea that Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, acted alone.

A new survey by the website FiveThirtyEight found that 61 percent of Americans believe more than one person was involved in the killing.

Gallup found the same percentage believed “others” were involved in the assassination in a similar poll back in 2013.

While it may be surprising that six out of 10 Americans would subscribe to a conspiracy theory, the skepticism has died down in recent decades. As many as 81 percent of Americans believed others were involved in the Kennedy assassination back in 1976. That same 81 percent of Americans believe Oswalt didn’t act alone as recently as 2001.

Ironically, only 52 percent of Americans believed in an assassination conspiracy at the time Kennedy was killed back in 1963.

Following the initial release of the majority of the documents related to the assassination, the White House has said the remainder of the documents would be released “on a rolling basis in the coming weeks.”

Related Link: What Donald Trump's Shortlist For The Fed Chair Might Mean For Rates