Conspiracy Theories Given a Bad Rap

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

"All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed,
and third, it is accepted as self-evident."
Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher, 1788-1860

What is a Conspiracy Theory?

Quite simply, a theory is something that could happen. For instance, if I buy a lotto ticket on my way home today, theoretically I could win the grand prize of $1 million. IN THEORY. It can’t happen unless I actually purchase a ticket. Once I purchase a ticket, it is no longer a theory, but now it’s a POSSIBILITY. I now have a 1 in a million or 1 in however many chances of winning. It may be a small possibility, but it is no longer just a theory. The POSSIBILITY increases if I purchase more tickets and, depending upon the number of tickets I purchase, it moves closer to a PROBABILITY.

Conspiracy theorist have received all kinds of scorn; they are wearing "tinfoil hats", they are just a bunch of nuts, but what about those conspiracy theories that are actually true? The JFK Assassination comes to mind. It is easy to prove that Lee Harvey Oswald COULD NOT HAVE ACTED ALONE. That is simple. Proving who actually shot and killed or who actually planned the assassination may never occur. Here is an example. Obviously, if Oswald had acted alone, he would not have had the connections to remove the Secret Service from Kennedy's limo, or to have the Secret Service fail to sweep the downtown buildings prior to Kennedy's parade. Here is a two minute video that proves Oswald could not have acted alone:



That is pretty damning evidence. Obviously, Oswald could not have directed the stand down. It had to come from somebody in government. Disinformation, ridicule, and the removal of witnesses took its toll and the coverup was successful. The original Warren Commission found that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. However, in 1976, after public demand that the investigation be reopened was so great, a second commission was formed.

"Findings of the Select Committee on Assassinations in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963," pg. 1976, #C, it reads as follows: "The Committee believes, on the basis of the evidence available to it, that President John F. Kennedy was probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy. The Committee is unable to identify the other gunman or the extent of the conspiracy."

I will wager that most Americans are not even aware of these findings. Over the years, the same people who assassinated JFK have damaged his reputation with rumors, accusations, and outright lies. Circumstantial evidence is often laughed at, but it’s the best evidence. Eyewitness testimony has been proven time and again to be unreliable. But if there are enough pieces of evidence that might lead you to believe that if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck – it’s probably a duck. The removal of witnesses quacks loudest of all.

Eliminating witnesses is one way to cover up a crime, and the JFK assassins had no peer in that area. In the three year period following the assassination, 36 witnesses died - the majority from "unnatural causes". I am not saying they were all murdered, but we have seen a pattern of behavior leading up to JFK's slaying that certainly would lead to the conclusion that many of them were. The following is a list of potential witnesses and how they died. This is not the complete list, just the best we have been able to accumulate. I suggest you try to find a 1964 edition of Ramparts Magazine for a more complete list (that is if the government hasn't confiscated all the copies).

1. Karyn Kupcinet. Daughter of TV host Irv Kupcinet who was overheard telling of JFK's death prior to the date of his assassination. Murdered, 11/63.

2. Jack Zangretti. Expressed advance knowledge of Ruby's shooting of Oswald. Gunshot victim, 12/63.

3. Eddy Benavides. Brother of Officer J.D. Tippitt shooting witness, Domingo Benavides. Gunshot to head, 2/64.

4. Betty MacDonald. Former Ruby employee. Owned and operated a cancer research firm. Suicide by hanging in Dallas Jail, 2/64.

5. Hank Killam. Husband of Ruby employee who knew acquaintances of Oswald. Throat cut, 3/64.

6. Bill Chesher. Was rumored to have information that linked Oswald and Ruby. Heart attack, 3/64.

7. Bill Hunter. A reporter who was in Ruby's apartment on 11/24/63. "Accidentally" shot to death by a policeman, 4/64.

8. Gary Underhill. CIA Agent who said the Agency was involved in JFK's killing. Gunshot to the head ruled a suicide, 5/64.

9. Hugh Ward. A private investigator whose plane crashed in Mexico, 5/64.

10. DeLesseps Morrison. Mayor of New Orleans and a passenger in Ward's plane, 5/64.

11. Guy Bannister. FBI Agent with connections to CIA and Oswald. Heart attack, 6/64.

12. Teresa Norton. Ruby employee. Shot to death, 8/64.

13. Jim Koethe. Another reporter who was in Ruby's apartment on 11/24/63. Died from a "blow to the neck", 9/64, just five months after his fellow reporter, Bill Hunter.

14. C.D. Jackson. Life Magazine Sr. Vice-President who bought the Zapruder film and stored it. Died of "unknown causes", 9/64.

15. Mary Pinchot. A close friend of JFK whose diary was taken by CIA Chief James Angleton after her death. Murdered, 10/64.

Is anyone getting suspicious yet or is this just the Mother of all Coincidences? That's 15 witnesses within one year of the assassination, with many more to follow!

16. Paul Mandal. A writer for Life Magazine who said he saw JFK turning to the rear when shot in the throat which clearly contradicts the single assassin theory of the Warren Commission. Cancer, 1/65.

17. Tom Howard. Ruby's first lawyer, who also was in his apartment on 11/24/63. Heart attack, 3/65.

18. Maurice Gatlin. Guy Bannister's pilot. Fell to his death, 5/65.

19. David Goldstein. Helped FBI trace Oswald's pistol. Natural causes, 5/65.

20. Mona B. Saenz. Clerk for State of Texas Department of Employment who had interviewed Oswald. Killed by a bus, 8/65.

21. Rose Cheramie. Said she knew of the assassination in advance and reported riding to Dallas with the Cuban exiles. Killed in a hit/run "accident", 9/65.

22. Dorothy Kilgallen. Remember her from "What's My Line"? She had a private interview with Jack Ruby and promised to "break the case". Drug overdose, 11/65.

23. Mrs. Earl Smith. Dorothy Kilgallen's close friend died just two days after Dorothy. It was rumored that she may have been keeping Ms. Kilgallen's notes. Cause of death unknown, 11/65.

24. William Whaley. A cab driver who drove Oswald. Killed in a car accident, 12/65.

That's 15 dead witnesses in 1964 and another nine in 1965. But, it didn't stop there. In 1966, there were a dozen more:

25. Karen "Little Lynn" Carlin. An employee of Jack Ruby who last talked with Ruby before he shot Oswald. Shot to death, 1966.

26. Judge Joe Brown (not the tv judge). He presided over Ruby's trial -- heart attack, 1966

27. Earlene Roberts. She was Oswald's landlady -- heart attack 1/66.

28. Albert Bogard. A car salesman who allowed Oswald to test drive a new car. Committed "suicide" - 2/66.

29. Captain Frank Marin -- Dallas Policeman who witnessed Ruby shoot Oswald. He testified before the Warren Commission, "there's a lot to be said but probably be better off if I don't say it". Died suddenly of cancer, 6/66.

30. Lee Bowers, Jr. Saw the men behind the picket fence on the Grassy Knoll. Killed in a traffic accident, 8/66.

31. Marilyn Walle (also known as Delila). A dancer employed by Ruby. Shot to death by her husband one month after getting married, 9/66.

32. Lt. William Pitzer. He was an official photographer of the JFK autopsy. Shot to death -- ruled a "suicide", 10/66.

33. James Worrell, Jr. Witnessed a man fleeing the rear of the Texas Book Depository just after the JFK shooting. Killed in a traffic accident, 11/66.

34. Jimmy Levens. Fort Worth nightclub owner who hired Ruby's employees. Died of natural causes, 11/66.

35. Clarence Oliver. District Attorney Investigator who was part of the Ruby case. Unknown causes, 1966.

36. Hank Suydam. Life Magazine official in charge of the JFK stories. Heart attack, 12/66.

It didn't stop there. Anyone related to the JFK assassination, no matter how remotely, obviously became a target for elimination. There is no way to know which were "natural deaths" and which were assassinations, but the sheer numbers make it impossible for these deaths to have been coincidence. In 1967, they continue:

37. Leonard Pullin. He was a Civilian Navy employee who assisted with the film, "Last Two Days" about the assassination. Killed in a one-car crash in 1967.

38. Jack Ruby. The man who killed Oswald died of lung cancer in 1/67. He complained to his family that he had been injected with cancer cells.

39. Harold Russell. Witnessed the escape of Officer J.D. Tippitt's killer shortly after the JFK shooting. He was killed by a policeman in a bar brawl in 2/67.

40. David Ferrie. Acquaintance of Oswald and employee of Guy Banister. He was a suspect of New Orleans DA Jim Garrison's investigation of the assassination. Killed by a blow to the neck which was ruled "accidental" in 2/67.

41. Eladio Del Valle. Anti-Castro Cuban who was an associate of Ferrie. Suffered a gunshot wound and then was killed by a blow to the head with an ax in 2/67. Somehow or other this wasn't ruled "accidental" or "suicide".

42. Dr. Mary Sherman. Associate of Ferrie who was working on cancer research. Burned to death in a fire -- may have been shot, 3/67.

Thirty-four more deaths occurred under suspicious circumstance over the next several years. Seventy-six witness deaths! True, some may have been "natural", but does anybody really believe these deaths could have been coincidental? There was obviously a concerted effort to eliminate witnesses. It appeared to have stopped with the death of John Roselli in July, 1976. Then came the HSCA Investigation. The House Select Committee on Assassinations began re-investigating the JFK assassination. More deaths followed:

77. William Pawley. A former Brazilian ambassador who was connected to anti-Castro Cubans and various underworld figures. Died, 1/77, of a gunshot wound that was ruled a suicide.

78. George DeMohrenschildt. A close friend of both Oswald and the Bouvier family (Jackie Kennedy's parents). Also a CIA agent. Died, 3/77, of a gunshot wound that was ruled a suicide.

79. Carlos Prio Soccaras. Former Cuban President who was a finance man for anti-Castro Cubans. Died, 3/77, of a gunshot wound that was ruled a suicide. (It seems at this time that the conspirators have lost their imagination for creative deaths.)

80. Paul Raigorodsky. Business associate of DeMohrenschildt and a well-known friend of rich oilmen. Died of natural causes, 3/77.

81. Lou Staples. A Dallas talk-show radio host who excitedly told friends he was about to break the story of the assassination. Died, 5/77, of a gunshot wound to the head that was ruled a suicide.

82. Louie Nichols. High-level FBI Agent who worked on the JFK investigation. Died of a heart attack, 6/77.


They continue dropping like flies:

83. Alan Belmont. FBI official who testified before the Warren Commission. Died of a protracted illness, 8/77.

84. James Cadigan. FBI document expert who had testified before the Warren Commission. Also died in 8/77, of a fall in his home.

85. Francis G. Powers. U-2 Pilot who was shot down over Russia in 1960. Died in a helicopter crash in 8/77, reportedly after he had run out of fuel.

86. Joseph C. Ayres. Chief Steward on Air Force One with JFK. Killed in shooting accident in 8/77.

87. Kenneth O'Donnell. JFK's closest aide of natural causes in 9/77.

88. Donald Kaylor. FBI fingerprint chemist. Died of a heart attack, 10/77.

89. J.M. English. Former head man of FBI Forensic Sciences Lab. Died of a heart attack, 10/77.

90. William Sullivan. Former #3 man in FBI. Involved in counter-espionage and domestic intelligence. Died 11/77 in a hunting accident.


Is it just me or does it seem that being an FBI official around late 1977 wasn't too healthy? There were 13 more deaths various people associated with the case over the next several years. If anyone thinks these deaths were just a coincidence, no conspiracy "theory" will ever satisfy you.

Recently, a call has gone out to "reopen" the investigation into the events of 9/11. Over the next several weeks we will raise some questions regarding that attack and put it out to our readers to take the evidence and come to their own conclusions.

The Candid Blogger













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