What are the conspiracy theories about JFK's assassination?

Conspiracy theorists volition beryllium eagerly waiting to determination implicit thousands of classified files connected erstwhile US president John F Kennedy's assassination aft Donald Trump signed an enforcement bid to merchandise them.

"That's a large one, huh? A batch of radical person been waiting for this for years, for decades," Mr Trump said arsenic helium signed the order.

Some critics - including JFK's grandson - person condemned the move, suggesting the president is utilizing the notorious 1963 sidesplitting arsenic a "political prop".

Whatever his motives, the president is right; radical person waited decades to larn much astir the shooting of Kennedy.

Conspiracy theories person flourished successful the decades since his decease - ranging from the perchance plausible to the outlandish.

But what is the authoritative mentation and what are immoderate of the much well-known theories?

The authoritative story: Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone

Kennedy was changeable successful downtown Dallas connected 22 November 1963, arsenic his motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository building.

Former marine Lee Harvey Oswald, 24, had positioned himself from a sniper's perch connected the sixth level of the gathering and fired aggregate shots, sidesplitting the president, according to the authoritative story.

Two days aft Kennedy was killed, nightclub proprietor Jack Ruby fatally changeable Oswald during a jailhouse transfer.

A twelvemonth aft the assassination, president Lyndon Johnson ordered an probe into the assassination called the Warren Commission, which concluded that Oswald acted unsocial and determination was nary grounds of a conspiracy.

Historians enactment that the investigation's findings were wide accepted by the nationalist instantly aft its merchandise - but scepticism from conspiracy theorists successful the years that followed led galore to commencement doubting the authoritative story.

More than 1 shooter?

Alternative theories enactment guardant see the assertion that Oswald was framed - oregon that a 2nd gunman besides opened occurrence connected the president astatine the aforesaid time.

These suggestions were fuelled by respective witnesses to the assassination who believed that astatine slightest 1 of the shots came from a antithetic country known arsenic the "grassy knoll", alternatively than the Texas School Book Depository.

The authoritative enquiry into the assassination concluded that Oswald fired 3 times from the building, including 1 slug which deed the president's caput and different which missed.

The Warren Commission said different slug struck the president from behind, earlier it exited his assemblage via the beforehand of his throat. It past deed and injured Texas Governor John Connally Jr, who was besides successful the motorcade with Kennedy and his woman Jackie, the enquiry found.

That past slug has since been referred to arsenic "the magic bullet", based connected the unexpected trajectory it took.

One of the reasons investigators reached the decision that the injuries were caused by a azygous slug was owed to a slug recovered connected Connally Jr's stretcher erstwhile helium arrived astatine Parkland Memorial Hospital aft the shooting.

To them, it showed that the slug had passed done the president and past deed Connally Jr, earlier becoming dislodged connected the stretcher portion helium was being treated.

The investigation was a important origin successful the investigators' decision that Oswald acted alone.

But that uncovering was questioned successful 2023 erstwhile ex-Secret Service cause Paul Landis, who witnessed the president's decease astatine adjacent range, released a memoir successful which helium claimed helium recovered the slug successful the spot of the car Kennedy was sitting in, pocketed it, and enactment it connected the stretcher carrying the president later.

He guessed Kennedy and Connally Jr's stretchers past someway collided, meaning the slug was shaken from 1 to the other.

This has led immoderate to judge it wasn't 1 slug that caused truthful overmuch harm to the pair, opening up the anticipation that determination were much bullets fired - and perchance much shooters involved.

Mr Landis's claims are disputed by immoderate different Secret Service agents contiguous that day.

It was not the archetypal clip specified speculation had been enactment forward.

The US House Select Committee connected Assassinations argued successful 1978 that much than 1 gunman was contiguous that day.

Kennedy's ain nephew, Robert F Kennedy Jr, Mr Trump's prime for wellness secretary, has besides said helium is not convinced conscionable 1 antheral was down his uncle's murder.

This thought successful crook has led to plentifulness of theories astir a larger conspiracy involving almighty forces, domestically oregon internationally.

The US government

The information determination are truthful galore conspiracy theories implicit JFK highlights the level of mistrust radical person successful government, according to Dr Darren Reid, subordinate prof astatine Coventry University and an adept successful American authorities and history.

But galore of the conspiracies suggest the US authorities itself was straight progressive successful Kennedy's decease - though they aren't ever wide astir who wrong the authorities mightiness person been responsible.

One fashionable accusation claims Lyndon Johnson, Kennedy's vice president, ordered the deed. According to the publication The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against by libertarian governmental activistic Roger Stone, Kennedy's successor murdered not lone Kennedy, but besides respective others connected his way to governmental power.

Most believers of this mentation accidental that Johnson had the information - a tendency for the presidency - and that helium worked with a shadowy radical of co-conspirators.

The mafia

There are respective iterations of the mafia theory, but they typically centre connected New Orleans mobster Carlos Marcello, who was deported to Guatemala aft Kennedy came to bureau and charged his brother, Robert, with tackling organised transgression arsenic the US lawyer general.

When Marcello aboriginal made his mode backmost to the United States, helium allegedly made threats against the president. He besides allegedly made a jailhouse confession of sidesplitting the president to an FBI informant.

Mafia conspiracy believers constituent to a travel Lee Harvey Oswald took to New Orleans anterior to the assassination, arsenic good arsenic to the mob ties of Oswald's slayer Jack Ruby.

The CIA

Some Americans blasted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for Kennedy's death, arsenic they were connected unsmooth presumption aft the Bay of Pigs penetration - a failed subject cognition the president had ordered successful Cuba successful 1961.

Classified papers released successful 2017 elaborate antithetic schemes the Kennedy medication and CIA came up with to termination Fidel Castro, who astatine the clip was president of Cuba.

They included giving the leader, known for his emotion of diving, an exploding seashell oregon a contaminated diving suit.

Conspiracy theorists judge hostility built up aft the failed assassination effort connected Castro which led the CIA to retaliate by having Kennedy killed.

CIA conspiracies often overlap with mob conspiracies due to the fact that of revelations that the bureau worked with organised transgression connected its Castro schemes, astatine 1 constituent hiring an intermediary to attack mafia brag Sam Giancana to connection him "$150,000 to prosecute immoderate gunman to spell into Cuba and termination Castro".

Fidel Castro

The digit of blasted has besides been pointed astatine the Cuban leader, who whitethorn person wanted to deed backmost astatine American attempts to termination him and overthrow his communist government.

Kennedy's successor Johnson subscribed to this theory, revealing successful 2 interviews successful 1968 and 1969 that helium thought Castro was down the assassination.

Castro denied the allegations, calling the thought "absolute insanity" successful a 1977 interview. He said that having the president killed would person been excessively unsafe for Cuba, arsenic it risked a brutal US retaliation.

Someone else?

Dr Reid says JFK conspiracies are "so prolific" and that determination are "too galore to name".

"I don't deliberation there's immoderate radical oregon involvement radical that existed astatine that clip which hasn't successful immoderate mode been accused oregon implicated successful it [JFK's death]," helium tells Sky News.

Many, according to polls taken successful the US connected the subject, simply explicit dissatisfaction with the authoritative communicative and judge determination are plentifulness of viable alternatives.

Dr Reid believes the assassination - and the conspiracies astir it - person go a portion of US culture.

"It was truthful traumatic that radical began to looking for explanations, and due to the fact that it was an bonzer event, they started to look for bonzer explanations.

"The fig of radical who looked for those explanations successful the archetypal lawsuit was comparatively small, but implicit time, they wrote books, they made movies, they told stories, listened to vigor broadcasts and watched TV shows.

"This conspiracy was depicted clip aft clip aft time, and it conscionable worked its mode into the fashionable culture."

What documents are being released - and what volition they show?

Over fractional a period aft the assassination, determination is simply a postulation of implicit 5 cardinal records relating to JFK's death.

It has taken galore years for the files to spot the airy of day. Congress ordered successful 1992 that each remaining sealed files relating to the probe into Kennedy's decease should beryllium afloat opened to the nationalist by 2017, but for those the president authorised for further withholding.

In 2017, Mr Trump released a cache of records, but decided to merchandise the remaining documents connected a rolling basis.

Joe Biden's authorities continued to merchandise immoderate files during his term, and present lone a fewer 1000 of the millions of records connected the lawsuit are inactive to beryllium afloat declassified.

Thanks to Mr Trump's enforcement order, the manager of nationalist quality and the lawyer wide indispensable make a program to declassify the documents by 6 February.

Obviously, nary members of the nationalist tin cognize what these documents volition amusement earlier they are released.

Experts connected the subject, though, person been giving their thoughts.

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"There's ever the anticipation that thing would gaffe done that would beryllium the tiny extremity of a overmuch larger iceberg that would beryllium revealing," says Larry J Sabato, manager of the University of Virginia Centre for Politics and writer of a publication connected Kennedy.

"That's what researchers look for. Now, likelihood are you won't find that but it is imaginable that it's there."

Mr Sabato antecedently said: "It conscionable seemed truthful fantastical that 1 precise disturbed idiosyncratic could extremity up pulling disconnected the transgression of the century.

"But the much I studied it, the much I realized that is simply a precise possible, possibly adjacent probable successful my view, hypothesis."

Gerald Posner, writer of Case Closed, which concludes that assassin Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, says: "Anybody waiting for a smoking weapon that's going to crook this lawsuit upside down volition beryllium sorely disappointed."

Dr Reid says he's "really excited to work what's successful these documents", but admits helium would "be amazed if determination were immoderate large revelations".

"But determination mightiness beryllium immoderate intriguing clues and it volition surely beryllium capable ambiguity to substance a 1000 much conspiracy theories for the adjacent 50 years," helium concludes.

What's successful it for Trump?

For the president, Dr Reid says, the value is successful the enactment of releasing the documents, alternatively than the contented of the documents.

"I deliberation the crushed Trump is releasing these files isn't due to the fact that he's funny successful proving, you know, conspiracy mentation one, 2 oregon 3 is close - I deliberation it's astir spot successful the government.

"He ran connected a precise disruptive ticket, successful which fundamentally Trump depicted himself arsenic moving against a corrupt governmental order."

Dr Reid says the determination speaks to a halfway portion of his base: the radical who don't spot the government.

He said it sends them the connection that helium volition beryllium much transparent than governments of the past.