JFK assassination files wont dispel our poisonous paranoia

This week, the US National Archives and Records Administration released tens of thousands of documents related to the assassination of former President John F.Kennedy.Now, I’m one of those naïve Americans who believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in 1963 when he assassinated Kennedy in Dallas.

If the Warren Commission had found a smoking gun, we would have heard about it in 1964.The notion that hundreds of staffers, politicians and conspirers could keep such a secret is ridiculous.Still, conspiracies surrounding Kennedy’s assassination are by far the most popular in the country.Thousands of books have been written on the topic, and millions of theories spawned.A 2023 YouGov poll found that 54% of the public believed it was “definitely or probably” true that Oswald “did not act alone in assassinating John F.

Kennedy in 1963.” Another 24% were unsure.This means only 23% of my fellow citizens accept the fact that a bitter loser and communist with violent tendencies grabbed a rifle and shot Kennedy on his own.Don’t get me wrong, the release of documents regarding the assassination was long overdue.Overclassification only engenders public suspicion.Reading about the unfolding investigation, the panic and discussions, and the reaction of agencies and foreign governments offers us invaluable historical perspectives.

There are lots of fascinating tidbits in those files.However, it’s also obvious why officials wouldn’t want them to be released.The Kennedy files contain instances of phone tapping and spying within friendly nations.They offer details on intelligence-gathering methods that may still be used.Mostly, though, it’s a massive cache of documents composed of scraps of evidence, theories and random unsourced allegations that are sure to be misread and misrepresented by conspiracists.Indeed, many social media “influencers” immediately figured out who did it (spoiler: the Jews).But even casually conspiratorial right-wing influencers showed ho...