JFK files release: What are the JFK files? Top 5 conspiracies to be solved

JFK was shot dead by a sniper on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas in an incident which shook the world to its core.

Now, more than 50 years after the tragedy, people across the world will be able to access previously classified information which could lead to new discoveries and finally put some of the conspiracy theories to rest.

This is the final batch of files related to the assassination and the release contains more than 3,000 files, each of which could contain hundreds of documents.

In the weeks and months that followed JFK’s death, countless conspiracy theories began cropping up – some more credible than others.

One author estimated that conspiracy theorists have accused “42 groups, 82 assassins, and 214 people by name of being involved in the assassination”. 

Here are some of the most popular conspiracy theories:

1. Multiple gunmen

A poll conducted this month reveals 61 per cent of Americans still believe more than one man was involved in the killing of JFK.

Shortly after his death in 1963, his successor President Lyndon Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy – the Warren Commission, named after its chairman, Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.

After 10 months of investigations, the commission concluded that Oswald acted alone.

The investigation was reopened more than a decade later following the shooting of Martin Luther King Jr, but again the committee found no indication of any involvement by the Soviets, Cuba or the CIA.

The committee did find however, that there was “probably” a conspiracy involving a second gunman on the now infamous “grassy knoll.”

2. Umbrella man

Another theory claiming other involvement, the ‘Umbrella Man’ theory centres, unsurprisingly, on a figure seen holding a black umbrella on the day of Kennedy’s assassination, despite the sunny weather.

Some people suggested the man had shot a poisoned dart in JFK’s neck, allowing Oswald to kill with just one shot.

However, the man holding the umbrella was eventually identified as Louie Steven Witt who said he brought it to the rally to heckle, not murder, the president.

Witt later said: “If the ‘Guinness Book of World Records’ had a category for people doing the wrong thing at the wrong time in the wrong place, I would be No. 1 in that position, with not even a close runner-up.”

3. Cubans and Soviets

Given the Cold War tensions at the time of JFK’s assassination, as well as the fact that Oswald had lived in the Soviet Union for more than two years, one of the most popular conspiracy theories is that the Soviets or Cuba were involved in plotting to kill the US President.

The documents released later today are expected to highlight Oswald’s activities during the six days he spent in Mexico just two months before Kennedy was killed. There have been some suggestions that he received instructions from received orders from Soviet or Cuban agents while in Mexico.

Philip Shenon, a former New York Times reporter and the author of a book on the Warren Commission, said: “I’ve always considered the Mexico City trip the hidden chapter of the assassination. A lot of histories gloss right past this period.

“Oswald was meeting with Soviet spies and Cuban spies, and the CIA and FBI had him under aggressive surveillance. 

“Didn’t the FBI and CIA have plenty of evidence that he was a threat before the assassination? If they had acted on that evidence, maybe it wouldn’t have taken place. 

“These agencies could be afraid that if the documents all get released, their incompetence and bungling could be exposed. They knew about the danger of Oswald, but didn’t alert Washington.”

4. Ted Cruz’s father

During his battle to secure the Republican presidential nomination, President Trump claimed the father of his opponent Ted Cruz had been pictured with Oswald before the assassination.

In a phone interview, Trump said: “His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald being, you know, shot.

“I mean the whole thing is ridiculous. What is this? Right? Prior to his being shot. And nobody even brings it up. I mean, they don’t even talk about that – that was reported. And nobody talks about it.”

Despite the widely discredited story about Oswald and Rafael Cruz, Trump has never withdrawn the suggestion.

5. JFK’s brother

Robert Kennedy’s biographer Evan Thomas revealed that in the days after the assassination, JFK’s brother believed his action in trying to prosecute the infamous American ‘Mob’ may have caused the killing.

Mr Thomas said: “Robert Kennedy had a fear that he had somehow gotten his own brother killed.

“That Robert Kennedy’s attempts to prosecute the mob and to kill Castro had backfired in some terrible way, had blown back, as the intelligence folks say.”

As with many of the conspiracy theories, experts have discredited this idea after reviewing thousands of pages of surveillance of some of America’s top organised crime leaders.