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JFK-UFO conspiracy theories are conspiracy theories that merge John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories with UFO conspiracy theories. One scholar dates the "first full published statement of such a theory" to 1986.

By the 1990s, such theories were prominent both in conspiracy literature and popular fiction. Fact-based sources roundly reject such theories. When asked to cite the 'most unbelievable theories' about Kennedy's death, scholar Mark Fenster answered: "I would put the entire genre of alien conspiracy theories in there. Most of them are focused on Kennedy's supposed knowledge of or interest in aliens and alien abduction. No doubt someone has alleged the reptilians did it. I prefer plausibility in my conspiracy narratives."

Background

On June 24, 1947, American civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold gave interviews about having witnessed a number of flying discs. Weeks later, on July 28, Arnold investigated the Maury Island incident, where he came to believe he was target of wiretapping. Arnold interviewed a Maury Island boat operator who allegedly had been warned not to discuss his sighting by men in black suits. By 1949, conspiracy theorists such Donald Keyhoe were publicly alleging that the US Government was covering-up the existence of flying discs.

On November 22, 1963, United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while riding in a presidential motorcade. Dallas Police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald and charged him with murder. On November 24, as live television cameras were covering his transfer from the city jail to the county jail, Oswald was fatally shot in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters by nightclub operator Jack Ruby. By 1966, conspiracy theorists like Mark Lane were publicly alleging that elements within the US government may have been responsible for the assassination.

JFK-UFO conspiracy theories

In 1986, conspiracy theorist George C. Andrews authored Extra-Terrestrials Among Us, accusing the CIA of the Kennedy assassination. Scholar of extremism Michael Barkun comments that "Andrew's political views are almost indistinguishable from those associated with militias, only his placement of extraterrestrials at the pinnacle of conspiracies identifies him as a ufologist."

According to Barkun, "the publication of Extra-Terrestrials Among Us marked the beginning of a feverish period of UFO conspiracism, from 1986 to 1989. Much of the literature of this period was based on the concept of a secret governing apparatus, unknown and unaccountable, not unlike Andrews's notion of the CIA as a 'government within the government'. In 1987, UFO conspiracy theorist William Moore authored "The Strange Case of the Maury Island Saucer", allegedly linking the Maury Island UFO incident to the trial of Clay Shaw for the Kennedy assassination.

In 1991, UFO conspiracy author Bill Cooper published the influential conspiracy work Behold a Pale Horse which claimed that Kennedy was killed after he "informed Majestic 12 that he intended to reveal the presence of aliens to the American people". Behold a Pale Horse became 'wildly popular' with conspiracy theorists and went on to be one of the most-read books in the US prison system. Cooper's claims are alleged to have influenced Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. In 2018, Rolling Stone described Cooper as "the Granddaddy of American Conspiracy Theorists".

Influence

By the 1990s, fringe conspiracy theories were being incorporated into popular fiction. On September 21, 1996, the fictional TV series Dark Skies premiered with a premise of a Kennedy assassination to cover-up the existence of aliens. Biographer Mark Jacobson linked Bill Cooper's theories to 90s popular culture, writing "There have been numerous Cooper sightings in The X-Files projects over the years. In one of the program's most famous episodes, 'The Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man', the unnamed MJ-12-like operative known as the Cigarette Smoking Man assassinates President Kennedy".

Fueled by popular culture, more conspiracy theorists began linking UFOs to JFK. Jim Marrs was a JFK conspiracy theorist who served as a primary advisor to the film JFK. By 1997, Marrs's writings encompassed the UFO conspiracy theory as well. In 1999, conspiracy theorist Kenn Thomas authored a book speculating that Kennedy was killed to protect UFO secrets. That same year, John Keel speculated about a JFK-UFO conspiracy.

In 2011, paranormal author William Lester claimed to have uncovered a memo linking Kennedy to UFO disclosure attempts. In 2017, TV conspiracy show NASA's Unexplained Files aired an episode titled "JFK UFO Conspiracy" discussing that memo.

In September 2021, conspiracy author Nick Redfern claimed that Marilyn Monroe was killed to cover-up UFO secrets she learned from President Kennedy. The following month, fictional TV series American Horror Story: Double Feature similarly included Monroe and Kennedy being killed over their UFO knowledge.

References

1. ^ Barkun, Michael (November 7, 2003). "A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America". University of California Press. pp. 87–99, 137–38, 147 – via Google Books.
2. Jacobson, Mark (September 4, 2018). "Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America". Penguin – via Google Books.
3. Bergmann, Eirikur (August 20, 2018). "Conspiracy & Populism: The Politics of Misinformation". Springer – via Google Books.
4. Flynn, Thomas (November 20, 2013). "Who Really Killed JFK? Experts Pick the Wildest Conspiracy Theories" – via www.thedailybeast.com.
5. Garber, Megan (June 15, 2014). "The Man Who Introduced the World to Flying Saucers". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
6. ^ Thomas, Kenn (May 10, 2011). "JFK and UFO: Military-Industrial Conspiracy and Cover-Up from Maury Island to Dallas". Feral House – via Google Books.
7. ^ Arnold "The Coming of the Saucers" (1952)
8. "Saturday Night Uforia: Donald Keyhoe-True Magazine "The Flying Saucers Are Real"". www.saturdaynightuforia.com.
9. Rush to Judgment
10. Lane, Mark; Trevor-Roper, Hugh Redwald (December 9, 1966). "Rush to Judgment: A Critique of the Warren Commission's Inquiry Into the Murders of President John F. Kennedy, Officer J. D. Tippit, and Lee Harvey Oswald". Holt, Rinehart & Winston – via Google Books.
11. Andrews, George Clinton (December 10, 1986). "Extra-terrestrials Among Us". Llewellyn Publications – via Google Books.
12. Rasmussen, Richard Michael (December 10, 1985). "The UFO Literature: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography of Works in English". McFarland – via Google Books.
13. Moore, William L. (December 6, 1987). "The Strange Case of the Maury Island Saucer". W.L. Moore Publications, 4219 W. Olive, Suite 247 – via Google Books.
14. Goldberg, Robert Alan (October 1, 2008). "Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America". Yale University Press – via Google Books.
15. Cooper, William (April 11, 2012). "Behold a Pale Horse". Light Technology Publishing – via Google Books.
16. Williams, John (September 2, 2018). "Tell Us 5 Things About Your Book: A Godfather of Conspiracy Thinking" – via NYTimes.com.
17. "How William Cooper and his book 'Behold a Pale Horse' planted seeds of QAnon conspiracy theory". www.azcentral.com.
18. Jacobson |, Mark. "Who Was William Cooper? The Man Behind One of the Most Controversial Books of Our Time". PublishersWeekly.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
19. Jacobson, Mark; Jacobson, Mark (August 22, 2018). "The Granddaddy of American Conspiracy Theorists".
20. Bratich, Jack Z. (February 7, 2008). "Conspiracy Panics: Political Rationality and Popular Culture". SUNY Press – via Google Books.
21. Edgerton, Gary R.; Rollins, Peter C. (September 15, 2021). "Television Histories: Shaping Collective Memory in the Media Age". University Press of Kentucky – via Google Books.
22. Gulyas, Aaron (June 11, 2015). "The Paranormal and the Paranoid: Conspiratorial Science Fiction Television". Rowman & Littlefield – via Google Books.
23. https://books.google.com/books?id=bPxRk_-Wv1wC&pg=PA55
24. Jacobson, Mark (September 4, 2018). "Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America". Penguin – via Google Books.
25. Stone, Oliver; Sklar, Zachary (December 10, 1992). "JFK: The Book of the Film : the Documented Screenplay". Hal Leonard Corporation – via Google Books.
26. Robertson, David G. (February 25, 2016). "UFOs, Conspiracy Theories and the New Age: Millennial Conspiracism". Bloomsbury Publishing – via Google Books.
27. https://books.google.com/books?id=-mMtqtZMoNYC&pg=PA160
28. Maury Island UFO: The Crisman Conspiracy, IllumiNet, US, 1999, paperback ISBN 1-881532-19-4
29. Keel, John A. (December 6, 1999). "Our Haunted Planet". Galde Press, Inc. – via Google Books.
30. "Is that JFK memo to the CIA about UFOs real?". NBC News.
31. Collins, Paul D.; Collins, Phillip D. (November 22, 2020). "Invoking the Beyond:: The Kantian Rift, Mythologized Menaces, and the Quest for the New Man". iUniverse – via Google Books.
32. "JFK UFO Conspiracy". April 12, 2017 – via IMDb.
33. Celebretainment, By. "Marilyn Monroe assassinated over UFO knowledge, book claims". WFMZ.com.
34. "AHS: Double Feature Rewrites JFK and Marilyn Monroe's Deaths". CBR. October 8, 2021.

Further reading

• Bergmann, Eirikur (August 20, 2018). "Conspiracy & Populism: The Politics of Misinformation". Springer – via Google Books.
• Barkun, Michael (November 7, 2003). "A Culture of Conspiracy: Apocalyptic Visions in Contemporary America". University of California Press – via Google Books.
• Goldberg, Robert Alan (October 1, 2008). "Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America". Yale University Press – via Google Books.
• Jacobson, Mark (September 4, 2018). "Pale Horse Rider: William Cooper, the Rise of Conspiracy, and the Fall of Trust in America". Penguin – via Google Books.