Conspiracy Theories of the '60s and '70s

By | November 1, 2018


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Elvis Presley, Jailhouse Rock

In his 1997 movie, Conspiracy Theory, Mel Gibson played a conspiracy theorist whose life becomes endangered when one of his theories turns out to be true. But conspiracy theories have been a common obsession since long before the 1990s. The 1960s and 1970s introduced several theories still popular today.

Elvis Not Dead

The death of Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977, broke the hearts of fans everywhere. So much so that many of them refuse to believe it’s true. An American author named Gail Brewer-Giorgio is credited with popularizing the prevailing theory that Elvis faked his death. The theory, backed by claims of inconsistencies with his death certificate and a wax dummy in his coffin, resulted in countless “Elvis sightings” in which people claim to have spotted the former king of rock n’ roll in various locations after his so-called death. The first sighting occurred at an airport where a man who looked like Elvis checked into a flight using Presley’s alias. The sightings continue today and are frequently backed by photographic (or, rather, photo-shopped) evidence.

JFK Assassination – The Second Shooter

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John F. Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963

On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot twice, once in the back and once in the head, while traveling through Dallas, Texas in a presidential motorcade. He died at the hospital thirty minutes later. The alleged shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald, claimed he was being set up. Oswald was shot and killed two days later and thus never got his day in court. Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, ordered the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination. After ten months, the Warren Commission determined that Oswald was the sole shooter. However, the rest of the world was not convinced. Multiple conspiracy theories arose alleging involvement by the government and the mafia, among others and most of them suggesting the presence of a second shooter. However, despite numerous investigations over the years, no substantial proof of a conspiracy has been uncovered. Despite that, a poll conducted in 2013 showed that 61% of Americans still believe the assassination was the result of a conspiracy.