Who really killed JFK?
“JFK,” Oliver Stone’s 1991 movie, ignited a firestorm. Was it the Russians, the Cubans, the Mafia, the CIA? In 1993, author and journalist Gerald Ponser released “Case Closed” in which he concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin and there was no conspiracy. Stone’s film was the catalyst for Posner getting the book deal and there have been scores of authors who devoted their lives to proving there was a conspiracy.
“I took heat,” Posner told The Journal. “A guy like me spends a few years on the assassination. The idea someone could parachute into the case adds salt to the wound.”
Over the years, there have been fringe theories blaming Israel, because Jack Ruby (born Jacob Rubinstein) was a Jew and killed Oswald before a trial, or a claim that Israel feared JFK might prevent it from becoming a nuclear power. Unclassified documents from the past year have given an opportunity for conspiracy theorists to go wild.
“There was never any momentum on this,” Posner said. “I didn’t listen to Candace Owens when she said it. There’s so much of her that sets my hair on fire. But there is the Nick Fuentes crowd claiming that there is Israeli intelligence redacted. I’ve looked at all the new files that have been released and what you find is there are redactions of many intelligence services. I was foolish. I was thinking that you can get people to listen to reason. But there is an echo-chamber that people fit everything into their antisemitic view of the world. The Groypers were the key to this conspiracy theory taking on speed.”
Trump’s Interview on The Third Assassination Attempt
CBS correspondent Norah O’Donnell, in her interview with President Trump, asked him to comment on rumors that the attempted shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was staged, or that assassination attempt in Butler didn’t happen. Trump responded by saying people who say the Holocaust or Oct. 7, 2023, didn’t happen are sick.
“It would have been good if she had been able to ask it in terms of conspiracy theories in general,” Posner said. “Is he surprised that they start within minutes of an event, and some even believe that this latest assassination attempt was staged. Then it is less about Trump and more about the craziness that fills the internet.”
Posner would not be surprised if there were more assassination attempts.
Mengele, Holocaust Denial and How Social Media Fuels Conspiracy Theories
Posner is the author of “Mengele: The Complete Story” in which he got access to the diary of Josef Mengele, who in the selection process at Auschwitz pointed Jews to the gas chambers to certain death, or to life at the camp, at least for a time. He was a doctor who did horrific experiments on twins, including, Posner writes, on one occasion, sewing two together and injecting dyes into eyes.
Posner said it was disgusting that Candace Owens and others have claimed Mengele’s atrocities have been either exaggerated or did not actually occur. Posner even interviewed Mengele’s son, Rolf, who said he wished he had a different father.
“If 10 years ago, people would say Mengele’s crimes were overstated, I’d say you were crazy,” Posner said. “It’s regrettable he was not captured to stand trial. He was proud of what he did.”
While some deny the Holocaust entirely, Posner said it is more effective for conspiracy theorists is to simply say they are asking questions. “The Nazis had great record keeping,” Posner said. “But people win if they can raise doubt. They will not look at facts. They’ll say maybe it was 5 million instead of 6 million who were killed. I’m sure (Hitler’s minister of propaganda) Joseph Goebbels would have a big following today if he had an account on X.”
From Holocaust Denial to Oct. 7 Denial
Posner, like many, was horrified by the videos of the Oct. 7 atrocities Hamas filmed themselves.
“At first, I was surprised and horrified,” Posner said. “That was not only to enshrine and show rape is resistance, it was their recruitment tool. I’ve seen the films. They were proud to shoot people without care. What amazed me more than their recording of it was that the next day, people were protesting in their favor and there was some denial. The atrocities of that day have been pushed in the shadows.”
The Enveloping Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories Come from The Right and The Left
Posner said that from the right, there is no distinction between Israelis and Jews, and the view is that Jews are omnipotent and control everything, from the banks, to Hollywood, to politics. And from the left, there are the constant charges of apartheid, colonizer and genocide. Posner has appeared on “The Ben Shapiro Show” and Patrick Bet David’s “PBD” podcast, where he said Israel has lost the PR war. He told The Journal it’s difficult to win with conspiracy theories gaining traction. There have been no cases of Russians in America being attacked for its government’s attack on Ukraine, nor attacks on Chinese for what its government as done, yet there is an exception, for Jews. He said all that can be done is to force people to provide evidence.
RFK and MLK
Robert F. Kennedy, a leading candidate for the 1968 Democratic nomination for president, was assassinated at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian, admitted he killed RFK. His motive was that RFK was pro-Israel. Despite being convicted of the murder, RFK Jr. has said he believes Sirhan shot at his father, but was not the actual killer and should be released from prison.
Posner, who is the author of “Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King” writes that Ray was the lone assassin. MLK’s son, Dexter met with Ray in 1997 and said he didn’t believe he assassinated his father while he leaned over a balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Posner thinks RFK Jr. and the King family believe they are correct and are not making money or selling books off the claims they make. “It’s an emotional issue for them, so I give them latitude for that error,” Posner said.
“I still say they’re wrong, but I do it respectfully.”
Did the Assassination of Charlie Kirk and the Attempt on Trump’s Life Surprise Him?
There was hope that the era of assassinations was over, either due to some betterment of humanity, or that cell phones, digital cameras and the belief that people would be detected before during or after the act.
Posner does not believe humanity is any better and there will always be 10 to 20 people at any given time who want to kill famous figures for any number of reasons, be it fame, anger at policies or mental instability. This will continue, especially as they are able to get a hold of guns that can fire from a distance, he said.
In the case of Charlie Kirk who was gunned down at Utah Valley State University on Sept. 10, 2025, Tyler Robinson was arrested. Conspiracy theorists ask why there was no blood seen in the immediate shot or that 30-06 rifle would have done more damage. Owens has blamed Israel and Erika Kirk (and many others) as possible culprits with no evidence. In Butler Pennsylvania on July 13,2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at Trump, only nicking his ear, and killed Corey Comperatore.
Posner is stunned so little has come out about Crooks and the world has seemingly forgot about him. He said while each human is responsible for their own actions, the rhetoric against Trump is a danger. “If you continue to call someone Hitler or a Nazi, there comes a point where someone says if they could kill baby Hitler and save the world, they would,” Posner said. “The Hitler comparisons diminish who Hitler really was. I’ve had people say to me, ‘well what if I think he is Hitler?’ I say to them that they’re wrong.”
Personal Criticism and Why He’d Be Interveiwed By Tucker Carlson
Posner is Catholic and said because his father was Jewish, some have accused him of being a plant to promote Jewish views, which he brushes off as nonsense. Posner said he loves debating and putting factual questions to anyone. Posner’s wife is Jewish and started an organization to fight antisemitism.
Tucker Carlson produced a series about 9/11 where he raised the question of how Building 7 came down; there have also been questions about the building’s owner, Larry Silverstein, who purchased insurance on the building before the attack. Posner noted on the “PBD” podcast that insurance companies are not in the business of giving away money and would have had every incentive to check if there was foul play. Posner’s book on 9/11, “Why America Slept” is fascinating and its conclusion might surprise people.
Posner said he would go on Carlson’s podcast, if invited, because he believes some portion of the audience would be swayed by his presentation of facts.
Why Oswald Didn’t Pay for His Movie Ticket, how could he have been easily identified?
While there are too many points to address in one article, a few things conspiracy theorists in the JFK case argue are as follows: Oswald was apprehended at the Texas Theater not long after he shot the president and Dallas police officer J.D. Tippit. Getting off the street would be wise, but why not pay for the ticket, instead of drawing attention to himself. And how could Oswald have been so easily identified, as white, clean-shaven men of average height were a dime a dozen?
“We don’t know what his originally planned destination was,” Posner said. “Oswald was not a fool. He was smart enough to be able to pull this off. He had an idea of how he would get away. This wasn’t a suicide mission. Was he trying to go on a bus to Mexico City? It’s all speculation. Whatever he planned was interrupted when Tippit stopped him.”
Oswald was followed after he shot and killed Tippett, and likely feared if he stopped to buy the ticket someone could have identified him. Posner said one major point conspiracy theorists like to ignore is that Oswald was the only employee of the Texas School Book Depository who ran away.
“Oswald was deeply immersed in politics,” Posner said. “If he had nothing to do with the assassination, why would he be the only one to leave? He would have been outside asking people what happened, trying to soak up the moment in history. Instead, he goes back to the rooming house to get a pistol and takes a taxi for the first time and gets out to take a bus.”
Based on Oswald’s volatile personality, which Posner said included brandishing a gun in front of a Russian agent and getting into a fight in public, he doubts the Mafia or CIA would have trusted Oswald. And he rejects the notion that the Mafia, angered that it helped Kennedy win the presidency, only for Robert Kennedy to go after them, decided to kill the president, since his younger brother would have been the easier target. He also said there isn’t evidence Ruby was a real mobster though he understands that as he looked like one, people will speculate that he was linked to organized crime.
In 2023, a Gallup Poll showed that 65% of American believe the JFK assassination involved a conspiracy. The 1978-1979 U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded that JFK was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.” The Warren Commission stated that Oswald acted alone in killing JFK and Ruby acted alone in killing Oswald.
Antisemitism Can’t Be Fought Generically
Posner said there is no magic wand to fight antisemitism, but he sees one failing strategy: Politicians or other leaders who say, ‘let’s come together against hate.’”
“You have to draw a line in the and protect Jews, because that’s who most of the attacks are against,” Posner said. “Hate against Jews has been on steroids after Oct. 7. There are things being said, where if said about other groups, the person would be excluded from society, but you can say it against Jews, because that’s somehow acceptable.”
AI, Wanting a Piece of The Pie and Will Conspiracy Theories Trend Down?
Posner said AI makes things even more difficult when someone is clearly alive, and people will claim they are not, or the reverse, that people will believe AI scenes of war that never actually took place. In the podcast space, clicks and views go to those who claim a conspiracy, not those who say there is a more logical explanation for an event, so a percentage of people will focus on that, Posner said. He thinks conspiracy theories will continue, to grow, and sadly regarding the JFK assassination, he expects some to point out that Abraham Zapruder, the man who filmed it was Jewish, and Mark Lane, who wanted to defend Oswald, was also Jewish.
Posner writes his books to be studied in printed form, though he acknowledged many have said his books would make great movies. He said it’s not his goal to make a film or TV show, but he would discuss any possibility if one came his way. He said while the conclusions of his books are not sexy for those who want conspiracy, he understands that logical people who see uncommon tragic things happen will conclude it could not be that an unremarkable guy like Oswald could take out a leader like Kennedy, or a guy shooting from a bathroom could murder such a civil rights leader like Martin Luther King Jr.
Posner said he hopes he can reach levelheaded people with open minds who have the viewpoint that they are open to changing their opinions if the evidence points in a certain direction. But he said there are many who are invested emotionally, financially, or in terms of time spent studying a topic who won’t budge an inch no matter what.
“There’s no single piece of evidence, no matter how conclusive, that will persuade people who want to stir a pot with a conspiracy,” Posner said.
