Kent Conspiracists

Kent Conspiracists

Conspiracy theories emerge to connect the missing pieces of an unfinished puzzle

WORDS BY Hannah Miller

ILLUSTRATION BY Sarah Riedlinger

Something we can all forget to do in the midst of daily routines is set aside time to think through current events and newsworthy things going on around us. But it is important to step back and do so every once in a while. Learning, creating or researching conspiracy theories is just one way to challenge the status-quo and exercise creativity. Some people tune out as soon as the phrase ‘conspiracy theories’ is said, some theories are far-fetched and have no evidence to back them up, but there are a handful of theories that are well thought out and may have some truth to them.

Questioning the status-quo seems to be a must, and with that, conspiracy theories emerge to connect the missing pieces of an unfinished puzzle. A lot of historical events and places around the world seem to have missing information which is overlooked. Talking through evidence and other supporting research is what may bring light to hidden truth.

It’s become more common to be skeptical and see things in an alternative light, whether it be a good or bad thing. An article published in 2015 from The Washington Post states, “about half the public generally endorses at least one conspiracy theory.” One of the most common theories deals with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

J.F.K.’S ASSASSINATION — ONE MAN OR TWO?

On Nov. 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was shot and killed while riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. This tragic event left the world shocked and confused about who could have committed such a crime. There are many conspiracies surrounding the death of J.F.K., with one of the most popular and compelling being that Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone.

The theory that Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of Kennedy, did not act alone began with the release of the Zapruder film. This was the first time the public saw the assassination. The film shows J.F.K.’s head moving backward as a result of the impact, as if he was hit from the front, but government conclusions say he was shot from the back. When a person pushes someone from the back, they fall forward, not backward.

“I was a little kid then, but I remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy,” Michael Olszewski, who teaches a conspiracy theory class at Kent State, says. “It wasn’t until 1974, about 11 years later, when the full film, the Zapruder film, was shown and after that I thought, ‘Well why did they keep this under wraps for so long?’”

Following the film’s release, The Warren Commission was created by former President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination and give the public answers.

The commission concluded that the gunman acted alone in the killing of J.F.K. Yet, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations had a different conclusion. It reported there was a high probability there were two people who fired upon J.F.K.

“I think the whole thing doesn’t really add up,” says Malania Birney, a sophomore majoring in political science. “Literally everything you can find on it goes against the story … I don’t think it was just Oswald.”

Some other aspects that don’t add up with the official report of the assassination is the aftermath of the gunfire. The Zapruder film shows a piece of J.F.K.’s head blowing off and Jackie Kennedy reaching for it.

“In my high school forensics class we learned about how blood splatter is and the closer you are the bigger the effect of blood splatter,” Caleb Huffman, a freshman majoring in interior design, says, “If [the shooter] was as far as they say he was, there’s no way that his brain would have been everywhere like that.”

Although some people believe Oswald wasn’t a lone wolf, that possibly the government or the mob was behind it, others believe it may not be that extreme.

“I wouldn’t say it was a grand organization. I don’t think it was the Russians, or the mob, or the United States,” says Josh Wampler, a senior majoring in philosophy. “I would say it’s a fringe group of 10 to 20 people who all got together and came up with shooters and killed J.F.K. I think there’s probably a plausibility, but as a government society, it’s easier to blame one guy and then move on from it.”

Olszewski’s class is not just about conspiracies, but why people are so quick to accept them, along with the role media organizations play in the influence of conspiracies. Some theories Olszewski covers in the course include the J.F.K. assassination, 9/11 and the moon landing.

“I’m quick to point out that I can be critical without being skeptical,” Olszewski says, “but I am a little bit skeptical of a lot of different conspiracy theories.”

In the digital era where news and information are at our fingertips, it’s hard to differentiate between real and fake news. “I’m fascinated by just how much people are willing to accept conspiracy,” he says. “I don’t think they trust media.”

Wampler, one of Olszewski’s students, says he enjoys the class and appreciates how the professor makes you think about the theories and concepts.

DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’S FANCY TUNNELS

There are many different theories surrounding the Denver International Airport. One theory created the idea that underground tunnels run throughout the United States for military operations or government workings.

The third day it opened, luggage operations and trams at the Denver International Airport stopped working. Passengers were then led through tunnels that weren’t the stereotypical cold, dull and grim type. These tunnels were decorated with beautiful murals that were more inviting than the airport itself.

“It’s weird, it all points in that direction,” Birney says. “It’s a simple solution to aide in the concealment of sketchy stuff, which I think we can all agree happens quite a bit.”

There are other things that add to the theory that something else may be going on at the Denver airport.

“I read an article that said allegedly when they first built the airport they screwed up the first five buildings,” Huffman says, “and instead of scrapping them, they buried them underground, so that could go along with it.”

Some are not as skeptical of the airport.

“Think about this, if it was just going to be for one particular use, I don’t think they would decorate it for the people using it,” Olszewski says. “I think that a lot of times there are alternate routes to move people and to make that as pleasant and comfortable as possible is not surprising.”

Wampler says even if the theories are true, the intent may not be what the theorists want.

“There’s probably a little bit of plausibility … but I wouldn’t say there’s malicious intent or a secret black government that’s actually pulling the strings,” Wampler says. “I think it’s more money talk, and you’re going to try and make your influence better by having more communication and have access to each other, especially at different airports.”

SOUTH AMERICA AND ADOLF HITLER

In April of 1945, days after his birthday, Adolf Hitler committed suicide by shooting himself in the head while hiding out in one of his bunkers in Berlin. A conspiracy theory emerged soon after his reported death with the idea that he could have faked it and fled to South America, as many other Nazis did at the time.

Huffman saw another conspiracy theory while watching TV: perhaps Adolf Hitler isn’t dead. Or, at least, he didn’t die when it was reported he did. Huffman remembers being home alone one night, scrolling through YouTube and stumbling upon a show on conspiracies about Hitler. “It was going into DNA records and it was really intense,” he says.

Some evidence used to back up this theory is that only one person saw Hitler’s dead body. “They could easily be lying,” Huffman says. “It’s Hitler. I would lie. I wouldn’t want him coming after me.”

The Soviet Union also admitted to not having Hitler’s body after they claimed they did. Although the Soviet Union thought they had a fragment of his skull, it was later proved to be from a woman. People have also claimed to have seen Hitler after his reported death in April 1945. One man claimed he was in contact with Hitler in Columbia until he moved to Argentina early in the year of 1955.

“There was even some concern with the recently released papers about the Kennedy assassination where they happen to mention that [Hitler] may have been alive in South America,” Olszewski says. “I hope we get to the bottom of that at some point. I would like to think that justice was served and when the Russians stormed Berlin that they did get him, but if that evidence isn’t there, then that’s where the controversy begins.”

Birney thinks it’s probable Hitler may have escaped, but since there’s so many theories about iconic figures in history faking their deaths, it’s a little crazy to think about.

Wampler also believes it may be a little crazy to think Hitler faked his own death.

“The bunker he was in we bombed,” he says. “And we bombed it a lot so there’s nothing left. If he was in there, he would’ve been dead.”

WWI AND THE LUSITANIA

In 1917, three years after World War I began, a German U-boat sank the Lusitania — a British ship with over 1,000 people on board. Approximately 128 Americans died, which propelled the U.S. to intervene in the war. The theory is that the Lusitania was purposely sent into German waters so the U.S. could enter World War I.

This theory is one of Wampler’s favorites. “I think that’s the catalyst of why we went to war,” he says. “I think we just needed public opinion, some kind of sway in politics over the public for us to have a justified war.”

Winston Churchill, the prime minister of the United Kingdom at the time, wrote that the British encouraged Germany to sink ships. The crew members of the Lusitania also knew the exact location of the German U-boat, but failed to report it to the captain.

“It is really interesting that America tested its might and then went to war over it,” Wampler says.

In contrast, some believe it could have just been a mistake.

“The torpedo hit the Lusitania in the place where it would do the most damage, in this case a fatal hit,” Olszewski says. “Plus, the Lusitania’s captain may have altered the ship’s speed putting it in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also, I don’t believe there were proper precautions like escort ships, which obviously played a factor. Historians may find out more to this story than was originally written.”

But there are a lot of people who think this theory may be true because of America’s past in foreign affairs.

“It makes sense,” Huffman says. “I think [the United States likes] to stick [its] nose in other people’s business, and when there’s a war we tend to be the last to join, which is odd. And there is always a random attack or event that makes us finally bite the bullet.”

Even when people are not extremely familiar with this theory, there is still some skepticism.

“I think it’s totally possible, lots of crazy stuff goes on in the world of politics,” Birney says. “I haven’t heard that one before, but I’m definitely going to look into it.”

Conspiracy theories are just theories until proven otherwise, but that doesn’t make skepticism and curiosity any less important. A healthy dose of skepticism could end up revealing a truth that would have otherwise gone untold.

“Look at Woodward and Bernstein,” Olszewski points out. “The two guys that really reported on the Watergate affair that brought down a president. I think it’s dangerous not to analyze a lot of the things that are proposed.”

HANNAH MILLER | hmille60@kent.edu