Assassination

In its most common use, assassination has come to mean the killing of an important person. An assassin — one who carries out the assassination — is usually motivated by ideological or political reasons. Other motivations may be money in the case of a hitman; opposition to a person's beliefs or belief systems in the case of a fanatic; orders from a government that are often carried about by a subversive agent such as a spy; or loyalty to a competing leader or group.

Source for conspiracy theories

Assassinations are a classic subject of conspiracy theories. The assassination of a prominent figure is a singular event which can dramatically change the course of public affairs. Those drawn to conspiracy theory are led to ask, in the aftermath of an assassination, Who benefited from this death? Though some assassinations are committed by lone individuals, and many others by aboveboard governments (such as that of Leon Trotsky), and other assassinations are committed as the result of a provable conspiracy, there have been several assassinations whose purposes and evidence remain mysterious in the public eye — and suspicious to most people.

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Best-known among assassination conspiracy theories in the United States are those dealing with a rash of seemingly politically motivated deaths in the 1960s, notably those of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.

Related Topics:
1960s - President - John F. Kennedy - Senator - Robert F. Kennedy - Civil rights - Martin Luther King Jr. - Malcolm X

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Investigations and scientific testing and recreations into the circumstances of John F. Kennedy's death have not settled the question of who killed him. That U.S. public opinion considers this still to be an open issue is suggested by three polls in 2003. An ABC News random telephone poll found that just 32% (plus or minus 3%) of Americans believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, while 68% do not believe Oswald acted alone. http://abcnews.go.com/images/pdf/937a1JFKAssassination.pdf The "Discovery Channel" poll (sampling method not given) reveals that only 21% believe Oswald acted alone, while 79% do not believe Oswald acted alone. http://poll.discovery.com/servlet/viewsflash?jfk=6&cmd=tally&pollid=jfk&results=data%2Fdsc%2Fpackage%2Fjfk.results.html&submit.x=51&submit.y=6 The "History Channel" poll (self-selected responses) details that only 17% of respondents believe that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, while 83% do not believe Oswald acted alone. http://www.historychannel.com/jfk/jfk_poll_results.jsp It should, however, be noted that opinion polls of this type are often subject to selection and response biases.

Related Topics:
ABC News - Poll - Lee Harvey Oswald

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Similar theories have arisen around the assassination of Beatle John Lennon, populist Senator Huey Long of Louisiana and the attempted assassinations of George Wallace and U.S. President Ronald Reagan. In recent years conspiracy theories about the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and Diana, Princess of Wales have made headlines.

Related Topics:
Beatle - John Lennon - Populist - Huey Long - Louisiana - George Wallace - Ronald Reagan - John F. Kennedy, Jr. - Diana, Princess of Wales

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