Between March 19 and 22, Facebook users (1;2;3;4;5), including accounts that systematically spread disinformation such as Fant Ina and Irakli Zakareishvili, shared information about the files related to the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy. The authors largely circulated an identical text, claiming the following regarding Kennedy’s assassination:
- In 1994, Kennedy’s son allegedly called Joe Biden, who was involved in the assassination, a traitor and a corrupt person.
- George H.W. Bush was also allegedly involved in Kennedy’s assassination, and Hillary Clinton won the elections only after John F. Kennedy Jr. died under unclear circumstances.
- A widely shared photo allegedly depicts Lee Harvey Oswald (considered Kennedy’s assassin) and Jeffrey Epstein together.
- Kennedy supposedly knew about the plans of “globalists” and, a few days before his assassination, said, “They [the deep state’s minions] will come and get me soon. The war machine is too strong. But if I fall, let history know I tried to warn them.”
Some of the above-listed claims regarding the Kennedy files are disinformation, while others are spread without any evidence: 1) The claim that Kennedy’s son called Biden a traitor is not confirmed by the newly declassified files or any previous reports. A letter received by Biden was investigated by the police in 1994, but Kennedy Jr. was never named a suspect; 2) The widely shared photo does not depict Jeffrey Epstein and Lee Harvey Oswald laughing together one day before Kennedy’s assassination. Epstein was only 10 years old in 1963. 3) Conspiracy theories alleging that George H.W. Bush was involved in Kennedy’s assassination have circulated for years but have never been confirmed. The declassified files do not contain such information. 4) Kennedy’s alleged quote about the “war machine” is not supported by credible sources.
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Did Kennedy’s Son Call Biden a Traitor?
After the Kennedy assassination files were declassified by Trump’s order, social media users have claimed that among the documents is a letter from John F. Kennedy Jr., in which he calls Joe Biden a traitor. However, it is important to note that this claim has circulated on social media for years, and no such document was found in the newly released files.
To support this claim, Facebook users, including Georgian-language accounts, have attached an FBI document dated August 1994. The document describes a letter that began with the words, “Dear Sen. Biden: You are a traitor,” and, according to the FBI document, bore the signature of John F. Kennedy Jr.
In reality, the document in question is not related to the files declassified on March 18 by Trump’s order, and it was part of an investigation launched in 1994 due to a death threat. The letter was mailed to Biden, who was a senator at the time. The letter was signed “John F. Kennedy Jr.,” but this does not confirm that it is authentic. The claim has also been fact-checked by Politifact.
In fact, the document has been publicly available for years (pages 154-155). The Associated Press obtained access to it in 2000, following Kennedy Jr.’s death.
The FBI document discusses fingerprints taken from the letter. The investigation considered the possibility that an unknown individual had sent the letter under Kennedy Jr.’s name. The case was closed by the end of 1994 without identifying any suspects. As Stephen Gillon, a history professor at the University of Oklahoma and Kennedy Jr.’s biographer, told Politifact, police did not pursue the investigation further because they did not believe Kennedy Jr. was the author of the letter.
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The Epstein and Oswald Photo
Along with their posts, Facebook users have been sharing a photo that, according to the caption, depicts child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald one day before Kennedy’s murder. The photo shows the date – November 21, 1963. According to the screenshot, the article is from Brand Trust Media and was written by Katie Farcle.
However, it is impossible for the photo to show Oswald and Epstein together. Epstein was born on January 20, 1953, while Lee Harvey Oswald was born in 1939. This means that in 1963, at the time of Kennedy’s assassination, Epstein was only 10 years old, which excludes the possibility that he was in the photo with Oswald the day before the assassination. The man in the photo has gray hair.
The earliest instance of this image appears on X, posted by the account American Rabbit. Notably, Brand Trust Media, the media outlet referenced in the screenshot, cannot be found in open sources and is likely nonexistent. Similarly, there is no verifiable information about journalist Katie Farcle.
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Claims About George H.W. Bush’s Involvement in the Assassination
Conspiracy theories suggesting that George H.W. Bush was involved in Kennedy’s assassination have circulated for years. One example is the 2008 book “Family of Secrets” by Russ Baker, in which he discusses the Bush family’s ties to the CIA. The author links George H.W. Bush to the Watergate scandal as well as to Kennedy’s assassination. The author develops a theory that Bush was a CIA agent in 1963 who was involved in Kennedy’s assassination. These conspiracy theories were fueled by a letter dated November 29, 1963, in which an FBI employee mentioned a George Bush from the Central Intelligence Agency. Based on this letter, in 1988, journalist Joseph McBride speculated that the person mentioned in the letter was the future U.S. president and investigated his whereabouts on the day of the assassination. However, after the document’s release, Bush denied working for the CIA in 1963, and it was later revealed that the individual mentioned was George William Bush, not George H.W. Bush.
Despite the long-running conspiracy theories, no credible evidence linking George H.W. Bush to Kennedy’s assassination is available in open sources. Likewise, there are no reports by reputable sources indicating that the newly declassified files support these claims. Media outlets and experts point out that the documents do not answer all questions about the case and leave room for conspiracy theories.
Facebook users also link John F. Kennedy Jr.’s death to Hillary Clinton’s election participation, emphasizing that Clinton won her first election for public office only after Kennedy Jr. died under unclear circumstances. However, claims that the Bush and Clinton families were involved in Kennedy Jr.’s death are not new. Fact-checking organizations have repeatedly debunked claims about Kennedy Jr.’s death. In reality, on July 16, 1999, Kennedy Jr. was flying a Piper Saratoga aircraft when it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. His wife and sister-in-law, who were also on board, died with him. According to the report of the National Transportation Safety Board, the crash was caused by foggy conditions and Kennedy Jr.’s inexperience flying alone at night. At the time of his death, Kennedy Jr. was not a candidate for any public office.
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Kennedy’s Quote on “Globalists’ Plans”
Along with their posts, Facebook users have been sharing a quote attributed to Kennedy, allegedly made just days before his assassination, in which he speaks about the “war machine” and claims that “they” are planning to take him away soon.
The quote, which Georgian-language users have modified by adding the phrase “deep state minions,” has only been circulated by social media users on platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram. Some claim that the quote became public after the recent release of the files. However, it was already spreading on social media on February 20, before the documents were released.
Aside from posts by social media users, there is no evidence in open sources confirming that Kennedy made such a statement before his assassination.
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