CONSPIRACY THEORIES

The Kennedy "Kurse"

By Creedence Mikelson

We've all heard of curses from fairy tales, but have you heard of the Kennedy curse? The Kennedy’s are known as the “royal family” of America, and probably always will be. But they were struggling with loss in more ways than one, for a considerable amount of time. They have lost family members from assassinations, car accidents, plane crashes, drug overdoses, other illnesses, and just random accidents. And that's not even all of them. Granted, every family experiences love and loss and heartache, but the Kennedy’s were put up against a magnifying glass and scrutinized so much due to their immense fame. Some say it is a conspiracy- that some people have purposely made sure the Kenendys don't last as long as they should. Some say it's pure coincidence. Whichever side you're on, or if you're somewhere in the middle, the fact is that the Kennedys have been through a lot, and no one knows 100% why. 

Assassinations:

There have been two prominent people in the Kennedy family to have been assassinated. One was John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th U.S. President. He was shot in the head in Dallas, TX on November 22, 1963 while he and his wife were riding the presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. The assassin’s name is Lee Harvey Oswald. The assassination was done so on television, set up so the entire nation witnessed the act. Robert F. Kennedy, JFK’s brother and better known as RFK or Bobby, was also assassinated on June 5, 1968. He was campaigning in Los Angeles when a man named Sirhan Sirhan shot him multiple times. Sirhan Sirhan was sentenced to life in prison. Both of these men were prominent political figures in the 20th century, one being president and the other serving as United States attorney general. Both killings were major blows to our country, and both killings raised suspicion among Americans. Because JFK and RFK were so important to our country, it's not out of the ordinary to suspect that the government played a role in their assassinations.

Plane Accidents:

Along with many other things, the Kennedys were prone to plane accidents. A total of 5 Kennedy’s have been in a plane crash, with 7 of them dead (not all blood related). Starting all the way back in 1944, Pres. Kennedy's oldest brother, Joe Kennedy Jr., died in an air disaster during WW2. Next, Ted Kennedy survived a 1964 plane crash that killed two people. A mere four years later, a plane crash killed President Kennedy’s sister, Kathleen Kennedy at 28 years old. Also, Ethel Kennedy’s (wife of Robert F. Kennedy) parents’ died in a plane crash in 1955. Most recently, JFK Jr., his wife, and sister in law all died in a fatal plane crash in 1999 while flying over Martha’s Vineyard at night. There are 70-90 plane crashes worldwide per year and 36,500,000 flights every year. To have 7 place crashes in this one family and 5 people dying in them is more than coincidental and suspicious.

Diseases/Sicknesses:

Similar to many other family’s, the Kennedy’s suffered many tragedies that were disease/sickness related. First of all, JFK’s sister, Rosemary Kennedy struggled with her brain for her whole life. She got a prefrontal lobotomy, a fairly new procedure at the time, in 1941, but the operation only worsened her condition. She lived in misery her whole life until her death in 2005. Also, tragically, President JFK and Jackie Kennedy lost their infant son, Patrick in 1969. The baby boy survived for less than two days due to a viscous lung condition he had at birth. Additionally, Ted Kennedy’s 12 year old son (at the time) lost a leg to bone cancer. Two deaths were drug related. RFK’s son, David Kennedy died from a drug overdose in 1984. Saoirse Kennedy Hill was found dead at her family’s Massachusetts estate after a suspected drug overdose in 2019.

Other:

Along with the plane accidents and assassination, Kennedy family members have died for a varying degree of other things. Unfortunately, Jacqueline Kennedy fell pregnant in 1956, and had a still-born baby girl the couple decided to name Arabella. Also, one of RFK’s sons died in a tragic ski accident on New Years Eve, 1997. Additionally, campaign worker Mary Jo Kopechne died in a 1969 car crash, with Ted Kennedy at the wheel. This was known as the Chappaquiddick Incident, and followed Ted for the rest of his career. After the tragic accident, Ted went on national TV and asked if there actually was a curse over the Kennedys.

Ms. Schlotter:

I interviewed Ms. Schlotter to get her opinion on JFK and RFK’s assassinations and any possible conspiracy theories she might have. This is what she said:

On JFK’s assassination she said, “I don't think Lee Harvey Oswald worked alone to kill the President. I think it was set up by someone else or some group and Lee Harvey Oswald was paid to carry out the assassination.” On RFK’s assassination: “Bobby Kennedy was killed by a man named Sirhan Sirhan. I think this one was politically motivated.” Regarding JFK Jr.’s death, “Well I think he thought he was a better pilot than he really was. He should not have risked flying in bad weather.” A Kennedy conspiracy Ms. Schlotter said she believes in is, “ JFK was a little friendly with too many people and the government may have been afraid that he might spill some secrets.”

Ms. Mcllroy:

I interviewed Ms. Mcllroy to get her opinion on JFK and RFK’s assassinations and any possible conspiracy theories she might have. This is what she said:

On JFK’s assassination she told me, “I'm on the conspiracy train on this one and I think that the government either planned this assassination to happen, knew it was going to happen, or failed to act when they should have. There are too many holes in this assassination for me, and too much conspiracy evidence to say otherwise.” Regarding JFK Jr.’s plane crash: “I think the plane crash is suspicious, but only because he is JFK Jr. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have thought twice about it. My husband thinks that JFK Jr. is still alive and they faked their deaths to avoid an assassination attempt and he is now a government official.” Ms. Mcllroy said she does not have any information about RFK’s assassination other than he was shot in the head by someone from his own party instead of the man who got convicted. When I asked Ms. Mcllroy whether or not she believes in a conspiracy about the Kennedys, and which one she replied with: “ I think it's not too far-fetched to say the government may have had knowledge of the attempts or orchestrated them because there is SO much evidence out there. But on the other hand, there is a ton of evidence suggesting it's all as it seems- so we may never really know the truth.”

The Kennedy family has been put through the windmill and spit out countless times. Honestly, the Kennedy’s could be a normal family, but since they were the spotlight of America for so long, it seemed like they were more cursed than the rest of us. Son of “Ted” Kennedy and nephew of RFK and JFK, Edward Jr. Kennedy said in 2009, “The Kennedy family has had to endure these things in a very open way. But our family is just like … every other family in America in many ways.” This puts Kennedy's experience in perspective and shows us that it might very well be pure bad luck. Or maybe not. Whatever you believe in, the Kennedy Kurse is a prominent thing, understood either figuratively or literally.

Sources to look at for more information:
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/kennedy-family-curse/index.html

https://www.historyhit.com/the-kennedy-curse-a-timeline-of-tragedy/

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/02/us/kennedy-family-tragedies/index.html