29 Percent of Americans in 1963 Thought Oswald Acted Alone

On Nov. 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed President John F. Kennedy. Fifty-four years later, doubts still linger about just what happened on that tragic day and the days that followed. But the doubts were there from the beginning. A Gallup poll conducted shortly after the assassination found that just 29 percent of Americans thought Oswald acted alone.^[1]

Gallup found that most Americans (52 percent) believed that some group was involved. Nineteen percent (19 percent) were not sure. However, "Only about one person in a hundred thinks Russia, Cuba, or 'the communists' may have been involved in the assassination. Almost no one mentions the 'extreme right,' or segregationists, as responsible." Gallup has asked similar questions over the years and "has consistently found the majority believing it was a conspiracy."

Footnotes:

1. Gallup, "Gallup Vault: Few in 1963 Thought Oswald Acted Alone," October 26, 2017

Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology. Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Scott Rasmussen is founder and president of the Rasmussen Media Group. He is the author of "Mad as Hell: How the Tea Party Movement Is Fundamentally Remaking Our Two-Party System," "In Search of Self-Governance," and "The People’s Money: How Voters Will Balance the Budget and Eliminate the Federal Debt." Read more reports from Scott Rasmussen — Click Here Now.