Final Review Key Terms on Conspiracy Theories and the JFK Assassination

This set of flashcards covers key terms and concepts related to conspiracy theories, particularly those surrounding intelligence agencies and the JFK assassination.

Church Committee

A 1970s Senate investigation that exposed CIA, FBI, NSA, and IRS abuses, including MKUltra, illegal spying, and covert foreign operations.

Pathologizing Paradigm

Explains conspiracy belief as mental illness or irrationality, labeling believers as 'abnormal' despite no consistent traits.

Agency Panic

The feeling that individuals have little control over their lives because large systems dominate everything.

Deviant Heroism

Heroism shown by resisting authority despite risks—seen in whistleblowers, civil rights activists, or soldiers refusing immoral orders.

Forteana

Unexplained or strange events treated by conspiracists as clues to hidden realities.

Condensed Symbols

Symbols that hold many meanings at once and strongly shape identity and emotion.

Millennium and Apocalypse

Ideas about dramatic world transformation—either a perfect new age or sudden revelation/destruction.

Blood Libel

A false antisemitic claim that Jews kidnapped and killed Christian children for rituals.

Antisemitism

Prejudice, hatred, or discrimination against Jewish people, often expressed through stereotypes and conspiracy theories.

Jewish Emancipation

The process of granting Jewish people equal rights in Europe, which also triggered new forms of antisemitism.

Covert Sphere

The idea that intelligence agencies operate in secrecy; we know they exist but fill knowledge gaps with speculation and fiction.

MK-Ultra

A secret CIA mind-control program using drugs, electroshock, and torture; poorly documented and later exposed as abusive.

Two-Way Device

An object with both a normal use and a hidden use, such as an umbrella that conceals a weapon.

Diabolism

Accusations or beliefs about making pacts with or worshipping the Devil.

Moon Landing Hoax

The claim that the Apollo moon landings were faked, focusing on supposed photo anomalies and NASA cover-ups.

Alek Hiddell

A false name used by Lee Harvey Oswald to order firearms linked to the assassination of JFK.

Sharpshooter Rating

An intermediate marksmanship score from Oswald’s time in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Marina Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald’s wife, whose testimony became crucial to the Warren Commission.

Backyard Photos

Photographs of Oswald holding the Mannlicher–Carcano rifle and Marxist newspapers in his backyard.

Edwin Walker

A former U.S. Army general, target of Oswald's failed assassination attempt due to his segregationist views.

Fair Play for Cuba

A pro-Castro organization with which Oswald publicly associated himself.

Mexico City

Where Oswald attempted to obtain visas from Cuban and Soviet embassies.

Warren Commission/Report

Investigative body that sought to establish the facts surrounding JFK's assassination.

Lyndon Johnson

Vice president of JFK who became president after the assassination.

James Hosty

FBI agent ordered to monitor Oswald’s file, became aware of Oswald's Communist sympathies.

James Tague

Bystander injured during the assassination, contributing to discussions of missed shots.

6.5mm Mannlicher Carcano

The rifle used by Oswald to assassinate JFK.

Zapruder film

A crucial film documenting the assassination of JFK, providing visual evidence.

Single Bullet Theory

The theory positing that a single bullet caused multiple injuries to both JFK and Connally.

Dealey Plaza Irregulars

Amateur skeptics of the JFK assassination who questioned the official narrative.

Jim Garrison

New Orleans DA who pursued a conspiracy theory regarding JFK's assassination.

David Ferrie

A figure involved in Garrison's investigation, believed to have links to Oswald.

Dean Andrews

Claimed to be Oswald’s lawyer and was pivotal in Garrison’s investigation.

Perry Russo

Key witness in Garrison’s trial against Clay Shaw, later recanted his testimony.

Clay Shaw

New Orleans businessman and primary suspect in Garrison’s conspiracy investigation.

Mafia Theory

The theory that the JFK assassination was orchestrated by organized crime.

Anti-Communist International Theory

Theory suggesting the assassination was carried out by far-right groups and intelligence agencies.

Military Industrial Complex Theory

The notion that JFK's desire for peace led to his assassination due to economic interests.

Castro Theory

The theory linking JFK's assassination to threats made by Fidel Castro.

Audacity/Capacity

The assertion that successful assassination plots require both daring and effective planning.

John Connally

Governor of Texas, injured during the JFK assassination and provided an eyewitness account.

Texas School Book Depository

The building from where shots were allegedly fired during the JFK assassination.

Abraham Zapruder

The individual who filmed the assassination of JFK.

JD Tippitt

Police officer killed by Oswald while trying to escape post-assassination.

Lee Harvey Oswald

The man accused of assassinating JFK.

The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion

A fabricated antisemitic document alleging a Jewish conspiracy for world domination.

Bern Trial

A Swiss case exposing The Protocols as a forgery and ruling against its authenticity.

Okhrana Theory

The theory suggesting The Protocols originated from a Russian secret police forgery lab.

Georgy Butmi

A publisher who circulated early editions of The Protocols with antisemitic commentary.