The Science of Conspiracy Theories

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination conspiracy

Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination conspiracy

I don't think very many people know about this theory. The theory is that James Earl Ray was not the murderer of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968 in Memphis. The real murderer was either Loyd Jowers or Henry Clay Wilson (depending on who made the claim), acting for the United States Government intelligent agencies (FBI and Army Intelligence). The theory goes that the government covered up the real reason for Martin Luther Jr.'s murder.

There are many reasons that this type of conspiracy theory would evolve. Martin Luther Jr. was involved in many campaigns that were considered seditious back in those days. Consider that he thought that all people, both black and white, should be afforded dignity and respect; that the government should be attentive to building a society that would offer all people a means to a dignified life; that all people should have the right to vote without duress; that housing should be open to all people, not segregated as to race; that people of color should be afforded the same facilities, schools, and public services as whites; and that the United States was wrong in pursuing the Vietnam War. This made him an enemy of the state? Really? He pursued these goals with peaceful demonstrations and rallies, not violence.

As many of you probably know, James Earl Ray pleaded not guilty at first, but changed to a guilty plea and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life in prison. This move avoided a trial that Ray regretted not having.

Some people point to the fact that a rifle similar to the one that Ray used was the real murder weapon, that he was framed like Oswald was for JFK's assassination. Of course, J. Edgar Hoover was supposedly having Martin Luther Jr.'s phone wiretapped. He suspected that King was a communist. Also, the NSA was monitoring King's communications. All of this led to conspiracy theories.

Witnesses at the scene claim the shots came from a different direction, but Ray's fingerprints were on items recovered from the determined origin of the shots.

The King family's lawsuit against Jowers included other unknown co-conspirators. Obviously, this was implicit accusation of the FBI and Army Intelligence that they covered up the plot to assassinate Martin. However, as you might know, the government will never indict itself.

As in most assassinations, many come forth to claim they know who really did it. This is to be expected. However, there is never any credible evidence for any of them.

My take on this is that it certainly was a political assassination. Either hate-groups or someone associated with a fringe group like the KKK might have plotted this. Martin Luther King Jr. had plenty of enemies and people that hated him. The sad part is that this man was cut down at the peak of his effective mission of peace, and we'll never know his full potential for achieving that goal. That's sad.

Thanks for reading.