I also believe that everyone should advocate at least one baseless conspiracy theory of their own creation during their life time. This wasn't a task I took lightly either. I ran my conspiracy by some of the greatest conspiratorial minds known to myself (and possibly yourself-you probably know to whom I refer), just to make sure it was crazy enough. So what is my conspiracy theory?
Frank Sinatra killed JFK.
If you don't know who Frank Sinatra is, I don't see any reason for us to continue being friends. If you don't know who JFK is, well I suppose that's okay, but also really sad. All the same, I'll give a brief backstory so as to provide context for the point I am driving towards.
Frank Sinatra was the member of an Italian immigrant family. He grew up in the Great Depression and began singing professionally while still a teenager. His career as a entertainer exploded, continuing for most of his life with a few ups and downs here and there. He would chiefly be associated with the Rat Pack, a gang of friends who were in numerous movies together.
Before he became the Republican juggernaut of his later years, he was a staunch Democrat. He and the rest of the Rat Pack spent a lot of time and money campaigning for the up-and-coming Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy. Sinatra and Kennedy become genuinely good friends. Sinatra recorded Kennedy's campaign theme and personally organized his inaugural gala in 1961.
As with all things, this epic friendship came to an end. In 1962 Kennedy took a vacation to Palm Springs. Originally, he had planned on staying at Sinatra's home over the Easter weekend. However he changed his mind at the last minute and decided to stay with Bing Crosby instead.
Bing Crosby was a longtime rival of Sinatra's in the entertainment field. Where Sinatra was Democrat, Crosby was Republican. Where Sinatra had sort of a gangster reputation built about him, Crosby was an around nice guy. Sinatra was reportedly stunned by Kennedy's decision. It was also at this point that he began his switch from Democrat to Republican himself.
But why did Kennedy snub Sinatra? The answer is pretty simple. Sinatra had long been suspected of harboring connections to the Mafia. He had even hosted major mob figures like Salvatore Giangana at his Palm Springs home. Kennedy ultimately made the decision that palling around with a man strongly suspected of having criminal connections was bad for his image.
Here are the two most important facts we have learned from all of this; 1) Sinatra did not appreciate Kennedy's snub and 2) Sinatra allegedly had mob connections. Just how strong these connections are is debatable (no evidence was ever found) but it is known that Sinatra was good friends with powerful figures in the Mafia. It has also been reported that Sinatra's associates had more than a few of Sinatra's detractors roughed up.
More so than any other culprit, the Mafia is often identified in the Kennedy assassinations. The reasons they had to dislike the President were too numerous to count. What if all it took was a nudge from Sinatra to finally cross the line? Could one of the greatest mysteries of the century all originate from Sinatra's bruised ego? Did the President, in trying to prevent Sinatra's mob connections from damaging his career, inadvertently assure that they would in the worst way possible?
Probably not. But it is my conspiracy theory, so for better or worse, I have to stick to my guns. Just don't go spreading it around, because on the off chance I am right, I really don't want to end up dead.
