Study guide Cac

Sport and Healing article- describes how sports have helped America heal from events
such as 9/11 and JFK assassination. Sports bring us together and unite us for a common

cause
Human Brain and Conspiracies
o Evolutionary explanation-the mind is designed like a smoke detector, ready to go
off at any time there is a possible sign of a threat. Also, once we have accepted a
belief, we have a number of cognitive mechanisms that bias us against it
o Defense mechanisms- our brains turn up the volume on our danger systems when

we are under threat, and that we are more hostile towards people of other groups
Reasons to dismiss conspiracies- by looking for cascade logic, which is reasoning that
requires believers to implicate more and more people in the conspiracy. Also that they
rely on poor, unproven, and circular reasoning. they also play on a peoples need for

certainty. This increases when info is wrong, distorted, or ambiguous

Effects of conspiracies
o Good- correlates to democracy. Invites inquiry not allowed in totalitarian
governments. They can also reveal problems in the system, address the credibility
of the government, and can foster social movements for change
o Bad- they create social discord, which can lead to violence and mistrust. They
also lead to diminished faith in the government, divert attention from real issues,

and foster extreme subcultures

Pearl Harbor- 21 ships and 2400 Americans died in the water. Roosevelt wanted to
provoke an attack so that the USA could enter WWII seeming like an innocent part. He
provoked an attack by restricting shipments of wheat, machinery, and oil from Japan, and
also requested that they pull out of China. He also renounced alliances with Italy and
Germany. There was a huge amount of evidence for this, with hundreds of purple code

intercepts that had been decrypted which showed Japans buildup for a strike in the

pacific
FDR- he knew that Japan was going to attack, as was evidenced by Robert Stinnet
quoting an 8-point plan that was drawn up for FDR in 1940, which stated that Japan

must attack
Roswell- on July 8th, 1947, we claimed to have found aliens and Ufo materials crashed in
a field. 2 weeks earlier, people claimed to have found UFO remnants. The first military
press release said it was a UFO, while the second one said it was just debris from a
weather balloon. When people found out it was a hoax, nothing happened, and the 1960s

increased belief of UFOs because of the growing counterculture

Beyond the Flying Saucers- Frank Scully wrote this book in 1950, which stated that this

was all a hoax, but it did not change beliefs

Seti- extraterrestrial intelligence
Project Bluebook- This is the Pentagons report which states that a UFO was never

recovered
Project Mogul- this is the most logical explanation for the remnants found in Roswell.
This project was a project in which weather balloons were used to listen to atomic bombs,

specifically nuclear tests

JFK and drugs- JFK was portrayed as young and healthy. He was taking an array of
powerful medications in order to deal with his immense back pain. This is significant
because many people hypothesized that even if he had survived the assassination attempt,

he might not have made it to the end of his third term because of all of the medications
Lee Harvey Oswald- he was the killer of JFK. He had been in the military but he
defected to the USSR after growing unhappy. People thought he might have been an
agent but there is no evidence that he was. He has a job in Minsk, which was a KGB
training site. He visited the Soviet Embassy in Mexico. His visa request to Cuba was
denied because the KGB thought he was in the CIA.

Jack Ruby- he was opposed to Castro because he involved himself with Lewis Mcwillie.
He had contacts with Carlos Marcello and Santos Trafficante, who were leaders of the

mafia. He also requested that the case be moved to Washington

David Ferrie- he was accused to be a conspirator in the assassination. There is really no
evidence for this
Clay Shaw- he was charged in New Orleans in 1969 for conspiracy
Jim Garrison- was the D.A. that prosecuted Clay Shaw
Warren Commission- this was done within 10 months to restore calm
o Findings- they stated that Oswald was a singular shooter. They said that he did it
for publicity.
o Questions- this commission was headed by ex-CIA director Allen Dulles, who
was fired by JFK. The commission also reported directly to LBJ. they did not
have their own investigators, they got info from the CIA/FBI, which withheld
info. They ignored eyewitnesses except those who said the shots were from the
depository. They never questioned Ruby. They said Oswald did it for publicity,
but he denied even doing it. They also ignored the testimony connecting Oswald

with anti-Castro people.

Conspiracy theories
o Communists- this stated that the assassination was to prevent future attacks on
Castro, and that it was also revenge for the Bay of Pigs. They also said that
Oswald was a communist, as he had a job in Minsk, which was a KGB training
site.
o Anti-castro- people believe that JFK sold them out- Bay of Pigs. There were many
armed groups, and Oswald met with these members
o Mafia- they helped elect JFK, but they were now a target of him. They also lost
Havana (gambling profits). Sam Trafficante also made a deathbed confession.
Ruby also had ties to mafia

o CIA/FBI/SS- Operation 40- CIA in Latin America. They withheld info from the
WC.
o LBJ- He wanted to be president, under investigation for scandals. Sealed some
records till 2039. He handpicked the WC, and ordered the car to be refurbished.
o Combination- Anti-Castro, Mafia, elements of CIA- they all had common

motives.
o There was really no evidence for any of these conspiracies
Project Freedom- the name used to describe the war on terrorism. this included many

facets, including Afghanistan, Philippines, Horn of Africa, and Trans Sahara

Zapruder Film- the film that was shown to Americans of the JFK assassination. Was

withheld from public till 1969

70s congressional hearings- enough evidence for possible conspiracy. Calls Ferrie out as
possible conspirator, and shows audio recording of motorcycle cop, which shows that

there were likely 4 shots

Sirhan Sirhan- he was framed for killing RFK, although there is not a lot of evidence

indicting him.
RFK assassination- he was killed by SHSH- not a lot of evidence. SHSH lawyers called

for a new trial

Watergate- break-in to Democratic hq at Watergate hotel.
Nixon- he was the guy who orchestrated this shit
Spiro Agnew- VP. He was charged with more than 50 counts of bribery, extortion, and

income tax evasion as Governor of Maryland. He pleads no contest, resigns as VP

John Dean- was the mastermind behind the Watergate scandal.
White House tapes- Nixon had taped all conversations and phone calls because he wanted

to write a memoir later.

Saturday Night Massacre- Nixon wants to give summary of the tapes, not the tapes.
Nixon ordered Richardson and Ruckelshaus to fire special prosecutor Cox, but they
refuse. He abolished the special prosecutors office and seals the FBI files. SC orders that
he must give tapes. He gives 7 of 9 tapes. Missing one with JD and gaps in others

Impeachment of Nixon- he is charged with obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and

refusing to honor subpoenas. Tapes show that RN was involved in cover up and ordered

CIA diversion. Resigns on 8/9/74

Gerald Ford- becomes president and grants Nixon a pardon for any crimes, claiming that
is was not good for the country to be prosecuting a former president. Destroys his

political career
Jimmy Carter- defeats Ford in 76. Runs as political outsider. He was the nicest but the

most ineffective president

Iran-Contra Scandal- secret agreement to fund Nicaraguan Contra rebels from profits

gained by selling arms to Iran in order to get American hostages released.

Ronald Reagan- was in charge of the ICS
Oliver North- former director of the National Security council, was implicated in the ICS

and forced to resign

Contras- an anti-Sandinista force made up of Nicaraguan exiles. Organized by ex-CIA

director William Casey in 1981 under orders of RR

Sandinistas- members of a left-wing Nicaraguan political party. They overthrew the

Somoza family in 1979, which ended the 46 years of dictatorship by them.

Boland amendment- prohibited American assistance in training, equipping, or advising

the Contras in Nicaragua

Clinton Lewinsky scandal- ML had 9 sexual encounters from 95-97. She told co-worker

Linda Tripp, who told her to save everything.

Impeachment- BC said he didnt fuck Lewinsky in 1/98. In 12/98 he was charged with

perjury and obstruction of justice

Whitewater scandal- alleged real estate improprieties. Clintons were cleared