Newly released government documents have reignited controversy over the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy, shedding light on a potential conspiracy involving two of his Oval Office successors, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon. The files, along with expert testimony and previously suppressed evidence, suggest a tangled web of political intrigue, financial motivations, and alleged cover-ups.

JFK historian Gary Fannin told The Globe, “LBJ, in my opinion, was 99.5 percent behind this.” While he contends Nixon may not have been directly involved in planning the assassination, he said the future president “was certainly involved in the cover-up.”

The revelations come from a trove of documents recently declassified by the National Archives, including evidence implicating powerful oil executives, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and others in a broader conspiracy. One key document, dated November 24, 1947, links Jack Ruby—infamous for killing alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald—to Nixon’s payroll.

Ruby, then referred to as "Jack Rubenstein of Chicago," reportedly worked for Nixon’s office while he was a California senator. Ruby’s role later expanded when he fatally shot Oswald two days after Kennedy's death in Dallas.

Ruby’s prison letter further fanned the flames of suspicion. He alleged Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, who assumed the presidency after Kennedy’s death, was the mastermind. “There was only one person who would have information about JFK’s motorcade route,” Ruby wrote. “That man was Johnson.”

Adding to the intrigue, the files detail a meeting on the eve of Kennedy’s assassination at the Texas mansion of oil magnate Clint Murchison. Attendees reportedly included Johnson, Nixon, Hoover, and other prominent figures. According to accounts from LBJ’s longtime mistress, Madeleine Brown, the vice president allegedly remarked during the gathering, “After tomorrow, those goddamn Kennedys will never embarrass me again—that’s no threat; that’s a promise.”

The motive behind this alleged conspiracy may have stemmed from Kennedy’s tax reform proposal to close lucrative loopholes for oil barons, which could have cost the industry billions in today’s dollars. Documents and eyewitness accounts suggest a mix of financial resentment and political ambition drove some parties to view Kennedy as an obstacle to their interests.

The Warren Commission, created by Johnson, concluded in 1964 that Oswald acted alone. However, the new files call into question the commission’s integrity. In a 1972 White House tape, Nixon referred to the commission’s work as “the greatest hoax that has ever been perpetrated.”

Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen, the only reporter to interview Ruby after Oswald’s death, died under mysterious circumstances in 1965. Her death, officially ruled an accidental overdose, has long been suspected to be linked to her investigation into the assassination.

Political intrigue aside, historians have long debated the role of Johnson and Nixon in the events surrounding Kennedy’s death. A controversial theory posits the two struck a "devil’s bargain," allowing Johnson to ascend to the presidency with the understanding he would not seek re-election, paving the way for Nixon’s eventual rise to power.

The documents also spotlight how Hoover and the FBI’s involvement may have extended beyond traditional law enforcement. Critics argue the agency may have played a role in suppressing evidence that could have altered public understanding of Kennedy’s assassination.

Despite the dramatic allegations, some experts remain skeptical. The lack of irrefutable evidence tying Johnson, Nixon, or others directly to the plot leaves the theories in the realm of speculation. Yet, the release of these files adds fuel to an already contentious debate.