6 Bonkers Conspiracy Theories Behind Famous Assassinations

2. John Lennon Killed Because Of J.D Salinger

The Theory: I€™ve already mentioned that after shooting Lennon, Chapman sat down and read his copy of Catcher in the Rye. Not only this but when questioned by police Chapman suggested that they read Catcher in the Rye as all the answers were in there. The ravings of one individual with proven mental health problems aren€™t enough to make this theory alone. However John Hinckley, the man who attempted to assassinate President Reagan was also found to possess a copy of the aforementioned novel. Theorists suggest therefore that there is some sort of coded message within the book that would result in planned assassinations. Therefore many consider The Catcher in the Rye to be a mechanism of control employed by the CIA. This mechanism of control being how the CIA had Chapman carry out an assassination of John Lennon. Why It€™s Bonkers: J.D Salinger€™s The Catcher in the Rye is an all time classic, read by millions across the globe. Heck I€™ve read the thing, and I€™ve never once harboured thoughts of carrying out an assassination, Just because one successful and one unsuccessful assassin had an unhealthy obsession with the same thing doesn€™t mean that that thing caused them to carry out their actions. It€™s the age old fallacy of Post Hoc Ergo Procter Hoc, for anyone unfamiliar with this it means (roughly) €œafter this, therefore, because of this€. Just because X followed Y, doesn€™t automatically mean that Y was caused by X. That two men had an obsession with one of the most popular books of all time, and they happened to go on to attempt assassinations does not make the book a code. I€™ll bet both of them had a drink of coffee before carrying out their actions, next people will be claiming that caffeine is a government method of mind control too. For an interesting read on the whole Catcher in the Rye as a trigger theory and a little bit on project MKULTRA have a look here.