A majority of the American public does not believe the official lone-gunman theory.

Trust in the official story broke down almost immediately. Polls show that about sixty percent of Americans believe there was a conspiracy to kill JFK. Many suspect a second shooter was hiding on a grassy hill nearby. This deep doubt did not happen in a vacuum. Over the decades, the government kept many files secret. This lack of clear information made people lose trust in public officials, making space for dozens of different theories to grow.