Every file on this site gets one of three stamps. The stamp rates the core claim of the theory against the public record, not the people who believe it.
Confirmed by released government records or official investigations. Not a theory any more, though the theories around it may go further than the files do.
Some of it is in the files; the bigger claims built on top are disputed or unproven.
The core claim has no solid documentary support, and official records or physical evidence point the other way. The theory lives on anyway, and we explain why.
What counts as "on the record"
- Released government documents (CIA reading room, FBI Vault, National Archives, Department of War releases).
- Official investigations and hearings (for example the Church Committee, the Warren Commission, the House Select Committee on Assassinations).
- Peer-reviewed or official historical studies (for example the NSA's own Gulf of Tonkin history).
News reports, books and interviews are useful context, and we name them as such. They don't by themselves move a claim to "on the record."
What we won't do
- State an unproven claim as fact, in either direction. If the documents don't settle something, we say so.
- Name or speculate about private individuals.
- Accuse any living person of a crime they haven't been charged with or found responsible for.
- Present election or medical claims as fact without official sources. Historical cases like the Tuskegee study are covered because the record is clear.
Why "unproven" isn't "debunked, case closed"
Conspiracy theories aren't fully documented. That's what makes them theories. "Unproven" means the evidence available now doesn't support the core claim, and in some cases points firmly the other way. We still lay out why people believe it and what questions remain open.
Corrections
If a document says something different from what we wrote, send it to us. We fix errors and note significant changes.