The Death of Marilyn Monroe- Overdose or Murder? By: Emily Ready
Contextualization:
- Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, tensions during the Cold War were rising with the spark of the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
- A Red Scare swept America in the early 1950s, which was largely reinforced by Palmer Raids.
- In the 1960s, a counter-culture rebellion formed as sensitive topics such as sex became more common in public.
- John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president in 1960, and was often accused of being a communist due to his leftist policies.
About Marilyn:
- Monroe became an American icon through the 1950s and 1960s, appearing in numerous magazines and popular movies.
- She had a history of mental illness in her family (Her grandmother committed suicide, and her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia).
- Marilyn attempted suicide at least twice in her life.
- It was rumored that she had affairs with John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.
- Marilyn died on August 5th, 1962. Her cause of death was announced as an overdose on barbiturates.
Conspiracy Proposal
- This conspiracy was developed by Frank A. Capell, a staunch anti-communist, in his pamphlet The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe, published in 1964.
- This pamphlet explained that Marilyn Monroe was murdered by the current U.S Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, in an attempt to protect his career.
- Capell claimed that Kennedy murdered Monroe due to her history of mental illness and possibility of exposing her and Kennedy's affair, as well as family secrets, including his family's rumored connections with the Mafia.
Evidence Supporting this theory
- Samples from Monroe's autopsy mysteriously disappeared.
- Phone calls made from Monroe's landline were removed from the telephone bill by an unknown source.
- A personal diary, with handwritten notes from Robert Kennedy, was never found, suggesting that it was removed by assassins.
- Monroe was found dead with her legs stretched out; an odd position for someone who died by overdose, suggesting that her death was staged.
- The last person Monroe interacted with was Peter Lawford, who was married to Kennedy's sister, Patricia Kennedy-Lawford.
- According to her close friends, a suicide was atypical of Monroe's personality.
Ideologies Behind the theory
- This theory appeals particularly to anticommunists, as during the early Cold War, people were paranoid and convinced that communists inflicted all harms on American society.
- Some believed that John F. Kennedy was a communist, largely due to his effort of reducing tensions with the Soviet Union.
- Religion could also be a factor behind this conspiracy theory, as John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic president.
is this theory plausible?
- This theory is most likely false, due primarily to Monroe's history of mental illness and battle with depression.
- Despite the disappearance of some autopsy samples, the conclusion of the autopsy was definitely a suicidal overdose.
- Several pieces of evidence surrounding a murder is unreliable, such as a claim by Monroe's housekeeper, Eunice Murray, that Robert F. Kennedy had a fight with Monroe the night of her death. This claim was deemed unreliable due to the fact that it was made forty years after Monroe's death.
significance
- This conspiracy theory shows the fear embodied in the Cold War regarding communism. Individuals who believed that John F. Kennedy was a communist immediately blamed him upon the death of one of America's beloved stars, as during this time period communism was viewed as the primary evil in the world.
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