Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ reignites major conspiracy theories on Kennedy’s assassination. Here’s how

“I’d like to know where Lewis Strauss was on the day Kennedy was assassinated,” read this post on social media platform X, previously known as Twitter. After coming across it, I immediately started to ponder whether or not Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has opened a can of worms by leading towards a new conspiracy theory about Kennedy’s assassination. 

Lewis Strauss was an American businessman, philanthropist, and naval officer who served two terms on the US Atomic Energy Commission. Robert Downey Jr has played the role of Strauss in Nolan’s masterpiece. 

JFK assasination in 1963 

Former president of the United States John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was assassinated in 1963. Even since his death, several conspiracy theories have been circulated online and on the dark web, from the alleged involvement of then Cuban government… to the blame on the US administration with claims of being an inside job. A poll conducted by ABC News in 2003 found that 70 per cent of Americans believe Kennedy’s death was the result of a broader plot. 

Now after watching the movie, some are again asking on social media about a new theory, involving Strauss, the man who wanted to beat Robert Oppenheimer and plotted a conspiracy against him by allegedly aiding an inquiry. (spoiler alert)

The movie shows how Strauss colluded with William L Borden, who flagged Oppenheimer to the White House by writing a letter, referring to secret and confidential files. The letter led to the security hearing. 

The Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb by Richard Rhodes mentions that “The hearings broke Oppenheimer’s spirit and he was never the same person afterwards”.  

Bitter relations between Oppenheimer and Strauss 

Strauss could hate Oppenheimer for a number of reasons. One, their political worldviews were different; second, Oppenheimer embarrassed him at a public hearing by mocking him in front of everyone; third, Strauss believed that Oppenheimer was responsible for creating a difference between him and Albert Einstein (the pond scene which was clarified toward the end of the movie). 

Strauss was denied the position of Secretary of Commerce at the White House during the Eisenhower administration because of an outcry from the Senate. After around two months of hearings, his nomination was rejected by the Senate in 1959, which was apparently a humiliating defeat for Strauss. 

In the movie, Strauss asked, “Who was it? Who voted against my confirmation?”.

His aide replied, “A young hotshot out of Massachusetts trying to make a name for himself…John…John Kennedy”.

Nolan’s movie shows Strauss was ideologically different from Dr Oppenheimer, he has also been seen as someone who is spiteful. If the Oppenheimer security hearing was out of spite, what he could do to someone who denied his Senate defeat? 

Here are some posts on X. One user wrote, “Wait… did the Oppenheimer movie suggest that Lewis Strauss was the one who shot JF Kennedy?” 

(With inputs from agencies)

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