Soledad O'Brien

Imagine waking up one morning in the spring of 1976. You live in Washington, D.C., so as part of your morning routine, you make coffee, walk outside, and grab the morning edition of The Washington Post. As you sit and take your first hot sip of caffeine, you glance at the day's headlines. One catches your eye.

Imagine waking up one morning in the spring of 1976. You live in Washington, D.C., so as part of your morning routine, you make coffee, walk outside, and grab the morning edition of The Washington Post. As you sit and take your first hot sip of caffeine, you glance at the day's headlines. One catches your eye.

By 1976, the public had already learned about JFK's extramarital proclivities. But this time around, the real news was who this affair was with. Because not only was the president carrying on with a gorgeous artist and socialite, and not only had she done drugs with the president in the private residence of the White House...

By 1976, the public had already learned about JFK's extramarital proclivities. But this time around, the real news was who this affair was with. Because not only was the president carrying on with a gorgeous artist and socialite, and not only had she done drugs with the president in the private residence of the White House...

But this woman, Mary Pinchot Meyer, had been murdered, too, just 11 months after the president's own assassination. And that's the moment you realize this story is a lot more complicated than you initially imagined. It appeared in the National Enquirer, a sensational supermarket tabloid.

But this woman, Mary Pinchot Meyer, had been murdered, too, just 11 months after the president's own assassination. And that's the moment you realize this story is a lot more complicated than you initially imagined. It appeared in the National Enquirer, a sensational supermarket tabloid.

What? Not only is it odd that this woman had been murdered months after the president himself, but somehow, for some reason, a CIA official had taken her diary and it was never seen again. If you haven't already let out a big old, huh, before seeing this fact, you sure have now. The real news wasn't that the president had had another affair.

What? Not only is it odd that this woman had been murdered months after the president himself, but somehow, for some reason, a CIA official had taken her diary and it was never seen again. If you haven't already let out a big old, huh, before seeing this fact, you sure have now. The real news wasn't that the president had had another affair.

Reading between the lines, it now seemed possible that the murder of his lover wasn't random. Because the date Mary Meyer was murdered was also mere weeks after the release of the Warren Commission's official report. A report that doubled down on the official lone gunman narrative of JFK's assassination. People in Mary's inner circle were already wondering what really happened to JFK.

Reading between the lines, it now seemed possible that the murder of his lover wasn't random. Because the date Mary Meyer was murdered was also mere weeks after the release of the Warren Commission's official report. A report that doubled down on the official lone gunman narrative of JFK's assassination. People in Mary's inner circle were already wondering what really happened to JFK.

So it seemed extra odd that someone so closely connected to him was murdered, too.

So it seemed extra odd that someone so closely connected to him was murdered, too.

Now that the affair was newspaper fodder, more conspiracy theories began to crop up in connection to the murder of Mary Meyer.

Now that the affair was newspaper fodder, more conspiracy theories began to crop up in connection to the murder of Mary Meyer.

And to this day, those theories persist.

And to this day, those theories persist.

From Luminary, Film Nation Entertainment, and Neon Hum Media, this is Murder on the Towpath. I'm Soledad O'Brien. In this episode, we're going to dig into the conspiracy theories behind Mary's murder. Those who believe there was a conspiracy to murder Mary think it stems from one simple fact. Mary, quote, knew too much. Specifically, she knew too much about how JFK was really killed.

From Luminary, Film Nation Entertainment, and Neon Hum Media, this is Murder on the Towpath. I'm Soledad O'Brien. In this episode, we're going to dig into the conspiracy theories behind Mary's murder. Those who believe there was a conspiracy to murder Mary think it stems from one simple fact. Mary, quote, knew too much. Specifically, she knew too much about how JFK was really killed.

If the CIA was covering up something about Kennedy's death and Mary knew about it, then presumably she was a threat. And while there are some who might keep quiet about information like that, Mary wasn't known to be one of them. Her friends knew her as outspoken, and that was true especially when it came to her feelings about the CIA.

If the CIA was covering up something about Kennedy's death and Mary knew about it, then presumably she was a threat. And while there are some who might keep quiet about information like that, Mary wasn't known to be one of them. Her friends knew her as outspoken, and that was true especially when it came to her feelings about the CIA.