Kerry Thornley: Oswald’s Friend, JFK Plot & A Strangest Conspiracy?
The Curious Friendship That Sparked a Conspiracy
In the late 1950s, two Marines crossed paths — Lee Harvey Oswald, later accused of assassinating President John F. Kennedy, and Kerry Thornley, a creative writer and free thinker. Their friendship would later draw Thornley into one of the most infamous investigations in American history.
After Kennedy’s death in 1963, Thornley found himself in the spotlight. He had written a novel inspired by Oswald before the assassination — a coincidence that made him a person of interest to investigators and conspiracy theorists alike.
Thornley’s Novel The Idle Warriors and the Timing That Raised Eyebrows
Before the assassination, Thornley had already written The Idle Warriors, a novel about a disillusioned Marine who defects to the Soviet Union — clearly inspired by Oswald. After JFK’s death, the book gained renewed attention, and Thornley became entangled in a web of suspicion.
In 1964, he published Oswald, one of the earliest books about the assassination, portraying Oswald as a lone gunman motivated by ideology. The timing and subject matter made many wonder whether Thornley knew more than he admitted.
Jim Garrison’s Investigation and the Discordian Connection
By 1966, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison launched an independent investigation into the JFK assassination. During his probe, he encountered Thornley again — this time tied to a strange countercultural movement known as Discordianism.
Thornley and his friend Greg Hill had founded the Discordian Society, a parody religion worshipping Eris, the Greek goddess of chaos. It was meant as satire — but somehow, Discordian materials surfaced in the same office Garrison’s team used during the investigation.
Witnesses claimed Thornley had been seen with Oswald in New Orleans in 1963, the same year Oswald was distributing pro-Castro pamphlets. Garrison began to suspect that Thornley might have been part of a covert intelligence network operating in the city.
Was Kerry Thornley an Oswald Double?
Garrison’s theory suggested that multiple men impersonated Oswald before the assassination — “Oswald doubles” — to frame him or confuse investigators. Thornley, who resembled Oswald and was in New Orleans at the same time, became a suspect in this theory.
Thornley denied the accusations, calling them absurd. Yet the coincidences — his friendship with Oswald, his writings, his presence in New Orleans, and his Discordian ties — made his story one of the strangest subplots in the JFK assassination saga.
Legacy of Chaos, Coincidence, and Conspiracy
After the Garrison investigation, Thornley’s life took a turn toward the philosophical and the paranoid. He began to suspect that he himself had been manipulated — possibly by intelligence agencies.
Until his death in 1998, Thornley continued to write and engage with the Discordian community. His story remains a fascinating intersection of history, conspiracy, and counterculture, illustrating how chaos and coincidence can shape our understanding of truth.
Key Takeaways
Kerry Thornley personally knew Lee Harvey Oswald before the JFK assassination.
His novel The Idle Warriors was inspired by Oswald before the assassination.
Jim Garrison’s investigation linked Thornley to the Discordian Society.
Some theories claim Thornley was used as an “Oswald double.”
Thornley’s life remains a symbol of how conspiracy and culture can collide.
FAQs About Kerry Thornley and the JFK Conspiracy
1. Who was Kerry Thornley?
A U.S. Marine, writer, and co-founder of the parody religion Discordianism. He personally knew Lee Harvey Oswald before JFK’s assassination.
2. What was Thornley’s connection to Lee Harvey Oswald?
They served together in the Marines. Thornley later wrote a novel inspired by Oswald, which made him a target of suspicion after the assassination.
3. Why did Jim Garrison investigate him?
Because witnesses placed Thornley in New Orleans at the same time as Oswald, and Garrison suspected he might have been part of a larger conspiracy.
4. What is the Discordian Society?
A satirical religion celebrating chaos, founded by Thornley and Greg Hill. It became a cornerstone of 1960s counterculture humor and philosophy.
5. Did Thornley believe in the conspiracy theories about himself?
Later in life, he began to suspect that he had been manipulated by unseen forces — possibly by intelligence operations — though no evidence confirmed this.
