Senator Fulbright’s 1963 AIpac Hearing in the Shadow of the JFK Assassination Conspiracy

This article examines the 1963 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing led by Senator J. William Fulbright, which scrutinized whether the American–Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) predecessor should have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, and its implications for U.S. political lobbying and foreign influence regulation. In light of the recent public release of the JFK assassination files by President Donald Trump, which have been exploited by antisemitic conspiracy theorists to falsely claim that AIPAC orchestrated President Kennedy’s assassination to avoid losing its legal status, this article situates the 1963 hearing within a broader historical debate over AIPAC’s identity as a domestic American organization versus a foreign agent. The study engages with archival records, contemporary media coverage, and congressional transcripts to provide a detailed, evidence-based analysis of the political, legal, and diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Fulbright hearing and its lasting significance for U.S.–Israel relations.