Nobody believed that crap, but no one was willing to refute it...................
Look around for articles published at report release time. You will find few doubters of the report's truthfulness. I was 21 when the report was released and only one other person I knew agreed with me that the report was total and utter BS
https://www.history.com/articles/why-the-public-stopped-believing-the-government-about-jfks-murder
It’s hard to believe now, but the Warren Commission initially received a warm reception and the public seemed willing to accept its conclusions. Before the release of the report a Gallup poll found that only 29 percent of Americans thought Oswald acted alone, while 52 percent believed in some kind of conspiracy. A few months after the release of the report, 87 percent of respondents believed Oswald shot the President.