Jacob Carter’s book “Before History Dies,” is an excellent introduction to the debate about the causes of JFK’s assassination.
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A huge amount of this generation are in to drugs booze and loose morals so I know why they would ask a silly question as to why they should concern themselves with the JFK Assassination. The reason you this generation should care is because it is history which has shaped every ones future right around the world. The Assassination was the most horrific incident that happened in America and other parts of the world. It seems when any one attempts to do good you have a despot who destroys them. God save us for we are on the brink of self destruction particularly with the drug epidemic which twists peoples brains.
JFK was our last great President. One lived in a world where no one worried about global warming, smoked cigarettes,knowing they were ‘probably’ not good for you but…. , America was STILL that idea that represented limitless dreaming yet dreams were attainable. We were NOT told how bad every food we ate ‘might’ be; we didn’t go to bed every night dreading tomorrow.Life wasn’t regulated by endless 24 hour NEWS. There were facts, there were issues, ideas that could be opinions…..a world understood!
Imagine everything that makes ‘you’ want to live each and every day, anxiously waiting for accomplishing the dreams you had dreamt,knowing you would probably succeed;falling in love,because someone smiled and winked at you.
Imagine a young man, handsome, witty,frequently laughing at himself, taking the serious issues of nuclear war and turning a ‘life and death’ fear over to GOD,that most of us still believed in!
The sun was never so luminous,the moon never so resplendent, OUR lives infinite;then something impossible happened, and life continued,but never again, as it had, when the attainable future and the wistful past seemed too far away to ever grasp again…….when life was literally a dream!
The chapter on David Scheim really surprised me. His 1988 book “Contract on America” was the second “conspiracy” book I read. His view’s like mine have changed. The first being Seth Kantor’s “The Ruby Cover-Up”. With Jhon Davis “Mafia Kingfish” I jumped on the mafia did it bandwagon. I’d read a lot of newspaper and magazine articles about conspiracy possibilities in the late 70’s early 80’s. I questioned the Oswald lone nut theory since high school living in the D/FW metroplex, having been through Dealy Plaza/past the TSBD many times, as well as reading “local” articles on the subject.
I never knew Scheim was a Math PhD. One statement in Jacob’s interview startled me. “I never said ONLY the mafia was involved in the Kennedy assassination. What I tried to do was stick to, as carefully as I could, the hard evidence. I think when I wrote my book I didn’t feel there was persuasive for anyone to be involved but the Mafia. But I think at his point there’s some pretty good evidence of the Mafia’s collaborators being involved. Again, as I wrote in the book, I never said the Mafia was the driver; all I said is when we look at what happened, there is one person we know was involved, and that is Jack Ruby.”
He also discusses the CIA and mentions Joannides. The part on Tony Zoppi as the “poster boy” of the characterization of Ruby is also enlightening. Good work Jacob, thanks for a fresh perspective from someone so young (compared to me) on a 52 year old Open Case.
Thanks Jacob for writing a book encouraging continued interest in the JFK assassination. This event was critical; it can be seen as the rosetta stone for much that is going on in today’s world. I was 13 at the time of the assassination, and its effect on me personally and the world as a whole is incalculable. We must finally understand what happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963 in order to fully understand ourselves and our history since then. Keep up the good work!
Am I a JFK nut – yes
a coup d’etat – yes
in the confederate south – yes
a conspiracy – yes
a limited conspiracy – no
a massive conspiracy – yes
a coup d’etat similar to Battle of Liberty Place – yes
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/18/us/new-orleans-federal-lawsuit-confederate-monuments/index.html
Dylan Roof acted alone – yes and no
http://abcnews.go.com/US/charleston-shooting-closer-alleged-gunman-dylann-roof/story?id=31865375
a lone nut assassin – no
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/18/everything-known-about-charleston-church-shooting-suspect-dylann-roof.html
I’d heard of Gus Russo but never read any of his work or anything about him. Wow. Pg. 132 …”Kennedy started all this. The murder plots and the invasions against Castro.” What rock has Russo been hiding under saying this in 2015? It’s been documented many years ago JFK inherited these actions from Eisenhower, Nixon and Dulles. He reluctantly agreed to the BOP after being misled by Dulles as to the chances of success and ordered the assassination attempts against Castro stopped but was disobeyed.
Pg. 133 “Sam Halpern and all those guys told me it was out of control. They had no idea why he was doing this, why he thought Castro needed to be killed. But we followed our orders. We work for the White House. The CIA is apart of the executive branch, and their boss is the President directly…It wasn’t their idea…” Really? Since when did Allen Dulles work for or obey orders from the White House?
Pg. 144 “…the CIA was very close with President Kennedy. They had a great relationship with JFK.” Oh please Mr. Ostrich Russo pull your head out of the sand and shake it our of your eyes and ears. all this is why JFK fired Dulles, Bisell and Cabbell, retired 1 in 5 CIA employees and pledged to splinter them into a thousand pieces and scatter them to the winds?
http://www.ctka.net/pr199-russo.html
As a criminalist, I would question why they did not examine Gov. Connally’s gunshot wounds (entrance wound), and clothing for any signs of fiber, blood, and tissues belonging to JFK. If they are claiming that a single bullet struck both JFK and Connally, why didn’t they microscopically examined tissue samples from Con ally’s wound and clothing? Those are basic principles of forensic science.
Kids learn as we talk. I have one daughter who is 28 and one who is 26. My oldest know something is wrong and hopes to see it open but does not care enough to follow. My youngest will carry the torch when I am gone. She is very interested in what mom has been obsessed with for 35 years and will continue my fight. I have already had this discussion. I doubt anybody will ever be brought to trial but I expect the people behind it will be named for the record. We all know most of them already but I want it on the historical record that these people did this horrible thing for political power and the money that war brings!
With Jacob’s book (not to mention the work of all assassination researchers and FOI advocates), it is hoped that the torch will be passed on to a new generation of Americans as JFK said, and to people around the world, who strive for the truth.
Kudos Cindy.
So far I’ve read the first chapter being the interview with Jefferson Morley.
It was a great way for Morley’s findings to be recapped, and well as for his views on certain issues.
Morley makes an equally valid argument as to why it’s plausible for people to deny that a conspiracy took place (which counter’s what deniers say why conspiracy theorists don’t believe that Oswald did it, or did it alone).
I bought this book to read myself and give to my 24 year old daughter as a Christmas present as she is well aware of my obsession with the Truth. While she has an interest in the subject through me I thought it might spur that interest further. I’ve only read three chapters so far and still have hope it will do so. I did have cause for pause with the introduction to the Conspiracy Theory portion when I read Oswald was “mentally disturbed”. I disagree.
Otherwise I think thus far it’s excellent, balanced and unbiased. I especially like the approach, much like “In The Eye of History”, of asking the subject’s questions and reporting what they say, not judging their answers.
As there are seven each of Conspiracy vs Lone Nut Interviews I’m reading one of each then the other. Thus far Jeff was very balanced yet informative, ultimately concluding in CIA involvement on some level. I was surprised McAdam’s never used the term buff or factoid. Mr. Talbot’s chapter is perhaps the the most succinct presentation of the present big picture of the assassination I’ve seen. Lone nutters will surely be offended but “People who say all conspiracy theorists are nuts are children who want to believe in fairy tales” nails it. “… and of course they are not just theories when they are documented.” is also an accurate assessment.
Buy this book for your children if your old as me, read it for yourself and discuss it with them.
Photon, you say “the 1964 election was never in the bag for JFK(your quote. Then you go on to mention “a Nelson Rockefeller campaign”. How certain are you that Rockefeller would have been nominated over Goldwater?
I’m in my early 30s (and British) and I think it is of the utmost importance how and why JFK died. Had he not died when he did, this would have changed important historical matters such as America’s role in Vietnam, who became president next and whether a dynasty would have been created. This is reaching somewhat, but if JFK served a second term, would Bobby have had a couple, then possibly Ted after that. Maybe as a result there would never have been Watergate to degrade the presidency, or an Iranian Revolution to cause more instability in the Middle East, or even the wars in the gulf as a result. All of the above are possible ripple effects from that one event. Questions of ‘truth’ and ‘history’ matter, but it is so important to understand how we have got where we are. Moreover, I have learned so much about social and cultural history from reading about JFK, from learning about the reaction to Castro in places like Florida and New Orleans, to the nature and strength of the American right. I love a mystery, too, and there is a lot of fun and satisfaction to be had going through the documents and discovering a seemingly endless cast of characters.
Matt, with all due respect and certainly not meant to discourage you, but suggesting that the pursuit of the cold case murder investigation into the murder in broad daylight of an elected president is ‘fun and satisfying’ is alarming at best. It is also revealing. The cover up experts have succeeded in reducing the assassination of President Kennedy to a “board game” when in fact it was a symbolic message that democracy in America was dead. That’s something you might contemplate.
Your observation that there might have ensued a Kennedy ‘dynasty’ does not fall on deaf ears, nor should it be dismissed when considering the motive behind 11.22.63. cheers.
I get your point that to an extent the JFK assassination has been reduced to a parlour game, and at times that is how it does appear to me. You’re not wrong on this matter.
I think my post was meant to show how it can be appreciated on many levels. At the forefront of my post I showed I’m aware of how even to the younger generation the serious historical significance of the matter is what draws me in (as an historian and as a global citizen). As someone who greatly enjoys reading, writing and mysteries, however, I also enjoy discovering things, making links and solving historical puzzles. Perhaps this is the difference in the JFK case for someone who is younger and wasn’t alive during Kennedy’s lifetime; there is a second-hand emotional connection and one which is not as keenly felt as somebody who lived through his years. Moreover, I am not just attracted to any old mystery, and it is the genuine, authentic historical and global significance of the Kennedy case that draws me to it rather than to something more trivial (and which does not reduce it to mere trivia).
‘ . . . how it can be appreciated on many levels. At the forefront of my post I showed I’m aware of how even to the younger generation the serious historical significance of the matter is what draws me in (as an historian and as a global citizen). As someone who greatly enjoys reading, writing and mysteries, however, I also enjoy discovering things, making links and solving historical puzzles. Perhaps this is the difference in the JFK case for someone who is younger and wasn’t alive during Kennedy’s lifetime; there is a second-hand emotional connection and one which is not as keenly felt as somebody who lived through his years . . . – – Matt
Well said Matt, and enlightening. Thank you. A cross generation understanding of why the Kennedy assassination matters is healthy and essential to restoring democracy in the United States. Understanding what was lost on 11.22.63 is a huge hurdle. The generation that was ‘coming of age’ in 1963 stored a more emotional record than a rational one; however, that passion has kept the investigation alive. Relegating the Kennedy assassination to anything less than it was – democracy interrupted – is the same as writing off the Lincoln assassination as a blip in American history. I encourage you to proceed with the awareness that the victors write the history.
Matt, I’m replying to your, “This is reaching somewhat, but if JFK served a second term, would Bobby have had a couple, then possibly Ted after that.” This was a big fear of the far-right military-types among us Yanks. But then they were (and are) scared of their own shadow. They pushed this possibility around among themselves, and it has leaked all over. It NEVER would’ve happened. It violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. No matter if Jack were wiser than Solon and Solomon put together, and had brought the Golden Age to the States and the whole world, over here we get tired of looking at the same face, hearing the same accent.
Anyway, the sheer logic of this — by the end of 1968 there was about 200,000,000 Americans — are you telling me there were no other great candidates out of that number? JFK had thousands of like-minded friends. Sure, one of them could have been elected to carry the torch. And that’s what the fascists feared as much as another Kennedy. Same thing.
One of our biggest beefs, ostensibly, when we broke away from you Brits was monarchy, AKA dynasty. We’re pretty stupid, but we ain’t that stupid.
Well said Jacob! It matters quite a bit. Although the Government lied to us before Nov. 1963. It does seem to be a turning point in time for the lack of trust. We have as people for our democracy. Overall morale as a nation after this event seemed to decline really. I am excited to read your book and the documents that were previously classified. When they become declassified.
From day one, Johnson had the MOST to lose. Besides that simple fact, he was, as history shows was, behind it all. Not that he had the brain, he proved he was devious, low life, who surrounded himself with the like. His actions showed America that murderous people CAN be elected… and to be aware that history CAN be repeated. Falsehoods should be corrected in our school system. Our school systems are a joke.
Very proud of you Jacob!
I was happy to introduce Jake at the JFK Lancer conference. He is a passionate and sincere young man. However, as I told him, he should ask himself why his book was accepted at the Sixth Floor Museum when The Last Investigation and others were not. I would like his book to end on page 73 before he gave ink to the dark side of the investigation. Young people do not have the background of knowledge to sift through this chaff.
It was great to see you there too (and yes, I have your late husband’s book) and to speak.
Jacob is a fine ambassador for the younger generation on this very important topic.
It’s a good idea that he presents both sides to the story in the hopes that there will be a wider appeal to his book by those who have no opinion or are undecided.
Based on prior experience in the court of public opinion, we know where the chips will fall.
I applaud Jake’s interest in the JFK assassination. However, I disagree vehemently in the way he presented “both sides” to the story. There is only one side and that is the TRUTH.
That is very true Marie, but it may garner wider appeal to the younger generation who may be hesitant to buy just another conspiracy book.
Jacob pointed out how some young people may be afraid of being ridiculed or branded as ‘conspiracy theorists’.
So his book is balanced on-the-face, but have faith that the younger generation are not gullible like earlier generations.
Marie,
I just started reading “The Last Investigation”—for the third time. I’ve been an avid student of the crime for 50 years having read Mark Lane’s “Rush to Judgement” as a junior in high school (I’m 65, retired history teacher). Since then I’ve read and re-read dozens of books on the assassination, from the best to some of the worst. Gaeton’s book is among the very best and one I often recommend to those who are new to the subject. Written with such honesty, integrity and good purpose I thank him through you for his courage and persistence in the search for the truth. I also thank and commend you for continuing his work and thus preserving his legacy and legend in the research community. May he rest in peace and may you gain a bit of consolation that his memory and work live on. God bless.
Rick,I’m probably the only one who has read The Last Investigation more often than you. In it I hear Gaet’s voice and feel his presence.Thank you so much for your kind words. As long as I live, people will hear Gaet’s
words.
Bravo Marie! And thank you for your gracious reply.
The book is a work of art and I’m certain there have been many people who have read The Last Investigation more than three or four times. Call me obsessed, but I have read it at least 3 times and listened to the audio edition another dozen times.
Thanks, Mike. Gaeton lives.
Then I better get reading!
Hello everyone,
Nice to re-visit this great site.
I attended the JFK Lancer Conference this year and heard Jacob speak early Saturday morning. He gave an inspirational speech which filled the wells of my eyes.
He talked about the culture of narcissism causing young people to may be cynical of conspiracy, but that we can’t be afraid to be ridiculed for expressing our doubts because that is democracy at work. We have a defeatist attitude and unhealthy world view if we don’t voice our concerns or care.
The JFK assassination is still relevant today not only because history matters, but because the truth matters, and that democracy matters. As Jacob also said, it’s not only important to JFK’s history, but it’s also HIS STORY, which we cannot defile.
I also bought his book and got him to autograph it. Can’t wait for the DVD of his presentation.
Young people and school classrooms everywhere should listen to his message.
I really like his enthusiasm and share his quest for the truth.
We all should. But America is NOT a democracy, we are a republic, as in the pledge of allegiance “and to the republic
for which it stands.” Our founders studied democracies and greatly feared them, as Madison wrote in Federalist #10. We
have and value democratic traditions, but are definitely not
a democracy. I would just ask him to please google and read
Federalist #10, by James Madison of Virginia. Our forth president and “father” of our constitution. Thanks!
I am glad this young man is pursuing the TRUTH, unfortunately with this crime is that it was committed by the government (A covert,coup d’ etat!) To which the government/media will stick to the story line of a “Lone nut” and “plausible denial” in the government involvement! Look deeply into “WHO” had the MOST to GAIN from the assassination and it goes right to the top….LBJ!
He(LBJ) had the most to lose, too, if the plot failed.
While this might be true it is still no evidence that LBJ was in on this alleged conspiracy.
“While this might be true it is still no evidence that LBJ was in on this alleged conspiracy.”Bill Clarke
And there is even less proof that Oswald was involved in what was certainly a conspiracy.
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We can arrive to conclusions using logic, Bill.
*Assuming* there was a conspiracy:
(a) Allen Dulles would have never dared to perform the hit without LBJ’s (at least tacit) approval.
(b) LBJ would never have dared to perform the hit without Allen Dulles’ participation.
Those are the ONLY people of which those statements hold.
Mafia alone? (Robert Blakey’s version)? You must be joking.
Fidel? Riiiiight, and exactly how did he manage to have the full support of the US government for 52 years? Please spare me of the fear of nuclear war crap.
Ramon F Herrera
November 23, 2015 at 10:11 am
We can arrive to conclusions using logic, Bill.
Maybe so Ramon but this would require using solid logic. Very often we see very weak logic applied to these things.
Bill: Humor me. Let’s *assume* that there was a conspiracy, as was clearly indicated in my post. That is a given, okay?
Which of my statements above do you challenge:
(a) ?
(b) ?
Both?
Furthermore: can you seriously envision some rogue agents (say, David Phillips the highest one) trying to pull this off without the support from the highest levels?
@ Ramon
“Furthermore: can you seriously envision some rogue agents (say, David Phillips the highest one) trying to pull this off without the support from the highest levels?”
Maybe since the CIA seemed to be doing their own thing before the assassination without the approval of the executive branch.
Who do you mean by ‘highest levels’?
If Allen Dulles, yes. If LBJ, maybe. IMHO.
Bill, please use some of that solid logic to answer these questions:
1. LBJ was going to be dumped from the ticket in ’64. That is a pretty solid assumption.
2. JFK and RFK were going to accomplish this via the Bobby Baker investigation. At best, LBJ’s political career would be finished. At worst, he would go to prison.
Seeing that he was aware of these two facts, what did he have to lose? This to me points to the person with the most to gai from JFK’s timely demise.
If LBJ was going to be dumped what was the purpose of the Texas trip in the first place? With Johnson off of the ticket JFK didn’t have a hope in hell of carrying Texas. As he was certain to lose several reliably Democratic southern states over the civil rights issue Texas became even more necessary to hold.
Frankly, the 1964 election was never in the bag for JFK as most commentators here think it was-and JFK knew it. A Nelson Rockefeller campaign coupled with the loss of the solid south could have won in 1964.The Kennedy campaign knew that -and as such the need to keep Texas for Kennedy.
Refer to Dallas merchant Stanley Marcus’ personal invitation to Kennedy to come to Dallas, extended during his 1962 visit to the White House when he attempted to clean up the mess created by Dallas media mogul Ted Dealey. Might Kennedy have been encouraged that in spite of Lyndon Johnson, he could persuade rational Texans unaligned with oil, the military, and the right wing – those who had voted the Democrat ticket since the great depression – to support his re-election?
Geez, Photon. Kennedy’s trip to Texas was about a number of things–number one being money. Why not come in and wrangle up some money before dumping the native son? There’s no better time. Besides, if Kennedy dumped LBJ after LBJ got embroiled in scandal, who’s to say that would have cost Kennedy Texas? Would the Texans favoring Kennedy have blamed him for LBJ’s shenanigans, when his shenanigans were well-known in Texas? It’s hard to see how. Texas didn’t exactly blame FDR after he stabbed Texas native son Garner in the back in 1940. He won with 80% of the vote.
I attended the JFK Lancer Conference in Dallas this year. David Talbot didn’t make it but he did appear on Skype.
His new book is about Allen Dulles and the CIA.
To add to this discussion about LBJ’s possible complicity or guilt, he felt that LBJ was a passive accomplice who went along with the cover-up. He may have had indirect pre-knowledge but with his tacit approval.
I tend to agree but would add that LBJ perhaps was also an accessory after-the-fact.
I wouldn’t rule out LBJ being an active accomplice to the crime, because of the way the motorcade was set up, where the crime occurred (after probable other places like Chicago failed). Also, much of the Secret Service seems to have been involved, because of the two men being called off the rear standing positions on the bumper at Love Field, and because of their role in cleaning the limousine at Parkland. I think Lyndon would have had to have been involved where SS was. Accusing CIA or LBJ misses the point; I think they were operating in league, which would also help to explain how successful the crime AND cover up were when teamwork united the players together.
I wouldn’t rule LBJ out but I don’t think he was a ‘mastermind’.
I can see him going quietly along with it, to maintain plausible deniability.
BTW, there was a documentary which showed either one of the Parkland doctors (Crenshaw?) or Professor Wrone who was recanting what transpired with one of the doctors, who got a call from LBJ asking if Oswald had confessed before expiring.
Does anyone remember that?
I thought that would’ve been highly irregular for LBJ to do, and maybe suspicious.
Yes, Crenshaw made that comment about receiving a call from LBJ directly while in the operating room with Oswald after he had been shot. It’s mentioned in the NBC show in which Dr. Crenshaw was interviewed, which should be indexed somewhere in the references portion of this site. It hasn’t been proven, however. Probably that phone call either never got saved in the audio records from the White House, or it never was made. Either way, difficult to prove either way. What NBC said was that they looked into that assertion and found that it COULD have been made by LBJ, as he was briefly in the White House at that time just before the JFK funeral procession started.
JSA, the call from LBJ incoming to Dr. Crenshaw was later verified by the Parkland switchboard operator in the last years of her life.
I forgot about that. Good call!
I think the more historians dig into this case, the more suspicious LBJ looks, and the more mentally unstable he appears to have been.
Yes JSA, there were day’s during his Presidency he couldn’t get out of bed and face reality, his staff covered for him. Even though, he berated and verbally abused them. He reportedly drank a Lot of Cutty Sark. Anybody that pissed on the boots of one of his Secret Service Agents after they abandoned his predecessor in his time of need was at least a little unbalanced.
She said nothing about it in 1963, in spite of filing a report on calls.
http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/crenshaw.htm
“..this crime is that it was committed by the government (A covert,coup d’ etat!).” Whoever say that this crime was “committed by the government” should show evidences and give the names of that people that carried out this crime and so the coup d’etat.
Isn’t that what Newman and others are doing with respect to the so-far released JFK documents? It’s not easy to show evidences however when one of the primary historical gatekeepers, CIA, continues to hold onto and redact (black out) key evidence. So to be fair (and to be honest), there are still some big inconsistencies and unreleased files that need to be addressed before we jump to the conclusion that the Warren Commission version is the more truthful version.
Jacob: This is excellent! I am so happy to have found your site and am excited to peruse. I was in 3rd grade when JFK was murdered and as a little girl have always had questions, especially when LHO was shot only days later. Fast forward to the ’80’s, when I was living in the Hartford CT area. I had the good fortune to hear Professor George Michael Evica from the Univ of Hartford speak on his weekly public affairs radio show titled “Assassination Journal.” He was a professor of investigative journalism and wrote a book “And We Are All Mortal, about the evidence. Because of Prof. Evica, I read many books on the subject, including David Lifton’s “Best Evidence.” Fascinating stuff, to say the least. Keep up the great work!
Jacob you are a credit to the cause for truth. With a truth based history we are able to face up to the past, learn from our mistakes and faults, and better determine the makeup and credibility of the democracy to which we identify.
If your aim is to seek the truth in the hope of understanding the genuine history of events that is most noble, and hopefully your efforts will empower more of your generation to seek the same.
Absolute power and immunity to transparency has damaged this democracy, and low and behold the assassination of the President can be covered up for almost 52 years and counting …
Exactly my sentient. The real patriots always questions authority, not to undermine or threaten this great, but evolving Country, and the true ideas that of a Democracy truly involve the pursuit of the truth to ensure Freedom for ALL.
Therefore, if we dismiss “open cases” due to the fact that they may be deemed irrelevant due to the growing years in between the event and modern day, we run the risk of devolution, due to the human races’ unfortunate habit of forgetting very atrocious acts against fellow humans, allowing extended and severely dark periods of history to reign, all due to some evil, but clever demons who exploited a society’s difficult periods usually in part to weak, and unjust governing systems.
America is great because of the open invitation for a better life because of diversity, and the DUTY to keep the “power” in check by frequent questioning when things just don’t add up!
I cannot find fault with the young man. My sentiments exactly.