Booklist for a prior DU discussion (JFK Assassination)

[maine_raptor]

See: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4745154&mesg_id=4745154

A number of DU'ers asked for a list of books on the JFK assassination.

Here is a start. It is by no means complete (a complete one would run into thousands of titles). It is however a list of what I consider a very good start. Some titles may be un-available, but I think you'll find most on the shelves.

Feel free to add some of your own. Have fun.



The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, Hearings (1964), now available on CD.

The House Select Committee to Study the Assassination of President Kennedy, Final Report and Hearings (1979), now available on CD also.

Josiah Thompson, Six Seconds in Dallas ; A Micro-Study of the Kennedy Assassination (Random House Inc, 1968) Hard to find, but best book ever on what happened in Dealy Plaza.

Walt Brown, The People V. Lee Harvey Oswald, (Carroll & Graf, 1992).

Stewart Galanor, Cover-Up (Kestrel, 1998).

Robert Groden, The Killing of a President (Viking, 1993).

Harrison Livingstone, High Treason 2 (Carroll & Graf, 1991).

Harrison Livingstone, Killing the Truth (Carroll & Graf, 1993).

Sylvia Meagher, Accessories after the Fact (Bobbs-Merrill, 1967; Vintage, 1976). Only index of the Warren Commission Hearings, the WC did not do one of their own.

Gary Savage, JFK: First Day Evidence (Shoppe Press, 1993).

Peter Dale Scott, Deep Politics and the Death of JFK (University of California Press, 1993).

Larry Sneed, No More Silence: An Oral History of the Assassination of President Kennedy (Three Forks Press, 1998). Must read.

Anthony Summers, Not in Your Lifetime (Shooting Star Press, 1998; originally published as Conspiracy, McGraw Hill, 1980; Paragon House, 1989, 1991).

Richard B. Trask, Pictures of the Pain (Yeoman Press, 1994). Pictures in this book are poor, but it does provide an understanding of the photos themselves.

Harold Weisberg, Whitewash (self-published, 1965; Dell, 1966).

Harold Weisberg, Whitewash II: The FBI-Secret Service Coverup (self-published, 1966; Dell, 1966).

Harold Weisberg, Post Mortem (self-published, 1969, 1976).

Harold Weisberg, Never Again! (Carroll & Graf, 1993).

[maine_raptor]

1. Kick before it gets lost

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

2. also

William Manchester: Death of a President (which I think is a nice companion to Sneed's book)

Edward Jay Epstein: The Assassination Chronicles

Warren Hinckle & William Turner: Deadly Secrets: The CIA-Mafia War Against Castro and the Assassination of JFK  

(and for a contrary view:
Gus Russo: Live by the Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the Death of JFK )

Gaeton Fonzi: The Last Investigation

Norman Mailer: Oswald's Tale (for Oswald in Russia stuff, not the psychobabble second half)

Dale Myers: With Malice

James DiEugenio, Lisa Pease (editors): The Assassinations: "Probe" Magazine on JFK, MLK, RFK and Malcolm X  

John Newman: Oswald and the CIA (& then read online essay "What Jane Roman said")

Dick Russell: The Man Who Knew Too Much: Hired to Kill Oswald and Prevent the Assassination of JFK  (a great read, but track down the online debunking)


be very wary of Jim Fetzer's books Assassination Science & The Great Zapbruder Film Hoax (though Gary Aguilar's online essays' are worth checking out) & Dave Lifton's Best Evidence. I also wouldn't touch Jim Marrs' Crossfire (which Stone stupidly used for his film).

[maine_raptor]

3. Be careful with Epstein

His first book (Inquest) was a good review of the inner working of the Warren Commission, but his later books tend to lean towards one-gunman side of the question.

I found Russo's book to be very plodding reading, but it does have occasional nuggets of gold when it comes to where and what individuals within the anti-Castro community were doing prior to the assassination.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

4. Epstein got too friendly with James Jesus Angleton IMHO

I still find him interesting to read though (like Joeseph Trento - whose new book about the Safari Club is very interesting).

[DelawareValleyDem]

5. Indeed

Legend is based primarily on info Angleton spoon-fed Epstein.

[maine_raptor]

6. Agree

and it was Angleton (CIA Counter-intelligence head for many years) that was quoted as saying about the JFK assassination; "There are many rooms in the mansion and I was not privy to who struck John".

"Molehunt" by David Wise (I think) is a very good history of Angleton and how his job later drove him bonkers.

[maine_raptor]

7. kick it again