The Kennedy Assassination--A Different Perspective

THIS IS AN UPDATED ENCORE TIM MOORE BLOG.

I defer to Oprah Winfrey the power to recommend a book and have it LEAP to the top of the best seller list.

I’ll just recommend a book I found fascinating—and let you decide whether or not you’d like to read it.

It’s called “Brothers: The Hidden History Of The Kennedy Years” by David Talbot. It’s been out for a few years—and I picked it up in a bargain bin, but this former New York Times Bestseller is painstakingly researched—and reads much like a mystery thriller.

Today is the anniversary of JFK’s assassination in Dallas in 1963. Forty-seven years have done little to diminish the investigation of that fateful day—with the basic premise being that a lone gunman, acting alone was a false conclusion of the evidence.

Less than 2 days later, Lee Harvey Oswald was himself gunned down by Jack Ruby in Dallas. This murder was shown on nationwide live TV-here is some rare footage from a perspective not often seen:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLF9_Hp-IyY


The murder of Oswald only confirmed what many believed at the time—and others have come to believe—namely, that President Kennedy’s assassination was a conspiracy. Jack Ruby’s role was to silence the killer of record, even though it appears he was not acting alone. An official report from The Warren Commission has done nothing to quiet the feeling among many that the “lone gunman” theory has not sufficiently been proven.

I won’t give away the conclusions of the book---and author Talbot does have some riveting evidence as to the likely individuals he believes were involved.

It is simply the PREMISE of the book that fueled my interest. Namely, since Robert F. Kennedy was the nation’s top law enforcement officer in his capacity as Attorney General, why didn’t HE lead an exhaustive investigation?

A valid question, no? After all, the President was his brother, his closest ally and his hero all rolled into one. Why didn’t RFK pursue the real story?

The reason is simple—and terrifying. RFK did indeed conduct his own investigation, but flew it “under the radar” because he knew that officials in his slain brothers government were behind the murder. To overtly seek the truth would be futile—and fatal—as the younger Kennedy eventually found out. Kennedy and his closest aides have left a long trail of evidence gathered without arousing the suspicion of those within the U.S. Government, particularly the CIA who had their hands dirty in the scheme.

“Brothers” is the story of the relationship between JFK and RFK—and the SECRET investigation orchestrated by Robert in the years following that fateful day in Dallas. If you are a history buff, you will love it. If you are a Kennedy conspiracy believer, you will also be enthralled, although there is little discussion of the “grassy knoll”, multiple shooters and such.

Motive from the highest echelons of government and the means to carry out covert operations drive this true-life tale of treachery against our own President. The fact that more has not been leaked since that November day 46 years ago is testament to the code of silence employed by the two groups most likely to have joined forces-the mob and the Central Intelligence Agency.

Kennedy’s (and virtually any President’s) inability to control forces within their own government is a threat to our democracy. In retrospect, we can look at the Cuban situation through the lens of history—and relative harmlessness. In the early 60’s however, President Kennedy’s unwillingness to send in U.S. forces to support the Bay of Pigs invasion—set the course for events that would eventually turn many in his own administration against him—and in a deadly way.

Some will argue that the nation needed the band-aid of a closed case-and a single shooter, the conclusion of the Warren Commission—in order to move on. Unfortunately, this cover-up only emboldened those who disagreed with the democratically elected leaders to commit treason and take matters into their own hands.

If the truth will set you free, then we are still being held hostage to a lie—“Brothers” is a necessary step toward that journey to full disclosure that democracy demands.

If you’d like my blog in your weekday box, just let me know: tim.moore@citcomm.com