Reviews
Kurtz offers a superior account. He has spent four decades researching the assassination, and the result is this balanced appraisal of the varying theories, from the lone gunmanmagic bulletpremise to those conspiracy theories that cannot be dismissed as the ramblings of kooks. Kurtz himself favors conspiracy and includes convincing evidence, from previously classified documents released after the 1992 President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, that reveals CIA, FBI, Secret Service, and Warren Commission cover-ups. Intriguing accounts bolstering the authors conclusions include details relating to Lee Harvey Oswald, the Cuban-Mafia connection, the bumbling autopsy of the slain President, and the controversial roles of Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, and Warren Commission members Arlen Specter and Gerald Ford. Highly recommended.Library Journal (starred review) "It is refreshing to see an academic historian turn his attention to this subject. . . . Whether one agrees completely with all of Kurtzs arguments or not, it is time for historians to take back some of the ground that has been seized by the sensationalists."Journal of American History, "A smart, engaging history of the stormy debate surrounding the death of President John F. Kennedy. This is a book you can trust on a topic fraught with controversy."-- Douglas Brinkley , Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University "Provides a skillfully balanced and up-to-date summary of the views supporting the lone assassin and conspiracy sides of the JFK assassination controversy, as well as new evidence that revises our understanding of Oswald's associations and actions. If I were teaching a course on the JFK assassination, this book would definitely be near the top of my reading list."-- Gerald D. McKnight , author of Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why, "Kurtz offers a superior account. He has spent four decades researching the assassination, and the result is this balanced appraisal of the varying theories, from the lone gunman--'magic bullet'--premise to those conspiracy theories that cannot be dismissed as the ramblings of kooks. Kurtz himself favors conspiracy and includes convincing evidence, from previously classified documents released after the 1992 President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, that reveals CIA, FBI, Secret Service, and Warren Commission cover-ups. Intriguing accounts bolstering the author's conclusions include details relating to Lee Harvey Oswald, the Cuban-Mafia connection, the bumbling autopsy of the slain President, and the controversial roles of Lyndon Johnson, J. Edgar Hoover, and Warren Commission members Arlen Specter and Gerald Ford. Highly recommended."-- Library Journal (starred review) "It is refreshing to see an academic historian turn his attention to this subject. . . . Whether one agrees completely with all of Kurtz's arguments or not, it is time for historians to take back some of the ground that has been seized by the sensationalists."-- Journal of American History, A smart, engaging history of the stormy debate surrounding the death of President John F. Kennedy. This is a book you can trust on a topic fraught with controversy.Douglas Brinkley , Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University Provides a skillfully balanced and up-to-date summary of the views supporting the lone assassin and conspiracy sides of the JFK assassination controversy, as well as new evidence that revises our understanding of Oswalds associations and actions. If I were teaching a course on the JFK assassination, this book would definitely be near the top of my reading list.Gerald D. McKnight , author of Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why, A smart, engaging history of the stormy debate surrounding the death of President John F. Kennedy. This is a book you can trust on a topic fraught with controversy.-- Douglas Brinkley , Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University Provides a skillfully balanced and up-to-date summary of the views supporting the lone assassin and conspiracy sides of the JFK assassination controversy, as well as new evidence that revises our understanding of Oswald's associations and actions. If I were teaching a course on the JFK assassination, this book would definitely be near the top of my reading list.-- Gerald D. McKnight , author of Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why, "A smart, engaging history of the stormy debate surrounding the death of President John F. Kennedy. This is a book you can trust on a topic fraught with controversy."- Douglas Brinkley , Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University "Provides a skillfully balanced and up-to-date summary of the views supporting the lone assassin and conspiracy sides of the JFK assassination controversy, as well as new evidence that revises our understanding of Oswald's associations and actions. If I were teaching a course on the JFK assassination, this book would definitely be near the top of my reading list."- Gerald D. McKnight , author of Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why
