The assassination of President John F. Kennedy remains the biggest unsolved murder in American history. The murders of the President, Lee Harvey Oswald and Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippitt, have fascinated the American public for over 50 years. Hundreds of books have been published, each one analyzing the case from a different angle. Henry Hurt presents to us, his investigation into the murder and why there’s reasonable doubt about what we’ve been told to believe all of these years. The book was published in 1985 and since then, other books have appeared, most notably Joseph McBride’s ‘Into The Nightmare’. There is far more information is available today than when Hurt wrote this book due to the release of thousands of pages of documents relating to the investigation. But any researcher into the assassination will be well served by reading Hurt’s interesting investigative report. From the start, he explains that he wanted to believe that the Warren Commission report was the final say on those tragic events in Dallas on that day. But as he continued to dig deeper into the investigation, more questions arose than answers, casting severe doubt on the Commission’s report and giving him reasonable doubt as to the guilt of Lee Harvey Oswald.
The most perplexing aspect of the entire crime is that as one uncovers more information of the sinister deeds that day, the more mysterious and puzzling it becomes. There are never-ending leads and hundreds of suspicious characters, but concrete links to major figures continue to elude even the most experienced of researchers. Hurt’s research into the lives of Oswald and Tippit was exhaustively completely and he concludes, both men are still a mystery. And while the question as to whether Ruby, Oswald and Tippitt knew each other remains, there’s circumstantial evidence that there did indeed exist, some sort of relationship between the three. Hurt also revealed the names of several individuals who I previously had been unaware of and their possible relationship to the events in Dealey plaza. I should point out that those who are familiar with the assassination and have previously read other books will fill in some of the gaps in the book regarding information unknown to the author at the time. This book is rarely mentioned in conversations about the assassination and is sometimes overshadowed by Jim Marrs’ classic, ‘Crossfire’. But I think it is recommended reading for anyone interested in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
ISBN-10: 0030040590
ISBN-13: 978-0030040597
Fifty-One years ago, a mother of two was brutally murdered in broad daylight in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. For several hours her identity remained a mystery to investigators. When her identity was revealed, it as sent shock-waves through the political and intelligence circles of Washington and raised the eyebrows of researchers of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Mary Pinchot-Meyer, the estranged wife of Cord Meyer, Jr., was only 44 when she was murdered, leaving behind sons Quentin and Mark. Peter Janney, a friend of the Meyer family and best of friend of the Meyer’s late and middle son Michael, presents to us his investigation into her murder and why it remains a crucial part of the investigation into the murder of President John F. Kennedy.
Interestingly, the term “Camelot” was never used by President Kennedy or his family. And according to Author M. Schlesinger, Jr., it was a term coined by the press to described the Kennedy legacy. The President’s death still remains one of the most shocking moments in U.S. history. Thousands of pages of documents relating to his administration and murder still remained classified as do numerous documents relating to the then Attorney General and President’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy. In recent years, more information about the inner workings of the Kennedy administration have come to light. And the number of books written by people who knew the President or are investigation his murder is nothing short of staggering. To my knowledge, there is no other President in history about which, so many books have been written. The prevailing image of JFK is that of a young President, murdered by a lone assassin, leaving two children and a grieving widow behind. However, the further we explore his murder, administration and personal life, the more we will come to realize that there was indeed a very dark side to Camelot.
Political dynasties are as American as apple pie. We all know the names Bush, Clinton, Rockefeller, Roosevelt and Kennedy. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (1888-1969) and Rose Kennedy (1890-1995) produced nine children together and helped create a legacy that continues to this day. Tragically they lost four of their nine children to violent deaths. Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy (1932-2009) carried the touch for the family for many years until his own death in 2009. In death, they became larger than life figures who became staples of American politics. But behind the historical speeches, money, looks and fame was a Kennedy whose life took a tragic course of its own. She is nearly forgotten in history books about the Kennedys but her story is one that must be told. And here, Kate Clifford Larson tells the sad story of Rose Marine “Rosemary” Kennedy (1918-2005).
The fallout from the arrest and subsequent conviction of Warren Jeffs shocked the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) and its contingent of believers. The man who proclaimed himself to be the prophet has been revealed to be nothing more than a pedophile with a talent for extreme rhetoric. He and many other powerful men, kept the members of the FLDS in an iron grip was they exploited them for their own personal gain. Child labor, sexual abuse and underage marriage have resulted in infamy and the interest of State and Federal authorities. Defectors from the church have become testifying witnesses and told their stories on television and in books. Among these heroic individuals if Carolyn Jessop, whose own story of escape and survival is just as moving and shocking as many others. In confluence with ‘
On June 4, 1994, Greg “The Grim Reaper” Scarpa died of AIDS related complications at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota. The former mobster is known as one of the most feared killers in mafia history. Joseph Valachi is thought to be the first made member of a La Costra Nostra family to shed light on the dark secrets held by the mafia. Following Scarpa’s death, it came to light that he had been an informant for the FBI as early as 1953 preceding Valachi by ten years. Unlike Valachi, he never testified and while an informant he continued to operate on the streets of New York with sometimes very deadly consequences. From all accounts, he took part in or played a supporting role in dozens of murders, some of which remained unsolved. His son, Greg Scarpa, Jr., is still incarcerated but has renounced his former life as a mobster and continues his quest to have his conviction reviewed and his jail time reduced. I was previously familiar with the author Peter Lance, having read his book ‘A Thousand Years For Revenge’ as a sophomore at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. This book on Scarpa came as a recommendation from Amazon and I jumped at the chance to read this engaging and shocking expose. And while the cover of the book is highly enticing on its own, what’s contained is the pages of this book is nothing short of mind-boggling and will make you question everything you thought you knew about the trials and convictions of mobsters, most notably, John Gotti, Vic Orena, Sr., Sammy “The Bull” Gravano and Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso. And next to Scarpa, Casso figures prominently throughout the book and his relationship with the government is just as fascinating.
It’s often said that everyone comes into your life for a reason. Fairly recently, I became acquainted with a lovely young woman who has since become a very close friend. She was born in El Salvador and forced to flee her home with her family during one of the worst civil wars in modern history. Because I was quite young at the time of the conflict, my knowledge of the situation and the experiences of the survivors was severely limited, making it difficult for me to offer any meaningful comments to her story. However, I listened thoroughly and have never forgotten what she’s told me and it was through her stories that I began to further understand the turmoil that continues to plague Latin America to this very day. Recently I read the autobiography of retired marine Oliver North. Most readers will remember him from the Iran-Contra scandal in the mid 1980s during President Regan’s administration. Forced to be the scapegoat following congressional hearings into the intelligence activities to free hostages in Libya and fund the contras in Nicaragua against the Sandinista National Liberation Front, North faded into the background and now lives a quiet life far removed from his former activities. It was in this book that I began to understand the events that occurred in El Salvador, why they happened, who is to blame and why they should never be forgotten.
Defiance is one of the most powerful actions that can be taken by a person. The ability to stand up in the face of adversity tests our courage and in some cases our morale fiber. Rebecca Musser exemplified both as she faced former tormentor and leader of the Fundamental Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), Warren Jeffs. Musser is the former wife of Jeffs’ father Rulon and a major defector from the FLDS church. As she testified, she say stoically in a stunning red dress that surely drew the ire of the once powerful Jeffs. Today Jeffs continues to serve a life sentence at the Louis C. Powledge Unit in Anderson county, Texas. The FLDS continues to operate under the watchful eye of State and Federal authorities in Utah and Texas. Their investigations have shed light on the behind the scenes movements of the secretive and secluded religious faction. Assisted by defectors from the FLDS, authorities pieced together a disturbing pattern of sexual abuse of both children and adults and forced child labor. Their efforts culminated in the conviction of Jeffs.
On January 18, 1983, New York City Police Detectives were called to the scene of a grisly murder all too common in the streets battles of organized crime. An abandoned Cadillac was found with a surprise in its trunk, the body of mobster Roy DeMeo, the homicidal enforcer for the Gambino crime family. He had been brutally shot several times before his tragic demise. During his career, it is believed that he participated in dozens of murders, running a modern-day version of Murder, Inc. His death came as no surprise to some in law enforcement who know very well that many in that life eventually leave it in a body bag. But for DeMeo’s family, his disappearance and death, shook the family to its core.
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