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Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours to Live: Oswald, Kennedy, and the Conspiracy that Will Not Die
What did Lee Harvey Oswald do in the 48 hours after he shot President John F. Kennedy? This riveting companion to the upcoming History Channel documentary follows Oswald in the immediate aftermath of the assassination, searching for the answers to the questions that have troubled America for a half Did he actually pull the trigger? Was he alone? And if so, why? Steven M. Gillon, Scholar-in-Residence at the History Channel, explores the possibility that Cuban intelligence officials may have encouraged Oswald to commit the crime and promised to help him escape. Gillon recreates in painstaking detail the long interrogation sessions and reveals that many of the police officers who witnessed the sessions were convinced that Oswald had received special training. He was simply too good at deflecting questions, too smart, too confident. With new information from recently declassified documents, and revealing photos and documents, these pages offer a refreshingly new and complicated portrait of the man who assassinated President John F. Kennedy.
224 pages, Paperback
First published October 15, 2013
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143 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 14, 2025
As someone who knew very little about the JFK assassination and Lee Harvey Oswald, this book was very informative. It went through the facts surrounding LHO’s known activities in the days surrounding JFK’s, and his own, death, offering very little opinions and brief comments on conspiracies. I’d highly recommend this for anyone wanting to learn a little more, as it’s short in length and a quick read. Though I’m sure there are better books on the topic out there, this left me satisfied in learning a little more on the topic. From the facts presented, I was led to believe Lee Harvey Oswald was guilty and acted solo, despite what the conspiracy theorists may argue. 😆
February 27, 2024
Interesting quick read. Touches on the conspiracy theories but mostly dismisses them. Does a nice job of focusing on Oswald the 48 hours of his life. I especially enjoyed the attention given to the interrogations of Oswald.
I'm sure other books tell a much more detailed account of the entire saga but if you are looking for a focused look at Oswald over that 48 hours you will like this book.
I'm sure other books tell a much more detailed account of the entire saga but if you are looking for a focused look at Oswald over that 48 hours you will like this book.
April 7, 2017
The only thing books on Oswald and the Warren commission do is leave us with more questions in mind. One shooter or two? Was it a conspiracy? Was it the Cubans? Was it the mafia? I have always wondered how Oswald could have been such a good shot. The vehicle was moving and yet he was such an expert marksman that he was able to shoot the president in the head? He was a total screw up in the military, but was able to become an expert marksman there. Something stinks. And I know times were different, but Jack Ruby shot him at point blank range, he entered the department carrying a weapon, never checked I guess. In our age of shoe removal it is hard to imagine that a suspect accused of killing the president would not have better protection. All in all, the book will keep you interested, just don't expect it to answer any questions about the assassination.
October 7, 2020
This was a very interesting step-by-step account of LHO in connection with the events surrounding the Kennedy assassination in Dallas.
I was fascinated by all the photographs included in the book, many of which I had never seen.
I think it is always good to read varying perspectives on events and this was one look/opinion on this major event (of which conspiracy theories constantly circulate). I did enjoy Gillon's account of the assassination and surrounding happenings.
There were a few typographical errors that I found throughout the book, but they did not detract from the information.
I would definitely recommend this book as an additional resource about the assassination of JFK.
I was fascinated by all the photographs included in the book, many of which I had never seen.
I think it is always good to read varying perspectives on events and this was one look/opinion on this major event (of which conspiracy theories constantly circulate). I did enjoy Gillon's account of the assassination and surrounding happenings.
There were a few typographical errors that I found throughout the book, but they did not detract from the information.
I would definitely recommend this book as an additional resource about the assassination of JFK.
November 23, 2019
I have had a life-long fascination with JFK's assassination, it having occurred in the city in which I was born. I read this book in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. Gillon doesn't ignore the existence of conspiracy theories, but it is not the purpose of the book to address them. His purpose is to relate facts regarding Oswald's actions and words during the unbelievably chaotic time between the assassination and his death some 48 hours later. Gillon does that well.
April 9, 2019
Little new. Errs on the side of no conspiracy. Asks some questions, but fewer answers.
February 9, 2021
I love any book about JFK. This was very interesting to me.
February 2, 2016
Unfortunately, this book reads like a cheap knock-off of Hellhound on His Trail: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt for His Assassin: trying to do the same thing for JFK's assassination that Sides did for MLK, but without either Sides' attention to detail or his ability to make all his disparate strands of narrative into something coherent.
I also admit, I got off on the wrong metaphorical foot with Gillon because he starts the book with an anecdote about Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Castro tells JFK Jr. off the record that he, Castro, could never have allowed Oswald into Cuba), and he says in the endnote, "John, who was a close friend, shared this story with the author shortly after John's return from Cuba" (168). Anecdotes--leaving aside the New Historicist rhetorical maneuver of using an opening anecdote to give an essay thematic structure--are not evidence, and even if they were, this one isn't evidence of anything except that Castro, in 1997, still felt guilt and anxiety about JFK's death. Gillon has a wild hare that he chases--his speculation that Cuban intelligence agents working in the Cuban embassy in Mexico may have encouraged Oswald in his plan to kill Kennedy--which this anecdote ostensibly is (not) evidence for, but honestly, it feels like the point of the anecdote is in that endnote: "John, who was a close friend..."
And let's not even get me started on how pretentious it sounds, in a book published in 2013, to refer to yourself in the 3rd person as "the author."
So, yeah, Gillon rubbed me the wrong way, but that's not why I say this book isn't very good.
It isn't very good because it doesn't do what Hellhound on His Trail does. The narrative is surfacey and careless (was Oswald's rifle rolled in a blanket in his garage or in a carpet? Gillon switches in the space of a line (63); there are some awful malapropisms: "the Dallas police had set up no parameter and lax security around the jail" (60) (that's also not the only thing wrong with that sentence); Gillon makes gestures at tracking (as an example) Jacqueline Kennedy the same way Sides tracked Coretta Scott King, but he never follows through), and for a book that purports to be a timeline of the last 48 hours of Oswald's life, it's astonishingly bad at providing clear signposts about what happened when and in what order.
I don't actually know a great deal about the Kennedy assassination, beyond what "everybody knows," so I can't judge how well Gillon does at addressing all of the facts, or whether his debunking of various conspiracy theories holds water itself. I do appreciate the fact that the debunking is there.
The book left me with an untidy, dissatisfied feeling. Granted, its subject matter is untidy and dissatisfying--but an incoherent subject does not automatically result in an incoherent book, and really, the more incoherent the subject, the harder the writer should be trying--not to make the subject coherent, but to make his/her own project coherent. I've used The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers: Sex and Culture in Nineteenth-Century New York and The Murder of Helen Jewett as a compare-and-contrast pair, and this book pairs with Hellhound on His Trail in the same way. The gap between them is the gap where good historiography does or does not happen.
I also admit, I got off on the wrong metaphorical foot with Gillon because he starts the book with an anecdote about Fidel Castro and John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Castro tells JFK Jr. off the record that he, Castro, could never have allowed Oswald into Cuba), and he says in the endnote, "John, who was a close friend, shared this story with the author shortly after John's return from Cuba" (168). Anecdotes--leaving aside the New Historicist rhetorical maneuver of using an opening anecdote to give an essay thematic structure--are not evidence, and even if they were, this one isn't evidence of anything except that Castro, in 1997, still felt guilt and anxiety about JFK's death. Gillon has a wild hare that he chases--his speculation that Cuban intelligence agents working in the Cuban embassy in Mexico may have encouraged Oswald in his plan to kill Kennedy--which this anecdote ostensibly is (not) evidence for, but honestly, it feels like the point of the anecdote is in that endnote: "John, who was a close friend..."
And let's not even get me started on how pretentious it sounds, in a book published in 2013, to refer to yourself in the 3rd person as "the author."
So, yeah, Gillon rubbed me the wrong way, but that's not why I say this book isn't very good.
It isn't very good because it doesn't do what Hellhound on His Trail does. The narrative is surfacey and careless (was Oswald's rifle rolled in a blanket in his garage or in a carpet? Gillon switches in the space of a line (63); there are some awful malapropisms: "the Dallas police had set up no parameter and lax security around the jail" (60) (that's also not the only thing wrong with that sentence); Gillon makes gestures at tracking (as an example) Jacqueline Kennedy the same way Sides tracked Coretta Scott King, but he never follows through), and for a book that purports to be a timeline of the last 48 hours of Oswald's life, it's astonishingly bad at providing clear signposts about what happened when and in what order.
I don't actually know a great deal about the Kennedy assassination, beyond what "everybody knows," so I can't judge how well Gillon does at addressing all of the facts, or whether his debunking of various conspiracy theories holds water itself. I do appreciate the fact that the debunking is there.
The book left me with an untidy, dissatisfied feeling. Granted, its subject matter is untidy and dissatisfying--but an incoherent subject does not automatically result in an incoherent book, and really, the more incoherent the subject, the harder the writer should be trying--not to make the subject coherent, but to make his/her own project coherent. I've used The Mysterious Death of Mary Rogers: Sex and Culture in Nineteenth-Century New York and The Murder of Helen Jewett as a compare-and-contrast pair, and this book pairs with Hellhound on His Trail in the same way. The gap between them is the gap where good historiography does or does not happen.
July 13, 2019
4.5 I have read many books on this topic, but not for many years, coupled with the fact at my age I don't remember what I had for breakfast, so everything old is new again to me! I listened to the audio and clung to ever word, this was all so tangible, I remember it vividly from my childhood, I think I saw it live on tv when Oswald was shot, if not I still see his facial expression so clearly when it happened, it's all permanently set in my mind. The older we get the greater the hindsight to these horrific events in time, because it's been decades since I relived this piece of history I thought it was very good.
June 18, 2023
It's undeniable that law enforcement in Dallas fucked up their handling of Oswald thoroughly. That Jack Ruby was able to even get close to him was the most visible and last evidence of this fact. But it's obvious from a reasonable perspective that these mistakes were more likely due to the almost complete lack of established procedures on how to deal with a captured presidential assassin rather than raw incompetence and/or malice.
Gillon delivers care citations of his sources which is key in discussing this most conspiracied of subjects.
Gillon delivers care citations of his sources which is key in discussing this most conspiracied of subjects.
June 17, 2022
Tries to close the doors on any conspiracy, but leaves more questions than answers. Also leans heavily on Vincent Bugliosi who has been caught in lies regarding his earlier works. Not sure what to believe. This leads to plenty of rabbit holes, but is what we know of Oswald and Ruby from the DPD.
June 13, 2014
I was a conspiracy theorist since 11/22/63, (believing the mob set Oswald up as the 'patsy' he proclaimed he was), but this book and the accompanying television special helped convince me that this was no grand plot cooked up by numerous foreign enemies, the CIA, LBJ or Italian gangsters. I always wanted to know what went on in that Dallas police station during the 48 hours Oswald was in custody, and this book gives a nearly minute-by-minute account of the interrogations, the visits from his family members, Oswald's uncanny ability to dodge certain questions, leading the detectives to wonder where he'd been trained (most likely in the Marine Corps), what he ate, what he wore, what his cell was like, why a jailer had to shave him...nearly every minute detail. It even goes into details about Ruby's schedule of the previous few days. It also describes Marina's life with the Paines, the details leading to the tragedy of the Tippit shooting, LHO's capture in the Texas Theatre and what led up to it, and the oddball behavior of his mother. Of the thousands of books speculating about who was 'behind' the assassination, this one says it all--with clarity and undeniable facts. Conspiracy theorists, read this and see if it doesn't convince you that LHO was the 'lone nut' behind the rifle on the 6th floor, with no prompting of double-crossing from the mob, the CIA, the KGB, Castro, or the any of the other suspects added to the list over the last 50 years. www.dianarubino.com
November 12, 2014
I found this to be an interesting account of Lee Harvey Oswald. One of the things that made it especially interesting is that it focuses on the final 48 hours of Oswald's life, along with what was occurring in the country during this time.
Some of the things discussed in the book are familiar to any person who enjoys/studies history. This includes Oswald's departure from the book depositary building, his time in Russia, Officer Tippit's murder, and Jack Ruby to name a few thing. However, the book gives an account of lesser know things such as actions and thoughts of Oswald's wife, mother, and brother, as well as how he was pretty much in control during the interrogations.
Though I feel it is worth reading by anyone who has a love of history, it is important to point out that the author takes the point of view that Oswald was the sole shooter of President Kennedy. The author does a pretty good job of focusing on the actions of those involved, while pointing out why he feels Oswald was the only shooter. In the Epilogue, he takes to task all the conspiracy theorists, and writes an explanation why he feels that they are wrong and makes some strong points to support his beliefs.
Some of the things discussed in the book are familiar to any person who enjoys/studies history. This includes Oswald's departure from the book depositary building, his time in Russia, Officer Tippit's murder, and Jack Ruby to name a few thing. However, the book gives an account of lesser know things such as actions and thoughts of Oswald's wife, mother, and brother, as well as how he was pretty much in control during the interrogations.
Though I feel it is worth reading by anyone who has a love of history, it is important to point out that the author takes the point of view that Oswald was the sole shooter of President Kennedy. The author does a pretty good job of focusing on the actions of those involved, while pointing out why he feels Oswald was the only shooter. In the Epilogue, he takes to task all the conspiracy theorists, and writes an explanation why he feels that they are wrong and makes some strong points to support his beliefs.
March 1, 2015
I thought that "Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours To Live" was a great book that gave a very clear perspective on the events surrounding John F. Kennedy's assassination. The subject of Kennedy's assassination has always fascinated me, and this book gave me all of the information that I could ever need. It was very detailed and specific. I loved how the plot perfectly walked me through the events that happened that day and the motives behind it. You could see the time and effort that was put into each sentence. Also, this book helped me to see through most of the conspiracies by using a lot of thorough and accurate evidence. This book fits into the genre of nonfiction. Overall, "Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours To Live" was an amazing and well written book.
October 21, 2015
Book: Lee Harvey Oswald 48 Hours to Live
Author: Steven Gillon
This book is a informational book focused on the two days of investigating and the interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald. The beginning is how it all started, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It explains how the assassin escapes, and is cought by the Dallas police. The second part is when the interrogating begins, one of Dallas best investigators, this amazing interrogation investigates LHO. This man is not giving anything up for two days after looking through evidence. The third day LHO is shot and killed. This book is filled with mystery and information that you don't find regularly.
Author: Steven Gillon
This book is a informational book focused on the two days of investigating and the interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald. The beginning is how it all started, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It explains how the assassin escapes, and is cought by the Dallas police. The second part is when the interrogating begins, one of Dallas best investigators, this amazing interrogation investigates LHO. This man is not giving anything up for two days after looking through evidence. The third day LHO is shot and killed. This book is filled with mystery and information that you don't find regularly.
March 17, 2014
not a bad read, very easy. Just not sure if this offers anything other than a succinct factual memoir of the 2 days following JFKs assassination. Maybe that's all this book intends to be, as the author seems to have made a career on books around this moment in history. If that is the case, there is nothing wrong with this book. I think I started it expecting some new twist or chapter in the great conspiracy. Really, it's just a detailed description of the last 48 hours of LHO's life. Interesting, just not ground breaking.
April 30, 2014
Oh, no...not another book on the Kennedy assassination? Yep! and, this one covers the period of time between Oswald's shooting and his shooting death by Jack Ruby. It was written entirely by the author's research and he cites written and oral references and draws appropriate conclusions. It also provides insight into a short period of history and illuminates facts not previously known. I liked the read/listen and will look for more of Gillon's books.
April 8, 2018
Was there a conspiracy? YES.
Did Lee Oswald act alone? No.
Did Jack Ruby act out of impulse? Hell no.
Was it all mapped out? Absolutely yes.
Did they silence Lee and then Jack? YES.
Enjoyed it a lot. There were no new information in it but it was presented neatly and well.
Did Lee Oswald act alone? No.
Did Jack Ruby act out of impulse? Hell no.
Was it all mapped out? Absolutely yes.
Did they silence Lee and then Jack? YES.
Enjoyed it a lot. There were no new information in it but it was presented neatly and well.
Want to read
April 11, 2016#
NC
Own in paperback.
FS: "In October 1977, John F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Havana to interview Cuban leader Fidel Castro for a feature in his new magazine, George."
LS: "Fifty years later many questions remain unanswered."
NC
Own in paperback.
FS: "In October 1977, John F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Havana to interview Cuban leader Fidel Castro for a feature in his new magazine, George."
LS: "Fifty years later many questions remain unanswered."
November 24, 2016
Excellent book
This is a very balanced book that takes a factual approach to Oswald's last 48 hours. The video and audio are a plus. I also saw The History Channel documentary based on the book. They go well together.
This is a very balanced book that takes a factual approach to Oswald's last 48 hours. The video and audio are a plus. I also saw The History Channel documentary based on the book. They go well together.
February 14, 2014
I've read several books on the Kennedy assignation but never one concentrated on Oswald - excellent read.
March 31, 2014
Even though I don't think Oswald was the shooter, and this author does, I still enjoyed this book. As usual, I always learn something new.
May 2, 2014
Good, not great. Was expecting something more (probably a description of why most of conspiracy theories are incorrect) than just a description oh oswald's final hours, but it was ok
May 7, 2014
Interesting read, could have benefitted from some better editing. I'm always put off by typos, but I still enjoyed it. Not exactly tons of new info, but presented well.
December 6, 2015
Doesn't really add anything new to the story but has a few interesting pictures
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews