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LBJ and the Kennedy Killing
As an eyewitness to the assassination of President Kennedy, author James Tague’s Warren Commission testimony changed history and he is now recognized as a top researcher on the murder of JFK. This book takes the reader from that day in 1963 through the events of 50 years of discovery to document that Lyndon Johnson and his cronies were behind the assassination of President Kennedy. Tague presents 101 stories in 101 chapters that provide answers to most of the lingering questions of that event.
- GenresNonfictionHistory
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 22, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 12, 2022
Interesting Take
James Tague was one of the injured parties during the JFK assassination.
Over the years, information has dropped in his lap regarding how the assassination was carried out and who were the primary people behind the plan.
Mr. Tague had the good fortune to meet and befriend researcher Harold Weisberg who was an expert researcher behind the JFK event. Therefore Mr. Tague received some solid information from Mr. Weisberg and others closely connected to the case who opened up to him freely because he was a minor injury victim who threw a monkey wrench into the Warren Commission findings.
I think the author tried to connect all the dots to bring the case into focus. Some items were repeated throughout the book. However that does not lessen the books impact.
I found a lot of the information was similar to Barr McClelland’s book “ Blood Money and Power.
While Mr. Tague’s book paints Lee Oswald as a true patsy, it did not nail down the grassy knoll shot which is important if you have see the various Zapruder films.
An interesting book from an interesting witness to history. The information can be filed to the reader’s memory to compare with information from other sources.
Bottom line: we are almost 60 years after the fact and are still sorting out plans and theories.
Good effort by the author.
.
James Tague was one of the injured parties during the JFK assassination.
Over the years, information has dropped in his lap regarding how the assassination was carried out and who were the primary people behind the plan.
Mr. Tague had the good fortune to meet and befriend researcher Harold Weisberg who was an expert researcher behind the JFK event. Therefore Mr. Tague received some solid information from Mr. Weisberg and others closely connected to the case who opened up to him freely because he was a minor injury victim who threw a monkey wrench into the Warren Commission findings.
I think the author tried to connect all the dots to bring the case into focus. Some items were repeated throughout the book. However that does not lessen the books impact.
I found a lot of the information was similar to Barr McClelland’s book “ Blood Money and Power.
While Mr. Tague’s book paints Lee Oswald as a true patsy, it did not nail down the grassy knoll shot which is important if you have see the various Zapruder films.
An interesting book from an interesting witness to history. The information can be filed to the reader’s memory to compare with information from other sources.
Bottom line: we are almost 60 years after the fact and are still sorting out plans and theories.
Good effort by the author.
.
June 2, 2018
Thousands of books have been published about the most notorious assassination of the XXth century, so a review of a book that touches upon this subject needs to start by giving its potential readers a reason to single it out among the rest.
Before I do that let me start by saying that I'm not a casual acquaintance with the many rabbit-holes that surround the case. A truly skeptical mind is no easy friend of either official versions or conspiracy theories, unless these are nurturing to one's intellect. In the many years and many hours I've spent reading material or viewing things related to the case, I've never been able to find satisfactory answers to the questions that puzzled my mind.
I'm relieved to say that Mr. Tague's book has finally quenched some of these questions, while unavoidably, some others will remain.
I'll itemize the personal reasons and criteria of why I picked this particular book from among thousands of others, and why I believe it will benefit those who seek answers on some of the murky questions surrounding the JFK case:
1. The unique circumstances that brought about the writing of this book coupled with the unique circumstances that attached its author to the case: In contrast to other independent researchers (regardless of their zeal to find out "a" truth), Jim Tague was not only a participant in that tragic event in Dallas, but fate would decree that he would be slightly wounded by a stray bullet that missed Kennedy, an incident that eventually forced the Warren Commission to re-assess their BALLISTIC conclusions when they had pretty much wrapped up the report on July 1964. His presence on Dealey Plaza changed history.
This book is the final act of his life (he died on February 2014 and the book was published on October 2013), and he felt compelled to write it after a long bout with renal failure, when his kidneys suddenly got better and he got off dialysis. He felt that he had been given a last chance to "tell-it-all" and set the record straight as far as he was concerned. Such a genesis on a book about this particular subject struck me as the sincere act of an honest man who had refrained from the limelight and just wanted to tell his truth, and not as the impulse of a profit or publicity/controversy seeker.
2. James Tague's involvement in the events gave him very rare and unique access to other participants, researchers, historians, journalists and insiders of the JFK case through the years; a veritable who's who, and through these acquaintainces, andf through his non chalance, James Tague was privy to many off and on the record thoughts, revelations and documents (noted JFK researcher Harold Weisberg used to cull and send him copies of interesting declassified FBI documents he gained through the years via FOIA and litigation). After 50 years, James Tague had much to share.
3. The sometimes derisive description of the book as a "small time" labor of love rather than a scholarly work by certain reviewers really influenced my decision to pick it up. The book came out quietly, without trumpeting its credentials, or a media driven marketing effort with a major publishing house behind it. The book was criticized for its typos, for the author's constant repetitions throughout the book (showing a passive editorial effort), low resolution and blown out black and white photography, as well as document scans arranged without graphic design acumen and at haphazard through the page. Perfect. Such are the hallmarks of a book which is not invested on marketing appeal, or shallow concerns to boost sales. This spartan approach unwittingly puts its emphasis on the CONTENT. This is a book published by someone who just wanted to speak his mind.
4. The book didn't hinge on one particular "theory" despite the title of the book, but spent most of its time delving into the inconsistencies of the Warren Commission's Report and the biographical first-hand knowledge of the author on this and other matters.
5. The full inclusion of the 1965 Soviet Intelligence Report on the Kennedy Killing, as well as the US assessment that follows it, is reason enough to buy this book since you will find it nowhere on the internet.
6. The post ARRB (Assassination Records Review Board appointed from 1992-1998) era, which brought about the massive declassification of material for researchers has spun a new era of further clarity on parts of the case that were muddy before 1992. Thus, any book on the subject in the new millenium is better equipped to gather and corroborate information, such as this one did.
There were many things James Tague said that I didn't agree with (such as his view on what caused JFK's throat wound, for example) but you can measure his honesty by how strongly he voices what he believes to be true, and how cautious he is whenever he has an opinion which he believes with less zeal. This is the dialectic that I was seeking in a book about JFK's murder, rather than pages upon pages of someone trying to pigeonhole everything through one lens only.
And while he was convinced that in the end, LBJ and Big Oil had been behind it, the majority of the book deals with all the Warren Commission missteps, the ballistics, the testimonies etc, and these are not presented as a buildup to support the thesis. The theory is presented apart, within its own context and with its own participants.
Lastly, I recommend this book especially to people that are either new, or have only a passive knowledge about the case. Seasoned researchers should be advised that this reads more like the personal biography and self-statements on the case as seen, learned, and believed by James Tague, who truly thought that writting this book was ultimately his mission in life and the reason why he was there and wounded that day in Dealey Plaza.
Well Jim, you fulfilled your mission, and now others like myself are gaining because of it. May you finally rest in peace.
Before I do that let me start by saying that I'm not a casual acquaintance with the many rabbit-holes that surround the case. A truly skeptical mind is no easy friend of either official versions or conspiracy theories, unless these are nurturing to one's intellect. In the many years and many hours I've spent reading material or viewing things related to the case, I've never been able to find satisfactory answers to the questions that puzzled my mind.
I'm relieved to say that Mr. Tague's book has finally quenched some of these questions, while unavoidably, some others will remain.
I'll itemize the personal reasons and criteria of why I picked this particular book from among thousands of others, and why I believe it will benefit those who seek answers on some of the murky questions surrounding the JFK case:
1. The unique circumstances that brought about the writing of this book coupled with the unique circumstances that attached its author to the case: In contrast to other independent researchers (regardless of their zeal to find out "a" truth), Jim Tague was not only a participant in that tragic event in Dallas, but fate would decree that he would be slightly wounded by a stray bullet that missed Kennedy, an incident that eventually forced the Warren Commission to re-assess their BALLISTIC conclusions when they had pretty much wrapped up the report on July 1964. His presence on Dealey Plaza changed history.
This book is the final act of his life (he died on February 2014 and the book was published on October 2013), and he felt compelled to write it after a long bout with renal failure, when his kidneys suddenly got better and he got off dialysis. He felt that he had been given a last chance to "tell-it-all" and set the record straight as far as he was concerned. Such a genesis on a book about this particular subject struck me as the sincere act of an honest man who had refrained from the limelight and just wanted to tell his truth, and not as the impulse of a profit or publicity/controversy seeker.
2. James Tague's involvement in the events gave him very rare and unique access to other participants, researchers, historians, journalists and insiders of the JFK case through the years; a veritable who's who, and through these acquaintainces, andf through his non chalance, James Tague was privy to many off and on the record thoughts, revelations and documents (noted JFK researcher Harold Weisberg used to cull and send him copies of interesting declassified FBI documents he gained through the years via FOIA and litigation). After 50 years, James Tague had much to share.
3. The sometimes derisive description of the book as a "small time" labor of love rather than a scholarly work by certain reviewers really influenced my decision to pick it up. The book came out quietly, without trumpeting its credentials, or a media driven marketing effort with a major publishing house behind it. The book was criticized for its typos, for the author's constant repetitions throughout the book (showing a passive editorial effort), low resolution and blown out black and white photography, as well as document scans arranged without graphic design acumen and at haphazard through the page. Perfect. Such are the hallmarks of a book which is not invested on marketing appeal, or shallow concerns to boost sales. This spartan approach unwittingly puts its emphasis on the CONTENT. This is a book published by someone who just wanted to speak his mind.
4. The book didn't hinge on one particular "theory" despite the title of the book, but spent most of its time delving into the inconsistencies of the Warren Commission's Report and the biographical first-hand knowledge of the author on this and other matters.
5. The full inclusion of the 1965 Soviet Intelligence Report on the Kennedy Killing, as well as the US assessment that follows it, is reason enough to buy this book since you will find it nowhere on the internet.
6. The post ARRB (Assassination Records Review Board appointed from 1992-1998) era, which brought about the massive declassification of material for researchers has spun a new era of further clarity on parts of the case that were muddy before 1992. Thus, any book on the subject in the new millenium is better equipped to gather and corroborate information, such as this one did.
There were many things James Tague said that I didn't agree with (such as his view on what caused JFK's throat wound, for example) but you can measure his honesty by how strongly he voices what he believes to be true, and how cautious he is whenever he has an opinion which he believes with less zeal. This is the dialectic that I was seeking in a book about JFK's murder, rather than pages upon pages of someone trying to pigeonhole everything through one lens only.
And while he was convinced that in the end, LBJ and Big Oil had been behind it, the majority of the book deals with all the Warren Commission missteps, the ballistics, the testimonies etc, and these are not presented as a buildup to support the thesis. The theory is presented apart, within its own context and with its own participants.
Lastly, I recommend this book especially to people that are either new, or have only a passive knowledge about the case. Seasoned researchers should be advised that this reads more like the personal biography and self-statements on the case as seen, learned, and believed by James Tague, who truly thought that writting this book was ultimately his mission in life and the reason why he was there and wounded that day in Dealey Plaza.
Well Jim, you fulfilled your mission, and now others like myself are gaining because of it. May you finally rest in peace.
March 6, 2018
Absolutely fascinating store of facts. The author presented clear and thoughtful evidence indicting LBJ in the assassination of JFK.
Minus 1 star for the amount of repetition throughout the book. You have to see many facts repeated until you finally get to LBJ's involvement.
Minus 1 star for the amount of repetition throughout the book. You have to see many facts repeated until you finally get to LBJ's involvement.
November 28, 2014
So...what does a car salesman know about the Kennedy assassination? I first met Mr Tague in 2003, for the 40th anniversary in Dallas. It was a pleasure meeting him once again, ten years later for the 50th anniversary. I bought his book, which he signed for me with a shakey seventy seven year old hand.
I would guess it depends on which direction the reader is coming from, as to how many revelations are uncovered in Jim's 2013 publication. For those new to the 1963 coup d'état, 'LBJ and the Kennedy Killing' may well be a five star read, ignoring the many textual repeats and typos.
Having studied the 1976 work of J. Gary Shaw's 'Cover Up', 2003's 'Blood,Money & Power:How LBJ Killed JFK' from Barr McClennan, as well as Phillip F. Nelson's 'LBJ The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination' and Krusch's 'Impossible:The Case Against Lee Harvey Oswald' Vols I,II and III.,much of the information in this book I have come across before. Although I have not read Madeleine Brown's 'Texas in the Morning', again, the anecdotes regarding the Clint Murchison meeting are also well covered in previous works.
What was new here were the purported Soviet Intelligence Documents. I would require much more proof of authenticity before being persuaded to swallow this large red fish.
I have recently attended a lecture from author/researcher Joan Mellen. Her subject was on the nature of evidence in the Kennedy assassination. She questions the reliability of Brown's Clint Murchison story, and categorises these statements as hearsay evidence. She also stated that a further test of the fingerprint from the TSBD 6th floor box, purported to be that of Mac Wallace was compared with Navy and FBI prints, and found not to be a match. She also questioned the bona fides of fingerprint 'expert' Nathan Darby.
No smoke without fire though. It wouldn't knock me over backwards if there was a great deal of truth in all this. However, there has never been a proof positive link between these Texan tales, and the Secret Servive, JCS and CIA manoeuvres post Dealey Plaza. I'll stick with Jim Tague's 2003 book title, truth withheld, why we will never learn the truth about the JFK assassination.
I would guess it depends on which direction the reader is coming from, as to how many revelations are uncovered in Jim's 2013 publication. For those new to the 1963 coup d'état, 'LBJ and the Kennedy Killing' may well be a five star read, ignoring the many textual repeats and typos.
Having studied the 1976 work of J. Gary Shaw's 'Cover Up', 2003's 'Blood,Money & Power:How LBJ Killed JFK' from Barr McClennan, as well as Phillip F. Nelson's 'LBJ The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination' and Krusch's 'Impossible:The Case Against Lee Harvey Oswald' Vols I,II and III.,much of the information in this book I have come across before. Although I have not read Madeleine Brown's 'Texas in the Morning', again, the anecdotes regarding the Clint Murchison meeting are also well covered in previous works.
What was new here were the purported Soviet Intelligence Documents. I would require much more proof of authenticity before being persuaded to swallow this large red fish.
I have recently attended a lecture from author/researcher Joan Mellen. Her subject was on the nature of evidence in the Kennedy assassination. She questions the reliability of Brown's Clint Murchison story, and categorises these statements as hearsay evidence. She also stated that a further test of the fingerprint from the TSBD 6th floor box, purported to be that of Mac Wallace was compared with Navy and FBI prints, and found not to be a match. She also questioned the bona fides of fingerprint 'expert' Nathan Darby.
No smoke without fire though. It wouldn't knock me over backwards if there was a great deal of truth in all this. However, there has never been a proof positive link between these Texan tales, and the Secret Servive, JCS and CIA manoeuvres post Dealey Plaza. I'll stick with Jim Tague's 2003 book title, truth withheld, why we will never learn the truth about the JFK assassination.
October 25, 2013
Excellent book as far as content goes, and I think the author had his heart in the right place. He certainly has a very important story to tell. But the Kindle version I read has to be the worst editing job I have seen in any book ever! The structure within and across chapters is an unholy mishmash, the grammar, punctuation, syntax, spelling etc. is all over the map, and whole clumps of narrative are inexplicably repeated. Whoever edited this book - it was published by TrineDay who are reasonably reputable folks - needs to consider an alternative career, as they have presented us with a publication that could be used in editing school for how not to edit a book. James Tague admits he's not a writer, but that should not have precluded the publisher assigning him a professional writer to assist with the book. So bad is this book in this respect that if I was the publisher, I'd withdraw it from circulation, go back to the drawing board, and start again. Although I assigned 4 stars for content, I can only give it a half star for the editing.
March 27, 2015
Very interesting book about the assassination of John Kennedy. The research that went into this along with the documents pictured give the reader a lot to think about. I enjoyed it...which is good for me since I usually don't read historical books.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews