Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy

by Mark North

Uses available evidence to argue that J. Edgar Hoover knew of the plot to kill the President yet did nothing to stop it, following Lyndon Johnson and other top officials who helped provide the opportunity and impetus for the conspiracy. Reprint.

Genres: History, Biography, American, Nonfiction, Politics

310 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

Reviews

[Jay Atwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stated purpose of this book is to prove then-FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover guilty of conspiracy & treason in regards to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. While thoroughly researched and put together in a compelling manner, it fails on both counts.

Conspiracy: No hard evidence is ever produced in this book that definitively proves Hoover conspired with anyone to assassinate the president before November 22, 1963 or to cover it up after the fact. Several instances of phone calls/meetings/etc. between Hoover and those suspected of complicity in the assassination are shown but without transcripts of or witnesses to those conversations, the author repeatedly leans on words and phrases like: "apparently," "undoubtedly," "surely," "almost certainly," "must have," "obviously," "very possibly," "essentially," "presumably," etc.

Treason: The author does give ample evidence that Hoover was guilty of perjury before Congress and obstructed justice both before and after the assassination. The author also supplies a legitimate motive that could make these crimes treason (so JFK wouldn't enforce the mandatory retirement Hoover was facing upon reaching age 70.) However, with the aforementioned lack of proof of conspiracy & the lack of any other hard evidence (correspondence/phone transcripts/etc.) proving why Hoover took the actions he did, intent cannot be proven. Without proof of intent there is no treason. At best, Hoover's felonies (and that's what perjury and obstruction of justice are) can only be called treasonous, not treason.

All that said: I beleive every accusation the author of this book makes to be true: (1) I beleive there was a conspiracy to assassinate JFK. (2) I beleive those responsible for it were primarily organized crime figures using rogue elements of the CIA & FBI to execute it. (3) I believe Lee Harvey Oswald was just what he said he was: a patsy. (4) I believe J. Edgar Hoover & the FBI executed a massive national cover-up of the true events. And (5) I believe certain members of the Warren Commission, acting in what they then believed to be the best interests of the United States, allowed the lone left-wing nut shooter theory to become official truth, while ignoring ample evidence otherwise.

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up at the Amarynth Bookstore in Evanston during a break from work and read it soon after purchase.

The Kennedy assassination was a major event of my childhood and questions about it started becoming apparent to me thanks to the radio talkshow I listened to a few years later during the sophomore year of high school. I believe it was Mark Lane that I heard interviewed, but soon others followed.

Since then I've maintained some interest in the possibility that the Warren Commission Report was a whitewash, an interest heightened when my friend Michael Miley started doing research on the matter in order to write an article about it around the time of the release of Oliver Stone's JFK film. Since then I've read quite a few books on the matter.

This book seems to demonstrate that Hoover and his FBI failed to prevent the crime, failed to responsibly investigate it and participated in the concoction of the substsantially falacious Warren report. That Hooever was active in planning or executing the planned assassination is not proved, but his motives for doing so are amply demonstrated.

[Davy Bennet Surf]

Pg 33 Prologue and Chapter 1.

Very fast moving Intro and Chapter 1.

Total B.S. statement on Pg 17 stating that the CIA and military-industrial complex had no role in the biggest Assassination since Abe Lincoln 98 years prior, in 1865.

A mountain of negative info on J Ed in Chapter 1.
FBI was run by this dictator, and he could fire people for no cause, or stifle their careers by transfer to places like New Orleans. Hoover was 5'11 and 190, bigger than i thought.

North is frank about Hoover and Tolson in his Chapter 1 snapshot of the Bureau in 1960, the year JFK was inaugurated. Kennedy was the only President to deny Hoover direct access, and he was almost certainly going to replace him at the mandatory retirement age, on his 67th birthday, New Years 1964.. Unexpectedly, wink wink, Hoover was allowed to stay on board per LBJs wishes in 1964. All the Bobby Baker scandals were swirling around LBJ and J Ed helped him some with that.

UPDATE:

North accuses Hoover of Treason because he witheld information from the Secret Service and the Kennedys, etc., on wiretap info the FBI had obtained about Mob threats on the lives of both Kennedy brothers. The reason being Hoover was desperate to stay in power, and he had a lot of underhanded dealings with his friend and neighbor LBJ.

September 12, 2025
I had to sit this cup o gin down at page 238.
Book is getting real tedious, with the events shown for nearly every day of Camelots rule.
There are a lot of daily updates on the Billy Sol Estes and Bobby Baker scandals, which is interesting to a point. I overdosed on Carlos Marcello updates.

I read North's Dallas Pearl Street Mafia book too, and I still think he overemphasizes the role of the Mob. I could be wrong, so I do want to give him a good listening to. I must attend to some Thomas Wolfe, and A Texan Looks at Lyndon (1964) though.
In short, this got to be some bubonic chronic. (Gourds classic).

Kash Patel = J Edgar Hoover × Infinity.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A most interesting read. Over five hundred pages of well researched data. I can understand now why Walt Brown makes so many references to this work in his 'Master Chronology of the JFK Assassination.'
Mark North's 'Act of Treason' was first published back in 1991 and provides a fascinating chronology through 1960 to 1964. The sub-title of this book asserts this author's theme :-'The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy.' Not that we should be looking for this extreme right wing, pug nosed, cross dressing little runt hanging out of a window in the Texas School Book Depository. I think to any reader on this subject it should be blatantly obvious that Hoover and LBJ were primarily involved in the prevention of any truth emanating from the events in Texas. North propounds that through electronic surveillance of Mafia operatives in 1962, Hoover became aware of assassination plots against the chief executive being arranged by New Orleans 'don' Carlos Marcello. (John H. Davis 'Mafia Kingfish') These plans were never forwarded to the Attorney General or the Secret Service. Also never disclosed was Oswald's role as FBI informant.
A highly recommended and thought provoking read accompanied by a wealth of documentation.
I do not agree fully with Josiah Thompson's 'Six Seconds in Dallas' treatment of ballistics/wounds, which are adopted in this book, but to be fair, that side of things is not the remit of 'Act of Treason.' Yet never explained in North's thesis is any role of CIA and their involvement in the Oswald 'legend' or Mexico City, or the instant involvement of military controlled actions at Bethesda.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is more a detailed timeline with specific research from the author than anything else. It was a bit too conspiratorial for my taste, although I agree that J. Edgar Hoover was not a pleasant man and had many operations going on which were not in the best interests of the FBI or the United States of America.

[Lisa Hardy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasted money

Don't bother with this one . Mafia couldn't fake the autopsy findings, etc.
Mafia wasn't the mastermind of the assassination.

[M.E. Syler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a lot of ground about Hoover’s activities and clearly shows the tension between Hoover and JFK, and especially the conflicts with AG Bobby Kennedy. The premise is Hoover had uncovered the plot to kill the President but said and did nothing to prevent it, seems plausible.

[Brian Benoit · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Details

[Davy Bennet Surf]

This book gives a mafia slant to who done it regarding the JFK Aassasination. I read his Pearl Street Mafia book too, same thing.

Despite the fact I see other players playing a bigger role, I am still glad to get detailed dirt on J Edgar and Billy Sol Estes and most of the LBJ circle of corruption.

You get a day to day summary of what was happening 1961-1963. It gets repetitive, and seems sort of robotic at times, but the nuggets of truth/ info keeps you going.

[GREGORY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoroughly research booked and so easy to dislike JEH even before the end of the book. Funny thing to me were the thank you letters and birthday wishes between JEH and LBJ.....can you say old white guys' "bromance". It's so odd that JEH was willing to do all this just because he didn't want to retire. Good book.

[Angela Swackhammer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative, but was not a fan of how it was laid out in the book.