The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman versus Conspiracy

by Michael L. Kurtz

Who killed JFK? Ever since that Dallas day, theories about the murder have proliferated, running the gamut from the official "lone gunman" verdict to both serious & screwy conspiracy theories. Kurtz, an historian who has plumbed this case's crevices for over 30 years, sums up & critiques four decades of debate, offering provocative new perspectives. He presents an accounting of what's actually known & not known about the assassination, underlining both the logic & the limitations of major theories about the case. He then offers unique interpretations of the physical & forensic evidence & of existing areas of controversy, leading to conclusions readers will find hard to dismiss. He shows how the official investigation's egregious mishandling of the crime-scene evidence-related to virtually every aspect of the case-is largely responsible for the lone gunman/conspiracy schism. Those responsible for that investigation (FBI, Dallas police, Warren Commission) failed so miserably in their efforts that they would have been laughed off the air if they had been portrayed on any CSI series. One of the few experts writing on the subject who actually met Oswald, he also provides new information about the accused assassin's activities around the time of the assassination & about his double life, analyzing Oswald's ties to the intelligence community, to organized crime & to both anti- & pro-Castro Cuban activists. Mustering documentation-including exclusive interviews with key figures & materials declassified by the Assassination Records Review Board-he both confirms & alters much previous speculation about Oswald & other aspects of the case. Who really killed JFK? Most Americans feel they don't know the truth, that government isn't telling the whole story. Kurtz offers a corrective to the most recent "final verdicts", establishing a sound baseline for future research.
Preface
Acknowledgments
The assassination & its aftermath
Conflict: the evidence
Conflict: the case for the lone assassin
Conflict: the case for conspiracy
Consensus: the facts
Lee Harvey Oswald
The intelligence connection
The organized crime connection
Conclusion
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics, True Crime, Crime

296 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[FunkyPlaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

While my section of books on the murder of JFK could easily mark me as a conspiracy theorist - a term which Kurtz defends strongly with the delineation of every political murder of the past two centuries as being products of some sort of "conspiracy" - I primarily use the wide breadth of tomes as a method of trying to soberly assess the many ideas out there of just what happened on that world-shattering day in November 1963.

Kurtz has been my favorite of these authors, speaking on a subject to which he's been close since the 60s from an academic view. He's not afraid to change his opinion as new evidence is discovered - and it's being discovered every day. (Why didn't we hear more about Bill Clinton's Assassination Records Review Board in 1992?) Kurtz' writing is sober, concise, and decidedly non-partisan, though he certainly displays his personal opinion carefully throughout. This particular book marks one of those "reset" moments when what we know about the assassination is reassessed and analyzed. The results, as expected, are indisputable, though they will continue to be disputed.

In using the term "indisputable", I'm aware that prominent authors (Bugliosi, Posner) will continue to support the lone-gunman theory, without regard to the physics of possibility, and that the mainstream of the public will continue to turn a blind eye to the likelihood of such a thing, as these disruptions become incompatible with the comfort level of the American lifestyle. Also without further regard to these things, both the FBI investigation immediately after the assassination and the AARB have concluded without question that there was some collusion and a subsequent government cover-up directly impacting public knowledge of the operation. Kurtz explains how and in what manner, though does not conclude who actually pulled the trigger.

Rather, the thesis of the books is the debate itself. Kurtz devotes chapters to evidence supporting both the lone-gunman and conspiracy theories, the life of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the intelligence and mafia connections. He lays out all the ideas and then walks away from it, adding in postulations that he would not have done just a few years ago. My biggest surprise comes only in the last chapter - something that I never before considered to be a possibility, and one which Kurtz actually leans toward in a bizarre use of tone - that of the unshakable possibility that Fidel Castro employed the Havana and Florida mafia to carry out the assassination in retribution for literally dozens of CIA-funded murder attempts on the Cuban dictator's life. While I'd heard the theory before, Kurtz never acceded or explored it to this extent. And after weighing the evidence presented within, even my own opinion is changing. It's what is possible and probable, considering all of the different likelihoods and layers of misinformation. There are not and will never be any definites until a confession or confessions are made, however.

In all, The JFK Assassination Debates fulfills its role as the new standard in being both a primer and a detailed analysis of our current knowledge of the subject, and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in one day revealing what actually happened to one of our most beloved - though by no means sinless – presidents. What is abundantly clear is that it wasn't one man, and it sure as hell wasn't Oswald. But you'll have to make your own assessment of the evidence...

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well diverse book. Mr. Kurtz tries to straddle the fence post on the lone gunman vs multi-shooter conspiracy and almost pulls it off. It is appreciated that he tries to lay out evidence and explain the characters, especially the medical personel initially involved with the Presidents body, and how in one way a conspiracy was ever raised. This book lays out some of the initial red flags are major discrepencies. The big one was the above mentioned medical personel. It is explained how Dallas doctors and medical staff pretty much all agreed that the President had a large gaping exit wound in the back of the head. When the body was rushed back to Bethesda Naval hospital for the "official" autopsy the layout of the wounds changed. Conspiracy set in motion. This is just one of the arguments that Kurtz brings in his book and the reason I gave it 3 stars.

Personally I have read three other books about the Assassination of JFK and came to a conclusion years ago concerning Kennedy's death. What I learned above and beyond with this book above the other books was a greater background of Oswald and a better chronology of his activities before the assassination, the discrepicies of the medical personel, the mafia contacts with numerous individuals who were forefront with Kennedy. Along with that I was given a brief snapshot of two of the best known conspiracy themes, Cuba and the Mafia. The other was just how many people saw so many different things at the same time and place. And how those discrepencies transpired from the official investigations and how many were ignored by the "experts".

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few questions that has endured more than "Who Shot JR?" is "Who Killed JFK?" I believe that in this volume, Michael Kurtz has responsibly handled the latter question with a mixture of academic objectivity and growing certainty in the conspiracy theory. This edition was written in 2006 and builds on the author's more than thirty years of study, researching, and interviewing that has left Kurtz increasingly leaning away from the LG stance.

The first seven chapters of the book seem to be a forced effort to look at all aspects of this tragic American historical episode from many different angles. Chapters 8 and 9 (the Conclusion) appeared to me to be written in a clearer and more certain style that seemed to be reflecting either more solid information or the author's increasing confidence in the material that he was presenting.

To give Kurtz credit, he admits his own limitations and is mostly realistic in his speculations and conclusions.

One thing that I learned from the material presented was how widespread the withholding of evidence has been over the years and how likely that is to continue, for a wide variety of reasons.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew almost nothing about the JFK assassination story at all, so decided to get what I considered a good overview. This one succeeded in giving the conceded facts, as well as an analysis of the points in dispute, as well as a chapter each focusing on Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby - so far, so good. However, the final chapters on the CIA and organized crime were so packed with names, most of which were completely new to the reader, that it felt almost like part of a whole other story. Kurtz has been following the story almost non-stop since the incident, and does a good job of de-bunking the "official" story, but can't seem to make up his mind about whether the murder itself was carried out by mobsters, the Cubans, or a combination of both? He lets the government off the actual hook, blasting them for covering up (deliberately sabotaging) all investigations from that day until now, to hide their own incompetence, keep the focus away from any possible not-so-swell dealings (with Cubans, etc.), and to protect the Camelot (martyr) image - Bobby remained atty general for another year.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite conspiracy topics. Enjoyed this book.

[Michael Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book presenting only the facts surrounding the assassination.