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On the Trail of the JFK Assassins: A Groundbreaking Look at America's Most Infamous Conspiracy
Using newly declassified information, Dick Russell builds on three decades of painstaking research in On the Trail of the JFK Assassins, offering one of the most comprehensive and authoritative examinations of the assassination of our thirty-fifth president. Included are new revelations, such as the theory that Lee Harvey Oswald was subjected to “mind control,” Russell’s personal encounters inside the KGB headquarters, and new information gleaned from an interview with Oswald’s widow. Russell here comes closer than ever to answering the ultimate Who killed JFK?
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 11, 2009
This is a superb book -- better than I ever could have imagined. The author is a journalist, not a crank or a crackpot or theorist -- and traffics in facts. He's as aware as anyone of some of the loons who populate this space. I would call particular attention to chapters 37-39. These chapters bring out clearly -- with frightening clarity and detail -- not only that everywhere you see Oswald you see the fingerprints of the CIA -- but, in fact, everywhere you look - from Clinton to Youth House to 179th St - you see the fingerprints of MKULTRA.... See my review of Jane Mayer's The Dark Side.
[A really excellent little book that includes a collection of articles written by the Matt Taibbi of the 1970's assassination circuit for the Village Voice and other assorted rags + some brief updates.
Russell is smart, has a good eye for detail, as he describes an assortment of the many assassination kooks he's run into over the years -- men like Popkin the Professor --.
There's a great little story about drinking a beer with Lawrence Howard, who many have picked (with Loran Hall) as one of the trigger men in Dallas, sitting in Howard's living room in a suburban cul-de-sac, while Howard cradled a .45 in the cushion of his chair, while his wife and daughter wandered about the house, dusting, like any lower middle-class American family... Howard seems really clueless, and charming.... and utterly believable in his denials.... Russell even finds the "second Oswald", a guy named Masen, who turns out to be a gunsmith, still living in Dallas, now 30 pounds overweight, polishing rifles for a living in the back room of a suburban hardware store. :]
[A really excellent little book that includes a collection of articles written by the Matt Taibbi of the 1970's assassination circuit for the Village Voice and other assorted rags + some brief updates.
Russell is smart, has a good eye for detail, as he describes an assortment of the many assassination kooks he's run into over the years -- men like Popkin the Professor --.
There's a great little story about drinking a beer with Lawrence Howard, who many have picked (with Loran Hall) as one of the trigger men in Dallas, sitting in Howard's living room in a suburban cul-de-sac, while Howard cradled a .45 in the cushion of his chair, while his wife and daughter wandered about the house, dusting, like any lower middle-class American family... Howard seems really clueless, and charming.... and utterly believable in his denials.... Russell even finds the "second Oswald", a guy named Masen, who turns out to be a gunsmith, still living in Dallas, now 30 pounds overweight, polishing rifles for a living in the back room of a suburban hardware store. :]
October 7, 2024
Excellent read. Very well written. Some very salient points to ponder upon. Long read though. Apparently this is the first book and the author was working on a follow up. Good grief!
October 27, 2015
This book is both fascinating and scary. Russell does a fabulous job interviewing everyone he can get his hands on who had any knowledge of Oswald or the assassination itself. Many of the people he interviewed feared for their own safety- some even thirty years after the event. Anyone who believes the Warren Commission's report at face value is either ignorant, blindly patriotic or simply doesn't care. Once you start asking questions, events stated as fact begin to crumble. Oswald was not a good soldier, or a good shot for that matter, and had a horrible gun which proves almost impossible to create the amount of accurate shots within the time allotted to make them (approximately 7 seconds). There were other people involved, as proven by the massive amount of stories and accounts gathered by Russell. Even if only half the people he interviewed were telling the truth, that is still a huge cause for concern. Many of the people Russell interviewed died suddenly- apparent suicide or otherwise, which should also raise some eyebrows. Russell dives into the Manchurian candidate theory as well, talking about LSD trials and hypnosis- some of which was undoubtedly used on Oswald and many others.
The last chapter was by far the best- talking about the contradictions in Kennedy's autopsy, the cover ups of the pathologists, and the inconsistencies that were both documented and from eyewitnesses. Anyone can look at the actual facts posited and smell something fishy was going on. Even the Zapruder film, doctored or not, shows clearly that the fatal shot was from the front- why else would Jackie O jump behind her husband and appear to gather pieces of his head from the back of the car? (grotesque, I know, but you see my point).
Even 50 years after the event people aren't talking and the truth isn't out. Sadly, this may mean that it never will be. Those still alive will take the truths to their graves. Whether this was an inside job and Oswald was the patsy, or it was a foreign plot that the CIA simply let happen, we'll never know. Russell did an amazing job gathering the information.
There were a few things I disliked about the book. Russell at some points was very wordy, and lost my attention to the point I had to go back and reread passages to really internalize it. He interviewed those thought to be involved in the plot or the cover up, but he didn't interview witnesses in Dealey plaza or elsewhere (perhaps he did so or will do so in another book?) There was only one chapter on actual evidence (the last one about the autopsy). I would have liked to see more of that as well. It took me awhile to get through, but it was worth the read. Every American, especially those who were alive that day in November, 1963, should read this book or another like it and start asking questions, instead of believing whatever the government would have us believe about the assassination of JFK.
The last chapter was by far the best- talking about the contradictions in Kennedy's autopsy, the cover ups of the pathologists, and the inconsistencies that were both documented and from eyewitnesses. Anyone can look at the actual facts posited and smell something fishy was going on. Even the Zapruder film, doctored or not, shows clearly that the fatal shot was from the front- why else would Jackie O jump behind her husband and appear to gather pieces of his head from the back of the car? (grotesque, I know, but you see my point).
Even 50 years after the event people aren't talking and the truth isn't out. Sadly, this may mean that it never will be. Those still alive will take the truths to their graves. Whether this was an inside job and Oswald was the patsy, or it was a foreign plot that the CIA simply let happen, we'll never know. Russell did an amazing job gathering the information.
There were a few things I disliked about the book. Russell at some points was very wordy, and lost my attention to the point I had to go back and reread passages to really internalize it. He interviewed those thought to be involved in the plot or the cover up, but he didn't interview witnesses in Dealey plaza or elsewhere (perhaps he did so or will do so in another book?) There was only one chapter on actual evidence (the last one about the autopsy). I would have liked to see more of that as well. It took me awhile to get through, but it was worth the read. Every American, especially those who were alive that day in November, 1963, should read this book or another like it and start asking questions, instead of believing whatever the government would have us believe about the assassination of JFK.
December 23, 2011
Dick Russell is a bestselling author and jounalist, who has written articles on the JFK subject since the 1970's for popular U.S. publications such as 'Time' and 'The Village Voice' among others.
'On The Trail of the JFK Assassins', published 2008, follows sixteen years after his 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' the very interesting probe into Richard Case Nagell.
The book contains previously published articles, collected from the last thirty years, and further investigative work since. All in all, this is a very valuable addition to the research into the conspiracy controversies. I found the propositions concerning 'mind control' and L.H.O.'s alter self Alek Hidell through the MKULTRA programme more than plausible. Also the final chapter with the interview with Douglas P.Horne, former Chief Analyst for Military Records, A.R.R.B., although with some variance in the when and where's with the king of amateur sleuths, David Lifton's 'Best Evidence', does agree with Lifton's verdict, "Contained within our deposition transcripts and interview reports is unequivocal evidence that there was a U.S. government cover-up of the medical evidence in the Kennedy assassination."
Over forty chapters of thoroughly well researched and entertainingly written accounts, covering the CIA, KGB, Cuban Secret Service, organised crime links and interviews with Marina Oswald Porter.
'On The Trail of the JFK Assassins', published 2008, follows sixteen years after his 'The Man Who Knew Too Much' the very interesting probe into Richard Case Nagell.
The book contains previously published articles, collected from the last thirty years, and further investigative work since. All in all, this is a very valuable addition to the research into the conspiracy controversies. I found the propositions concerning 'mind control' and L.H.O.'s alter self Alek Hidell through the MKULTRA programme more than plausible. Also the final chapter with the interview with Douglas P.Horne, former Chief Analyst for Military Records, A.R.R.B., although with some variance in the when and where's with the king of amateur sleuths, David Lifton's 'Best Evidence', does agree with Lifton's verdict, "Contained within our deposition transcripts and interview reports is unequivocal evidence that there was a U.S. government cover-up of the medical evidence in the Kennedy assassination."
Over forty chapters of thoroughly well researched and entertainingly written accounts, covering the CIA, KGB, Cuban Secret Service, organised crime links and interviews with Marina Oswald Porter.
January 31, 2016
This book is an interesting compilation of interviews, articles, and author commentary. You are led on Dick Russell's personal journey of inquiry into the JFK assassination. The author presents information and poses some questions for the reader to consider without drawing many conclusions himself.
August 9, 2022
Seemingly less a JFK trail walk than a JFK rapids ride.
I was expecting a story that looks at events and pieces them together in chronological order to show a theory of what went down.
Instead it feels like a JFK investigators pin board has been converted to paper. A memo here, a source there, a browning newspaper clipping that's fluttered to the floor, it all ends up a mess.
Is this 'murder she wrote - a day in Dallas'? Am I expected to take this info and inferences to solve it myself?
Less a case of 'its a conspiracy because of this evidence' than 'its a conspiracy because x didn't disclose this'. Towards the end he says that all his thoughts and data were detailed in 'the man who knew too much'.. so I should have read that instead? put that in the intro perhaps?
But finally at the end we get to some interesting content! (im guessing the ground breaking bit?). A look at the chain of evidence for the presidents body and possible alterations to both autopsy photos and records. This detailed look is very interesting and well evidenced.. the video tampering not so much, but ill roll with it. Finally we are getting some meat on these bones, some thought inducing ideas.. but nope, book just ends with an online book sales pitch.
I don't think this case will ever be solved, but I think other books come closer. Time has tainted memories and stories have grown. If a person was murdered, I bet I could find at least one person that knew the cat and thought the cat did it. That doesn't make it so.
With any event in life there are 100 links. In this incident every link ups their story to be a bigger part of it, and some of the people interviewed have the feeling they fall into this category.
I was expecting a story that looks at events and pieces them together in chronological order to show a theory of what went down.
Instead it feels like a JFK investigators pin board has been converted to paper. A memo here, a source there, a browning newspaper clipping that's fluttered to the floor, it all ends up a mess.
Is this 'murder she wrote - a day in Dallas'? Am I expected to take this info and inferences to solve it myself?
Less a case of 'its a conspiracy because of this evidence' than 'its a conspiracy because x didn't disclose this'. Towards the end he says that all his thoughts and data were detailed in 'the man who knew too much'.. so I should have read that instead? put that in the intro perhaps?
But finally at the end we get to some interesting content! (im guessing the ground breaking bit?). A look at the chain of evidence for the presidents body and possible alterations to both autopsy photos and records. This detailed look is very interesting and well evidenced.. the video tampering not so much, but ill roll with it. Finally we are getting some meat on these bones, some thought inducing ideas.. but nope, book just ends with an online book sales pitch.
I don't think this case will ever be solved, but I think other books come closer. Time has tainted memories and stories have grown. If a person was murdered, I bet I could find at least one person that knew the cat and thought the cat did it. That doesn't make it so.
With any event in life there are 100 links. In this incident every link ups their story to be a bigger part of it, and some of the people interviewed have the feeling they fall into this category.
June 1, 2017
This book was....okay. There was no clear narrative - on the kindle edition is was difficult to tell what was narrative, new information, or old news articles from places like "high times" (???) I finished without any idea of where the author was going. There was some interesting information along the way, but I got no clear picture of the author's vision. Also, he used language like gobsmacked and whodunit - I couldn't take him seriously.
July 1, 2019
Dick Russell's book is the result of 30 years investigation, and features a diverse selection of material collected along the way. Included are many interviews with key Assassination investigators, witnesses, Government agents and insiders. Most of the material is fascinating, exploring the many mysteries of this most complicated of crimes.
A worthy addition to any reader's library of Assassination literature.
A worthy addition to any reader's library of Assassination literature.
May 6, 2020
This is one of my favorite book subjects. This book is mostly a collection of the author’s previous works with added updates from recent research and document releases. Unfortunately time is running out to get answers to the many questions that remain. This last chapter introduces a new work that should be available by now.
October 10, 2024
This is a collection of dated essays from various popular publications from 1975 through 1996 written by the author of 'The Man Who Knew Too Much". Also included are introductory background essays and supplementary material. There is no overall thesis presented, just a lot of detail, all of it radically challenging the official Warren Commission report.
December 5, 2018
It was just what it said a ground breaking look at the JFK assassination. A must read for JFK assassination buffs.
January 22, 2015
Dick Russell takes the reader on an eye-opening trip through the dark corridors of the assassination of President Kennedy. Russell is a preeminent journalist who has been writing about that dark November day in 1963 for over three decades and challenging the Warren Commission fairy tale with insightful reporting in publications like New Times, the Village Voice and Harper's Weekly among others. Many of those groundbreaking articles are collected here.
Russell details his many intriguing and disturbing encounters with individuals with special knowledge of the actual facts of the assassination. The possibility of mind control techniques created in the CIA MKULTRA program being used on Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby are explored, as well as the complicity of the Establishment Media in the government coverup that continues to this day. Russell writes boldly of the sham of the Warren Report, the CIA/FBI covert obstruction of the Jim Garrison prosecution of Clay Shaw, the deficiencies of the 1975 US Senate investigation of CIA activities relative to the JFK murder, and the heinous duplicity of the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1979. A final chapter is a lengthy interview with Douglas Horne, Former Chief Analyst for Military records for the Assassination Records Review Board. Horne's laser focus on the medical evidence reveals shocking evidence of a carefully constructed falsification of the JFK autopsy materials to support the "official story" by obscuring wounds and fabricating bogus x-rays.
If you are in search of the truth of the events of November 22, 1963, "On the Trail of the JFK Assassins" is a must read.
Russell details his many intriguing and disturbing encounters with individuals with special knowledge of the actual facts of the assassination. The possibility of mind control techniques created in the CIA MKULTRA program being used on Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby are explored, as well as the complicity of the Establishment Media in the government coverup that continues to this day. Russell writes boldly of the sham of the Warren Report, the CIA/FBI covert obstruction of the Jim Garrison prosecution of Clay Shaw, the deficiencies of the 1975 US Senate investigation of CIA activities relative to the JFK murder, and the heinous duplicity of the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1979. A final chapter is a lengthy interview with Douglas Horne, Former Chief Analyst for Military records for the Assassination Records Review Board. Horne's laser focus on the medical evidence reveals shocking evidence of a carefully constructed falsification of the JFK autopsy materials to support the "official story" by obscuring wounds and fabricating bogus x-rays.
If you are in search of the truth of the events of November 22, 1963, "On the Trail of the JFK Assassins" is a must read.
January 29, 2017
I just finished this book a couple of days ago. Over the last 40+ years, I've read many books on the JFK assassination and even written my own manuscript on my thoughts regarding the JFK assassination. Maybe it's because I've been reading on the subject for so long that I've become a bit jaded on the subject. Actually tired might be a better word. It's quite possible I've just read so much I feel as though there's really no new ground to break.
I do not say this to disparage the book or the author. The author has spent many years doing meticulous research and many interviews on the subject. The book is a collection of newspaper articles written over the years by the author on the JFK assassination. Some chapters/articles I enjoyed more than others. My biggest gripe/disappointment with the book is that while it contains a lot of great research and information on the subject, no coherent theory is presented to explain any of the key questions of the assassination -- such as who did it or why? There are many other books I would recommend reading before this one if you wish to dig into the JFK assassination. After this, it's unlikely I'll be doing any reading on the subject again any time soon. Maybe I'm done. There are so many books to read and my life grows shorter by the day.
I do not say this to disparage the book or the author. The author has spent many years doing meticulous research and many interviews on the subject. The book is a collection of newspaper articles written over the years by the author on the JFK assassination. Some chapters/articles I enjoyed more than others. My biggest gripe/disappointment with the book is that while it contains a lot of great research and information on the subject, no coherent theory is presented to explain any of the key questions of the assassination -- such as who did it or why? There are many other books I would recommend reading before this one if you wish to dig into the JFK assassination. After this, it's unlikely I'll be doing any reading on the subject again any time soon. Maybe I'm done. There are so many books to read and my life grows shorter by the day.
September 10, 2011
Must read for Assassin Conspiracy folks! New info and questions that indicate that most Americans doubt the single shooter theory!!! Enjoyable for sure!
September 7, 2013
There are so many twists, turns, and shadows. This book raised many possibilities. We will never know the truth or true reasons behind the JFK assassination.
December 23, 2014
It could just be my simple mind but it seemed the book went back and forth between various complex theories. I never got a grasp of the authors true intention.
December 13, 2014
very informative. puts forth evidence in a unique way.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews