John F. Kennedy Assassination - How LBJ & Accomplices Killed JFK: 12 Key Books

I vividly remember when the school principal came into my 4^th grade classroom and had the teacher turn on the TV which declared, “The President’s been shot.” Do you remember November 22, 1963, and that long sad weekend?

I have been to Dealey Plaza in Dallas, watched the Oliver Stone documentary, and read some of the hundreds, if not thousands of books have been written about who killed John F. Kennedy.

Among all the books I've either read, or read reviews about, are volumes of excellent work done by individuals who have done their own investigation. Here follows my short list of the best investigative type books that I have found. I've listed them in a suggested order of study. Join me and a multitude of others in a courageous look at the truth that keeps being hidden.

There can be no "justice" in America so long as this coverup continues. Don't depend on the broadcasting networks for any historical truth. I echo others who have said "the powers that be" depend upon the ignorance of the American electorate.

Thoroughly and convincingly documented and well written. I would require as reading for all high school and college students, and anyone who is a registered voter!

Many excellent books prove that the assassination of JFK was the result of a conspiracy. Douglass verifies the certainty of the conspiracy and explains the historical facts surrounding JFK's murder; from the creation of the CIA to the gradual obliteration of the freedoms upon which this nation was founded.

The U.S. intelligence agencies and military were committed to winning the Cold War at any cost, and saw Kennedy as a direct threat to their power and influence to bring this about. Douglass' excellent work clarifies this power struggle, how when these dark "Unspeakable" forces recognized that Kennedy’s intentions were in direct opposition to their own, they marked him as a dangerous traitor, plotted his assassination, and orchestrated the subsequent cover-up.

I do differ on one premise. Rather than Kennedy during his presidency gradually turning away from his long-held Cold Warrior beliefs and toward a policy of lasting peace, I think he ran for President to, among other things, break new ground for peace around the world.

Thompson really wanted to find the truth, and this is an essential book to read about the JFK Assassination. He looks objectively at both sides and includes many irrefutable photos and documentary evidence, impressive charts and maps of where the witnesses were shown to be located, and what they saw, and what they told the commission, and why the commission didn't bother to interview key witnesses. Thompson tells the story, and in the footnotes criticizes all the problematic ideas that some pro-conspirators have.

I agree with a reviewer that "all post-war history orbits around Dealey Plaza". Serious JFK research intent on finding the truth revolves around Fonzi's ground-breaking findings. It seems that books about the assassination after "Last Investigation" try to veil the trail he uncovered. (Reason to avoid the 2008 edition and I recommend the 1993 or 1994 editions.)

Fonzi worked for the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) between 1976 and 1978, when the sound tape proved conclusively that more than one gun was involved. Like the Garrison investigation (which was sabotaged), Fonzi's too ultimately pointed toward a rogue faction within the CIA, but Fonzi went farther down that trail than anyone.

He had been constrained, however, by a non-disclosure agreement with CIA from the time they began to suppress the HSCA's activities. This was also coincident with the landmark censorship court case over Vincent Marchetti's "The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence". It was not until after the passage of the 1992 JFK Records Collection Act and its implementation by Bill Clinton that Fonzi was able to publish "Last Investigation".

This is the one book to take a serious unimpassioned look at the Warren Commission's Report and its inaccuracies, and to analyze its contradictions. It proves the Commission had a single purpose, and finding the truth was not one of them. No book was more carefully documented and It is also becoming harder and harder to find.

A lawyer considers Meagher's book one of the best forensic investigation reports he's ever read in 25 years of practicing civil rights litigation, and would "recommend this book to all citizens of the USA as what took place in Dealey Plaza that day was conspiratorial," before and afterwards, and thus was titled, "Accessories After the Fact". You might especially enjoy Meagher's analysis of the curious movements of Patrolman JD Tippit just before his death. Or, revisit the fundamental facts of the case that have become so muddled in intervening years.

Those with military background when visiting Dealey Plaza in Dallas recognize the feel of coming on the scene of a possible ambush site. This book was published also after the implementation of 1992 JFK Records Collection Act. It is written by a former military sniper, helps you understand what really happened that dark day in American history.

Roberts' instincts, honed also by 20 years as a police officer by the time of writing, led his investigation far beyond what he originally thought to be "just" an unsolved murder. This investigation leads beyond the Mafia, the CIA, the FBI, the US military, and all of the usual suspects right up to the small group of extraordinarily powerful men .

Drs. Crenshaw, Wecht, and Aguilar provide us groundbreaking new information on the medical aspects of President Kennedy's death. They present credible evidence and as a result are attacked by those with ulterior motives. Dr. Crenshaw was present when both JFK and Oswald were brought to Parkland Hospital; corroborated by others who were also present.

A Parkland hospital telephone operator has also supported the fact that Crenshaw did receive a phone call from LBJ and it was transferred to the room where Oswald lay. In this phone call, LBJ attempted to coerce Crenshaw into "hearing a deathbed confession" from Oswald that he killed JFK. This is an honest, first-hand account of the proceedings at Parkland, and worth a read by all who are interested in the truth of JFK's murder.

McClellan has had access to inside information as a member of the legal firm of Edward A. Clark that represented Lyndon B. Johnson's private as well as public needs. Access to individuals protecting the president as well as promoting his agenda has lead him to the conclusion that when you follow all the details, L.B.J. and his lust for power are what lead (at least in part) to the assassination of JFK.

Perhaps the most fascinating is McClellan's insight into the real L.B.J. and his associates. He fills gaps with what he calls 'faction' or journalistic novelization. Regardless, and though the evidence is not conclusive, it provides enough of a convincing argument and overall outline to show that it is totally consistent with the personalities, histories, Johnson's early political career and desires of the people involved. And there is the question of the remarkable fingerprint evidence left at the Texas School Book Depository.

Conspiracy, by Anthony Summers, a BBC journalist, was completed in 1980 shortly after the HSCA published its report on the Kennedy assassination. It is still referred to by prominent researchers, so it's worth picking up a used copy (at the link on the right), or checking it out of your local library. There is currently one used copy on Amazon.com for just less than $20.

It was startling when published, not for any extreme claims, but for its engaging marshaling of a huge body of exhaustively researched facts. Absolutely first-class journalism in a clear and compelling narrative, and the same book has appeared with similar titles.

Summers focuses on three main suspects, the Mafia, the anti-Castro community, and U.S. intelligence agencies. The French Connection section confirms some information I have read before. Each of these entities are linked by solid evidence. He spends considerable time on Oswald and Jack Ruby, both of whom had links to the three main suspect entities. He did provide some new material on them both that I had not seen.

Abraham Bolden was asked by JFK himself to serve on the White House Secret Service detail. He became appalled by the irresponsible approach to the president's security and when he voiced his concern he was mistreated and made a scapegoat by the federal authorities. Rather than focus on the question of conspiracy, he addresses the Secret Service's failure to stop JFK's murder, and its poor response to allegations of unpreparedness.

Bolden's strength is in his ability to recall events with singular detail. It is a great story of courage, tenacity, and family loyalty. It also reveals what lengths the U.S. government will go to in order to protect itself from embarrassment or criticism.

Published July 23, 2010

This new book includes not only a recounting of LBJ's developmental years, and the people-manipulation skills he learned, but explains a personality disorder that grew unchecked and hidden from the public behind a hidden quest for a life-long goal. Combined with his amoral choices and thirst for power, he became a person no one ever confronted on any issue for which he had made up his mind, including the Vietnam War.

The book explains how LBJ purposely undermined Kennedy’s domestic and foreign policy initiatives and his active masterminding of JFK’s assassination is conclusively shown. Included also is photographic evidence that he knew in advance when and where it would happen. LBJ began planning his takeover even before becoming the vice presidential nominee in 1960.

After I read all (except for #11) the books on this list, and more, I read this e-book and became astounded. All the pieces and theories on JFK's assassination were brought together into an even bigger picture of what was behind that fateful day. Sprague's book confirmed all the clear case evidence and then told me much more. It is like Meagher's book in that it is an unimpassioned carefully documented analysis of the facts, but it also presents more of them -- enough to complete the big picture of what happened.

What actually happened is what astounds. I think I was prepared to take it in having first become well acquainted with the facts, by reading these other books before this one. Therefore, I list Sprague's as last, even though it exposes the most of what was involved in JFK's murder. It takes courage to consider the powerful manipulations at play hidden from public view and see the truth. May we unite in courage for the truth.