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JFK And The Unspeakable: Why He Died And Why It Matters (2008)

by James W. Douglass(Favorite Author)

4.32 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1570757550 (ISBN13: 9781570757556)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Orbis Books

review 1: “What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children – not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women – not merely peace in our time but peace for all time.”-John F. Kennedy, American University Commencement Address, June 10, 1963, (1)
review 2: JFK and the Unspeakable is one of the best books I have ever read. It is difficult to summarize it in a review, and the conclusions it reaches are overwhelming in their ... moreimpact. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of books about the JFK assassination, and the many conspiracy theories. I have read several of them, and I thought I had a pretty good grasp of what happened and why, but this book encapsulates everything better than any other I've read. JFK was clearly not a saint, and to some extent I fully believe that any person that aspires to the highest office in the U.S. has sold their soul. However, JFK got his soul back. Mr. Douglass articulates very well, and extremely convincingly, how JFK "turned" toward a path of peace. This was a result of other incidents too, like certainly the Bay of Pigs, but also JFK's own life experiences and his growing belief in his gut instinct and the counsel of a few trusted others. Douglass alternates the story back and forth between JFK's dealings with his own chiefs of staff, security council, etc., and political maneuvers...to the assassination cover up, Oswald, CIA, Ruby et al. Douglass covers some ground already covered in some other texts, but also breaks new ground (at least to this reader) in terms of how he links facts and timelines together is such a way that it is very tough to argue with his conclusions. The facts are there, and although the Warren Commission apologists have claimed that nothing could be covered up this long...well many have come forward, even much later, at great risk to reveal what really happened. Documents have been revealed, and stories that have been shut up are now mostly out there. People have been killed to hide the truth, many of them under mysterious circumstances.A lot of the book talks about Vietnam, and JFK's decision to get the US involved. He greatly regretted it later. After basically handing Laos over to a puppet communist regime, the military/industrial complex in the US was not going to allow JFK to pull us out of Vietnam. It was simply not going to happen. LBJ was part of it, as was the CIA and ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge (Lodge comes off in the book as a particularly manipulative and awful human being). But the CIA is fingered more than anyone else as the ones that actually carried out the assassination and cover up, with the complicity of the FBI, Secret Service, local law enforcement in Dallas, LBJ, and Hoover. Kennedy knew he was in dire danger, and previous assassination plots were discussed, especially the one that was aborted in Chicago. Also, the way that Oswald was set up as the fall guy was completely fascinating and convincing. It is extremely credible that there was at least one other "double" going around identifying himself as Oswald, and I now believe it is very possible the man we know as Lee Harvey Oswald was very likely never even on the 6th floor of the School Book Depository building, and was never in the sniper's nest when Kennedy was killed. Much of the interrogation of Oswald in the hours and days following the assassination was destroyed and never made public. Kennedy is portrayed as a courageous man willing to die for his convictions. The book is very well researched and well written, and easy to read. It is ultimately a book of hope, that where truth is found, we find God. I believe this is why it is still so important to continue to uncover what happened on Nov 22, 1963, and to hold those responsible accountable. It is also worth noting how instrumental Khrushchev was in the process, and just how much he admired Kennedy. They were in similar positions. Also the role of Pont. Max. Johannes XXIII, especially Pacem in Terris. Both Kennedy and Khrushchev read it carefully and certainly they both tried in their own ways to make it happen. The power of darkness prevailed in that battle, but there is still hope.Every single American and every single immigrant that desires to be American, should read this book. less

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