Revealed in spite of efforts to conceal it by conspirators ...
931646
Americans owe a tremendous debt to author Barbara Learning (presumably no one intended a pun, but in these branded & marketing days, who can tell?. ) Revisionists and misogynists at all levels have managed to conceal Ms. Bouvier-Kennedy-Onassis' central, governing role in mapping out the US campaign against Communism everywhere, particularly in her valiant defense of  the anti-Communist democratic government in Saigon. She it was who urged and oversaw the fight for freedom in Vietnam. She was, sadly, defeated by gangs of hippies, professors, intellectuals & Communists, yes, Communists.

She was not just a ditzy Newport heiress, selected as a trophy wife to clean up the dirty Kennedy name inherited from Big Oil Booze-Runner Joseph Kennedy, famous for Anglophobia & Anti-Semitism. She is the true Matriarch of Americanism.
4503722
It was an absorbing story, but I felt manipulated by how the author held back information to keep the reader from getting the full picture of the pivotal event.
1869493
Of all the secret societies, the Bohemian Grove Club must surely be the easiest to dismiss as a myth and the hardest to understand.  The reason, Im sure, is that whenever it is introduced, the first thing one hears is that hundreds of the worlds wealthiest and most powerful men meet annually for two weeks in July in a redwood forest just north of San Francisco; where they worship a forty-foot tall statue of an owl, watch a faux human sacrifice called the cremation of care, participate in homosexual activities, and go around pissing on the redwood trees.  And that, as you may well imagine, is the end of the discussion.

But, as this books author makes clear, that is only part of the story.  It is true that there is a forty-foot tall statue of an owl there in the forest, but the attendees don't worship at its feet.  The owl represents enlightenment: and is a reminder to the club membership that they are the enlightened ones.  And there is a cremation of care ceremony.  But attendees aren't required to participate in the ceremony or even watch it.  Those members who attend may choose to be there for the full two weeks, a weekend, or just a few days.  And, when one thinks of who these elitist leaders are, its not hard to see why these men --- many of whom may feel that they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders --- would welcome an opportunity to have their worldly cares lifted, if only symbolically and if only for a few days; and to have it done in a guarded place where secrecy is absolute and boys can once-again be boys.

As for homosexual activity in the Bohemian Grove: there have been rumors and accusations down through the years, some well documented.  But, according to this books author, there is no evidence that this activity is wide spread.  Presumably, it is confined to that small segment of the Grove Club membership that seeks to partake in such activities.

But, what then is the Bohemian Grove and what is it about?  In essence, as Mr. Dice makes clear, the Bohemian Grove is an exclusive private club where the worlds most powerful and influential men can meet in secret to share ideas with their peers, each in his own specialized area of expertise --- be it government, politics, intelligence, economics, banking, business, or whatever.  To facilitate this, again according to this books author, the Bohemian Grove is subdivided into over 100 groups or camps, each with its own sleeping quarters, kitchen and bar, and each managed by a camp captain responsible for overseeing his camp.

This all sounds rather benign.  But aside from any therapeutic value the Bohemian Grove retreats may provide for its members, it is undeniable that the accords reached by these elite men in their ultra-secret encampments don't have, and haven't had, an incalculable impact on America and the direction the world is taking.

And, therein lies the rub.
4713942
A glance at the book shows its explantory power. The urge to make sweeping prouncements in an age of 24/7 cable and the omnipresent internet and "sound bites" for the blagosphere obscure the undeniable fact that presidential power is NOT always about ringing pronouncements made FOR DOMESTIC-AND PARTISAN effect that may come back to haunt you. Vietnam for JFK and LBJ illustrates that. I try to focus on what the Russian call "za kulisami"-behind the scenes. This may not be perfect transparency but it is sometimes neceassary-even imperative!
938648
I sincerely enjoyed this book, mainly because it was about something that isn't talked about a lot and that it remained secret for so many years.
75666
There's a little-known story about the Valerie Plame Wilson affair that has gone almost unmentioned in its aftermath.  I have seen this story mentioned once, during congressional testimony on the part of one of her co-workers.  The testimony never made it to the public outside of C-SPAN.

Here's how it works.  A former covert agent is outed.  Immediately, intelligence services in other countries go to work to identify all of the people they can who can be proven to have had contact with the outed agent, going back as far as possible and covering every possible contact, including everyone they can include.  The list, which will be huge, is now slowly and patiently shaken down, and people who were formerly "trusted" are now considered "dirty" until proven otherwise.  Twenty-year-old survillance photos are pulled from files and re-examined.  Field operatives are pulled in for questioning.  Possible double agents are identified, trapped and used to reveal more information.

Often when a single agent's cover is blown, even a non-active one, people die for years afterward and entire intelligence networks, networks that often cost many millions of dollars to create and involve years of work on the part of many dedicated people, are destroyed.  A blown cover is like a large rock hitting a pool of calm water; the ripples last for a very long time.

There is no doubt that the outing of Wilson's wife caused mayhem at the very least and at the worst, many deaths.  This fact goes unmentioned in news coverage, not out of conspiracy but out of ignorance.  Most people just don't know.

Whether you are politically on the right or on the left, if you believe in our Republic and wish to preserve it, you should read this book and gain some insight into the mechanisms of politics.  The GWB administration has been willing to go farther past traditional limits than any other in history to discredit its enemies and hit back hard, and truth is not (at all) a requirement.  It's a Karl Rove tactic, and it has worked well to win elections against not one but three decorated war veterans.

If you are at all interested in the future of the United States, you should read this frank and well-written book, and then look for these tactics in future elections and congressional battles.
259500
How much is true and how much remains hidden?
I knew some about this when it happened, but not nearly what the book covers. I also knew some who knew some more about this and they knew enough to keep quiet, so it gets four stars.
Regardless, it is a cold-war thriller, technical enough to keep gear-heads interested, well enough written that it is hard to put down. And while there are enough characters to fill a small-town phone book, they all manage to come to life. And in some cases, death.
Tell the attendant you'd prefer to leave the light on and keep on reading...
255195
Good story, and I enjoyed the layers used to cover up the true conspiracy but I was able to figure it out early on due to the heavy handed clues. That said it was still a fun ride to the end.
2756403
The Central Park five was extremely well researched and put together. It was fascinating to listen to the five tell their stories and to see how Burns put all the evidence together to reveal the truth in the end. the disappointing part was that those involved in the cover-up would never admit their roles, even when the evidence made it so clear. It's frustrating to think that this goes on all the time - and the conspirators get away with it!
1723306
PRIOR to Daniel Ellsberg's release of the Pentagon Papers and the revelation that our government was lying to the American people about the Vietnam War, there was the 1971 break-in of an FBI field office in Media, PA and release of information that the FBI was spending their resources to investigate citizens attempting to exercise their constitutional civil rights.

Many are now aware of the COINTELPRO papers, but did not know how we (the public) learned of that program of spying on American citizens who supported civil rights for African Americans. After the Media, PA burglary of an FBI office, we learned that our government was spying on its citizens who supported civil rights or opposed the Vietnam war. Betty Medsger tells the story well. It's suspenseful even though you know the outcome.

And now, they're doing surveillance on your average white band of American citizens, too! There's some kind of justice in that.
979647
The author skillfully hid the perpetrator in full sight. He left many blind alleys but when the miscreant was finally revealed, well, you suspected him all along. .Of course you did.
If only it was not in retrospect.
Darn.
1129707
As the wise old adage goes, "You can never trust the quiet ones" -- and never has this advice apparently been more true than with America's ruling Bush family.

With a diligence that rivals archaeology, Russ Baker has applied here painstaking, meticulous digging and sifting to uncover facts that seem to have been long languishing in forgotten file cabinets, gathering dust but screaming out to be discovered.  In Family of Secrets, Baker uncovers evidence that George HW Bush not only had direct and personal ties to JFK "lone gunman" Lee Harvey Oswald, but was also physically in Dallas at least as recently as the night before the JFK assassination.

In addition to this, Baker cuts the decades-old police tape on the crime scene that was Richard Nixon's Watergate and finds Bush-CIA footprints all over it.  The Watergate break-in team was actually the same team that led the Bay of Pigs Invasion and was in Dallas for the JFK assassination?  Say it ain't so, but yes, it would seem so.  And the break-in itself?  FOS contends that its real purpose was for its perpetrators to get caught red-handed by hotel security, arrested, and then, via a trail of shady implications, to seemingly present incriminating ties back to Richard Nixon himself -- leading ultimately to his demonization and removal from office.

And the famed reporter Bob Woodward?  A covert CIA agent and well-timed plant at the Washington Post, contends FOS.

For the first time ever, the Bush family -- and George H. W. Bush in particular -- are taken as seriously as a heart attack and investigated beneath what now appears to actually be a deliberate and tactical facade of corny and effetely harmless milk-toastitude, to their actual and incomprehensible lethality beneath.  Family of Secrets presents a picture suggesting that when you think of the Bush family, think "Keyser Soze" and you are closest to the actual truth.
1569734
Having in mind that this is not a novel, but the result of an investigation (very well documented, by the way), at some point it can be a little repetitive.
1196626
Once you have excluded the impossible, what remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Sherlock Homes

Conspirators would have had to control so many aspects as to be preposterous, and after 50 years no plausible alternative has come forward.
This book dives into the entirety of the crime, not just isolated supposition. He utilizes eye and ear witnesses closest to the event, not folks coming forward a year or years later, along with in-depth testimony by the people closest to Oswald and Ruby.

Conspiracists would have you believe that Marina, Ruth Paine, Buell Frazier, Roy Truly, the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Service, the Dallas Police, the Mob, and finally, the Navy medical team, were all coordinated and participated in pulling off this crime. It is illogical and preposterous that this many people and organizations could keep this quite for 50 years. Maybe by year 75 conspiracists will have some physical evidence that proves a conspiracy.

If conspiracists could just lay down their confirmation bias for a few minutes, and look at the crime, evidence, and testimony, in it's entirety, they would see how crazy a conspiracy sounds.

Bring on all your so called evidence, and lets debate.
4271810
Our Authors here pull back the covers in chapter after chapter to fill in the blanks most Americans have  in their rendering of history.  I was amazed at some of the political decisions to deliberately withhold information.  Some of the double dealing by world leaders may surprise even the most astute readers.  The book is fascinating.
681690
Seven years after the death of "our last patriarch,"(RFK) the conspiracy trail winds down, but not out. Here, at a southern university, Mr. Buckley confronts the former skeptic, Allard K. Lowenstein, a young, former cynic with regards to conspiracy theories, who rises to the occasion to reveal in one hour the contradictory facts never fully revealed weighed against the government's "stated" and publicized facts openly. After viewing this hour raptly, I was dumfounded that I heard for the first time an alleged tie to the Bush family, repeatedly throughout. (I guess the Bush elder was on the investigating committee)No matter. At that time, the country had suffered the Watergate mess, a farcical House re-investigation of the JFK assassination that called no eye-witnesses with contradictory testimonies,and the ascendancy of a lone independent journalistic team (Woodward/Bernstein), who vanished on the D.C cocktail trail. The only journalist to look beneath the surface of domestic things since, Dan Rather, was disgraced and sent packing. Only an episode of "Unsolved Mysteries" in the 90's took up the contradictory eye-witness accounts in the Ambassador Hotel kitchen captured by an eye-witness teen photographer.(What happened to him with his film suggests there is truth to the "ice-berg" Buckley brought up several times) Mr. Lowenstein's immediate grasp of facts and names certified that his revelations would all come out, without witty digressions this time to a disturbing puzzlement. Once more, like the 911 Commission Report, the eye-witness testimony does not match the courtroom press or White House "facts." And, as Mr. Lowenstein shows, if the agencies will not re-test the guns to certify ballistic consistency, and an investigation eye-witness (Mr. X) does not wish to re-state his physical position to RFK in the kitchen, etc. there will be no exploration of the "ice-berg" created by the discrepancy between official accounts and science. The telling remark is when Mr. Lowenstein admits how an untruthful exposure of the facts and contradictions may let untold enemies to influence political campaigns. I don't know if he was thinking of 2001, but it sure seems like it. (Both the investigations(RFK and 911)discard overwhelming eye-witness testimony and good science) Miss Marple or Rumpole would have taken the case on if the "findings" said 13 rounds came from a six-shooter. Not our elected officials.
950492
This book was not easy to read, because there was so much information in it. Every source or clue Mr. Lifton followed was referenced, cross-indexed, checked and re-checked again for accuracy.  His entire search for the true nature of the evidence is documented.  No stone is left unturned that can be turned. There is almost too much to digest, but it's worth the attempt.  There are theories about how many shooters there were and where they were, and who they might be, but not too many of them use the wounds on the President's body as a place to start tracing them back to the dogs that were responsible [with apologies to our canine friends.]  When you start looking at the wounds [and there are many gorey pictures of the President's shattered head] and remember what an entrance wound [smallish hole] and an exit wound [much bigger hole]looks like, it becomes clear that the the body was tampered with.  The doctors in Texas say that the President's skull had heavy damage to the back of it, in the occipital and parietal skull plate areas.  There was a much smaller hole in the front of his head.  But if you read the autopsy report excerpts, it describes heavy damage to the front of the President's skull and less damage towards the back of it.  The McGruder film clearly shows almost the whole side and rear of the President's head being blown to bits, which is consistent with being shot from the front and not from the back.  The autopsy photos show the poor President's skull being so heavily damaged that it's being clipped together to keep it from falling to pieces altogether. That is one of the saddest pictures in the book.  It also demonstrates pretty indisputably that after the President has been put into a casket for transport back to Washington, and before the jet arrived, someone went in and destroyed the true evidence of the exact nature of the President's wounds in order to support a cover story.  The President's brain, which should have been preserved as evidence, is "lost" and now we shall never really know what the damage was.  There surely was a coverup of some kind, and Mr. Lifton, in examining the testimony of the doctors, doing experiments on cadavers and other objects and in carefully looking at photos, proves it in this book.  While again not easy or pleasant to read, it's worth your time to look at if you're trying to form your own conclusions about what happened.  The fact that Mr. Lifton stays away from politics and concentrates on physics, anatomy, pherensics and ballistics is refreshing. I recommend it as a first-class examination of how the President died and why it's important that we know.