JFK ASSASSINATED

IN THE COURTROOM - DEBATING THE CRITIC RESEARCH COMMUNITY

by Robert A. Wagner ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

A John F. Kennedy assassination investigator weighs the evidence against Lee Harvey Oswald in this nonfiction work.

First drawn to studying the Kennedy assassination after watching Oliver Stone’s 1991 conspiracy-laden film, JFK, author Wagner has spent more than two decades investigating the president’s death. This research culminated in the publication of his debut book, The Assassination of JFK: Perspectives Half a Century Later (2016). In 2017, Wagner served as a consultant to the prosecution team at a two-day mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald at Houston’s South Texas College of Law, which brought together scholars and independent researchers from around the country to make the case for and against Oswald as the lone gunman. The case ended in a hung jury, with jurors split between the official government narrative of Oswald’s guilt and alternative theories that emphasized the presence of a second gunman or that Oswald was used as a pawn by the CIA or Mafia. This trial format serves as a useful vehicle for Wagner to explore the assassination in his book, which methodically lays out the evidence on all sides of the debate. The work comprises four sections and begins with an “Opening Statement” regarding Wagner’s personal belief that “Oswald (probably) did it alone.” The second and third parts focus on what the book argues are the two central issues surrounding the case: First, did Oswald act alone? And, second, is the Warren Commission’s “single-bullet theory” (wherein a single bullet struck Kennedy in the back, exited through his throat, and then hit Texas Gov. John Connally seated in front of him) viable? The book’s final section offers a synthesis of the prominent theories with the author’s concluding analysis.

Though Wagner ultimately sides against most alternative theories, his judicious style outlines their claims in a fair manner. He avoids labeling the other side with the pejorative term “conspiracy theorists,” which lumps together those who have legitimate questions with those who have more fantastical ideas, and instead, he refers to them as the “critic research community.” Moreover, while emphasizing Oswald’s guilt, the book concedes that the “Dallas police and FBI mishandled evidence” and that the Warren Commission’s assistant counsel, future U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, “helped stack the deck” for the single-bullet theory by rejecting alternatively viable theories that did not fit his reconstruction of events. Admitting that he has “no specialized credentials,” Wagner has a career background in financial forensics and complex litigation and incorporates the expertise of vetted witnesses to make his case, which is accompanied by more than 300 endnotes and an extensive bibliography. Though lengthy at 400-plus pages (Wagner borrows from the standard trial lawyer’s tactic to repeat points almost ad nauseum to emphasize information they want jurors to remember), the book’s argument may appeal to readers who don’t remember or are unfamiliar with the theories and debates surrounding Kennedy’s death. As such, it serves as an accessible, effective, if dense, primer to the assassination. Interspersed throughout are conversations between the author and medical doctors, as well as original essays based on conversations with alternative theorists. Includes abbreviation guides, photographs, diagrams, and maps.

A well-researched, sensible investigation into the assassination of JFK.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Manuscript

Review Posted Online: Feb. 11, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

HISTORY | GENERAL NONFICTION