Don't be bamboozled by the three newly published books on the JFK assassination. Only one--"JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"--is worth reading. The others--Gus Russo's "Brothers In Arms" and "Legacy of Secrecy" by Thom Hartmann and Lamar Waldron--make outlandish claims and impugn unlikely plotters. So much so, that the application of a slight bit of common sense is all one needs to dismiss them. Simply put, the mechanics of the plot could not have been carried out by their supposed conspirators--the Castro brothers (Russo's nonsense) and the Mafia (Waldron and Hartmann are scuffling about with minor leaguers in a big-league game).

Calling Gus Russo an investigative reporter is like awarding the Oscar to porn star John Holmes. This guy would not know the facts if they accosted him, beat him senseless, kidnapped him and held him for ransom. It is utterly laughable that he blames the Castro brothers for orchestrating the plot to kill JFK. I suppose Fidel convinced the covert operatives of Operation Mongoose to pull it off. (Mongoose was the CIA's plot to kill Castro, but, instead of gunning for the Beard, they were all photographed in Dallas on Nov. 21-22, 1963.) And, of course, the Castros arranged to have Secret Service agent Henry Rybka ordered off the death limo as it was leaving Love Field and to have the rest of the agents stand down as the shots were fired in Dealey Plaza. Oh, yes, Fidel somehow managed to alter the wounds of the president between the time the body left Dallas and arrived at Bethesda. And the Castros made sure the body was highjacked from Parkland Hospital before an autopsy (mandated by Texas law) could be performed. But first, of course, they had to arrange, through their emissaries Michael Paine of Bell Helicopter and millionaire oilman and Texas School Book Depository owner D.H. Byrd, to get Oswald that job which overlooked the president's route so that he could be framed for the shooting. And it was clever how the Castros maneuvered Ruby into position at just the right time to kill the patsy. And certainly it was Castro's agents who appointed the Warren Commission to cover up the whole thing. And for the last 45 years, Fidel has somehow convinced the CIA to withhold evidence. My god, the Castros were busy in 1963, and what power they have wielded since. Who says a Third World banana republic can't orchestrate a massive plot that kills the leader of the free world and stifles all investigative arms of the most powerful nation in the world, sworn enemy of communist Cuba. "Legacy of Secrecy" is almost as hilarious. Hartmann and Waldron blame the mob for the whole thing.

If you want a cogent, serious read about the assassination, and a brave, logical exploration of the true motivation behind the killing, read Douglass's book. The establishment will try to smear him as a "peace activist" (God knows there's nothing worse than someone who works for peace), but he's got it right. Unlike Russo, Douglass points fingers at the people who GENUINELY had means, motive and opportunity. Douglass sees Kennedy's "peace speech" of June 10,1963, as the watershed moment in the rift between Kennedy and the military-industrial-intelligence complex. No more wars, no more war profiteering, you say? No more president, they say.