Looking up at my mother crying over my 6 year old body in an
ambulance. That's my answer to the question "Where were you on the day
President Kennedy was shot?" I had crossed the road in my neighborhood
in Walnut Park in Gadsden, Alabama and gotten hit by a car. I think I
read somewhere that C.S. Lewis also died that day. At any rate the
assassination of President Kennedy scarred this nation's psyche like no
other single event until 9-11 in my lifetime. So, it was with great
interest that I read "Killing Kennedy" by Bill O'Reilly and historian
Martin Dugard. I had already been surprised by how much I enjoyed
reading "Killing Lincoln." I didn't think I could have enjoyed a book by
Bill O'Reilly since I'm not a real zealot when it comes to picking a
political party. I have my opinions but I don't see it as good vs evil.
More like bad vs badder. But, back to the topic.
I enjoy a good
conspiracy theory and I don't get real worked up or mad about "proving"
one right or wrong. So, I have read a few articles and started a few
books that dealt with the "conspiracy" to kill the president. I put them
in the category of u.f.o's and psychics. Interesting but ya got to wade
through a lot of b.s. I knew this book wouldn't be that type and
would stick to more of the facts as they are known. It really brought
the president and those times back and gave a "human" face back to
Jackie Kennedy and to the president that some of the glitter and pop
culture had taken from them. The background conflict between Bobby
Kennedy and L.B.J. was also interesting as was a cameo or two by Herbert
Hoover and Frank Sinatra. Marlyn Monroe and Greta Garbo. John and
Caroline Kennedy and the baby Patrick that died shortly after coming
into this world. The war experience of J.F.K. and the time his ship went
down and he took charge to get him and his men rescued while behind
enemy lines in the pacific. But, it wasn't fluff and also showed the
hesitation at the Bay Of Pigs in Cuba that cemented Castro's power.
Kennedy had some reservations about Vietnam but was still of the mindset
that we couldn't let it fall to the communist. The civil rights
movement and Martin Luther King as well as Birmingham are touched on.
Also, the famous photo of the Buddhist Monk who set himself on fire in
Vietnam is touched on. If you were born in the late 50's or early 60's
these were themes you knew well from childhood and school. It also goes
into some detail on the famous Cuban Missile Crisis and the president
stood his ground and we are all better off because of it. If you were
born before the 50's you lived these times as a young person or an adult
and it is indeed a glimpse of history. I can easily recommend this to
history buffs and especially American history fans such as myself. But, I
do take some issues. While I admire the fact that the writers don't try
to completely discredit all the questions surrounding the possible
conspiracy talk. They don't always make the full case that Oswald had
the proper motive. On the other hand how can somebody really ever know
the "motive" for killing another human in cold blood? They do go to
pains to point out that Oswald did indeed have the required "skill" to
make the shot and also make good case for the so called "Magic Bullet"
that some have used to discredit the lone assassin theory.
Still,
I remember seeing a documentary not very long ago on the assassination.
It was fascinating to me because it had a wealth of archival footage
even down to a local Dallas news crew. That documentary quoted a Dallas
police officer on Jack Ruby. Jack Ruby is of course the nightclub owner
that killed Oswald. The book "Killing Kennedy" states that Ruby had
motive because he was patriotic and cared about Kennedy. But, according
to the documentary I saw the Dallas officer said that if you knew Ruby
then you knew that he didn't do it because of patriotism or loyalty to
the nation. So, I guess you can take that for what it's worth. I just
think maybe the authors didn't bother to do a whole lot of homework on
the assassin of the assassin. There are some things we just don't know.
Anyway, all in all a good quick read about a period and a man in our
history that still has an impact on people of my generation and the
generation before us.
