Reclaiming history : the assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Polls reveal that over 75 percent of Americans believe there was a conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald; some even believe Oswald was entirely innocent. In this absorbing and historic book--the first ever to cover the entire case--Vincent Bugliosi shows how we have come to believe such lies about an event that changed the course of history. Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of "prosecuting" Oswald for the murder of President Kennedy. His book is a narrative compendium of fact, forensic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud upon the American public. Bugliosi's irresistible logic, command of the evidence, and ability to draw startling inferences shed fresh light on this American nightmare. At last we know what really happened. At last it all makes sense.--From publisher description. For fifty years the truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has been obscured. This book releases us from a crippling distortion of American history. At 1:00 p.m. on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead, the victim of a sniper attack during his motorcade through Dallas. That may be the only fact generally agreed upon in the vast literature spawned by the assassination. National polls reveal that an overwhelming majority of Americans (75%) believe that there was a high-level conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald. Many even believe that Oswald was entirely innocent. In this continuously absorbing, powerful, ground-breaking book, Vincent Bugliosi shows how we have come to believe such lies about an event that changed the course of history. The brilliant prosecutor of Charles Manson and the man who forged an iron-clad case of circumstantial guilt around O. J. Simpson in his best-selling Outrage Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of writing the definitive book on the Kennedy assassination. This is an achievement that has for years seemed beyond reach. No one imagined that such a book would ever be written: a single volume that once and for all resolves, beyond any reasonable doubt, every lingering question as to what happened in Dallas and who was responsible. There have been hundreds of books about the assassination, but there has never been a book that covers the entire case, including addressing every piece of evidence and each and every conspiracy theory, and the facts, or alleged facts, on which they are based. In this monumental work, the author has raised scholarship on the assassination to a new and final level, one that far surpasses all other books on the subject. It adds resonance, depth, and closure to the admirable work of the Warren Commission. Reclaiming History is a narrative compendium of fact, forensic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud on the American public. Bugliosi's irresistible logic, command of the evidence, and ability to draw startling inferences shed fresh light on this American nightmare. At last it all makes sense. Some images in this ebook are not displayed due to permissions issues. Dedication -- Introduction -- book 1. Matters of fact : what happened -- Four days in November -- The investigations -- President Kennedy's autopsy and the gunshot wounds to Kennedy and Governor Connally -- The most famous home movie ever, the "magic bullet," and the single-bullet theory -- Lee Harvey Oswald -- Oswald's ownership and possession of the rifle found on the sixth floor -- Identification of the murder weapon -- Oswald at the sniper's nest and "evidence" of his innocence -- The grassy knoll -- A conversation with Dr. Cyril Wecht -- Secret Service agents on the grassy knoll -- The zanies (and others) have their say -- Other assassins -- Motive -- Summary of Oswald's guilt -- book 2. Delusions of conspiracy : what did not happen -- Introduction to conspiracy -- History of the conspiracy movement -- Mark Lane -- Mysterious and suspicious deaths -- The second Oswald -- David Lifton and alteration of the President's body -- Ruby and the mob -- Organized crime -- CIA -- FBI -- Secret Service -- KGB -- Right wing -- LBJ -- Cuba -- The Odio incident and anti-Castro Cuban exiles -- Cover-up by the CIA and FBI in the Warren Commission's investigation of the assassination. Jim Garrison's prosecution of Clay Shaw and Oliver Stone's movie JFK -- Conclusion of No Conspiracy -- Bookends -- The murder trial of Jack Ruby -- A conversation with Marina -- The people and groups involved in the plot to kill Kennedy -- Lincoln-Kennedy coincidences -- Epilogue -- In memoriam -- Abbreviations used for citations -- Acknowledgments -- Bibliography -- Index.