As part of the Justice Integrity Project's Readers Guide, we provide a list below of new books and films beginning in 2013.
The list includes serious works that critique or defend the official account of the killing announced in 1964 by the nine-member Warren Commission, which assigned sole responsibility for the killing to Lee Harvey Oswald. He was a 24-year-old former Marine whose portrayed at right in mug shots.
The list below seeks to be comprehensive. This inclusive process minimizes the subjectivity that has characterized discussion in the nearly half century since the president's death on Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas.
Update: The Justice Integrity Project published in 2014 a far more comprehensive listing that is update at this location: JFK Readers Guide: Assassination Books, Reports. The listing below is not continuously updated with new books, as is best regarded as a column regarding information available as of the end of 2013.
The initial focus is on new books and videos published in 2013. More comprehensive lists are published elsewhere in this series, and extend into 2014 and to the decades previous to 2013.
Reader inputs are welcome via an email through this site.
Justice Integrity Project Readers Guide To JFK Assassination
By Andrew Kreig, JIP Editor, former CAPA Board member, and Associate Editor and Board member of The Indicter
What follows are excerpts from our Project's previous segments of a "Readers Guide" to the assassination begun in 2013 to underscore both the 50th anniversary of the death and its continuing relevance, particularly slanted media, government, and academic treatment of the death that serves as a Rosetta Stone to similar slanted coverage sensitive matters extending through the decades to today's news.
The Justice Integrity Project cooperates with Citizens Against Political Assassinations (CAPA) and The Indicter, each of which investigates suspected political assassinations around the world.
In the Readers Guide below, a red asterisk (*) denotes major articles in the series. Other articles may be regarded as more routine or duplicative treatments sometimes covering specific events.
At right is a photo by this editor in Dallas showing Dealey Plaza. The Texas Book Depository Building where accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald worked is behind the row of trees. The car in the center lane is near the location of President Kennedy's limo at the time of his fatal shooting. The "X" mark is repeatedly painted on the street by author and photographic expert Robert Groden as reminder of the horrific crime that Dallas authorities seek to expunge by removing the X.
- Project Launches JFK Assassination Readers' Guide, Oct. 16, 2013.
- Project Provides JFK Readers Guide To New Books, Videos, Oct. 26, 2013. This is a list of new books and films in 2013.
- Disputes Erupt Over NY Times, New Yorker, Washington Post Reviews of JFK Murder, Nov. 7, 2013. *
- Self-Censorship In JFK TV Treatments Duplicates Corporate Print Media's Apathy, Cowardice, Nov. 7, 2013.
- 'Puppetry' Hardback Launched Nov. 19 at DC Author Forum on ‘White House Mysteries & Media,' Nov. 19, 2013.
- Major Media Stick With Oswald 'Lone Gunman' JFK Theory, Nov. 27, 2013.
- JFK Murder Scene Trapped Its Victim In Kill Zone, Nov. 30, 2013.
- Project Lists JFK Assassination Reports, Archives, Videos, Events, Nov. 2, 2013. *
- JFK Murder, The CIA, and 8 Things Every American Should Know, Dec. 9, 2013. *
- JFK Murder Prompts Expert Reader Reactions, Dec. 19, 2013. Reactions to our Dec. 9 column.
- Have Spy Agencies Co-Opted Presidents and the Press? Dec. 23, 2013. *
- Don't Be Fooled By 'Conspiracy Theory' Smears, May 26, 2014. *
- Experts To Reveal Secrets of JFK Murder, Cover-up at Sept. 26-28 DC Forum , Sept. 5, 2014.
- Washington Post Still Selling Warren Report 50 Years Later, Sept. 22, 2014. *
- JFK Experts To Explode Myths, Sign Books In DC Sept. 26-28, Sept. 24, 2014.
- Former Cuban Militant Leader Claims CIA Meeting With Oswald Before JFK Killing, Sept. 27, 2014. *
- JFK Readers Guide: Assassination Books, Reports, Oct. 15, 2014. *
Former House JFK Murder Prober Alleges CIA ‘Lied,’ Seeks Hidden Records, Oct. 18, 2014. * - The JFK Murder 'Cover-up' Still Matters -- As Does C-SPAN's Coverage, Nov. 11, 2014. *
- JFK, Nov. 22 and the Continuing Cover-Up, Nov. 24, 2014. *
- JFK Assassination Readers Guide To 2013-14 Events, Nov. 28, 2014. *
- CIA, Empowered by JFK Murder Cover-up, Blocks Senate Torture Report, Dec. 1, 2014. *
- Nearly Too Late, Public Learns of Bill Moyers’ Conflicts Over PBS, LBJ, Jan. 2, 2014.
- Why Bill O'Reilly's Lie About JFK's Murder Might Matter To You, March 17, 2015.
- Free Videos Show Shocking Claims About CIA, JFK Murder Probes, June 29, 2015.
- Pioneering Black Secret Service JFK Guard Abraham Bolden Warns Of Current Lessons, July 22, 2015.
- Understanding Hollywood-Style Presidential Propaganda From JFK To Trump, Aug. 18, 2015.
- Beware Of Wrong Conclusions From New CIA Disclosure On Oswald, Sept. 28, 2015.
- The JFK Murder Cover-Up: Your Rosetta Stone To Today’s News, Nov. 29, 2015.
- Austin Kiplinger, David Skorton: Two Civic Giants Going And Coming, Dec. 15, 2015.
- Trump Alleges Rafael Cruz Tie To JFK Murder Suspect Oswald, May 3, 2016.
- Revelations Confirm Proof Of JFK, RFK Murder Cover-ups, Nov. 25, 2016.
- Top Experts To Assess JFK Murder Records, Revelations March 16, March 8, 2017.
- Speaker Program For March 16 Forum On Secret JFK Records, March 8, 2017.
- JFK Experts Advocate Compliance With Records Deadline, March 8, 2017.
- At CAPA Forum, JFK Experts See Need, Momentum For Assassination Records Release, March 23, 2017.
- Time Magazine, History Channel Ramp Up Oswald-JFK Fake News, April 26, 2017.
- JFK Birthday Prompts Inspiration, Art, Advocacy, Snark, June 2, 2017.
- Deep State Killed JFK For His Cuba Policy, Peace Advocacy, Experts Say, June 13, 2017.
- Newly Released JFK Murder Files Prompt Disputes, 'Jigsaw' Solutions, Aug. 4, 2017.
- CAPA Challenges Warren Report Defenders Sabato, Shenon, Sept. 22, 2017.
- Trump Plans Release Of Suppressed JFK Records, Oct. 21, 2017.
- Trump Backs Off Promise To Release All Suppressed JFK Documents Today; Permits Partial Release, Oct. 26, 2017.
- More JFK Murder Records Released On Nov. 9, Nov. 10, 2017.
- TV Star John Barbour Premieres New JFK Documentary In DC With Free Screenings, Lectures, Nov. 13, 2017.
- Two Major Annual JFK Research Conferences Launch Friday In Dallas, Nov. 15, 2017.
- DC, Dallas Nov. 22 Events Mark JFK Murder, Official Cover-up, Nov. 22, 2017
- Assessing Newly Released JFK Records, Alec Baldwin's Slam of NBC Cover-up, Dec. 19, 2017.
- DC 'Big Event' Boosts Pressure To Disclose Suppressed JFK Records, March 16, 2018.
- Trump Postpones Some JFK Documents At Deadline For Three Years, Releases Others, April 26, 2018.
- Trump Suppresses JFK Murder Records, Violates Pledge, Bows To CIA, Deep State, May 1, 2018.
- Rights Pioneer's Obit Prompts Disputes Over JFK Murder Half-Truths, May 29, 2018.
2016 Update:
Mary Ferrell Foundation, 2015 Books, Staff report, Jan. 1, 2016. Several books of interest to our readers were published in 2015. Here are eight of the more notable ones:
The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government, by David Talbot. The author of the acclaimed Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years has written here a decidedly unflattering portrait of CIA spymaster Allen Dulles, who along with his brother Foster defined an era of coup-driven foreign policy. Talbot paints a portrait of Dulles as a leader in the anti-Kennedy national security camp even while out of office, building on the theme first developed in Brothers. In this book, Talbot argues the case for Dulles as leader of the plan to assassinate JFK.
Dallas '63: The First Deep State Revolt Against the White House, by Peter Dale Scott. Scott is one of the pre-eminent thinkers and writers on the JFK assassination and its "deep politics," and this book is in some ways the culmination of his thoughts on the case. This e-book continues where Deep Politics II left off in its analysis of Oswald, Mexico City, and the handling of the Oswald files. It then turns in new directions, looking at previously-ignored gaps in military records on Oswald, exploring the deep enmity between Kennedy and his military team and the evidence for coup-planning on their part, and making connections to the Watergate affair. The title of the book harkens to Scott's notion that the overt government is paired with, and at times overshadowed by, a "deep state".
John F. Kennedy's Head Wounds: A Final Synthesis - and a New Analysis of the Harper Fragment, by Dr. David W. Mantik. This e-book by JFK medical expert David Mantik makes the case that the Harper fragment, found in Dealey Plaza after JFK's assassination, was occipital bone. Mantik uses this conclusion to challenge the interpretation of autopsy photos as indicating a single head shot from behind, and makes the argument for shots from the right-front of the presidential limousine.
New JFK Assassination Books
Editor's Note: The list is by authors' last names. The books include some that are updated editions of significant works, or that address the murder as part of a more comprehensive treatment of the presidency. Suggested additions are welcome. To understand at a glance a general measure of book themes, we note with a red asterisk those authors included in a leading conference assembling primarily critics of the official Warren Commission report. A blue asterisk denotes authors included in a special "Kennedy Library" selection of new books by the Washington Post. The newspaper's editors heavily emphasized defenders of the Warren Commission, those with relatively minor disagreements with the commission and those who largely avoiding any controversy.
* Speaker at "Passing The Torch Conference" organized by the Wecht Institute at Duquesne University, October 17-19, 2013, Pittsburgh, PA. (Dr. Cyril H. Wecht shown at right.)
* Noted by Washington Post in a "selection of titles published for that November day 50 years ago." See "A Kennedy Library," Washington Post, Outlook section, Oct. 27, 2013.
Anderson, Christopher. Those Few Precious Days: The Final Years of Jack With Jackie. Gallery, 2013.*
Belzer, Richard, Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Belzer, Richard and David Wayne. Dead Wrong:Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups. Skyhorse, 2013.
Bishop, Jim. The Day Kennedy Was Shot. Harper Perennial, 2013.
Bugliosi, Vincent. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. W.W. Norton, 2013 (2007).*
Bugliosi, Vincent. Four Days In November. W.W. Norton, 2013 (2007).*
Childs, Allen. We Were There: Revelations from the Dallas Doctors Who Attended to JFK on November 22, 1963. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Clarke, Thurston. JFK's Last Hundred Days: The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President. Penguin, 2013.*
Corsi, Jerome R. Who Really Killed JFK: 50 Years Later. WND Books, 2013.
Crenshaw, Charles A., Jens Hansen and J. Gary Shaw. JFK Has Been Shot. Pinnacle, 2013.
Dallek, Robert. Camelot's Court: Inside the Kennedy White House. Harper, 2013.*
Davis, John H. Kennedy Contract: The Mafia Plot to Assassinate the President. HarperCollins, 2013.
D'Arc, Joan. Conspiracy Reader: From the Deaths of JFK and John Lennon to Government-Sponsored Alien Cover-Ups. Skyhorse, 2013.
Davis, John H. Kennedy Contract: The Mafia Plot to Assassinate the President. HarperCollins, 2013.
de May, Flip. Cold Case Kennedy. Lanoo, 2013.
DiEugenio, James. Reclaiming Parkland: Tom Hanks, Vincent Bugliosi, and the JFK Assassination in the New Hollywood. Skyhorse, 2013.**
DiEugenio, James. Destiny Betrayed: JFK, Cuba, and the Garrison Case. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Doty, Mark and John H. Slate. John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth. Archive, 2013.
Fagin, Stephen, Edward T. Linenthal and Conover Hunt. Assassination and Commemoration: JFK, Dallas, and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. University of Oklahoma Press, 2013.
Farris, Scott. Kennedy and Reagan: Why Their Legacies Endure. Lyons, 2013.*
Fonzi, Gaeton. The Last Investigation: A Former Federal Investigator Reveals the Conspiracy to Kill JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Garrison, Jim. On the Trail of the Assassins: One Man's Quest to Solve the Murder of President Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013.
Greenfield, Jeff. If Kennedy Lived: The First and Second Terms of President John F. Kennedy, An Alternate History. Putnam, 2013.*
Hansen, Jodie Elliott and Laura Hansen. November 22, 1963: Ordinary and Extraordinary People Recall Their Reactions When They Heard the News. Thomas Dunne / St. Martin's, 2013.*
Hill, Clint and Lisa McCubbin. Five Days in November. Gallery, 2013.*
Holmes, Robert. A Spy Like No Other: The Cuban Missile Crisis, the KGB and the Kennedy Assassination. Biteback, 2013.*
Hosty, James P. and Thomas Hosty. Assignment: Oswald. Skyhorse, 2013.
Hughes-Wilson, John. JFK: An American Coup D'etat: The Truth Behind the Kennedy. John Blake, 2014.
Janney, Peter. Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer and Their Vision for World Peace. Skyhorse, 2013 paperback (2012).
Joesten, Joachim. The Dark Side of Lyndon Baines Johnson. Iconoclastic Books, 2013 (First published in 1968).
Moore, Lance. Killing JFK: 50 Years, 50 Lies: From the Warren Commission to Bill O'Reilly, A History of Deceit in the Kennedy. CreateSpace, 2013.
Lane, Mark. Last Word: My Indictment of the CIA in the Murder of JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Lane, Mark. Plausible Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK? Skyhorse, 2013.*
Lehrer, Jim. Top Down: A Novel of the Kennedy Assassination. (Fiction) Random House, 2013.*
Levingston, Steven. The Kennedy Baby: The Loss That Transformed JFK. persion Books e-books, 2013.*
Life Magazine Staff. The Day Kennedy Died: 50 Years Later, Life Remembers the Man and the Moment. Life, 2013.*
Livingstone, Harrison Edward. High Treason: The Assassination of JFK & the Case for Conspiracy. Carroll & Graf, 2013.
Mathis, Tegan. Sins of the Vicar. CreateSpace, 2013.
McBride, Joseph. Into the Nightmare: My Search for the Killers of President John F. Kennedy and Officer J. D. Tippit. Hightower, 2013.
McClellan, Barr. Who Murdered JFK and Why They Murdered. Hannover House, 2013.
McClellan, Barr. Blood, Money, & Power: How LBJ Killed JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Meagher, Sylvia. Accessories After the Fact: The Warren Commission, the Authorities & the Report. Skyhorse, 2013.
Mellen, Joan. The Great Game In Cuba: How the CIA Sabotaged Its Own Plot to Unseat Fidel Castro. TrineDay, 2013.*
Mellen, Joan. A Farewell To Justice: Jim Garrison, JFK's Assassination, And the Case that Should Have Changed History. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis. Dallas 1963. Twelve Books, 2013.*
Moore, Lance. Killing JFK: 50 Years, 50 Lies: From the Warren Commission to Bill O'Reilly, A History of Deceit in the Kennedy Assassination, CreateSpace, 2103.
Nelson, Phillip F. LBJ: The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Newman, John. Oswald and the CIA: The Documented Truth About the Unknown Relationship Between the U.S. Government and the Alleged Killer of JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Nolan, Patrick and Henry C. Lee. CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys: How and Why US Agents Conspired to Assassinate JFK and RFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
North, Mark. Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013.
North, Mark. Betrayal in Dallas: LBJ, the Pearl Street Mafia, and the Murder of President Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013.
Norvell, James D. Treason, Treachery & Deceit: The Murderers of JFK, MLK, & RFK. XLibris, 2014
Owen, Dean R. November 22, 1963 Reflections on the Life, Assassination, and Legacy of John F. Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Palamara, Vince. Survivor's Guilt. TrineDay, 2013.
Parker, Greg. Lee Harvey Oswald's Cold War: Why the Kennedy Assassination Should Be Reinvestigated. Amazon Digital, 2014.
Prados. John. The Family Jewels: The CIA, Secrecy, and Presidential Power (Discovering America). University of Texas Press, 2013.
Prouty, L. Fletcher. JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013 (1996).
Read, Jonathan. JFK's Final Hours in Texas: An Eyewitness Remembers the Tragedy and Its Aftermath. Briscoe Center for American History, 2013.*
Reich, Scott D. The Power of Citizenship: Why the John F. Kennedy Matters to a New Generation. Ben Bella, 2013.*
Reston, James Jr. The Accidental Victim: JFK, Oswald, and the Real Target in Dallas. Zola E-Book, 2013.*
Rinella, Michael A. Lee Harvey Oswald As I Knew Him. University of Kansas, 2014.
Russell, Dick. On the Trail of the JFK Assassins: A Groundbreaking Look at America's Most Infamous Conspiracy. Skyhorse, 2013.
Russo, Gus and Harry Moses. Where Were You?: America Remembers the JFK Assassination. Lyons Press, 2013.*
Sabato, Larry J. The Kennedy Half-Century: The Presidency, Assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy, Bloomsbury, 2013.**
Sachs, Jeffrey D. To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace. Random House, 2013.*
Sandler, Martin W. The Letters of John F. Kennedy. Bloomsbury, 2013.*
Savodnik, Peter. The Interloper: Lee Harvey Oswald Inside the Soviet Union. Basic Books, 2013.*
Scott, Peter Dale. Oswald, Mexico, and Deep Politics: Revelations from CIA Records on the Assassination of JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Scott, Peter Dale. Deep Politics on Oswald, Mexico, and Cuba: New Revelations on the Man Framed for the Assassination of JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Scott, Peter Dale. The War Conspiracy: JFK, 9/11, and the Deep Politics of War. Skyhorse, 2013
Scott, William E., and Cyril H. Wecht. November 22, 1963: A Reference Guide to the JFK Assassination. University Press of America, 1999.
Shaw, John T. JFK In the Senate: Pathway to the Presidency. Palgrave, 2013.*
Shaw, Mark. The Poison Patriarch: How the Betrayals of Joseph P. Kennedy Caused the Assassination of JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.
Shenon, Philip. A Cruel and Shocking Act: The Secret History of the Kennedy Assassination. Henry Holt, 2013.*
Simpich, Bill. State Secret: Wiretapping in Mexico City, Double Agents, and the Framing of Lee Oswald. Mary Ferrell Foundation, 2013. ##
Stoll, Ira. JFK. Conservative. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.*
Stone, Roger with Mike Colapietro. The Man Who Killed Kennedy: The Case Against LBJ. Skyhorse, 2013.
Summers, Anthony. Not in Your Lifetime: The Defining Book on the J.F.K. Assassination. Open Road Media, 2013.
Swanson, James L. End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy. William Morrow, 2013.*
Tague, James. LBJ and the Kennedy Killing. TrineDay, 2013.
Thomas, Donald Byron. Hear No Evil: Politics, Science & the Forensic Evidence in the Kennedy Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Titovets, Ernst. Oswald: Russian Episode. TrineDay, 2013.
Ventura, Jesse and Russell, Dick. American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us. Skyhorse, 2013.
Ventura, Jesse and Dick Russell. American Conspiracies: The Card Set. Skyhorse, 2013.
Ventura, Jesse and Dick Russell and David Wayne. They Killed Our President: 63 Facts That Prove a Conspiracy to Kill JFK. Skyhorse, 2013.*
Weisberg, Harold. Never Again! The Government Conspiracy in the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Oswald in New Orleans:A Case for Conspiracy with the CIA. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Post Mortem: The Classic Investigation of the JFK Assassination Medical and Ballistics Evidence and Cover-Up. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Whitewash I: The Report on the Warren Report. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Whitewash II: The FBI–Secret Service Cover-Up in the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Whitewash III: The Photographic Whitewash of the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Weisberg, Harold. Whitewash IV: The Top Secret Warren Commission Transcript of the JFK Assassination. Skyhorse, 2013.
Willens, Howard P. History Will Prove Us Right. Overlook, 2013.*
Selected New JFK Assassination Videos, Films, DVDs
The Untold History of the United States, Director: Oliver Stone. Writers: Oliver Stone, Peter Kuznick, Matt Graham. Producers: Oliver Stone, Tara Tremaine, Rob Wilson, Carlos Guillermo, Chris Hanley.
Parkland is a 2013 American historical drama film that recounts the chaotic events that occurred following John F. Kennedy's assassination. From Wikipedia description: The film is written and directed by Peter Landesman, produced by Playtone's Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and Bill Paxton with Exclusive Media’s Nigel Sinclair and Matt Sinclair.
The film is based on the book Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, by Vincent Bugliosi. Parkland weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas’s chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most famous home movie in history; the FBI agents who were visited by Lee Harvey Oswald before the shooting; the brother of Lee Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK’s security team, witnesses to both the president’s death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson’s rise to power. Peter Landesman had an ambitious task with his film Parkland -- finding a fresh look at the thoroughly examined assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The screenwriter and first-time director focused on the smaller players with vital but overlooked roles in the chaotic drama which played out on Nov. 22, 1963.
Searchers, The. Documentary produced, directed, edited, and written by Randy Benson and co-produced by John Shoenfelt, 2013. Featuring: Robert Groden, Cyril Wecht, Josiah Thompson, Mark Lane, John Judge, Jim Marrs, Jim DiEugenio, Debra Conway, John Kelin, Gary Aguilar, Rex Bradford, Lisa Pease, Walt Brown, and Andy Winiarzczyk.
History Channel, JFK Assassination: The Definitive Guide, Nov. 22, 2013. Directed by Tony Bacon and Owen Palmquist. Writing Owen Palmquist. Narrator: Jonathan Adams.
50 years after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy a majority of the American public doesn't trust the official story. From the Mafia to the CIA and everything in between this two hour special for the History Channel will provide the definitive guide to the last five decades of assassination theories.
WGBH (Boston) with PBS, NOVA: Cold Case JFK, One-hour NOVA broadcast, Nov. 13, 2013 (now available via DVD). Can modern forensic science uncover fresh clues about the assassination of JFK?
Fifty years later, what can science tell us about the Kennedy assassination—and the investigations that followed? The 1963 murder, in broad daylight in front of hundreds of witnesses, might seem to be a homicide investigator's best-case scenario. Yet somehow the JFK assassination became a forensic nightmare, plagued by a controversial autopsy and, incredibly, a prime suspect murdered on live television while in police custody, before he could be tried. As a result, today millions of Americans suspect a conspiracy. Now, NOVA launches a fresh investigation into the physical evidence, using state-of-the-art forensics, including laser scanning, new ballistics tests, and a 3D digital reconstruction of the president's skull, all to try to solve the murder of the century.
A NOVA Production by Lone Wolf Media for the WGBH Educational Foundation. Lone Wolf Executive Producer Kirk Wolfinger. Written, directed and co-produced by Rushmore DeNooyer. Co-produced by Scott Tiffany. Historical consultants John McAdams and Gerald Posner. Narrated by Jay O. Sanders. Transcript.
NOVA is the most-watched prime time science series on American television, reaching an average of five million viewers weekly. Now in its fourth decade of production, the series remains committed to producing in-depth science programming in the form of one-hour documentaries and long-form mini-series, from the latest breakthroughs in technology to the deepest mysteries of the natural world. NOVA is produced by WGBH Boston and airs Wednesday nights at 9/8c on most PBS stations. The Director of the WGBH Science Unit and Senior Executive Producer of NOVA is Paula S. Apsell.
Funders for Season 40 include Boeing (episodes 4007, 4009-4015, 4017-4024), Lockheed Martin (episodes 4003-4005) Franklin Templeton (episodes 4007, 4009-4016) the David H. Koch Fund for Science, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS Stations.40 include Boeing (episodes 4007, 4009-4015, 4017-4024), Lockheed Martin (episodes 4003-4005) Franklin Templeton (episodes 4007, 4009-4016) the David H. Koch Fund for Science, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and PBS Stations.(4022) “Cold Case JFK:” Additional funding for this program (Cold Case JFK rebroadcast) provided by Roger Sant and Vicki Sant.
Major Reports
Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Performance of the Intelligence Agencies, Final Report, Select Committee To Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities, 94th Congress, 2nd Session, U.S. Senate. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976.
Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Final Report and Appendix to Hearings Before the Select Committee To Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities, 95th Congress, Volumes I-XII. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979.
Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy [Warren Commission Report] and 26 volumes of hearings and exhibits, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964, available here via the Mary Ferrell Foundation.
Selected JFK Assassination Memorials, Protests, Other Events
2013
C-SPAN, Ruth Hyde Paine on Knowing the Oswalds, Sept. 13, 2013. As the 50th anniversary of the November 23, 1963, assassination approached, this event "The JFK Assassination: My Window on the Oswalds," was held by the Sonoma Valley Historical Society at the Sonoma Valley Woman's Club. Sept. 13, 2013. Ruth Hyde Paine, shown in a file photo, talked about her friendship with Marina Oswald and her innocent involvement with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. She had befriended the Oswalds, who stayed at her home the night before the assassination. Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly hid his rifle in the Paine garage. Ms. Paine became one of the Warren Commission’s primary witnesses and provided its most extensive testimony, but had rarely spoken of the events since then. As the 50th anniversary of the November 23, 1963, assassination approached, this event “The JFK Assassination: My Window on the Oswalds,” was held by the Sonoma Valley Historical Society at the Sonoma Valley Woman’s Club.
JFK Assassination: Warren Commission Findings, Harold Willens, Oct. 11, 2013. (1:50 min.); Part 1, Northern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Sarah Saldaña (moderator) Harold Willens, Burt Griffin, W. David Slawson, Richard M. Mosk, and Stuart R. Pollak. (1 hour, 46 min.); Part 2 William J. Bridge, Jay Vogelson, Christopher Jenks, Lackland Bloom Jr., Tom E. Stone, Dennis Simon (1 hour, 22 min.).Southern Methodist University via C-SPAN, ‘History will prove us right,’ Former Warren Commission staffers to discuss controversial report at SMU, Oct. 11, Sept. 25, 2013. An unprecedented gathering of assistant counsel and staff members who served on the Warren Commission – appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to report on President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas Nov. 22, 1963 – will gather at SMU Oct. 11 to discuss their work and findings. Nearly 50 years later, the Warren Commission Report continues to spark debate, controversy and conspiracy theories. The event will be divided into two panel discussions. During the first panel (12:45–2:30 p.m.), Willens will join former commission colleagues Burt W. Griffin, a retired Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas judge who was a Cleveland attorney in 1963; W. David Slawson, Webb Professor Emeritus of Law at the University of Southern California, a Denver lawyer 50 years ago; Richard M. Mosk, a justice with the California Court of Appeals, a recent graduate of Harvard Law School in 1963; and Stuart R. Pollak, also a justice with the California Court of Appeals, who worked in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice at the time of the assassination. During the event’s second panel (3–4:30 p.m.), SMU faculty members and others will join the five Warren Commission staffers in discussing continuing questions about the commission’s work. SMU Dedman Law alumna Sarah R. Saldaña ‘84, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, will moderate the first panel. Assisting her, and moderating the second panel, will be SMU Dedman Law professor William Bridge. The event is part of a yearlong collaboration between SMU and the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza to commemorate the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. “The Work of the Warren Commission, Half a Century On: Its Methods, Successes & Questions” will be 12:30–4:30 p.m. in the Martha Proctor Mack Ballroom, Umphrey Lee Center, 3300 Dyer St., on the SMU campus. he event is free and open to the public with advance registration “This is the first time this elite group will publicly discuss their work,” says SMU Dedman Law professor William J. Bridge, who is helping plan the event sponsored by SMU’s Dedman School of Law and John G. Tower Center for Political Studies, along with The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.
Passing the Torch: An International Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The October 17-19, 2013 event was organized by the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Several of the major talks were recorded by C-SPAN3 American History for its American History programming, as follows:
C-SPAN3 American History, Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories, Robert Tanenbaum and James Lesar. Oct. 18, 2013. Attorneys Robert Tanenbaum, right, and James Lesar talked about theories surrounding the assassination of 
President John F. Kennedy.
C-SPAN3 American History, Assassination Conspiracy Theories, Oct. 18, 2013. Film director Oliver Stone talked about his documentary series, Oliver Stone’s Untold History of the United States on Showtime. Stone took questions from the audience about the series and accompanying book, as well as on his 1991 film, JFK, which examined the events surrounding President Kennedy’s death. Stone told the audience he did not think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone, and believed there was a subsequent cover-up. “Untold History” was a presentation at “Passing the Torch: An International Symposium on the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy.”
C-SPAN3 American History, Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories, Rex Bradford, Oct. 18, 2013. Rex Bradford, vice president of the Assassination Archives and Research Center, talked about the findings of the Panelists discussed the findings in the U.S. government’s official investigations of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, from the Warren Commission in 1964 to the House Selected Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). Rex Bradford, vice president of the Assassination Archives and Research Center, talked about the findings of the “Church Committee,” headed by Idaho Senator Frank Church. The panel investigated abuses by U.S. intelligence agencies from the 1950s through Watergate. Bradford's talk was “Political Assassinations Revealed: The Church Committee.”
C-SPAN3 American History, Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories, Mark Lane and Joan Mellen, Oct. 18, 2013. Mark Lane, author of Rush to Judgment, and Joan Mellen, author of A Farewell to Justice, talked about conspiracy theories surrounding the murder of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. Lane discussed the theory that the Secret Service was complicit in the assassination of the president, and Professor Mellen spoke about the prosecution of Clay Shaw by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison. Shaw, a New Orleans businessman, was the only person ever prosecuted in connection with the assassination. “The Secret Service and the Assassination of JFK” and “Clay Shaw Unmasked: The Garrison Case Corroborated” were presentations at “Passing the Torch."
C-SPAN3 American History, Kennedy Assassination Conspiracy Theories, Panel Discussion, Nov. 18, 2013. People in this video:
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- Daniel S. Alcorn, Board Member Assassination Archives and Research Center
- Rex Bradford, shown at right, Vice President Assassination Archives and Research Center
- Dan Hardway, Investigator (Former) House Select Committee on Assassinations
- Mark Lane, Attorney
- James H. Lesar, President Assassination Archives and Research Center
- Joan Mellen, Professor Temple University-English
- Robert K. Tanenbaum, Deputy Chief Counsel (Former) House Select Committee on Assassinations
- Benjamin Wecht, Program Administrator, Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
National Press Club, Where were you when Kennedy was shot? NPC retrospective on assassination anniversary Nov. 4, Gil Klein, Oct. 26, 2013. Four journalists who went on to prominent careers share their experiences in Dallas on Nov. 22 1963 when Lee Harvey Oswald’s shots changed their lives – and the life of the nation – at a retrospective panel 6:30 p.m. Nov. 4 at the National Press Club. CBS News Senior Correspondent Bob Schieffer was a cub reporter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram when he answered a phone call from Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother, asking for a ride to Dallas to see her son. PBS NewsHour anchor Jim Lehrer covered the arrival of Air Force One for the Dallas Times Herald before being plunged into the day’s events that took him to Parkland Hospital and the Dallas police headquarters. Retired Hearst columnist Marianne Means was the only female reporter in the motorcade when the shots rang out. Sid Davis, a radio correspondent for Westinghouse, recalls counting those shots as they were fired, and ended the day as the radio pool reporter witnessing Lyndon Johnson being sworn in aboard Air Force One on the way back to Washington. Davis went on to be a vice president and Washington bureau chief for NBC News. The event is sponsored by the Club’s History and Heritage Committee and will be moderated by its chairman, Gil Klein, a Club past president and a journalism professor at American University’s Washington Semester Program.
PBS Screening of "JFK" and Panel Discussion, National Press Club, Washington, DC, Oct. 30, 2013. A panel discussed John F. Kennedy’s life and presidency by showing clips from an upcoming film JFK, premiering in November 2013 on PBS in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the president’s death. The panel will also examine how the press treated Kennedy and how the media’s treatment of presidents has changed throughout the years. Participants will include: Susan Bellows, the film's producer and director; Evan Thomas, journalist and best-selling author of Robert Kennedy: His Life; and Sally Bedell Smith, journalist and best-selling author of Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House.
Newseum, Special Program: A Conversation With Oliver Stone, Oliver Stone, Nov. 1, 2013. Guests: Oliver Stone and Peter Kuznick. Academy Award-winning director Oliver Stone talks about his career and his provocative 1991 movie JFK. This program will be streamed live online.
Newseum, Remembering the assassination of President John F. Kennedy with two men who were there – Secret Service Agent Clint Hill and journalist Bob Schieffer, Washington, DC, Nov. 20, 2013.
University of Virginia, Dallas, TX, Nov. 20 & 22, 2013. The University of Virginia Center for Politics hosts two free events. To attend either event please RSVP to Glenn Crossman at 434-243-3540 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Professor Larry J. Sabato will sign copies of The Kennedy Half Century, which will be available for purchase at both events. Details:
1) Hear the personal stories from five eyewitnesses who were in Dallas, Texas fifty years ago. Panelist presentation will be followed by a moderated discussion by Professor Larry J. Sabato and audience Q&A. Panelists will include Mr. Jim Bowles, Mr. Sid Davis, Mr. Buell Wesley Frazier, Mrs. Mary Mooreman Krahmer and Dr. Robert McClelland.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Panel Discussion
Hyatt Regency Dallas
300 Reunion Blvd, Dallas, TX 75207
2.The University of Virginia, Center for Politics invites you to join us for the viewing of the “The 50th: Honoring the Memory of President John F. Kennedy.” We will watch the commemoration via large screen televisions with a luncheon reception with Professor Sabato following.
Friday, November 22, 2013
11:30 am - 2:30 pm
JFK 50th Viewing and Luncheon Reception
Magnolia Hotel
1401 Commerce St, Dallas, Texas
Southern Methodist University via C-SPAN, Reporters Remember: 11/22/63, Dallas, TX, Nov. 20, 2013. Moderated by Darwin Payne of SMU, formerly of the Dallas Times-Herald. The participants were all journalists who were present in Dallas on the day of President Kennedy’s assassination. Each reminisced about his experiences on that day. This panel discussed decisions they had to make on covering the news of the president’s shooting. They responded to audience members' questions.
JFK Lancer, Dallas, TX, Nov. 21-24, 2013. LANCER was John F. Kennedy's Secret Service Code name. Use of this formerly secret name represents our efforts to make John F. Kennedy's assassination information available to everyone. For the last 19 years, JFK Lancer has gathered people together in Dallas to commemorate John F. Kennedy's life and assassination. The encouragement, camaraderie, and sharing of exciting new research gives us momentum and motivation, keeping us on the cutting edge of historical research. This is a special invitation to join us for our 19th annual conference, to continue our work and plan for the observance of the 50th anniversary of the assassination. JFK Lancer Productions & Publications is a historical research company specializing in the administration and assassination of President John F. Kennedy, founded in 1995 by Thomas A. Jones and Debra J. Conway. JFK Lancer subscribes to the values of patriotism, excellence, integrity and dedication to the revealing of truth surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The goal of JFK Lancer is to make research materials concerning President John F. Kennedy's assassination easily available to everyone. Our prime concern is the accuracy of history and the true story of the turbulent 1960s. We believe these basic facts in the assassination of President Kennedy and the wounding of Governor John Connally:
- There was more than one shooter
- There has not been a true or complete investigation of this crime by our government
- Intelligence agencies did not give those investigatory bodies the information they should have the assassination case is still open and research should be ongoing.
Coalition on Political Assassinations (COPA), Dallas, TX, Nov. 22-24, 2013. COPA is currently planning the 20th annual conference in Dallas which will mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President Kennedy and the 45th anniversaries of the murders of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King. The theme is: “50 Years is Enough! Free the Files – Find the Truth.” Featured are the leading researchers, authors, ballistics, forensic and medical experts who have worked on these cases over the last five decades and the best documentary films. We plan to hold our Moment of Silence on the Grassy Knoll at 12:30 pm on November 22 as we have for the past 49 years. Among the confirmed speakers are Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, JD, MD (our founding president), Walt Brown, Peter Dale Scott, Jesse Ventura, Dr. Gary Aguilar, Robert Groden, David Talbot, Dick Russell, Russ Baker, Joan Mellen, Dr. Ernst Titovets (Oswald’s best friend), Jefferson Morley, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, Baba Zak Kondo, Bill Kelly, Bill Simpich, Andrew Kiel, Chris Pike, Kenn Thomas, Stan Weeber, Wayne Smith, Ben Rogers, Edward Curtin, Michael Calder, Bill Holiday, Mel Barney and many others. Organizers include John Judge and Rob Morrow.
Oswald Innocence Campaign, Santa Barbara, CA, Nov. 22, 2013. Members' Statement: We, the members of the Oswald Innocence Campaign, maintain that at the time of President Kennedy's assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald was standing in the doorway of the Texas School Book Depository, where he was photographed by James "Ike" Altgens, which is clearly evident upon close examination of the photograph. This discovery categorically exonerates Oswald from having shot the President. We call upon the media to renounce the official story that impugns him -- including the "Magic Bullet" theory, which is a conspiratorial fabrication -- and we demand that the American government cease obstructing justice by promoting a gross falsehood, based on lies, which has allowed the true killers to remain free, unindicted, and unpunished.
Silent Vigil for JFK Records Release, Washington Monument, Washington, DC, Nov. 22, 2013.
Selected Music
Wikipedia, Abraham, Martin and John is a 1968 song written by Dick Holler and first recorded by Dion. It is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassination of King and that of Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968, respectively. Each of the first three verses features one of the men named in the song's title, for example:
"Anybody here, seen my old friend Abraham — Can you tell me where he's gone? He freed a lot of people, but it seems the good die young. But I just looked around and he's gone."
After a bridge, the fourth and final verse mentions Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, and ends with a description of him walking over a hill with the other three men.
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