JFK Assassination Readers Guide: Reports, Videos, Archives

 

Provided below are major official reports, films, broadcasts, events, and records centers for materials about President John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963. The Justice Integrity Project created this online archive list as part of its Readers Guide investigating the killing on Nov. 22, 1963.

Mary Ferell FoundationThe Readers Guide is continuously updated, with special attention to the unique historical event of the 50th anniversaries of the 1963 death and the Warren Commission publication in 1964.

The inspiring story of the late Mary Ferrell, a Dallas legal secretary, shows how a dedicated individual with no stake in the outcome aside from a passion for justice helped create a major archive assisting researchers through the generations.

She and her husband, Buck, began building an archive soon after the shooting. They believed Lee Harvey Oswald's arrest just an hour after the killing was strange. They promptly bought a copy of every local newspaper and added materials through the years.

This evolved into the Mary Ferrell Foundation, a non-profit that contains over 1.2 million pages of documents, government reports, books, essays, and hours of multimedia open to the public.

The story illustrates the passion, patriotism and organizational prowess of researchers -- and why such research should not be solely by officials and other professionals.

This installment is not meant for casual reading. Instead, it is best regarded as a reference source for readers looking for something specific in terms of a book, film, or archive.

AARC Warren Commission conference 2014 on John F. Kennedy The Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC) convened a major conference on the Warren Commission anniversary from Sept. 26 to 28, 2014 at the Bethesda Hyatt Regency Hotel.

This editor spoke at the conference during three segments, including opening comments on the continuing importance of the JFK murder in understanding current events. The talks drew on the book, Presidential Puppetry: Obama, Romney and Their Masters, which revealed, among other things, that President Obama's advisors feared a "revolt" if he dared prosecute CIA officials for lawbreaking during the Bush administration.

A separate group, the JFK Historical Group, convened a conference also on the Warren report's 50th anniversary. It was on the same dates from Sept. 26 to 28, 2014 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Alexandria, VA.

This installment below is not meant for casual reading. Instead, it is best regarded as a reference source for readers looking for a specific research resource. Other installments of the Readers Guide cover the most relevant films and other videos, researcher centers, and events. Separate installments provide interpretative columns by this editor.

More than two thousand books have been published in whole or part on the Kennedy assassination, according to AARC President James H. Lesar, who co-founded the non-profit in 1984.

Vital collections of records are maintained at government sites, as well as those private collections listed below. The National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), based in Washington, DC, is  located directly across the street from the Justice Integrity Project's offices. NARA is the nation's official record keeper, with its most relevant JFK collections housed in a facility in College Park, Maryland accessible by a free shuttle bus from NARA's downtown locale. JFK researchers may also search the NARA online database of recently declassified and still-classified records from the Kennedy assassination investigations.

The list below of videos, archives and organizations is necessarily selective. It seeks, however, to include leading works of whatever viewpoint that are frequently cited or regarded as important in the community of experts. Special emphasis is on newer materials and those considered classics.

The criteria is intended to encompass important materials that may include only a small amount of material on the assassination if that material is unique or otherwise of important research value.

Any such compilation is a work in progress. Therefore, we welcome any corrections, additions or other updates. These may be sent via Info [at] justice-integrity.org.

 
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Justice Integrity Project Readers Guide To JFK Assassination

By Andrew Kreig, JIP Editor, T&R Board member, former CAPA Board member, and Associate Editor and Board member of The Indicter Magazine

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.

John F. Kennedy side profile

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.

Dealey Plaza Panorama (Andrew Kreig Photo)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.

  1. Project Launches JFK Assassination Readers' Guide, Oct. 16, 2013.
  2. Project Provides JFK Readers Guide To New Books, Videos, Oct. 26, 2013. This is a list of new books and films in 2013.
  3. Disputes Erupt Over NY Times, New Yorker, Washington Post Reviews of JFK Murder, Nov. 7, 2013. *
  4. Self-Censorship In JFK TV Treatments Duplicates Corporate Print Media's Apathy, Cowardice, Nov. 7, 2013.
  5. 'Puppetry' Hardback Launched Nov. 19 at DC Author Forum on ‘White House Mysteries & Media,'  Nov. 19, 2013.
  6. Major Media Stick With Oswald 'Lone Gunman' JFK Theory, Nov. 27, 2013.
  7. JFK Murder Scene Trapped Its Victim In Kill Zone, Nov. 30, 2013.
  8. Project Lists JFK Assassination Reports, Archives, Videos, Events, Nov. 2, 2013. *
  9. JFK Murder, The CIA, and 8 Things Every American Should Know, Dec. 9, 2013. *
  10. JFK Murder Prompts Expert Reader Reactions, Dec. 19, 2013. Reactions to our Dec. 9 column. 
  11. Have Spy Agencies Co-Opted Presidents and the Press? Dec. 23, 2013. *
  12. Don't Be Fooled By 'Conspiracy Theory' Smears, May 26, 2014. *
  13. Experts To Reveal Secrets of JFK Murder, Cover-up at Sept. 26-28 DC Forum , Sept. 5, 2014. 
  14. Washington Post Still Selling Warren Report 50 Years Later, Sept. 22, 2014. *
  15. JFK Experts To Explode Myths, Sign Books In DC Sept. 26-28, Sept. 24, 2014.
  16. Former Cuban Militant Leader Claims CIA Meeting With Oswald Before JFK Killing, Sept. 27, 2014. *
  17. JFK Readers Guide: Assassination Books, Reports, Oct. 15, 2014. *
  18. Dealey Plaza Picket Fence (Andrew Kreig Photo)Former House JFK Murder Prober Alleges CIA ‘Lied,’ Seeks Hidden Records, Oct. 18, 2014. *
  19. The JFK Murder 'Cover-up' Still Matters -- As Does C-SPAN's Coverage, Nov. 11, 2014. *
  20. JFK, Nov. 22 and the Continuing Cover-Up, Nov. 24, 2014. *
  21. JFK Assassination Readers Guide To 2013-14 Events, Nov. 28, 2014. *
  22. CIA, Empowered by JFK Murder Cover-up, Blocks Senate Torture Report, Dec. 1, 2014. *
  23. Nearly Too Late, Public Learns of Bill Moyers’ Conflicts Over PBS, LBJ, Jan. 2, 2014.
  24. Why Bill O'Reilly's Lie About JFK's Murder Might Matter To You, March 17, 2015.
  25. Free Videos Show Shocking Claims About CIA, JFK Murder Probes, June 29, 2015.
  26. Pioneering Black Secret Service JFK Guard Abraham Bolden Warns Of Current Lessons, July 22, 2015.
  27. Understanding Hollywood-Style Presidential Propaganda From JFK To Trump, Aug. 18, 2015.
  28. Beware Of Wrong Conclusions From New CIA Disclosure On Oswald, Sept. 28, 2015.
  29. The JFK Murder Cover-Up: Your Rosetta Stone To Today’s News, Nov. 29, 2015.
  30. Austin Kiplinger, David Skorton: Two Civic Giants Going And Coming, Dec. 15, 2015.
  31. Trump Alleges Rafael Cruz Tie To JFK Murder Suspect Oswald, May 3, 2016.
  32. Revelations Confirm Proof Of JFK, RFK Murder Cover-ups, Nov. 25, 2016.
  33. Top Experts To Assess JFK Murder Records, Revelations March 16, March 8, 2017.
  34. Speaker Program For March 16 Forum On Secret JFK Records, March 8, 2017.
  35. JFK Experts Advocate Compliance With Records Deadline, March 8, 2017.
  36. At CAPA Forum, JFK Experts See Need, Momentum For Assassination Records Release, March 23, 2017.
  37. Time Magazine, History Channel Ramp Up Oswald-JFK Fake News, April 26, 2017.
  38. JFK Birthday Prompts Inspiration, Art, Advocacy, Snark, June 2, 2017.
  39. Deep State Killed JFK For His Cuba Policy, Peace Advocacy, Experts Say, June 13, 2017.
  40. Newly Released JFK Murder Files Prompt Disputes, 'Jigsaw' Solutions, Aug. 4, 2017.
  41. CAPA Challenges Warren Report Defenders Sabato, Shenon, Sept. 22, 2017.
  42. Trump Plans Release Of Suppressed JFK Records, Oct. 21, 2017.
  43. Trump Backs Off Promise To Release All Suppressed JFK Documents Today; Permits Partial Release, Oct. 26, 2017.
  44. More JFK Murder Records Released On Nov. 9, Nov. 10, 2017. 
  45. TV Star John Barbour Premieres New JFK Documentary In DC With Free Screenings, Lectures, Nov. 13, 2017.
  46. Two Major Annual JFK Research Conferences Launch Friday In Dallas, Nov. 15, 2017.
  47. DC, Dallas Nov. 22 Events Mark JFK Murder, Official Cover-up, Nov. 22, 2017
  48. Assessing Newly Released JFK Records, Alec Baldwin's Slam of NBC Cover-up, Dec. 19, 2017.
  49. DC 'Big Event' Boosts Pressure To Disclose Suppressed JFK Records, March 16, 2018.
  50. Trump Postpones Some JFK Documents At Deadline For Three Years, Releases Others, April 26, 2018.
  51. Trump Suppresses JFK Murder Records, Violates Pledge, Bows To CIA, Deep State, May 1, 2018.
  52. Rights Pioneer's Obit Prompts Disputes Over JFK Murder Half-Truths, May 29, 2018.
  53. Poppy's Seed and Bitter Harvest: Half-Truths History (four-part series on life, legacy of George H. W. Bush), published from Dec. 9 through Dec. 14, 2018, with link to first installment).
  54. Kennedy and King Family Members and Advisors Call for Congress to Reopen Assassination Probes, Jan. 20, 2019.
  55. 3 JFK Research Conferences In Dallas From Nov. 21-24, Andrew Kreig, Nov. 17, 2019. 
Andrew Kreig photoAndrew Kreig, the author of the series excerpted above, is a non-profit executive, investigative reporter, author and attorney based in Washington, DC.

After careers in journalism, law and business, he became a founding director of both the Justice Integrity Project and of CAPA, among other leadership positions in civic organizations. CAPA (Citizens Against Political Assassinations) membership details and volunteer opportunities are here.

 

 

Major Official Reports

John F. Kennedy 1998

Assassination Records Review Board, Final Report and Records Index. Available here via National Archives and Records Center.

1996

Oswald, the CIA, and Mexico City [aka "Lopez Report"], House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA), written in 1978 by Dan Hardway and Ed Lopez. Declassified in 1993 and more fully in 1996. Available here via the Mary Ferrell Foundation. 

1979

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. House Report No. 95-1828.U.S. Government Printing Office, 1979, with accompanying 12 volumes on the JFK portion of the probe. The Final Report of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) presents the HSCA's findings in the murders of both President John F. Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. The report is available here via the History Matters archive, which provides this summary: "The HSCA found a "probable conspiracy" in the JFK assassination, but was unable to determine its nature or participants (other than that Oswald was still deemed to have fired all the successful shots). In the King case, the HSCA similarly found that James Earl Ray assassinated Reverend King, but that there might have been a small-scale conspiracy involved."

1976

Final Report: Investigation of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy: Performance of the Intelligence Agencies, Select Committee To Study Government Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities, 94th Congress, 2nd Session, United States Senate ("Church Committee). Senate Report No. 94-755. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1976.

1975

Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders: An Interim Report  of the Select Committee To Study Governmental Operations With Respect to Intelligence Activities, United States Senate ("Church Committee), Senate Report No. 94-465. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975.

Report to the President by the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States ("Rockefeller Commission). Manor Books, 1975.

1972

The Pentagon Papers: The Defense Department History of United States Decision Making on Vietnam, Senator Gravel Edition (five volumes). Beacon, 1972.

1964

Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren, center in the photo at left, and individually at right, led the seven-member commission. Warren, a former governor of California, is shown at left presenting their report in 1964 to President Lyndon Baines Johnson, Kennedy's successor.

Earl WarrenWarren Commission Presents Report to President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy [aka "Warren Commission Report"] and 26 volumes of hearings and exhibits, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964, available here via the Mary Ferrell Foundation.

The Warren Commission Report: The Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of  President John F. Kennedy. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964.

Investigation of the Assassination of  President John F. Kennedy: Hearings Before the President's Commission on the Assassination of  President John F. Kennedy. U.S. Government Printing Office, 1964 (26 volumes).
 
Warren Commission Executive Session Transcripts. Originally confidential, and published by various outlets, 1964.
 

1961-63

Public Papers of the Presidents: John F. Kennedy, 1961-1963. Government Printing Office, 1962-1964.

 

Noted JFK Assassination Researcher Ed 'TreeFrog' Sherry Dies

 

JFK Assassination education Ed 'TreeFrog' Sherry Dies

Baylor University Poage Library, JFK Researcher Ed 'TreeFrog' Sherry Passes, Library Director Ben Rogers, October 2014. I only knew Ed 'TreeFrog' Sherry for just a few years through the Dallas conferences. He visited Poage Library a couple of times. On his first visit he immediately noticed that we needed research lockers. He quickly funded the project and continued to support the library. In May when he was facing surgery, he began sending his materials to Waco with the help of a friend. He continued this the entire time he was sick. The final boxes were sent last week and arrived on Tuesday, the day before he died. He even sent his Army dog tags for safe keeping as a reminder of his military intelligence service which served as the background for his later Kennedy research. While he was in the hospital, he took time to write out as best he could a short biography of his military service. This will be added to his web site next week. His generous spirit will continue as he has provided for the long-term care of his papers. Tributes from other JFK educators and researchers here.

 

Selected JFK Assassination-Related Archives, Websites, Advocacy Groups

American Presidency Project, Santa Barbara, CA. The project was established in 1999 as a collaboration between John T. Woolley and Gerhard Peters at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Archives contain 104,108 documents related to the study of the Presidency. The index of those documents related to President Kennedy is here.

AARC conference Sept. 26-28, 2014Assassination Archives Research Center (AARC), Silver Spring, MD and Washington, DC. President James Lesar and Executive Director Jerry Policoff. The AARC's holdings comprise the most extensive collection of records on the JFK assassination in private hands. It has approximately 1,500 books on assassinations, organized crime, covert activities, and a wide variety of other subjects relevant to the study of assassinations and related topics. Its “main files” consist of newspaper and magazine articles, unpublished manuscripts, trial transcripts, photographs, tapes, notes, letters and other materials which fill some 36 four-drawer file cabinets.  AARC’s events include The Warren Report and the JFK Assassination: A Half Century of Significant Disclosures, a three-day conference at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland, September 26 through September 28, 2014 featuring, among others: Russ Baker; Prof. G. Robert Blakey; James D’Eugenio; Marie Fonzi; Robert Groden; Dan Hardway; Dr. David Kaiser; Andrew Kreig; Dr. Joan Mellen; Jefferson Morley; Dr. John Newman; Dr. Randolph Robertson; Dr. Peter Dale Scott; Anthony Summers; Dr. Donald Thomas; Dr. Ernst Titovets; Lamar Waldron; Dr. Cyril H. Wecht; and many others.  A complete list of confirmed speakers and more details is at the AARC’s website, www.aarclibrary.org.Washington, DC.

Assassination of JFK.net, San Diego, CA. Curators: Greg Burnham and Christina Gill. This site provide blogs on new research for the public, and an interactive discussion group for members. It provides this perspective on its mission: "Burnham began seriously questioning the official government version of the assassination while attending Queen of Angels Seminary, and by the time he graduated (1975) he had become convinced that the Warren Report was nonsense and later, while still in college, he concluded that the House Select Committee on Assassinations was barely any better. The two most important subjects of his primary research – and best sources of information – were the late Colonel L Fletcher Prouty, USAF (Chief of Special Operations) and the late Gerry Patrick Hemming. Although Hemming was known for sending researchers who “hadnʼt done their homework” on wild goose chases Burnham believes that the bulk of information Hemming offered him was reliable. Burnhamʼs close ally over the years, Jack White, introduced him to the photographic and film evidence related to the assassination and eventually Burnham became acquainted with Rich DellaRosa through Jack. Burnham subsequently became a founding member of Rich Della Rosa’s JFK Research Assassination Forum, where he assisted with various forum related tasks from 1998 until Richʼs death in 2010."

Baylor University, JFK Materials Collection, Waco, TX. Ben Rogers, Director, W.R. Poage Legislative Library, Baylor University. The JFK Materials collection began in 2004 with the acquisition of the papers of Penn Jones, Jr. from his Baylor University Poage Libraryfriend, Bob Platt. These papers included correspondence, manuscripts, cassette tapes, video tapes, magazines, photographs and various publications. Additional materials were given by Penn Jones' sons including a large group of materials related to Penn's service with the 36th Infantry Division in WWII. The new web site for the Penn Jones Collection is www.baylor.edu/lib/poage/jones/. Since then, it has partnered with Jack White and Gary Shaw to duplicate JFK materials from their personal collections. According to library staff: As of 2008, we had added 40+ JFK assassination research newsletter titles with over 800 individual issues, 420 magazine articles, 200+ videos, 100+ cassettes, HSCOA videos and cassettes, and correspondence from hundreds of individuals. We have also added general magazines, newspapers and videos documenting the life and death of President Kennedy. Background: Jones's liberal, confrontational and controversial opinions in the Mirror led to a firebombing of the paper in 1962. The International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors awarded him the Elijah Parish Lovejoy Award for Courage in Journalism on July 14, 1963. Jones was covering President Kennedy's visit to Dallas on November 22, 1963, and was awaiting the president's arrival at the Dallas Trade Mart when Kennedy was assassinated. The Mirror's post-assassination headline, in the largest hot-type size possible, read "The Shame of Dallas." His local access to witnesses and others with assassination-related knowledge, led him to identify "strange deaths" and disappearing witnesses connected with President Kennedy's murder. Eventually he published four volumes of "Forgive My Grief" a compilation of Mirror editorials. 

Citizens Against Political Assassinations (CAPA), Washington, DC. Chairman/President Cyril H. Wecht, MD, JD (shown in his lab). Americans deserve prompt and thorough disclosure of the facts surrounding the nation’s major Dr. Cyril Wechtassassinations and attempted assassinations, according to CAPA, a major new research group on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of 9/11 attacks and renewed commitment by open government advocates and opponents of Deep State crimes. As an initial goal, CAPA, a non-partisan umbrella group, seeks withheld records pertaining to the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and New York Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.  “CAPA seeks release of the remaining JFK records with a minimum of redactions, which can obscure vital information,” said CAPA Chairman Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., a prominent expert in forensic pathology for five decades. “We shall also file Freedom of Information Act requests and similar legal actions to enforce the law and undertake public education efforts to show the importance of disclosure to new generations.” Wecht is a consultant, medical school professor, author, and former county coroner for two decades in Pennsylvania. The JFK Act of 1992 exemplifies one major CAPA initiative especially congruent with the goals of Sunshine Week and other open government initiatives this spring fostered by the newspaper, broadcast and library leaders along with concerned citizens. The JFK Act requires federal release of records on the assassination of President Kennedy by October 2017. The president of the United States at that time will be responsible for enforcement.

Citizens for Truth About the Kennedy Assassination (CTKA), Long Beach, CA. Director, James DiEugenio. CTKA is an activist group lobbying for full disclosure of all records relating to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was organized as a result of the April 1993 Chicago Midwest Symposium on Assassinations. At the end of that conference, it was generally decided that the time had come to create a political action group, which would urge the executive branch of our government to re-open the unsolved assassinations of the 1960s-i.e., the murders of President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King. CTKA endeavors to ensure that the Review Board fulfill its mandate to release all the remaining records pertaining to the JFK assassination; to amend the current Freedom of Information Act to render future covert actions more difficult to hide; and to urge the American people to discover the truth about their history.

, National Press Club, Washington, DC, May 31, 2014 (2:11 hours). Former U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) helped open a memorial service recapping the work of COPA leader John Judge.

C-SPAN Kennedy Archive, Washington, DC. The cable-funded public affairs channel provides an extensive archives of shows illuminating all major points of view. The site has search functions, and indexing categories for clips, people, and legislation.

Dallas Municipal Archives, Dallas TX. Beginning in 1989, the Dallas Police Department transferred to the Dallas Municipal Archives, police records relating to the assassination. The collection is reported to contain nearly 12,000 documents and photographs. These include homicide reports, affidavits, witness statements, newspaper clippings and correspondence. The collection is also available on microfilm. The Municipal Archives possesses the original files, except those that have been transferred to the federal government permanently.

Dealey Plaza UK (DPUK), United Kingdom. Home of the British JFK Assassination research group. Founded in 1995, the group of research enthusiasts investigates the assassination of J.F.K. on Nov. 22nd 1963 in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas. Research is published in a yearly magazine, Dealey Plaza Echo, and on its website. The group holds an annual weekend seminar in Canterbury and a handful of one-day meetings in London and York. Founding members include Malcolm Blunt and the late Ian Griggs.

Future of Freedom Foundation, Fairfax, VA. Founder and President Jacob G. Hornberger. The foundation was founded in 1989 with the aim of establishing an educational foundation that would advance an uncompromising case for libertarianism in the context of both foreign and domestic policy. The foundation's president authored the 2015 book The Kennedy Autopsy, co-authored with Douglas Horne, a former staff member of the Assassination Records Review Board, the 2014 book JFK's War with the National Security Establishment: Why Kennedy Was Assassinated. The foundation also has hosted videos Horne's in-depth discussions of assassination evidence. Separately, Horne is the author of a five-volume treatment of the topic first published in 2009, Inside the Assassination Records Review Board.

Harold Weisberg Archive, Hood College, Frederick, MD. Co-Directors are Gerald D. McKnight and Clayton Ogilvie. Hood College maintains a large, accessible private collection of government documents and public records relating to President Kennedy's assassination. Much of it comes from the labors of Harold Weisberg (1913-2002). He used the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIAPA) to History Matters Logoobtain about 250,000 pages of documents, largely from the Warren Commission, FBI, Secret Service, Justice Department, and CIA. Also, the collection includes about 85,000 pages of FBI documents regarding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Government records are available also about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

History Matters: The JFK Assassination. History Matters, based in Ipswich, MA, is a venture operated by Rex Bradford, a computer game designer and avid historian of the Cold War. Rex has published articles in JFK assassination journals and speaks regularly at conferences on this topic. Besides operating a website, History Matters produces a series of CD-ROM titles containing source materials and essays on the topics presented on this site. The goal of this website is to serve as a repository and focal point for education and research on the subject of the JFK assassination and related topics in Cold War history. History Matters is devoted to the idea that history does matter. Much of the history that we learn is biased and distorted. This is particularly true of the "official" history of our darker national episodes. History Matters has no agenda, however, other than service to the truth. By delivering document collections in an accessible manner, we hope to inform and enlighten.

JFK Assassination Information Center, Toronto and Milwaukee. Co-Moderators Peter Fokes and John McAdams. The primary purpose of this website is to make as much of the primary information concerning President Kennedy's assassination available to the general public as possible in a manner that is user-friendly and unbiased. A secondary goal is to allow a forum for authors on all sides of the issue to present their views. Peter Fokes has worn many hats during his 49 years, including business journalist, communications media specialist, freelance writer and stock trader. He has a conspiracy orientation but believes the truth has remained a mystery for so long because there were "few" in the know but many helping to shut the door to a proper investigation. John McAdams was an Associate Professor of Political Science at Marquette University in Milwaukee until late 2014. Among the courses he taught at Marquette was one on the assassination. He runs The Kennedy Assassination Home Page. McAdams believes that Oswald alone was responsible for killing Kennedy.

JFK Countercoup.com, Somers Point, NJ. Led by William Kelly, Jr.

JFK Essentials LogoJFK Essentials. Administrator Alan Dale is the host of “JFK Lancer: Conversations,” an on-line interview program featuring in-depth Alan Dalediscussions with prominent authors, historical researchers, and notable personalities associated with the study of President Kennedy’s assassination. Dale is a lifetime student of American history whose parents were active as supporters and volunteers in the political campaigns of John and Robert Kennedy. JFK Essentials is dedicated to civil discussion of the meaning, facts, and circumstances of President Kennedy’s assassination. As of mid-2014 JFK Essentials includes select interview transcriptions among nearly one thousand posts on more than 220 topics by 36 members. 

JFK Facts, Washington, DC. Led by author and former Washington Post reporter Jefferson Morley, at left, JFK Facts seeks to JFK Facts Logobecome the premier web destination for hiqh-quality information about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. "We will fact-check news stories, blogs, YouTube videos, books, and movies about the JFK assassination with the goal of dispelling confusion and establishing an accurate historical record. We answer questions Jefferson Morleyfor high school and college students, as well as the general public."

JFK Lancer Productions and Publications, Dallas, TX. JFK Lancer (named for the JFK's Secret Service code name "Lancer") is a historical research company specializing in the administration and assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It was founded in 1995 by Thomas A. Jones and Debra J. Conway. Larry Hancock is the Chairman, and Stuart Wexler JFK Lancer logothe Co-Chairman. It was joined by Sherry P. Fiester in 2006, Nicola Mediteraneo in 2010, and Julianne Carson in 2013. Its description: "JFK Lancer works with the largest and most active group of President John F. Kennedy historical researchers. Our past conferences have hosted many of the eyewitnesses of the assassination and the most respected of authors and researchers from around the world. We subscribe to the values of patriotism, excellence, integrity and dedication to the revealing of truth surrounding the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Our goal is to make research materials concerning Kennedy's assassination easily available to everyone. Our prime concern is the accuracy of history and the true story of the turbulent 1960s." JFK Lancer will hold a conference on the assassination and Warren Commission report from Nov. 20-21 in Dallas, TX. Jim DeEugenio will be Program Chairman. Other leaders are Larry Hancock and JFK Lancer President Debra Conway. Details.

JFK Primary Sources, unknown locale or organizer (named "Will") that describes itself as: The gateway into the world of JFK assassination research. This site features links to all the relative Primary Source archives and hundreds of additional links to valuable resources. Each link connects directly to the featured location. Information contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

John F. Kennedy Assassination.com. Frankfurt/Main, Germany. Curator Ralph Schuster. He created the site in 1996 in Germany, and provides this history: There were only a very few web sites about this topic back then. The site became a huge hit in November of 2003, the 40th anniversary of JFK's death. All 495 of witness testimonies and affidavits are available online now. The complete index, created by Walt Brown, has been dropped in favour of the search interface. Stats: 633 testimonies, 87 affidavits, 8,483 web pages.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston, MA. Under Director Thomas J. Putnam, the facility is dedicated to the memory of the nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world. "Located on a ten-acre park, overlooking the sea that he loved and the city that launched him to greatness, the Library stands as a vibrant tribute to the life and times of John F. Kennedy." As director, Larry SabatoPutnam has responsibility for preserving and providing access to the Library’s collections and using them as the basis of exhibits and educational programming. During his tenure, the Library has increased the size of its collections, built a 30,000 square foot addition, launched the nation’s first digital presidential archives, strengthened the Library’s Forum series, and experienced an unprecedented increase in its core revenue streams.

Justice Integrity Project, Readers Guide To JFK Assassination: Books, Videos, Archives, edited by Andrew Kreig, a longtime Washington, DC-based investigative reporter, attorney and author. To help researchers of President Kennedy's 1963 assassination and its current implications, the Justice Integrity Project began publishing a Reader's Guide in 2013 to coincide with the shooting's 50th anniversary. The guide had nearly 60 segments or columns, as of early 2022. Included also in this guide compiled by has been new developments in research, in-depth coverage of major JFK-related events, and research that explores the assassination's current implications for the U.S. justice system and other governance

Kennedy Half Century. Charlottesville, VA. This site is named for the title of a 2013 book by University of Virginia Professor Larry J. Sabato, shown in a file photo. He created an unusually innovative collection of new and old research materials. "John F. Kennedy died almost half a century ago—yet because of his extraordinary promise and untimely death, his star still resonates strongly. On the anniversary of his assassination, political scientist and analyst Sabato explored the powerful influence JFK has had over five decades on the media, the general public, and especially on each of his nine presidential successors."

Mae BrussellMae Brussell in her office, shown at right.

Mae Brussell Archive, via File and Claw. Mae Brussell was one of the most prolific anti-fascist political researchers of the latter half of the 20th Century. On November 22, 1963, she began her investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, cross-indexing the 26 volumes of the Warren Commission Report and making over 27,000 pages of textual analysis. In 1967, she went to New Orleans to assist DA Jim Garrison in his investigation of the death of JFK. One of the viewpoints and avenues of research that Mae pioneered was the importation of Nazis into the United States post-World War II and their connection to various crimes and political murders since that time. In 1971, Mae began radio career with the show “Dialogue: Assassination” on the independently owned radio station, KLRB. The show was later re-named “Dialogue: Conspiracy” and then “World Watchers International.” She mailed tapes of her broadcasts all over the world and provided bibliographies for each tape to show her sources. She broadcasted until her death in 1988. This is part of the effort to help catalog her life’s work.

Mary Ferell FoundationMary Ferrell Foundation (MFF), Ipswich, MA. Rex Bradford, President. The Mary Ferrell Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)(3) group engaged in an ongoing effort to bring accessible and interactive history to a new generation of critical thinkers. With a wide topic base including the assassinations of the 1960s, the Watergate scandal, and post-Watergate intelligence abuse investigations, the MFF’s vast digital archive at www.maryferrell.org contains over 1.3 million pages of documents, government reports, books, essays, and hours of multimedia. This site is open to all for browsing. Memberships are available that unlock the site's powerful search engine and allow access to PDF copies of documents. Institutional memberships are also Mary and Buck Ferrellavailable. Find out more about membership in the MFF here

The late Mary Ferrell, a legal secretary in Dallas who immediately suspected after the JFK shooting that archives would be vital to public understanding, is shown at left and at right with her late husband, Buck.

McAdams Museum, Milwaukee, WI. Prof. John McAdams, a professor at Marquette University until late 2014 and a defender of the Warren Commission, created an archive of materials, including a recommended list of readings of primarily older books with conventional views of the assassination and its impact. McAdams authored The Kennedy Assassination.

Museum of Hidden History, Washington, DC. Executive Director Marilyn Tenenoff. Founder, the late John Judge.

National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), Washington, DC. National Archivist David S. Ferriero, shown at below right, is the head of the agency, appointed by the President of the United States. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept forever. 

NARA's JFK Collection: In 1992, Congress enacted the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act. The Act mandated that all assassination-related material be housed in a single David Ferrierocollection in the NARA. The collection consists of more than 5 million pages of assassination-related records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts (approximately 2,000 cubic feet of records). Most of the records are open for research. JFK researchers may search the NARA online database of recently declassified and still-classified records from the Kennedy assassination investigations. The site provides a Kennedy Assassination Collection Simple Search Form. Some names appear in various forms. For example, records pertaining to Clay Shaw are sometimes coded "CS" while others show up under the search term "Clay Shaw." If you plan to visit the National Archives at College Park to examine JFK Assassination Collection records, NARA strongly urges you to visit the Information for Researchers page prior to your arrival. Here you can find information regarding pull times, contacts and hours. The bulk of JFK materials are at:

The National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001

Oswald Innocence Campaign, Santa Barbara, CA. Administrator Ralph Cinque. "We are an organization of JFK researchers committed to spreading the truth that -- in spite of ingenious efforts to conceal it -- Lee Harvey Oswald was the "Man in the Doorway" in the famous Altgens photo, which thereby exonerates him of any and all guilt in the murder of President Kennedy. It is the smoking gun of the JFK assassination. The Pacific Coast Blues Band has recorded our anthem for JFK truth. The video is on Youtube: "He Didn't Do It." The truth about Lee Harvey Oswald can clearly be seen where he is standing in the doorway of the Texas School Book Depository during the assassination. Lee was watching the passing motorcade, and it proves that he could not have been up on the 6th floor firing at President Kennedy. Senior members of the Oswald Innocence Campaign are listed. 

PatSpeer.com, Los Angeles, CA. Editor Patrick Speer, an entertainment industry veteran, researched President Kennedy’s assassination full-time beginning in 2003 for three yeas, and in part-time writing since then. He has published thousands of commentaries and presented his findings at leading events in the field. One of his major topics has been to review mainstream documentaries featured in 2013 regarding the 50th anniversary of the death. Also, he produced a four-part documentary in 2007, The Mysterious Death of Number 35, attacking medical conclusions of the Warren Commission. He publishes also in the JFK Assassination section of The Education Forum, where he serves as moderator.

L Fletcher ProutyProuty.org. Len Olsanic, Director. This is a website devoted to the life and commentaries of the late L. Fletcher Prouty, left, an Air Force colonel who held high-level positions in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administration's Department of Defense. This website is curated by Black Ops Radio host Len Olsanic. It provides materials on the liaison between the Air Force and CIA during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Prouty served as the chief of special operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kennedy years. A retired colonel of the U.S. Air Force, he ran the global system designed to provide military support for the clandestine activities of the CIA from 1955 to 1964. He was the author of JFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedy. Skyhorse, 2013 (1996), and The Secret Team. Prentice Hall, 1973.

Real History Archives. Real History Archives and BlogLisa Pease, co-editor of Probe and former webmaster for CTKA, directs this site. It says of its founding: This site exists because we are not being told the truth about our history. Are you under the impression that Oswald killed Kennedy? That the media is independent? That the CIA never operates without presidential authority? If so, you need to peruse these archives and find out what you've been missing. This site is designed to provide researchers links and leads to finding solid information about our real history, as opposed to the convenient -- if somewhat fake -- history the "mainstream" corporate press feeds us. This site has been in existence since 1993, and will continue to evolve.

Reopen Kennedy Case, Australia. Co-founder Greg Parker is the author of Lee Harvey Oswald's Cold War: Why the Kennedy Assassination Should Be Reinvestigated (Amazon Digital, 2014). The forum's mission: "To have the Kennedy assassination reopened by developing new leads and evidence, re-examination of old leads and evidence, the development and encouragement of new ideas and the innovative use of social media. Along the way, we will take this mission seriously -- not ourselves." The forum sponsors a 2015 event Nov. 21-22 at the Mercure in Melbourne. For details, visit website or email rokcevents (at) reopenkennedycase.org.

John SimkinSpartacus Educational, United Kingdom. This is a web-based educational maintained by John Simkin, right. Its index of key figures and topics in the JFK assassination is here. The material is hot-linked to extensive bios and photos. There are approximately 500 names listed in Simkin's database of important figures, witnesses and possible conspirators. Sixty are listed among the 120 suspicious deaths in a spreadsheet of deaths from 1964-78 maintained separately by researcher Richard Charnin, who calculates that 45 of the 60 were homicides. The  web-based Spartacus archive contains many topics beyond United States history and the JFK murder.

Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, Dallas, TX. Stephen Fagin has succeeded the late Gary Mack as the curator. The museum chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy; interprets the Dealey Plaza National Historic Landmark District and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza; and presents contemporary culture within the context of presidential history.

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Dr. David J. Skorton (shown in a file photo), a former president of Cornell University, became the secretary of the world's largest museum and research complex in July 2015. David Skorton Cornell PhotoThe Smithsonian Institution is a museum and research complex of 19 museums and galleries and the National Zoological Park, as well as research facilities. It was established with funds from James Smithson (1765–1829), a British scientist who left his estate to the United States to found “at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The Institution cover diverse topics for its nearly 40 million annual visitors and other audiences, of course, but on occasion treat important elements of Kennedy assassination. Among a sample: Smithsonian Channel: The Day Kennedy Died, Kevin Spacey (Narrator) and Leslie Woodhead (Director) (shown at right). Smithsonian video As another example: Smithsonian Magazine, An Interactive 3D Model of the JFK Assassination Site, Grassy Knoll and All, Joseph Stromberg, Nov. 22, 2013. A Danish graphic designer has pieced together historic photos and maps to create an interactive digital diorama of the fateful moments. Also: Smithsonian Magazine, Inside the Autopsy Room: The Details Doctors Gathered About JFK’s Assassination, Megan Gambino, Nov. 19, 2013.

The Truth & Reconciliation Committee (TRC). The committee was founded in late 2019 and is led by an executive co-chairs Dan Storper and Libby Handros. Its more than 60 founding signers include members of the Kennedy and King families, forensics expert Dr. Cyril Wecht, whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, civil rights leader Reverend James Lawson, Jr., activist actors and directors, Martin Sheen, Rob Reiner, Alec Baldwin, Oliver Stone and many others.

In a mission statement, the TRC says it is dedicated to helping America confront the truth of the assassinations, all of which changed the course of American and world history and adversely affect us to this day. The subsequent cover-ups and failures to disclose critical case files have added to the public’s distrust of both the government and the media, a situation that has helped create the dysfunction in our current political environment.

truth and reconciliation committee logo"These public tribunals," it says, "shining a light on this dark chapter of our history, will be modeled on the Truth and Reconciliation process in post-apartheid South Africa. The inquests -- which will hear testimony from living witnesses, legal experts, investigative journalists, historians and family members of the victims -- are intended to show the need for Congress or the Justice Department to reopen investigations into all four assassinations."

Among its major projects has been publication in late 2021 of succint primers that assemble evidence and the historical importance regarding the assassinations of JFK and, separately, his brother RFK.

JFK: The Real Story, a major new research report available here www.americantruthnow.org/jfk-the-real-story, was written by respected journalists and researchers. It relies on documented evidence to refute the official government story of these assassinations. As with other Truth and Reconciliation movements, our goal is not to punish the perpetrators but to set the historical record straight and thereby help bring about a new era of understanding for current and future generations.

The Justice Integrity Project, whose director Andrew Kreig has been active as a co-founding board member in supporting the committee's work, republished the first part of the report here (JFK's Assassination Part 1) to advance public understanding of evidence that has been ignored or under-reported by the mainstream media.

 

Related Resources

Change.org. Petition Seeking Sirhan's Parole.

Wikipedia, Assassination of John F. Kennedy.

 

Selected JFK Assassination Radio Shows In Series Format

Black Ops Radio, 50 Reasons For 50 Years, hosted and curated by Len Osanic. This series of more than 700 radio shows since 2002 featuring important researchers and topics. Olsanic also curates the website Prouty.org, which is devoted to the work of the late L. Fletcher Prouty, an Air Force colonel who held high-level positions in the Eisenhower and Kennedy administration's Department of Defense. The site provides materials on the liaison between the Air Force and CIA during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. Prouty served as the chief of special operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Kennedy years.

WWUH-FM, Assassination Journal, a weekly half-hour show, was hosted by the late University of Hartford professor George Michael Evica for more than three decades before his death in 2007. Details: University of Hartford, In Memoriam: George Michael Evica, Staff report, Nov. 13, 2015. George Michael Evica, associate professor emeritus of English, died on Saturday, Nov. 10, following a courageous battle with lung and brain cancer. He was 79. Evica began teaching at the University in 1964 and retired in 1992. He received national and international recognition for his research on the life and assassination of John F. Kennedy. He was the author of two books, And We Are All Mortal: New Evidence and Analysis in the Assassination of John F. Kennedy, published in 1978, and A Certain Arrogance: U.S. Intelligence's Manipulation of Religious Groups and Individuals in Two World Wars and the Cold War—and the Sacrificing of Lee Harvey Oswald (2006). Evica argued that American intelligence -- the OSS and the CIA -- misused major religious groups and individuals through two world wars and the Cold War, focusing on the creation of the Albert Schweitzer College in Switzerland and its ties to Lee Harvey Oswald. In 1975, Evica began broadcasting "Assassination Journal" on WWUH (91.3 FM) live each Tuesday, up until this past July when illness forced him to stop. See also, Hartford Courant, George Evica Dies; Longtime Radio Commentator, Susan Campbell, Nov. 12, 2007. For two generations, George Michael Evica was known internationally as the grandfather of all John F. Kennedy assassination researchers. The University of Hartford emeritus professor of literature emphatically held that the commonly accepted wisdom -- that malcontent Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting the president in November 1963 -- was a lie.

 

Selected JFK Assassination Memorials, Protests, Other Events

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.

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.

 

Selected JFK Television Films (October-November 2013) (Washington Post Analysis and Listing)

Jacqueline Kennedy, Clinton Hill in DallasWashington Post, JFK anniversary on TV: Stale shows and a nation stuck in a freeze frame, Hank Stuever, Nov. 7, 2013. Hank Stuever is The Washington Post’s TV critic and author of two books, “Tinsel” and “Off Ramp.” Why do we keep reliving Nov. 22, 1963, in an onslaught of stale 50th-anniversary shows?

Washington Post, Where to start with all this JFK stuff on TV? Here, Hank Stuever, Nov. 7, 2013. A guide to some (most?) of the JFK-related shows on TV this month — with critic’s recommendations. Here’s a quick viewing guide to some of the Kennedy-related TV documentaries and specials airing this month, with Post TV critic Hank Stuever’s recommendations denoted by a “★.” 

JFK: The Final Hours, Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel. Narrated by Bill Paxton, an intriguing replay of Jack and Jackie’s trip to Texas, featuring several interviews with people who met them and also a lot of memories from Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the first lady.

Fox News Reporting: 50 Years of Questions — The JFK Assassination. Saturday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m., Fox News Channel. Discussion hosted by Bill Hemmer.

Killing Kennedy. Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 p.m., National Geographic Channel. Dull and clunky. Saved by Will Rothhaar’s nervy performance as Lee Harvey Oswald — a poor man’s Ryan Gosling!

American Experience: JFK. In two parts — Monday and Tuesday, Nov. 11 and 12 at 9 p.m., WETA and MPT. Producer and Director Susan Bellows. The big kahuna of this year’s Kennedy documentaries — a full biography and examination of his presidency. Lots of footage you’ve seen before; some you haven’t. A good start for those born after 1980 or so; a reverent review for those who remember it all vividly.

Capturing Oswald. Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 10 p.m., Military Channel. Looks at the fast scramble by Dallas police officers and feds to find the Kennedy assassin (and cop-killer). Interviews, recollections and the whole tick-tock account.

Nova: Cold Case JFK. Wednesday, Nov. 13, 9 p.m., WETA and MPT. Father-son ballistics experts run experiments in the desert to see whether the Warren Commission’s findings pass their plausibility tests.

JFK: One P.M. Central Standard Time. Wednesday, Nov. 13, 10 p.m., WETA and MPT. News junkies will dig this “Secrets of the Dead” episode, narrated by George Clooney, about how the news from Dealey Plaza and Parkland Hospital was broken and confirmed by reporters in Dallas and New York — up to and including CBS anchor Walter Cronkite’s live announcement that Kennedy had died.

Marching On: 1963 Army-Navy Remembered. Thursday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network. Recounts the somber but healing football game — postponed after Kennedy’s assassination — that helped coax a nation back to normalcy.

John F. Kennedy Side ProfileJFK: A President Betrayed. On-demand beginning Nov. 14, DirecTV. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, a look at Kennedy’s efforts to avoid armed conflict and reign in the nuclear-arms race, while fending off the hawks around him who wanted to drop bombs. This one’s for those with DirecTV who can never hear enough about the Cold War.

Kennedy’s Suicide Bomber. Sunday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m., Smithsonian Channel. Here’s a weird one most everyone forgot: A man drove to Palm Beach hoping to kill president-elect Kennedy in December 1960 with a car bomb.

The Day Kennedy Died. Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m., Smithsonian Channel. A thorough examination of routes, schedules, trajectories, eerie details and Zapruder close-ups.

Letters to Jackie. Sunday, Nov. 17 at 9 p.m., TLC. Tenderly examines a handful of the 800,000 condolence letters the first lady received in the days after the assassination, read aloud by celebrities.

The Lost JFK Tapes. Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m., Discovery. Features some new audio recordings and testimonies from those who saw it happen in Dallas.

JFK Assassination: The Definitive Guide. Friday, Nov. 22, at 8 p.m., History. Whodunit? (Besides Oswald.) A roundup and breakdown of all the theories and unsolved mysteries of what happened at Dealey Plaza and then, two days later, when Jack Ruby shot Oswald. A survey reveals what Americans today think most likely happened, based on their, uh, vast expertise.

Lee Harvey Oswald: 48 Hours to Live. Friday, Nov. 22 at 10 p.m., History. We still don’t know what made Oswald do it, but we sure know a lot about his last two days alive.

 

Lee Harvey Oswald “Trial” Dramatizations for TV, Film or Bar Groups

2014

Ohio Bar Association, The Warren Commission: 50 Years Later, Spring 2014. On June 6, two former staff members of the Warren Commission will lead a six-hour Continuing Legal Education (CLE) conference titled “The Warren Commission: 50 Years Later,” an inquiry into the legal and ethical issues associated with President John F. Kennedy’s assassination investigation. How might Lee Harvey Oswald have been tried? Was there evidence of conspiracy? Featured speakers will explore these and other questions at the conference, which will be held in Columbus and simulcast live to Akron, Dayton and Perrysburg.
Kicking off the day-long conference, Retired Cleveland Judge C. Ellen Connally provides the historical context for the Warren Commission’s investigation into the assassination. Retired Common Pleas Judge Burt W. Griffen and former U.S. Justice Department attorney Howard P. Willens, both former staff members of the Warren Commission, discuss the difficulty of balancing a quest for truth with practical and ethical considerations. Judge Brendan Sheehan of the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court moderates the panel discussion that follows.

2013

WFAA-TV in cooperation with the Texas State Bar Association,

, Aug. 5, 2013 (52:06). Mock trial, recorded on video. Prosecuting attorney: U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña, now Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Department (confirmed by Senate for DHS on Dec 16, 2014). Defense attorney: Toby Shook. 

1992

American Bar Association, Mock Trial, August 1992, San Francisco, CA. News report: Atlanta Constitution, Oswald finally gets his day in court Did he really kill JFK? Lawyers plan mock trial, Mark Curriden, Aug. 10, 1992. Film treatment: Turner Classic Movies, Trial of the Century: "United States v. Lee Harvey Oswald." Cast & Crew: Peter B. Freeman and Donald Vinson, Event Moderators. William Matthew Byrne, Jr., Carol Corrigan, and Samuel C. Pointer, Jr., Judges. It's being billed as "the trial of the century." All the major television networks and newspapers are here. A cable network is airing it live, gavel to gavel. And while it is only a mock trial, the participants are taking it very seriously. The American Bar Association, which is meeting in San Francisco this week, has hired some of the nation's best lawyers to prosecute and defend Lee Harvey Oswald on the charge that he and he alone shot and killed President John F. Kennedy almost 29 years ago.

"We want this to be both entertaining as well as educational," said Peter Freeman, in ABA official who is directing the mock trial. "Besides learning about new trial techniques and advance computer analysis, do not be surprised if some fascinating new insights into the assassination are revealed."

1986

LWT Productions via Showtime, Channel Four, On Trial: Lee Harvey Oswald, 1986 (36:43) (Four Parts, shown below). Directors: Richard Drewett, Ian Hamilton, Mark Redhead. Narrated by Edwin Newman, Starring: prosecuting attorney Vincent Bugliosi and defending attorney Gerry Spence, two of the most publicly revered legal minds of the 20th century, and with the Hon. Lucius Bunton presiding, This dramatization recalls all of the surviving witnesses to determine the guilt or innocence of the man believed to have murdered JFK. 

Part 1 of 4

     (36:43)

1977

Charles Fries Productions via IMDB.com and David Von Pein's JFK Channel, The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, TV Movie, Sept. 30, 1977, 210 min. Directors: Gordon Davidson, David Greene. Writer: Robert E. The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald 1977Thompson. Stars: Ben Gazzara, Lorne Greene, Frances Lee McCain. The bizarre story behind the man accused of assassinating John F. Kennedy and what might have happened had he been brought to trial. This alternative version of history begins in 1964, with Lee Harvey Oswald (John Pleshette) well into what the media has dubbed "the trial of the century." The assassination of President Kennedy is shown in a series of flashbacks, while in the present two lawyers duke it out in the courtroom. The prosecutor is the caustic and manipulative Anson "Kip" Roberts (Ben Gazzara), who tries to break Oswald despite the best efforts of defense attorney Matt Weldon (Lorne Greene).

1967

Yale Law School, Mock Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, March 1967, New Haven, CT.

Description: Yale Alumni Magazine, The Mock Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, Jeff Greenfield, April 1967. The Dallas District Attorney paused for a moment, and then asked deliberately: "Do you see that man, the assassin, in the courtroom?" The bizarre scene was a dramatic high point of a mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald, staged this March by the Thomas Swan Barrister's Union of the Yale Law School....The trial attracted considerable attention both inside and outside the Law School and the Yale community -= so much attention, in fact that the most controversial part of the mock trial was the unsuccessful attempt of television cameramen to film the actual testimony, and the ruling of the judge that cameras would be barred from the courtroom.

1964

Falcon International Pictures,

, 1964, (1:33:42). Starring: George R. Russell, George Edgeley, Arthur Nations. Written by Harold Hoffman and Larry Buchanan. Legal consultant: Charles W. Tessmer.

 

Date (Unknown)

Daily Mirror,

, (1:23:16). Staff, Daily Mirror. Date TBA.

 

 

Other Recent Major TV and Cable Treatments

2014

C-SPAN 3, Current Implications of the JFK Assassination Cover-Up, Andrew Kreig with introduction by moderator Alan Dale, Nov. 4, 2014 (originally Sept. 26, 2014) (55 min.). 50th Anniversary of the Warren Report.  At a Sept. 26 conference, researchers talked about assassination related documents that have been declassified in the past 50 years. In September of 1964, the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy released their findings to the public in the “Warren Report” -- named after the commission’s chairman -- Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. This was part of “The Warren Report and the JFK Assassination: A Half Century of Significant Disclosures,” a conference marking the 50th anniversary of the release of the Warren Report. People in this video: "JFK Conversations" Host Alan Dale and journalist/attorney Andrew Kreig. Other episodes in series:

  • In "Oswald, the CIA, and Mexico City," Dr. John M. Newman, a professor, author and former military intelligence analyst working as assistant to the National Security Agency director, talked about declassified documents and code names related to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and CIA-funded Cuban exile leaders. Sept. 26, 2014.
  • In "The HSCA and the CIA," former HSCA researchers Edwin Lopez and Dan Hardway described their time in the late 1970s working for the U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA). Sept. 26, 2014.
  • In "U.S.-Cuba Back-channel Communications After the Bay of Pigs," Dr. Peter Kornbluh talked about President Kennedy’s attempts to open up private channels of communication with Cuba. Sept. 27, 2014.
  • In "CIA and the HSCA: How CIA Controlled the HSCA and the Writing of Its Final Report," Dr. Joan Mellen discussed the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) relations with the HSCA. Sept. 27, 2014.

Coup In Camelot DocumentaryCoup in Camelot, premiere Oct. 26, 2014 in Dallas. Directed and Produced by Stephen Goetsch. Trailer: Coup in Camelot. Written and produced by Art Van Kampen. Narrated by Peter Coyote. Featuring interviews with: Sherry Fiester, Douglas Horne, Dr. David Mantik, Vince Palamara, Dick Russell, Barry Ernest, Jerry Dealey. Coup in Camelot  "is a powerful new documentary about the investigation of America's most infamous cold case -- the assassination of President John F. Kennedy." It shines a new light on the "forensic fingerprints" surrounding the tragic day in November 1963 that left the country without its 35th president.  From JFK's plans for peace, to the United States immersion in Vietnam after President Kennedy's death, this powerful examination of new research with exclusive interviews and analysis by the top medical, forensic and research experts in the country unfolds to tell the dramatic tale.

Killing Oswald, E2 Films, 2014. (120 mins.) Directed by Shane O'Sullivan. Oswald, From the director of RFK Must Die, Killing Oswald explores the mystery of how and why John F. Killing Oswald...Movie PosterKennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald were assassinated in 1963, tracing Oswald's strange transformation from U.S. Marine radar operator in Japan, monitoring U2 spy planes over Russia; to 20-year-old Marxist defector, decamping to Moscow threatening to share military secrets with the KGB; to pro-Castro activist in New Orleans and self-proclaimed patsy in Dallas. The film features interviews with authors John Newman, Dick Russell, David Kaiser and Joan Mellen, Cuban exile Antonio Veciana and Watergate burglar Eugenio Martinez; alongside rare archive film and audiotapes of Oswald and his alleged CIA handlers George De Mohrenschildt and David Atlee Phillips. The Guardian: "Killing Oswald sifts through the [secret files] made public after Oliver Stone's JFK and raises compelling new questions about the whole affair." The Independent: "This excellent documentary from Shane O'Sullivan benefits from the richness of the archive material it has unearthed and from some intriguing testimony by well-informed 'experts.'" Cine Vue:  "A mesmerising and intricate tale."

   

YouTube,

, 2014 (85 mins., five-parts) Douglas  P. Horne served on the staff of the Assassination Records Review Board and is the author of the five-volume book Inside the Assassination Records Review Board: The U.S. Government’s Final Attempt to Reconcile the Conflicting Medical Evidence in the Assassination of JFK. In the video above, he discusses deceit and deception in the official autopsy of John F. Kennedy.

2013

Ruth PaineC-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.

Corbett Report,

%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">JFK: A Conspiracy Theory, James Corbett, Nov. 22, 2013 (4:16 min.). Everything you wanted to know about the JFK assassination in under five minutes via the Corbett Report. Transcripts and sources.