Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy [Paperback]

Mark North (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1992

Uses available evidence to argue that J. Edgar Hoover knew of the plot to kill the President yet did nothing to stop it, following Lyndon Johnson and other top officials who helped provide the opportunity and impetus for the conspiracy. Reprint. LJ.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Books about the Kennedy assassination keep appearing, and now North, a Texas lawyer, claims that the President died as the result of a plot masterminded by Louisiana Mafia chieftain Carlos Marcello--and, more importantly, that FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover learned early on about the plan but did nothing to stop it, warning neither the Secret Service nor the Dallas police. His motives, according to North: hatred of Kennedy, fear that the President would get rid of him and a longing for the accession of Lyndon Johnson, whom Hoover had in his pocket because of scandals surrounding the vice-president. North neatly sketches Hoover's bizarre personality, how he ran the FBI and the ways in which the FBI is supposed to cooperate with other agencies. Most of the book, however, is a near-interminable, day-by-day collection of press clippings involving Hoover, President Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and various crime figures; much of it seems barely relevant and could have been cut without harming North's thesis. But he argues it well, amid the clutter, and certainly helps explain many odd failures of the Warren Commission, whose findings have long been almost universally disregarded.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This seems to be open season on Hoover, with North's sensational book coming fast on the heels of Curt Gentry's impressive and devastating biography, J. Edgar Hoover: The Man and the Secrets ( LJ 8/91). North further tarnishes Hoover's reputation by accusing him of nothing less than treason for allegedly covering up a Mafia conspiracy to assassinate John F. Kennedy and manipulating the Warren Commission. The focus here on Hoover's activities and influence puts Act of Treason on a higher level than the typical "conspiracy theory" book. North effectively blends press reports, FBI records, and interviews to create a daily "chronicle" of the pertinent events of 1960-64. His theories and contentions are well documented (over 2300 source notes are listed!), and he presents a convincing portrait of Hoover as a ruthless power broker. This is another fascinating and unsettling look at the dark side of American politics. Highly recommended. See also Mark Lane's Plausible Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK? , reviewed above.--Ed.
-Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub; 1st Carroll 7 Graf Ppbk Ed 1992 edition (November 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881848778
• ISBN-13: 978-0881848779
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,640 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

To see a Fox News interview about Betrayal in Dallas, please use the following link. http://tinyurl.com/3nrhutc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Final Chapter on the JFK Assassination, June 20, 2000

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy (Hardcover)

This book is one of the most important books that I have read on the JFK assassination - and I have read over a dozen since 1964. It is the "final chapter" as it provides the "big picture" answer.

It uses the information that came out since the 1970s. The Congressional Investigation in 1977 resulted in a number of books afterwards.

If you read Curt Gentry's "J. Edgar Hoover, The Man and the Myth" you would know that Hoover had been filing false expense reports for decades, and built up a small fortune. (He stayed at hotels and ate at restaurants for free, then collected expenses as if he had paid.) If he ever left office, he would have been convicted for fraud, and died in jail. He had no other option but to die in office, since he could not (or would not) get a "get out of jail free" card. (The Watergate Burglary came apart when one of the burglars did not get this, as promised.)

You should know that this GOOJF card is not just an invented scene in the movie "Clear and Present Danger". Back in the 1940s the four-star General who headed the CIA went to President Truman with a complaint about an assignment: it clearly crossed the line into a felony. But Harry just wrote out a signed but undated full Presidential Pardon! Read the biography of Allen Dulles, "Gentleman Spy" for more details.

And LBJ's crony was implicated in various frauds, some of which were said to be in complicity with organized crime. LBJ was likely to be dumped as vice-president, and would also face prosecution, disgrace, and jail.

Mark North has collected a number of letters that passed between LBJ and JEH. Surely no one would expect either of them to put their plans in writing?

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, analytical book on Hoover (and JFK/ RFK), January 8, 2006

By 

Vince Palamara "SECRET SERVICE/JFK/STEELERS/M... (South Park/Bethel Park, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Act of Treason: The Role of J. Edgar Hoover in the Assassination of President Kennedy (Hardcover)

Mark North's "Act Of Treason" is a great, albeit dry, book on Hoover (and JFK/ RFK), making great use of contemporary news accounts and so forth. This is a nice companion volume to R. Andrew Kiel's outstanding book on Hoover, along with Anthony Summer's masterpiece "Official and Confidential." Get this!
P.S. Who he thinks may be J. Edgar Hoover in his photo section is actually Secret Service agent Stewart G. "Stu" Stout, Jr.
Vince Palamara
Secret Service expert, History Channel, author of 2 books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.