Customer Reviews

Breach of Trust: How the Warren Commission Failed the Nation and Why

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In his preface McKnight thanks Harold Weisberg, the dean of assassination critics who passed on in 2002. McKnight's volume presents many of the approaches to the evidence established in Weisberg's writings dating back to 1965.
McKnight essentially relies on Warren Commission evidence to devastate the claim---by the Warren Commission---that only LHO was involved in the JFK assassination. In this sense his work is similar to Professor David R. Wrone, Howard Roffman and Sylvia Meagher. All of these authors use mainly the official findings to disprove the official conclusions. For the most part this small group of critics has been ignored by the mainstream media and defenders of the official fiction.
They maintain that there were two conspiracies. One killed Kennedy and the other failed to properly investigate the crime.
There are dozens of gems in this book which destroy the official findings. Most of them are ignored by defenders of the official theory.
Here, I'll list just six:

1. The results of the tests on LHO's cheek and hands are that he fired no rifle on November 22. McKnight takes the reader through all of the available official documentation to support this fact. Those who continue to support the Warren Commission findings must ignore alot of evidence to claim Oswald fired the Mannlicher Carcano.
2. The time reconstructions of Oswald's movements along with the eyewitness evidence shows that LHO cannot have been the shooter and been where we know he was shortly after the assassination. McKnight cites the witnesses who did not see---but should have seen LHO---coming down the stairwell if he was the shooter. Oswald's alibi was first carefully laid out in full detail by Howard Roffman in his excellent Presumed Guilty volume of 1975. This book is usually ignored by supporters of the lone gunman theory---as they must---for it shows, using only official evidence---that LHO cannot have been the 6th floor shooter and been in the second floor lunchroom with a Coke in his hand with a minute and several seconds after the last shot.
3. The Charles Bronson film shows the alleged assassin's lair during the shooting with no Oswald in it.
4. The autopsy document shows that with a bullet entering JFK in the back at the level of the third thoracic vertebra it could not have exited upward through his throat (indeed, above his necktie) and then travelled downward into Gov. Connally, seated in front of the president.
5. The statements and testimonies of the Dallas doctors and those who performed the autopsy are consistent that the bullet which is alleged to have caused seven non fatal wounds in the President and the Governor could NOT have done this damage and remained essentially in pristine condition. Further, FBI ballistics expert Robert Frazier stated there was no blood or tissue on the bullet---it was officially linked to no body. And, McKnight definitely shows that the bullet cannot be linked by a chain of evidence to either Kennedy or Connally or the stretchers that held them.
6. McKnight cites the testimony of Dr. Joseph Dolce who performed scientific experiments showing that the ammunition attributed to Oswald cannot have caused the seven non fatal wounds to Kennedy and Connally. Dolce performed these experiments for the Warren Commission and they did not like his results so he was not called to testify before the Commission.
These results are always ignored by supporters.
McKnight is unable to shed light on one of the key remaining areas of doubt: just who was it who impersonated Lee Harvey Oswald in Mexico City several weeks prior to the assassination? Whoever did this was trying to implicate Cuba in the assassination of JFK. They failed but LBJ and Hoover and Warren failed the nation, truth and justice by not properly investigating the crime.
For those of you familiar with the works of Harold Weisberg, many of the documented claims in this book will not be new.
The work is important in that it takes the passion for truth and the ground breaking (but largely ignored) research of Weisberg and frames it from the viewpoint of the trained historian (...)

Too many books on the JFK assassination get sidetracked by the many false leads there to tempt sober analysis. This remarkable addition to the literature is unique for its restraint, refusal to indulge in speculation, and careful focus on what can be documented, and no more. There were really two conspiracies, that of the Warren commision, and the conspiracy they stumbled on half-consciously but refused to pursue. Since their agenda was fixed in advance, making the 'lone nut' interpretation a foregone conclusion, the whole investigation was bogus. Many previous writers have gotten this far and confused this with the indirect, but very strong evidence of the other conspiracy. But as the author notes there is no smoking gun, only the many discrepancies in the evidence, and the transparnt deceptions in the way the initial investigation was carried out. The author's slow but steady pursuit of the basic deception of the Commission is convincing and manages to avoid the traps that have claimed too many previous efforts in this field. Everytime you think this field has reached its limits another book reopens the whole can of worms. Well done.

This book roots in a majesterial examination of the documentary records of the Warren Commission and the FBI, a product of careful, hard work conducted over the decades of the type seldom met with in most histories today and rarely in the JFK inquiry. In addition it is well written. The results are devatating to the coverup inflicted upon the American people by the Warren Commission. It should be noted that four of the members of the Warren commission did not believe their own Report, nor did LBJ, the District Attorney of Dallas, the Police Chief of DAllas and even the FBI and the Secret Service--as the documentary record shows beyond cavil. Russell and Cooper, members of the WC, did not believe the SBT, for example, and left records to the fact. Further, interviews with the head of the Secret Service and Warren Commission records prove the Commission and its staff saw the X-rays and medical photographs, some as early as December 1963. It is unquestionable that the WC and its chief counsel Rankin early on [January, 1964] worked with this knowledge, e.g. Jan. 22 executive session of the WC. To argue otherwise is blindly to accept and faithfully to reiterate the political devices employed by investigators as they realized late in their investigation that they had to coverup their nefarious actions and leave a pious paper file that to scholars is further affirmation of their failure. Breach of Trust's objective and scholarly presentation will assist the reader to understand the workings of the WC and lead an inquiring mind to the light. McKNight's unique book ought to become the standard reference to the crime for decades to come.

A much-needed addition to the JFK Assassination litterature, and the kind of book that should be required reading for all those who still cling to the "Lone-Nut" theory.

Now this is not your average conspiracy book.You won't find here any confession by an alledged participant in the crime, or any sensational claim by untill-then unknown witness.
The author's specific focus is the Warren Commission, its inner working and its relations with the investigative agencies (mainly the FBI and the Secret Service)and representatives of the Government.
Only in the last 5 pages does the author give us his own interpretation of the wealth of data that he has presented in the book, which focuses exclusively on reconstructing complicated paper trail of apparently innocuous documents and establishing decision making timelines.
And if you think (like I did) that this must make for some quite unexciting read, be prepared for a real surprise...

Though serious researchers will probably not find anything new in the book as far as information is concerned, the specific angle of the author's research has the immense merit to bring new shine to old data. And the facts, as they say, are stubborn.

The political bias that subverted the WC working is dully detailled and exposed. The ominous poker game between the FBI, the CIA and the Commission regarding crucial elements of the assassination record is irrefutably documented and takes on even more sinister undertones.
And the "Journal de Bord" of the day-to-day progress of the investigation does make for interesting reading.
Hard-core Lone Nuttists (yes, everybody can play that game...)might be interested in considering the following facts:

µThe WC, which relied for its investigation on the FBI and the Secret Service, reached a solution to the crime (the single bullet theory) which contradicts the findings of these two agencies (which by the way don't agree either with one another, but that's another story...). This unbelievable and fondamental discrepancy has never been explained (probably because it can not)

*Similarly, the medical staff who attended to JFK and Connally (and who should have known about gunshot wounds, working in one of America's most violent environment)
rejected the single bullet theory

*the crime was declared "solved" (one shooter, no accomplices) by Hoover a couple of hours after Oswald'S arrest. Even surmising that they could have, in such a short time, established beyond doubt that Oswald was the assassin, there is no conceivable way that the FBI could have determined at that point that Oswald had received absolutely no help whatsoever in his endeavour.


And on and on....The detailing of the Mexico City disinformation saga (or "Oswald as a KGB contract killer") is also priceless, and confirms the scenario of the crime on which most serious researchers agree today (even if they would fight one another to death about specific details...): a conspiracy reaching to the highest level of the American power structure, originating from irreversible opposition to Kennedy's foreign policy, a conspiracy which most probably was started by the "Bay of Pigs Thing", as Nixon crytically hinted, and got in full gear after the Missile Crisis and Kennedy direct negociations with Krutschev, in effect putting the US Intelligence apparatus "out of the loop" (except very probably for the NSA...)on a matter considered vital to the country's interests. It is more than evident that some may have considered Kennedy a National Security Threat, and felt entitled to take radical measures "for the good of the country".

Don't miss this one.

McKnight's book contains little that is "news" those familiar with this case. This is not a book of new disclosures, or examinations of trails gone cold, but perhaps something that will be valued more for it's refusal to move outside it's narrow focus: the conduct of the Warren Commission, and it's relationship with the various investigatory agencies and the handling (and mis-handling) of those who testified and their information. This is a "safe" book, in that there is no speculation (or even examination) of the motives of the WC or possible explanations for the many gaffs pointed out in the committee operations. This is a well documented examination of the flaws in the structure and function of the WC , and ultimately an interesting book for those students of history or government who may be less interested in the results than in the process. This is Meagher or Weisberg without the passion, but very well documented, and of use to those seeking a more recent view of WC activities and participants based on current information.

The sole purpose of my 5-star rating for this book is to provide some balance to the previous (and only) reviewer's bizarre 1-star rating. Having looked at a few of the reviewer's previous reviews, he seems to have both a conservative bias, and a need to rate everything either one star or five stars. How easy it must be to live in a world where everything is so black and white.

Honestly, there are certainly flaws in this book, but it's overall an excellent dissection of the MUCH more flawed Warren Commission report. If you really, truly believe that Lee Oswald was the "lone gunman" in the assassination of John F. Kennedy, well, bless your heart. You're probably one of the gullible little meat puppets who think Saddam was involved with 9/11 and that we did indeed find WMDs in Iraq.

In his book "Breach of Trust," Professor Gerald McKnight established that the Warren Report was tantamount to a grandiose exercise in public relations--with a worldwide audience--developed to "prove" that Oswald alone assassinated President Kennedy and that this was clearly the only objective from the start, even before the Warren Commission was established and functioning. He notes that the commission's own records--together with thousands of other items it ignored, or had been kept from seeing, or had been fabricated--show that there were two conspiracies: the one that it left still unsolved about the persons and events actually involved in the assassination itself as well as the secondary one into which its very own existence had become an inseparable part--the cover-up. Moreover, the research done by McKnight established that the Warren Commission embraced the FBI's lone-gunman theory from the outset. The FBI repeatedly suppressed or actively ignored any and all evidence not congruent with that presumption. Its implied mantra throughout the perfunctory investigation was to ignore crucial leads, discount contradictory evidence and select witnesses primarily on the basis of their willingness to cooperate in testifying consistently with the politically correct, preapproved findings; a related objective was to harass and ridicule those witnesses who did not conform to their agenda. The inevitable conclusions of this body would be established early on and remain constant until the finish, which were then summarized as follows:

* "The Commission has found no evidence that either Lee Harvey Oswald or Jack Ruby was part of any conspiracy, domestic or foreign, to assassinate President Kennedy."
* "In its entire investigation the Commission has found no evidence of conspiracy, subversion, or disloyalty to the U.S. Government by any Federal, State or local official."

Despite its stated additional conclusion, "the Commission has investigated each rumor and allegation linking Oswald to a conspiracy which has come to its attention, regardless of source," the fact that it purposely culled its witness list of anyone who claimed that they heard more than three shots, or that they heard shots from the grassy knoll, renders this a specious claim. Though most people assumed that Oswald was involved in some way, possibly as one of the assassins, his lack of a real motive (his enigmatic past notwithstanding), his choice of weapon, and the surfeit of questions surrounding every facet of the investigation all contributed to the public skepticism that grew almost immediately after the commission published its report.

Beyond the detailed instances of incompetence or malfeasance of the FBI's handling of the investigation, there was even more troubling evidence of subtle conflicts of interest between the FBI and the Secret Service vis-à-vis the commission members and its staff that are addressed by Professor McKnight. Throughout his book are references to the fact that the commission itself, and J. Lee Rankin, its general counsel, were beholden to the FBI and to J. Edgar Hoover, which caused them to have to be exceedingly deferential to him, lest he become upset and withhold his and/or the FBI's assistance to the commission. Rankin was acutely aware that the commission's timetable and its mandate (ostensibly to find out the truth of the assassination, but in reality to return a "guilty" verdict for the dead Oswald, with plenty of paper to back it up), he had to have the FBI's full cooperation.

McKnight has succeeded in completely dismantling the faux governmental imprimatur which Lyndon Johnson cunningly created as the coupe de grace, the grand denouement of the entire enterprise: The Presidential Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy.

Phillip F. Nelson, author "LBJ: The Mastermind of JFK's Assassination"

What makes this book so great is its limited focus on the Warren Commission itself, and not alternative theories of the JFK Assassination.

The political origins of the Commission are described incredibly well. Virtually no objective reader can have any doubt whatsoever that the Warren Commission went into the investigation already armed with an assigned and foregone conclusion.

This is the book that non-academic namecalling authors, such as Vincent Bugliosi, are afraid to tackle in an open forum.

The beauty of McKnight's perspective on the JFK assassination rests in his source: the Warren Report, in which he brilliantly shows its internal contradictions. Noting that Warren and Rankin classified as Top Secret all evidence obtained from Texas Attorney General Waggoner Carr and Dallas District Attorney Henry Wade to the effect that Oswald recieved paychecks from a high-clearance governmental agency, McKnight counted the first Breach of Trust. After such a move, the Warren Commission was next obliged to alter medical records from the JFK autopsy to conform to their 'lone-assassin' image of Oswald, and so McKnight counted the second Breach of Trust. For the same reasons, ballistics evidence also had to be altered, so McKnight counted a third Breach of Trust. He goes on counting from there. McKnight's work is one of the most thorough and objective works I've found on this topic. JFK 'conspiracy literature' reached a stable plateau of maturity in this academically solid work. Highly recommended.

... There are two excellent books of recent vintage that I highly recommend. The first is JFK & the Unspeakable by James Douglass, the second is Breach of Trust by Gerald McKnight. Both are chockablock with many interesting facts about the Kennedy Assassination and both are notable for approaching facts that have been neglected by other writers. JFK & the Unspeakable goes into great detail about a planned assassination of Kennedy that was supposed to take place in Chicago on November 2, 1963 but was nipped in the bud : there were multiple shooters and a patsy, like there would be in Dallas, with all the "players" ready to go, but the Secret Service would get wind of the plot and make Kennedy stay in Washington. Breach of Trust devotes an entire chapter to the Warren Commission's closed-door proceedings of September 18, 1964. On that day Senator Richard Russell of Georgia, a Commissioner, objected strenuously to the Commission's findings that Kennedy had been fired upon by only one gunman and that he had been killed by a fatal head wound made by a "magic" copper-jacketed rifle bullet, shot from the barrel of an old, rusty Italian piece of $12.88 Mussolini-era surplus. Thereafter, J. Lee Rankin, General Counsel for the Warren Commission, would order the stenographic minutes of Senator Russell's misgivings about the Commission's lone gunman, Oswald-determination destroyed without Russell's knowledge (Sen. Russell would find out about what Rankin had done in 1968. Needless to say, Russell felt shocked and betrayed) ...JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters ...
DETECTIVE CLUB OF JERSEY CITY.