Customer Reviews

Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK

5 star:		(169)
4 star:		(30)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(106)

 

 

There have been several books published in recent years which argue that the Warren Commission's infamous "lone gunman" theory is correct, and that Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, did assassinate President John F. Kennedy. However, "Case Closed" by Gerald Posner is easily the best and most reliable of these "anti-conspiracy" books. Posner offers devastating arguments against many of the "loonier" conspiracy theories - such as that Lyndon Johnson or FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover murdered JFK. He also presents detailed arguments against many of the more "respectable" conspiracy theories, such as that Kennedy was killed by the Mafia or by Anti-Castro zealots who were angry at JFK for "abandoning" them during their CIA-sponsored Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961. However, I don't believe that Posner has completely "closed the case" on the JFK assassination, and I doubt that anyone will ever solve the case to the complete satisfaction of most people. If you are going to read this book (and I would highly recommend it), then I would also strongly suggest that you read one of the more credible "pro-conspiracy" books for balance, as there are always two sides to every story. In my opinion, the two best "pro-conspiracy" books are Josiah Thompson's "Six Seconds in Dallas", which is respected even by Posner and most defenders of the Warren Commission; and Anthony Summers's "Not In Your Lifetime". This book was originally published in 1980 as "Conspiracy", and it received rave reviews by such prestigious publications as Newsweek, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and former JFK aides such as Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. praised it. In "Case Closed" Posner made several stinging criticisms of "Conspiracy", so Summers responded by writing a completely revised and updated version in 1998 (with the new title) in which he offered detailed rebuttals to Posner's criticisms, as well as making his own criticisms of Posner's statements. I'm not saying that I fully agree with these "pro-conspiracy" books either - I just believe that if you read them, as well as "Case Closed", then you'll have seen the best and most credible arguments for and against a conspiracy to assassinate President Kennedy. As for my own personal beliefs, some fifteen to twenty years ago I was convinced that there was a conspiracy, but over the years I have come to believe that it is entirely plausible that Oswald could have killed JFK all by himself, and that the "lone gunman" theory is credible. However, I also believe that there are still enough unanswered questions about the assassination that there will always be some legitimate doubt about whether there was another gunman, and that we'll never be able to state with total finality that the murder of JFK is "case closed". Bottom line: Posner's "Case Closed" is a detailed, well-written and persuasive argument for the "lone gunman" theory - but make sure that you get the "other side" of the story and read some credible "pro-conspiracy" books before you make a final decision about whether or not there was a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy.

I've read about 15 books on JFK's assassination, both pro- and anti-conspiracy. I would say that Case Closed presents the most comprehensive overview of all the evidence that implicates Lee Harvey Oswald. However, there really isn't much *new* evidence presented, although that's what the book's editorial reviews say. The real value of _Case Closed_ is that Posner picks from works such as the Warren Commission, HSCA report, the experiments and observations of John Lattimer, etc., and summarizes these into one volume. He supplements those with some interviews he conducted with some of the players (for example, some of the ER doctors who attended to JFK, Jack Ruby's brother, the Soviet official who dealt with Oswald's case, Michael Baden, etc.). On the negative side, Posner does tend to summarily discount witnesses whose stories don't support his lone-assassin thesis, such as Silvia Odio. Also, he writes about several witnesses whose recollections support his theory on what happened to Oswald's first shot, but doesn't mention others whose Warren-Commission testimony would contradict his theory. I rate this book four stars, because it does present some good evidence that conspiracy books never mention and refutes many of the most common conspiracy canards. It's also very well written. I couldn't put it down the first time I read it. If you were going to read only one book on the lone-assassin side, I'd recommend this one. However, there are several other lone-assassin books that treat specific aspects of the JFK assassination better than did Posner. For a look into Oswald's possible motive, _Oswald's Game_ is excellent. A good interpretation of the medical evidence is given in _Kennedy and Lincoln_. _Case Closed_ is great if you just want a broad overview of the evidence against Oswald and have the time to read just one book.

My search for JFK assassination material began when I booked a trip to Dallas for a football game. I really didn't have any preconceived notions on whether the assassination was a conspiracy or not. I simply wanted to educate myself on what I would be looking at when I visited the Dallas School Book Depository. After reviewing most of the well known theories on wikipedia.com, I decided to purchase a book that went into depth on why Oswald acted along.

"Case Closed" does a good job giving the reader an insight on what Lee Harvey Oswald was all about. It also goes in depth on the background of Jack Ruby. Most impressively, Posner does a fantastic job citing where and how his information was obtained.

When I finally got the the sixth floor of the Depository, I quickly came to the conclusion that the shot from the window was not a difficult shot to make (esp in 3 attempts). I also made a point to go down to the grassy knoll. I couldn't help but think to myself, "the grassy knoll sure is close to location where the president was shot. If the shots came from there how could not everyone notice?"

What sealed the deal for me was watching the assassination on youtube.com. One can clearly see that when the second shot is fired, both the President and Governor react as if they have been hit at the same time. You have to ask yourself, if it wasn't a "single bullet" that hit them both, what is the probability that a conspirator(s) could make it appear as if it were a single shot?

In my opinion, if Jack Ruby hadn't shot Oswald, there would be no conspiracies.

In this well-written take on the JFK assassination, Posner attempts once and for all to proclaim "Case Closed" with respect to the guilt of Lee Harvey Oswald. Unfortunately, Posner resorts to rather devious tactics to accomplish this task.

To begin with, Posner is not above distorting crucial evidence. Much of his book is spent arguing the plausibility of the "Single Bullet Theory". For this, he highlights tests done by Failure Analysis Associates as proof that Oswald commited the crime alone. He neglects to mention that the FAA tests actually prove the opposite!

Further, several of the people that Posner claims to have interviewed have come forth to state that they have never met the man. Yet they are quoted throughout the book in "interviews".

Finally, Posner over and over resorts to the tactic of smearing those with whom he disagrees. On numerous occasions throughout the book, witnesses are described as "mentally unstable" or in similar terms in order to discredit their testimony or evidence. While this certainly holds true in some instances, it is overused by Posner.

This is a title that no student of the Kennedy assassination should be without, if only to see the levels some will stoop to in order to "prove" that Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK.

Gerald Posner has written what I believe is the most objective fact-driven Kennedy assassination book available.

Let's face it, there are as many Kennedy assassination books as there are varieties of insects! Each book takes a different view of the Kennedy assassination based on the author's preconceived bias. These conspiracy writers very rarely deal with the evidence or facts of the case, but instead spout their pet theories based on speculation, half-truths, and a lot of imagination. Posner's book is different. He does not offer a new conspiracy theory; rather, he strenghtens the Warren Commission's finding that Lee Oswald shot President Kennedy with his cheap mail-order rifle from the Texas Bookstore Depository, acting alone. Incredible as it may seem, Posner presents the evidence to back up his conclusion most adequately.

Posner's position will not sit well with conspiracy theorists, who believe that a grand conspiracy of some sort had to be in existance for someone (perhaps Oswald, more likely many others) to have pulled off the crime of the century - the murder of a president. Thus, you will find much criticism of Posner's book from the conspiracy club. I invite the perceptive reader to evaluate Posner's book on the evidence presented, the strength of that evidence, and the conclusion(s) Posner draws which implicates Oswald working alone. I believe that if the reader approaches Posner's book with an open mind, free of bias, the evidence presented will strongly influence the reader to consider that Oswald in fact did the crime alone. I was once in the conspiracy club myself, that is until I shed my emotional bias in the case and looked at it through the strength of the evidence alone. Posner's book helped me to do that.

Posner is a lawyer and presents the available evidence in a straight-forward logical sequence, as a lawyer would do. He then refutes the popular conspiracy theories based on their contradictions to the available evidence. Posner is most pursuasive in his writing, and his common-sense, evidence-driven approach to his conclusion will strongly influence the reader.

I realize that this topic is a most controversial one. Passions are high on both sides of the issue ("Lone Nut" versus Conspiracy), and each side generally has contempt for the other. This aside, I strongly recommend this book for its ability to cut a path through the passion, to focus on the evidence and not pet theories, and to avoid speculations that lead in a hundred different directions. Having read this book and many many others on the assassination, I have come to the conclusion that Oswald did shoot Kennedy alone, without a conspiracy of other shooters. But like Posner, I'd invite the readers to investigate the evidence for themselves, and then come up with their own conclusions. Posner is very credible and convincing in his conclusion.

If you are new to the assassination controversy, this is a good starting point because it truly does ground one in the reams of evidence that was collected on this case. No valid conclusions can be drawn without a full consideration of the evidence and this is Posner's strong point. If you are a conspiracy theorist, this is still a good read, for it refutes the major conspiracy theories and forces the conspiracy-minded reader to rethink or defend his/her position on the assassination. If it does nothing else, Posner's book stresses the issue of rational thought on the available evidence and the logical conclusions that can be drawn from that evidence. I believe it is an excellent book; one that will have you engrossed and thinking from page one to end. I give it 5 stars for readability and clarity of thought.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

There is a pretty good book on the Kennedy killing by Harrison Livingstone <forgot the title> that spends about fifty <50!> pages detailing what's wrong with this book , so I would merely suggest to the interested reader who is looking at all sides of this subject to sample this garbage and read the Livingstone book.This particular book ranks right up there with the nonsense of David Belin and Gerald Ford.

...this should be a must read. Very detailed, well written.

Question: How many people can conspire to keep a secret on such a tremendous scale for decades, especially people in government (notorious leakers in general)?

As much as apparently many people would like to believe there must have been some grand conspiracy that brought down a very popular President who was larger than life, the evidence (which, as Posner's book details, is quite overwhelming) proves that the Warren Commission's conclusion was absolutely correct: that a "sole nut" brought down President Kennedy. No grand conspiracy, just a horribly sad tragedy.

Gerald Posner's book, Case Closed is a real eye opener. If, like many people, you base all of your opinions on the JFK assasination on the Oliver Stone film, then you need to read this book.

Posner's book, incredibly well researched and annotated, demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that Stone's film, while remarkably entertaining, plays fast and loose with many of the facts surrounding this historical event.

As Posner details, most of the so-called "evidence" of a conspiracy presented in the film does not stand up to close examination. Some of it is no more than wild speculation, much of it flat out untrue, but has through years of retelling entered the public consciousness as if it were fact. For instance, the alleged eyewitnesses featured in the movie have largely been discredited over the years, many changing their stories several times, others having been shown not to have even been in Dealey Plaza on 11/22/63. Posner also takes on the so-called scientific evidence of the conspiracy buffs, dismantling their arguments piece by piece in convincing fashion.

The important thing to realize about this book is how thoroughly and meticulously researched it is. There is no conjecture - merely cold hard facts, presented as found. As convinced as I was before I read this book that there was a conspiracy to kill JFK, I am just as convinced now that there was not.

Posner does make some factual errors and omissions in this work. His dissection of the Garrison case left something to be desired. He took several Garrison quotes out of context, most notably one about the reliability of CIA agent Richard Case Nagell. Posner tried to discredit all of Garrison's witnesses, but he had one major omission: The Booking officer who asked Clay Shaw if he had any aliases. Shaw told the officer that he used the alias Clay Bertrand. This vital fact is not mentioned by Posner as the officer was not allowed to testify. However, Posner still expects the reader to believe that Shaw was not Bertrand. I emailed Posner and asked him why he did not mention the officer. Posner said that he felt the officer was doing Garrison a favor. He gave me no evidence to back up this point. I asked him how he accounted for the obvious breaches in security that day. Posner's only response was that security was bad, but it was no worse than normal. The assassination itself was responsible for tightening of secret service security. This, despite Fletcher Prouty's assertions that basic Secret Service protocol was violated that afternoon.

Finally, I was not convinced by Posner's attempt to discredit Rose Cheramie.

I was puzzled when I read this book. Could his really close the case? Posner does not explain a single one of the controversies in the Warren Report so widely criticised. He simply state as fact what he has no answear to. No explaination of how all the medical personnel at Parkland could be mistaken about the anterior neck wound. All we get is a fancyfull theory about the shooting which allowes Oswald more time by firing his first shot through a branch of the tree in front of him. Amazingly the bullet had it's copper jacket thorn off by the impact leaving only the lead core travelling on and finally slightly injurying Tague. Yet the exact same kind of bullet could go through Connelly's ribs and wrist and emerge virtually pristine. It is so obvious that Posner's intentions from the very beginning were to defend the official solution. Pretending that he started his reasearch with an open mind is simply a lie. In my view Posner is worse than Specter, he after all had a path to follow. Case Closed is the most dishonest book I've read about the Kennedy assassination.