Customer Reviews

Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy

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The author is on the Board of Advisors of the Assassination Archives and Research Center in Washington DC. His book contains many references and citations for his sources, and documentation. It is very good as far as it goes, but only gives part of the big picture. Organized crime can kill anybody, but they can't cover it up without Establishment collusion. Mark North's "Act of Treason" documents this collusion, and complements and extends this work.

The empire of organized crime struck back at the author. A few years ago the Republican Congress reorganized the National Institutes of Health and used the usual bureaucratic tricks to end his employment. But his book continues to educate people.

Chapter 22 discusses Richard Nixon. Around 20 years ago I saw him on TV; when asked about the 19 minute gap on the tape, he smiled and said it was about the "Bay of Pigs" operation. I thought he seemed to be lying, but didn't know why. Years later I read Henry Haldeman's thin book. In it he concluded that the "Bay of Pigs' operation was a code word for the assassination of JFK. You can look it up.

This book covers one of the essential aspects of the murder of President Kennedy: the Mafia and his executioner Jack Ruby.
It is a thorough investigation: David E. Scheim went as far as analyzing all telephone calls by Ruby before the assassination.

The author gives us a most credible explanation of how the Mafia could benefit and did after the murder. More, he draws a disturbing portrait of how the Mafia penetrated the highest power ranks in the U.S. and how it could influence the life of every U.S. citizen.
He castigates the Warren Report as a shameful misjudgment.

This book is a must read. It describes how a secret organization could wield enormous power and influence to its own adavantage a whole democratic nation and its citizens.

This book is deeply shocking. It is taken from the U.S. Archives, The Warren Commission Reports, Telephone Company records, etc. It has an extensive (HUGE) bibliography of where you may see this evidence for yourself. Read "Contract on America", "Appointment in Dallas" and the thick biography of Carlos Marchello and you WILL understand what happened that dark day in Dallas. Warning: You will be deeply altered by this information, and you will understand most of the many reasons why John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Malcom X were asassinated. EVERY American Citizen owes it to his or her self to read "Contract on America", as painful as it might be.

This book by David Scheim serves as a nice companion volume to John Davis' "Mafia Kingfish" and is required reading for those interested in the Mafia's motive for killing JFK. That said, the book is a tad dated now and certainly does not cover all the bases. Still, for the area (s) it does tackle, it is to be commended.
Vince Palamara

An intelligent and insightful look into the often over-analyzed assassination of JFK. Provides the burden of proof that the Warren Commission said did not exist. An excellent read for every Kennedy fan.

He's passed on now but when he handed me the book almost 20 years ago he said "This is almost dead on." And for reasons I won't elaborate on he knew some of those who knew those who carried this out. That coupled with the thorough research of the author gave me chills then and chills now. Who lost the most from Bay of Pigs? The crime bosses. Havana was well on its way to becoming the drug/sex/gambling playhouse of the New World, and only 90 miles from our shores! What a deal, with [people] like Batista in their pocket, they had a perfect plan. My Dad went to Havana twice pre-Castro to meet with his "friends". Keep in mind that part of the deal was the compliant Cubans at the top of the food chain, most of whom came here after Castro, which is why they get no sympathy from me. No matter how bad Castro has ever been, he's better than Batista who was a criminal and a traitor to his people, but they never mention that. If you're ever in a conversation with a Cuban without a gun, ask him to tell you what life was like for most Cubans before Fidel. It usually stops the conversation.

Review: Contract on America: The Mafia Murder of President John F. Kennedy

I was in study hall 22 Nov 1963 when the announcement came over the high school public address system. Everyone alive then remembers where they were 22 Nov 1963, just as everyone remembers 7 Dec 1941 or 11 Sep 2001. I have over the years read quite a bit about the JFK assassination, some about Pearl Harbor and 9/11. All are ripe for mutually exclusive conspiracy theories. Plus the agencies responsible for defending against these catastrophes obviously failed and have tried to coverup their failures with holey whitewashes.

Yes, the Mafia apparently had a plot to kill JFK which it appears involved Carlos Marcello and Sam Giancana (see also: "Double Cross"). That does not mean they suceeded altho' the Mafia would like us to believe they are that powerful. There were also active plots at various levels of development involving parties to the Bay of Pigs fiasco (disgruntled CIA operatives, mercenaries, pro-Castro and anti-Castro Cubans and Americans, and Cuban secret services). Every attempt to investigate the assassination comes across various threads of the failed plots.

Some investigators try to weave these different plots into a grand unified conspiracy theory when in fact there were no connects or only incidental connects. In the end, one must consider the possibility that independent of any of the ongoing conspiracies, a lone nut loser actually did come out of left field and murdered JFK, in spite of plots by everyone from the Carlos Marcello to Nikita Khrushchev and in spite of (failed) protection by CIA, FBI and the Secret Service. One would expect a great tragedy to have a great villian; a grand opera would not have the villian turn out to be the village idiot, no the villian must be Mephistoles or grander. Perhaps that is why grand conspiracy theories are more popular explanations than the lone nut theory.

Like Michael Eddowe's "The Oswald File", even if the conclusions are not fully supported, there is considerable background information in this book and it represents a lot of research. Even blind alleys can lead to the goal.

I'm not big on conspiracy theories. Most of those surrounding the Kennedy assassination are pure bunk. This particular one is, at the least, well though-out and somewhat plausible. I don't buy it completely, but if you are interested, read it with an open mind. There may be at least a kernel of truth in it somewhere.

The literature and public dialogue regarding the JFK Assassination is going to heat up considerably as we approach 2013, the 50th anniversary of the events. Tom Hanks is already producing a movie that supports the "lone nut" side of the debate. There will inevitably be efforts to develop new forensic and other evidence. This book presents an intriguing case that the Louisiana Mafia was instrumental in the events. It points the way toward an area that could still provide clues. Someday, somebody will talk. Fifty years is about the right period, as was demonstrated recently in cryptic but fascinating disclosures regarding JRR Tolkien's service with the OSS (Her Majesty's Secret Service) before WWII. See the upcoming book, "MIRKWOOD: A Novel About JRR Tolkien" (available through Amazon in May, 2010).

Ive Read many books on the JFK Assassination and this is one of the best!!very well written and researched.consider that the WC concluded that Jack Ruby had no ties to organized crime compare to the evidence that the Author presents in this book makes more sense than the WC Conclusions even if you choose to believe the official Govt Account that ''Oswald did it Alone''(:.Highly recommended and intriguing reading!!!