Customer Reviews

JFK: The Second Plot

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"The Second Plot" is yet another first rate entry in the lineup of conspiracy books on the assassination of President Kennedy. The entire focus is on Lee Harvey Oswald and his role in that tragic event. Except that, according to author Smith, LHO had no direct "role". He was a dupe, a patsy- skillfully set up by the plotters to take the fall for the killing. Many of the usual suspects are NOT here: SP passes over such egregious events as the so-called "autopsy" of JFK at Bethesda Naval Hospital, the alteration of the motorcade route and the virtually complete failure of the Secret Service to protect their President that fateful day. Smith firmly establishes that LHO was an American intelligence operative. It didn't really matter if he was with the CIA, Naval Intelligence or a third agency since those types shifted roles anyway. Many conspiracy followers have never believed that Oswald murdered Dallas cop J.D. Tippit. Smith doesn't either but raises the Tippit murder to a key element in the events of November 22, 1963! This review will go no further so as not to divulge key elements for future readers. LHO was, however using that infamous movie theatre as a safe refuge, hoping to be rescued by "fellow agents"! And the Jack Ruby shooting? A last minute improvisation by the plotters. Oswald was not supposed to be in Dallas by that fateful Sunday morning! Relating to the aforementioned "usual suspects", the author does weave those Oswald impersonators into the story as well as the bizarre murders of multiple assassination witnesses. (2 of those poor people were killed by uniformed police officers!). Smith, a Brit, uses a different turn of the phrase. His writing is not always clear but he still makes his point rationally and intelligently. SP is also very professionally composed and easy on the eye. Photos and exhibits are sharp and clear; a tip of the hat to Mainstream Publishing. SP may not be the ideal first book for those interested in the Kennedy murder, since it assumes some prior knowledge. The "uninitiated" may wish to read Jim Garrison's "On the Trail of the Assassins" or Jim Marrs' more exhaustive "Crossfire" first. SP is recommended to the faithful who disbelieve the feckless Warren Commission and who will not stay at rest until the full truth of the JFK assassination is exposed to the light of day. "The Case is NOT Closed", Mr. Posner.

This book describes how America, the U. S. Government, and Lee Harvey Oswald all arrived at the events of 22 November 1963. After reading this book, those events, especially those events concerning Oswald, began to me to look unavoidable.

I have read dozens of books on this subject, and this book provides one of the most articulate theories I have come across. It disposes of theories used by other writers and systematically builds up to the writer's theory. The author also doesn't spend page after page disecting the medical evidence or film study (while I have read books on this subject dealing with mostly these topics, they all seem to be repetive and boring after many hours of reading). He does adress these topics, but reduces the information to readable quantities.

This book is an easy read. If you forget something about the author's theory, he references the past chapters for you to be able to reread.

I was not able to put this book down until I finished it.

Smith has produced a brilliant piece of work here. I read this book in awe at his observations and theories, and the'Second Plot'is a most disturbing and totally plausible piece of work from Smith who I deem an authority on his subject. His writing is crisp,to the point without being fanciful and he builds his theories slowly but surely to arrive at his devastating conclusions.

Whatever the truth, I am of the opinion that Smith has come closer to nailing it than anyone previously and probably anyone in future with this superb book.

A must!!

For anyone who does not have time to ready 50 conspiracy theory books, this author takes us back through the basics and shows us the actual elements surrounding the crime like the Oswald's apartment building in Russia, the schoolbook depository, the Mannlicher-Carcano, Clay Shaw and JD Tippit's car.

The keys to this calmly reasoned overview are (1)a review of the considerable history of Lee Oswald's services for the CIA overseas and (2) a plausible explanantion for the strange murder of Officer Tippit. Smith's mission is to find the way that the other writers can all be right at the same time. He concludes that the CIA carefully set up Oswald to take the blame for the killing which was ordered to avenge the slaughter of CIA operatives at the Bay of Pigs. Lyndon Johhson and his boys had some degree of foreknowledge and stood by until it was time to commence the cover-up. Oswald was supposed to escape to Cuba but when that got messed-up the agency used the usual local thugs and killers to silence him any anyone else who knew what actually happened. It's amazing they pulled it off at all but they left a lot of evidence and had to ultimately kill a lot of witnesses.

The Second Plot is a well researched and provocative re-telling of the JFK Conspiracy. Matthew Smith has done his homework and weaves an interesting tale of deceipt, ineptitude, and questionable conclusions, as the officials charged with protecting the president and investigating his death bumbled badly. As good as this book is, it could have been much better. Reasonable Doubt and Rush To Judgement are far better at making the case for conspiracy. Smith essentially works old themes here, which is not bad, just not revealing of any new interpretations of well established facts. He gives only scant mention of the poor forensic evidence which links Oswald to the crime. He glosses over the Oswald exhumation in 1981, which has major problems with the conclusive stand that Oswald was in fact buried in Rosehill Cemetary. But these are small critcisms. Smith has very good insight into the Zapruder film analysis, confusion at the Tippit murder scene, and the huge discrepancies arising from JFK's autopsy. Overall, a decent effort, but hardly the "...best conspiracy book to appear to date" as stated by the Sunday Times.

In this book, the author covers most of the usual ground relating to the assassination from a perspective critical of the Warren Commission: Dealey Plaza itself, the creation of the Warren Commission, the Zapruder Film, and the murder of Oswald. The second half of the book covers Oswald's life and background in some detail, focusing on the idea that the CIA sent him to the USSR and then used him as a patsy after he returned to the USA. The author concludes that the CIA and the Mafia are the most likely culprits for the assassination.

The book is well-written and readable enough. However, it is really best suited to people who do not have much knowledge of the assassination already. If you have already read a lot of books on the assassination, you will find this book disappointing. It is particularly important to note that the book was (basically) written in 1992 and revised in 2002. I'm not really sure what was added, but it doesn't appear to reflect much in the way of new research done since 1992. For example, John Newman's 1995 book on Oswald and the CIA is not mentioned.

In sum, consider buying this if you are looking for your first book on the assassination. If you're an expert on the assassination, skip it.

Having read so many books on JFK's assassination, it's easy to get excited about a new look at something that isn't covered anywhere else. The Second Plot gives a new possibility to considering all of those 'fake' Oswalds showing up to make LHO look like a Castro lover and probable killer of JFK. After reading this book, I feel more solid in my belief that Oswald was an agent of our CIA that got handled by a rogue element within...LHO's blind following of his handlers got him set up as the fall guy. The easy understanding of the government coverup is now simple to see ... we had to avoid an invasion or attack of Cuba to avoid World War 3...had LHO made it to his scheduled plane to infiltrate Cuba and evidence led back to Castro killing JFK....we'd all be dust.