Customer Reviews

Who Killed John Lennon?

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Read this book not for its literary value, but for the rather shocking facts it reveals. Bresler is the only individual to have seriously investigated the Lennon assassination - no one in law enforcement did. Since Chapman confessed and refused the plea of his lawyer to plead insane, there was no trial, hence no investigation. Bresler makes the case that he was a programmed assassin, manipulated by the CIA (with whom Bresler shows he had close proximity, even if contact can't be proved). Did you know that he spent June 1975 in Beirut? Lennon was murdered because the CIA was about to launch its Central America war (its War of the Decade), and it needed to dispose of the one individual popular enough - and inclined enough - to galvanize a popular movement. If you don't believe they're capable of it, try "The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: the CIA and Mind Control" by John Marks.

When I first saw this title I said, "No, no, no. I'm not ready for this. I still haven't come to terms with several other murder conspiracies and I don't need this one." I was inclined to take the story at face value, that which was offered by the major media at the time. I certainly did not want to think there was something more sinister behind the Lennon killing. When I picked up the book out of curiosity I found not the ravings of a "conspiracy nut," but a very coherent and rational investigation into the murderer. It had been "an open and shut" case, so few questions were ever raised about it. But the book reminded me that some of the reports about it had made me wonder at the time. I had not pursued the questions then and believed that I was being told the truth. Like others who loved John Lennon, I was grief stricken at the time and not inclined to ask a lot of questions. But when news reports described Chapman's movements the week of the murder, they said he traveled to Hawaii, to Chicago, sold some paintings, then came to New York. I wondered: if this guy is such a loser as they describe, who can barely get a job, where does he get the money to travel widely and deal in art? This book picks up that thread and examines Chapman, where he came from, how he spent his life before he entered history as another "lone assassin" and where, indeed, he did find the means to travel and purchase expensive works of art. The resulting picture is not pretty, does not inspire confidence in our government agencies. Some of the FBI documents on the surveillance of Lennon, which were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, reflect the frightening cloak-and-dagger mindset of agents of the bureau as they watch and take notes on Lennon as he goes to the deli to buy yogurt during a recording session, or whatever else his daily routines entailed. Whatever your final conclusion, it is hard not to be disturbed by how these people are spending your tax money. I wish the book were still in print.

John Lennon's death never DID make sense to me outside of the context of some kind of conspiracy. When he died, I was 27 years old. I had lived through the trauma of JFK's, RFK's and MLK's assassinations. I did not believe they were lone nut killings either, they were too important, and the question "who benefits?" usually leads to an obvious motive and an obvious suspect, even if it can't be proven. Once he was dead, I understood that John Lennon was the last hope of a dying spirit, the spirit of the 60s, the hope of a generation that had dreamed of creating a world of freedom, love and non-violence. That, to me, was the motive of a generation unwilling to pass the torch of life onto the next generation, the very baby boom they had created at the end of WWII to expand their own egos, yet were unwilling to acknowledge as having minds of their own and perhaps valid resentments having grown up with the values of a war torn parentage. This book dovetails nicely with the other books I have read and reviewed (see more about me) and the evidence is startling and massive to validate Bresler's theory that Chapman was, indeed, a mind controlled killer. The fact is, the CIA's shenanigans go far beyond MK-ULTRA, and have not stopped yet. They are gathering power as you read this, and looking the other way will not stop them. I'm not sure what will, but letting anyone else do your thinking for you won't. Learn as much as you can and know your own mind. Question authority, as the mantra from the 60s challenged, and do not allow the dreams and visions of the flower children to be silenced. They are not dead. They did take root. The toxic poison that surrounds us all is a deadly threat, but as long as we are open to learning and knowing and speaking truth to power, there is hope.

Read this book not for its literary value, but for the rather shocking facts it reveals. Bresler is the only individual to have seriously investigated the Lennon assassination - no one in law enforcement did. Since Chapman confessed and refused the plea of his lawyer to plead insane, there was no trial, hence no investigation. Bresler makes the case that he was a programmed assassin, manipulated by the CIA (with whom Bresler shows he had close proximity, even if contact can't be proved). Did you know that he spent June 1975 in Beirut? Lennon was murdered because the CIA was about to launch its Central America war (its War of the Decade), and it needed to dispose of the one individual popular enough - and inclined enough - to galvanize a popular movement. If you don't believe they're capable of it, try "The Search for the Manchurian Candidate: the CIA and Mind Control" by John Marks.

First published in Great Britain and then making it to the U.S. in 1989, British lawyer/writer Fenton Bresler had a pop culture sensation with the "conspiracy theory" that Mark David Chapman was a Manchurian Candidate, programmed by government sources to assassinate John Lennon.

In the 343 pages, Bresler delves into his research in four parts; Setting the Scene, Build-Up to Murder, The Murder Itself and Aftermath. The foundation of Bresler's exploration is Lennon was prepared to again speak out on political issues, which paralleled the recent election to the presidency of Ronald Reagan, hence the former Beatle had to be silenced before galvanizing a legitimate protest movement against what was going to be a more interventionist policy, as the Cold War was heating up in Central America and other spots.

Bresler points to the FBI and CIA files on Lennon as he builds his case that Chapman was not a troubled loner or a Beatle fan, while alleging that there was doctored evidence and other discrepancies that point to the triggerman being a puppet.

During an extensive media tour to promote the book, Bresler would stress that he is a barrister who has laid out a case and it is for the public - and others - to judge its merits. It is a solid page-turner, though oftentimes more in the vein of a novel within the murder mystery genre.

Because Mark David Chapman pled guilty there was never any real investigation into the background, evidence, or motives behind his killing of John Lennon. Fenton Bresler was a British barrister who didn't accept this lack of investigation and took it upon himself to look deeper. 'Who Killed John Lennon' looks at the strange existence of Mark David Chapman in an attempt to detect evidence of covert influence on his mind by shadowy agencies. Bresler faced a hard task not only because of the total lack of investigation into the mind control angle but also because very few of those involved wanted to volunteer any input. Never the less Bresler managed to identify some very incriminating circumstantial and factual evidence to make the possibility Chapman was hypnotically programmed very real.

After studying this case on the internet I presented in public my theory that the allegorical message of Holden Caulfield's dream in 'Catcher In The Rye' was a directly symbolic and motivational cause of the assassination. Upon finally reading 'Who Killed John Lennon' I was stunned to find that Chapman's only statement at his trial was to open 'Catcher' and read the part containing that very passage about the dream sequence. To me that was a resounding confirmation of my theory. It also points strongly toward something very sinister and evil that Bresler tried to prove with his book. Having studied the diabolical doings of covert agencies in regard to mind control assassination the fact Chapman pointed to this psychological clue is not a good sign. Being familiar with the evil pattern those agencies operate within it is very likely that Chapman's declaration of 'Catcher' explaining why he killed Lennon is a proxy statement being delivered by a programmed patsy. The people who commit such evil acts as mind control assassination are highly intelligent personalities who possess the eccentricities and arrogant psychopathic traits that those superior personalities tend to have. These are the kind of people who would add the flourish and 'calling card' finishing touch to their assassination by having the patsy read their death sentence against the executed individual in court by this nefarious means. These people know the gravity of what they did and need to compensate for it by morally and legally justifying it. To them their act of execution of John Lennon is something that was justified by grand terms. It was an execution carried-out by the guardians and overseers of the national security state and by the means and methods they usually practice. What Mark David Chapman was reading to Judge Edwards was a very diabolical national security death sentence delivered by indirect symbolic means.

When you study what Chapman read to the judge it is a dream sequence where the main character, the "catcher", is in a field of high-growing rye with hundreds of children running around free and happy unaware of a precipitous cliff on the edge of the rye they can't see. It is the job of the "catcher" to keep the children who stray towards the cliff from falling over, hence 'The Catcher In The Rye'. I believe what this is is a very cynical and very darkly-delivered message from the people who programmed Mark David Chapman to kill Lennon. Those evil men acted on a national security basis and therefore delivered a formal death sentence in court, in very morally-deviant form, using their programmed patsy. The message was to be delivered that Lennon died because he was leading America's children toward a cliff, and Mark David Chapman was the 'catcher'. You have to understand how people who are capable of mind control hypnosis think. These are people who see themselves in an almost Nazi way of lawless superiority. They are the same kind of people who would hope to send this legally-untraceable message, and hope people would figure it out, for profound impact, and, therefore, untouchable power.

I hope people read this book because Bresler builds-up a good case of additional evidence that points toward Mark David Chapman being unknowingly controlled by others. Others who had serious political assassination motives.

This is a very well researched work on a very plausable scenario in which OUR Government could have engineered the assassination of John Lennon.

I never was a big Lennon or Beatle fan, however the author here looks into all the devious underhanded surveillance that was conducted by the CIA, FBI and other agencies, not only against Lennon, but other notables that spoke against war, poverty, the establishment.

Those of you that will write this off as "conspiracy bunk" just keep sleep walking. You'll wake up some day.

A good read.

An excellent case study of Lennon and Chapman. I was reminded of The Control of Candy Jones on occasion. Whereas she would wear a wig to adopt the persona of Arlene Grant, Chapman apparently wore lifts in his shoes to give him extra height for his persona of Holden Caulfield. Both suffered in childhood from their fathers too. Similarities too with the case of Sirhan Sirhan. Chapman and Sirhan had Dr. Bernard Diamond as defense psychiatrists. Both were judged to be paranoid schizophrenics yet were sent to ordinary prisons. Both were subject voices in their heads repeating simple phrases, in Sirhan's case, "RFK must die - RFK must be killed" and "mind control mind control mind control" repeatedly, in Chapman's case, "Do it do it do it". Bresler gives some details about Sirhan's case in this book.

The court proceedings brought to mind the case of the man who may or may not have been Rudolf Hess. Some similarities here too. Debate raged over whether Hess was mad or not. Chapman's bizarre behavior in court reminded me of "Hess"'s bizarre outbursts, as documented in Double Standards: The Rudolf Hess Cover-Up.

Finally, author George Estabrooks, who worked for the secret services during World War 2, wrote in some of his books about how the "perfect spy" would be someone who would have specially created multiple personalities and who would be controlled by post-hypnotic suggestions. Plus, War on the Mind: Military Uses and Abuses of Psychology (Pelican) refers in chapter 14 to research by Martin Orne on the military applications of hypnosis, including the use of post-hypnotic suggestions.

Overall, it's well worth a look. Bresler corrects misconceptions printed by Goldman in his biography and I found all the biographical information about Lennon and Chapman interesting and well written.

WHO KILLED JOHN LENNON? has some good intentions but doesn't go far enough.

If Chapman were programmed to kill Lennon, it's not too late to deprogram him and find out who set Chapman up as the lone killer. It's obvious he had help.

The author gives the historic background of brainwashing techniques used by the CIA starting in the 1950s. He explains these techniques, shows how the assassins are programmed, but then does not call for a thorough investigaion by the USA Attorney General.

It's not too late to talk to Chapman, to de-brief him, hypnotize him, deprogram him using the psychological techniques used to deprogram those trapped in religious cults. He's still in prison. Let's get him deprogrammed and find those who set him up.

This well researched book explores a possible political component to the 1980 murder of John Lennon. Outspoken and involved in political causes, the late former Beatle had a dossier by the FBI. He was considered an insurgent rebel by many politicos of the day.

Bresler's book does an excellent job of following the man who killed John Lennon. He accurately chronicles the assassin's movements during the latter part of 1980 and his boyhood overidentification with the former Beatle. Bresler does not skip a beat, his work takes his readers along that sad, psychotic trail Lennon's killer took in late 1980.

The assassin, caught in a love-hate obsession concerning John Lennon appears to be confused about his own identity. A former Beatles fan, the killer would, by 1966 turn against them because of John Lennon's comment that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Irate and confused, the killer appeared to try to suppress his natural love for their music while justifying his hatred of John.

It is indeed the killer's behavior that calls attention to his desire to emulate the late Beatle. The assassin marries a woman who is Japanese; he expresses an enjoyment for the same types of art and music that Lennon publicly endorsed. By late 1980 the lines between reality and fantasy blurred; on his last day of work, the killer signed out of his company log book as "John Lennon." He then left Hawaii where he was then living for New York. An extremely confused man, he overidentifies with Holden Caulfield, the young protagonist of "Catcher in the Rye" infamy. He, like Holden declares a moratorium against "phonies" and in his mind, John Lennon is one of those phonies His fantasies ultimately consume him and the results are...devastating.

Bresler does an excellent job of chronicling the series of events that took place when and after John Lennon was murdered; he also does an excellent job of debunking many of the tabloid biographies of the day, e.g. Goldman and Guiliano's biographies of the late Beatle. John's youngest son, Sean, for example comes down hard on the Goldman book which portrays John as punitive and uncomfortable around children as a "total lie." He said that John did indeed enjoy being kissed by Sean and his older half brother Julian and that Goldman's statement otherwise was untrue.

I was impressed with the accuracy and objectivity of this work. It will certainly hold a reader's interest and is an invaluable source of information. I'm lucky to have this. It would be nice to see this back in print.