Customer Reviews

The Killing of a President: The Complete Photographic Record of the JFK Assassination...

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

First the good.

Robert Groden has assembled an amazing array of photographs of and related to the assassination. For JFK buffs (yes I'm guilty of being one) it is an invaluable resource, especially for someone outside the US who hasn't been to the scene. In conjunction with some of the best JFK assassination videos and research books it can really make the scene come to life again. There is an almost preternatural beauty in some of the Dealey Plaza scenes shown in this book. Groden has been able to obtain photographs from private hands, some of which were not publicly available.

The Not So Good
Groden has a habit of ambiguously captioning some of the photos he presents. At times it is difficult to know exactly which one the caption refers to. This is a minor annoyance but more significant is when he assumes that the reader can see what he sees. Groden has, no doubt, subjected these pictures to major enhancements and blowups which perhaps show things that the ordinary reader cannot discern in the "normal" photos in the book. One example is his use of film of LHO distributing pro-Castro leaflets outside the Trade Mart. He categorically states that Clay Shaw is in the background walking towards LHO. This may well be true, however I couldn't identify Shaw as that tiny figure with a dash of white (hair?) from the photo in the book.
I would prefer a comment like "enlargements reveal that the figure in the background may well be Clay Shaw".

Other researchers will (and have) taken issue with Groden's theory (he presents it as absolute fact) of minimum 6 shots from at least 3 directions. I personally have no problem with that but would prefer that he presented it as "my theory" rather than "this is what happened".

Having said all that I would strongly recommend:
1.Purchase the book (would make a great gift for someone interested in the JFK assassination but who hasn't any books on it).
2.Don't take the text as gospel.
3.Cross check with other works.

A caution re the autopsy photos. They are necessary but not for the faint hearted! Parents may want to keep this book away from impressionable kids until they're ready for it.

The reason why this book is among the best written about the JFK conspiracy is because it doesn't contain so many words. Wisely, Robert Groden has elected to let the pictures, for the most part, do the talking in his book, The Killing of a President: The Complete Photographic Record of the JFK Assassination, the Conspiracy, and the Cover-Up. No crackpot theories, no half-truths supported by whole lies, no official whitewashing. If you look at the pictures--not just of the limousine--but of the crowd, there's no doubt that shots came from several directions. One of the nails on the Warren Report's coffin is the photo of the man sitting on the DalTex Building's fire escape, suddenly leaping to his feet and looking in the OPPOSITE direction of the Texas Schoolbook building during the shooting.

There's no denying Groden's position on the conspiracy issue, but he reins in his usual heavy-handed prose and keeps his theory to a minimum. (However, based on other reviewers, it's apparent that there was more than one man involved in the writing of the scant text. Whatever.) AND BE WARNED: Please listen seriously to the other reviewers here when they alert you to the graphic autopsy photos. They are extremely gruesome and not for the weak-hearted.

Most of you comment on Grodens photo captions were incorrect. Although he wrote the book the captions were written by the assistants to John Goodchield who graphically laid out the piece. I was the Illustrator for High Treason and this book. I was the one who created all of the origional artwork along with the dealy plaza sketch the full size plaster bust of Kennedy with the actual wounds according to the Doctors. I was there for 90% of the books creation and can say the majority of Gorden and my suggestions were overwritten by the publisher. Number one being the fact that the book went on sale wrapped in plastic.

How can you review a coffee table book of photographs at the book store while still wrapped?

But still our views fell on def ears. Other than that the book was the first to combine the entire valt of photographic evidence into one volume. It's a must read for anyone who is interested in the events of November 22, 1963.

I can be reached by email for requests, questions, or comments @ thefattie1@hotmail.com

Thanks
Ed Chiarini

every angle of kennedy's assination is analyzed in this book is tremendous detail. the best book on thissubject matter. the images are superb

The Killing of a President is an indispensable resource for those fascinated with the JFK assassination. Robert J. Groden is perhaps the most knowledgeable expert on the photographic record of the assassination and its aftermath. Not only does he have probably the most complete pictorial record of events, he is largely responsible for the first public showing of the critical Zapruder film of the assassination in the mid-1970s, some eleven+ years after the tragedy. It was this widely disseminated, enhanced version of the Zapruder film that played a large part in the formation of the House Select Committee on Assassinations reinvestigation of the case in 1976 (a review that, unfortunately, ended up a white wash similar to that of the Warren Report). Groden actually served as the Staff Photographic Consultant to this committee, and he explains how much of his evidence was either ignored or deleted from the final conclusions. He was also an important consultant to Oliver Stone in the making of the film JFK.

You will find over 600 photographs and film stills in the pages of this book, many of them from the scene at Dealey Plaza and from the autopsy performed on JFK at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Several of the autopsy photos and X-rays are obvious forgeries, and Groden does a good job making the case for such serious allegations. He has also done invaluable work on the infamous "backyard photographs" of Lee Harvey Oswald, although others have presented a more detailed argument than that found here of the evidence of forgery on these pictures as well. The book is organized quite well. Starting with the assassination itself, Groden then moves on to the aftermath in Dealey Plaza and then to the medical evidence; it is here, he argues, that the cover-up really began. A chapter is devoted to Lee Harvey Oswald, with a good look at Jack Ruby thrown in for good measure. Among the interesting photos in this section is one which raises the possibility that Ruby was a witness to the assassination itself. Chapters on the controversial Warren Commission report, Jim Garrison investigation, and House Select Committee hearings follow. It is here that Groden really shifts into hypercritical mode, walking us through a reexamination of the most important pictorial artifacts associated with the murder and its cover-up.

Naturally, Groden's photographic analysis of the assassination and autopsy are of most interest to JFK assassination theorists. The quality of the film and photos showing the motorcade and the shooting is obviously not of great quality. I simply cannot always see some of the things others do in the shadows, but Groden's work enhancing and blowing up important shots does reveal the presence of someone behind the concrete barrier of the grassy knoll (dubbed Black Dog Man by researchers) as well as figures on the sixth floor of the School Book Depository and the Dal-Tex building adjacent to it. As for the autopsy, a page of photos showing Parkland Hospital doctors and nurses identifying the large exit wound on the President's head on the back right side stands in direct contradiction to the photos and X rays from the autopsy, offering only one of many strong indictments of the autopsy findings. Of course, one must judge the pictorial record for oneself, and this book makes it possible for anyone interested in the subject to do so.

Robert Groden definitely has his own opinions as to what actually happened in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, but he does not attempt to point fingers at any possible culprits in this book. He is, however, rather adamant about the number and location of shots that rang out that awful day, but I question one or two of these assertions, and anyone reading this book should not take every thing one reads in the narrative as the gospel truth. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that an in-depth frame-by-frame examination of the Zapruder film was not included in the book; there are many stills from the film pictured and discussed, but I would love to have seen a much more detailed analysis of this crucial piece of evidence.

The Killing of a President does have one considerable weakness, I'm afraid. A significant number of pictures are not captioned, and it can be difficult at times to figure out just which photo a particular caption is associated with. With the poor quality of many a photo from this time, it is well-nigh impossible for me to find the significance of a few of these unexplained photographs. This is in some way a minor quibble, however. The important thing is that a treasure trove of pictures relevant to the case can all be found in this one resource. While most assassination theory books by other authors do contain a limited number of photographs and sketches, one often finds it difficult to visualize many important facets of the case being discussed; with this fully-indexed book at your beck and call, important references to photographic evidence can be viewed and compared to any given author's opinions about them. Don't expect to find a final solution to the mystery in the pages of The Killing of a President, but do expect to find an invaluable resource that you will consult time and time again if you continue to pursue answers to what is truly an unsolved mystery of the greatest significance to all Americans then, now, and forevermore.

I have this book on my shelf. Among the many books regarding the JFK assassination, this book is a constant on my shelves.

If you are reading about someone in connection with the JFK murder and you want to see what they look like (put a face to the name) this book most likely has a picture of that person. If you want to see that infamous day in order of events from the plane landing at the airport to the new president being sworn in, this is the book to refer to.

If you are someone who is researching the JFK assassination or is curious about that day, this is the book to get. An excellent book to have for research.

Robert Groden does an excellent job of summarizing the assassination in photographs; not too surprising considering his background. There isn't anything visual of particular note here for anyone that has read a bit about the assassination previously; at least it appeared that everything here was covered elsewhere in the three or four other books I'd read. Even so, the book is an excellent collection.

The only complaint I have is that Groden could have done a better job with the captions, and pointing out spots in the photographs that are none too apparent to the reader.

What I did find surprising with this book is how well it read; Groden does an excellent job placing succienct discussions about the photographs, and manages to stay, for the most part, quite objective and factual in those discussions. I particularly liked the bookends of the compilation: the first page shows JFK's presidential memo indicating his intention to pull out of Vietnam; the last page shows Johnson's memo, written just days after JFK's death, reversing that policy. If JFK had stayed his course in this one respect, over 50,000 American soldiers, and millions of southeast asians, may have been saved from untimely deaths.

How different would the world be if JFK had survived, or a proper investigation into his death had been carried out? We'll never know. But Groden's book makes some very important statements about what we should have learned from this particular piece of history, and what we can still do about it.

I have become a believer in the conspiracy theory about Kennedy. I now am convinced that the CIA killed him. This book did not, however, lead me to that conclusion. But it is excellent, nonetheless, because it contains many pictures of great historical value. Clear stills from the Zapruder film. Autopsy photos (they can be gruesome - watch out!) of Kennedy. Photos of many different types and places, all in a comfortable, glossy format. The book is visually appealing, and the book has a clear point to make - that there was more than one assassin.

It is clear that the only people who will hate this book are those who believe the "Oswald did it alone/Warren Report" version. Anyone else will find this book helpful, insightful, and most of all, troubling. The photos almost make the case themselves that there was a conspiracy to assassinate our President in 1963 in Right-wing Dallas. If this book doesn't convince you that Oswald was a patsy, then you will ceratinly be forced to do more reading. Otherwise, you could never be convinced our government could do such a thing. For those who cannot believe there was a conspiracy - pass on this book. For everyone else - don't pass this one up.

Excellent book with more information than I expected for a photo history of JFK. Found a considerable amount of it to be accurate with what is known in 2008. Great price for what I know the book sells for when it first came out.

This book has lots of information but the photos are difficult to decipher as some have no captions as to what they are. Worth having however.