Customer Reviews

With Malice: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Murder of Officer J.D. Tippit

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The Tippet murder has received less than the attention it probably deserves in the published body of work on the Kennedy assassination. Described as the Rosetta Stone of the case, one asks that if it were Oswald who shot Tippet, does it really indicate that Oswald shot the President or that he was implicated ? The answer to that question is almost certainly yes. The other side of the coin is of course, if some else shot Tippet and the DPD concluded Oswald did it, then there are severe consequences for the whole case.

This book sets out to establish that Oswald was at the scene and shot Tippet and makes a good job of that aim. If you believe Oswald shot Kennedy or was involved in some way, you will have an easier job of accepting his guilt in the Tippet shooting. If however you believe Kennedy was shot by other assassins, you will no doubt tend to look for other assassins in the Tippet case. This book goes a long way to providing a reasonably balanced case history on the subject and may help you make up your mind. In that sense it is to be thoroughly recommended.

On first appearance this book impresses - it is a heavy weight for sure. However as has been pointed out in other reviews, a significant chunk of the book is given over to appendices and notes and is therefore not quite as comprehensive as one might think. Myers is well known for his work on animating the Zapruder film and as serious assassination researcher. So you can depend on an informed view in this book - even if you disagree with his conclusion that Oswald alone shot Tippet. However in the context of what is printed in the book, it is difficult to accept Oswald's innocence - you need to go elsewhere to find more compelling reasons to doubt his guilt. If you do you'll have a hard job to find them as no one else has done such a through job on this case. Yes you can find fault in the chain of evidence, yes you can indeed find fault with some of the reliability of the witnesses and their changing stories, but the fact is that if this had just been a normal everyday cop murder, Oswald would have been found guilty. Of that there can be little doubt.

Myers is worth reading. If you are an assassination researcher, this book is a must have. If you are new to the case, this book should be high on your list.

With Malice is a comprehensive look at an underlying, and almost forgotten aspect of the JFK assassination. There is so much detail from which to draw, tucked inside a book that is filled with documents, illustrations and pictures that I've never seen before, and I live in Dallas. Excellently done.

In this fascinating account of the murder of Officer Tippit, the exciting pursuit of the suspect, and the aftermath, author Dale Myers has stitched together an insightful story that leaves virtually no room for doubt that Oswald was Tippit's murderer. I was surprised. Like many JFK conspiracy buffs, I had found it hard to believe that Oswald was the killer; there just seemed to be too many unanswered questions. Myers answers those questions.
The eyewitnesses, the ballistics evidence, the mysterious discarded jacket... Myers tackles it all. Unlike other "Oswald did it" writers such as Gerald Posner, Myers does not skip over mysteries that are too difficult to answer convincingly. When there is no hard evidence to back up a theory or a strange story (such as two witnesses who claimed to have seen TWO gunmen fleeing the scene), he uses logic. And he does so in such an objective, methodical way, the reader has to admire his patience and dedication.
Although a couple answers remain frustratingly out of reach (What was Oswald doing on Tenth and Patton? How to explain Tippit's somewhat peculiar behavior in the fifteen minutes before he encountered his killer?), the facts that emerge paint a devastating picture of Oswald's guilt. Congratulations, Mr. Myers; you convinced me, and that was no easy task.
I have never prescribed to the logic that if Oswald killed Tippit, that MUST mean he killed JFK. Certainly, if there is any truth to his "patsy" claim, that would quite neatly explain why Oswald began to act like a man in fear for his life after leaving the Book Depository. He may have killed Tippit simply because he knew he would be railroaded for the President's murder and was looking to escape by any means necessary. But Myers wisely does not tackle the question of Oswald's involvement in the assassination. This book just focuses on the issue at hand--the murder of a decent man and a good cop--and it does so brilliantly.

One aspect of the JFK assassination story often overlooked by conspiracy theorists is the alleged murder of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit by Lee Harvey Oswald. The late Warren Commission Attorney David Belin called it the Rosetta Stone of the assassination; that is, if you accept the fact that Oswald killed Tippit, it doesn't require a huge leap of logic to find him guilty of the death of JFK as well.

In With Malice: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Murder of Officer J.D. Tippit, Dale Myers provides the first in-depth study of the "other" killing in Dallas that fateful November day. Myers, a twenty-year veteran of the Radio and Television industry who has won three Emmy awards, succeeds in proving Oswald's guilt in that crime beyond any reasonable doubt.

First Impressions

This fine book makes a powerful first impression. The hardcover volume is an oversize 10 and one fourth by seven inches. The beautiful dust jacket, designed by Myers, features a collage of important evidence with Oswald's eyes watching in the background. The 702 page book contains 157 photographs embedded in the text as well as 16 color plates and 13 maps and illustrations. For documentation, Myers provides over 1,000 endnotes and 182 pertinent documents. With Malice also gives researchers a first look at the Tippit autopsy photos with the facial features tastefully (and properly) obscured by computer graphics. Also included in this researcher-friendly volume is a list of principal figures and an excellent chronology.

The Case Against Oswald

Myers begins his work by providing context and offering answers to the question of why so many people seem to doubt Oswald's guilt in the Tippit killing. He then uses a short biography of Tippit to provide insight into this "quiet cop" and to humanize him. Myers also carefully follows Tippit's last hours before the shooting.

In a book of this type, a thorough and accurate description of the crime and its aftermath is of paramount importance, and here Myers does not disappoint. Using Dallas Police radio transcripts, photographs, and his own computer-generated diagrams and interviews, Myers returns the reader to 1963 and places him/her inside the crime scene. Even veteran researchers may be surprised to learn something new. For example, I had never heard the story of Adrian Hamby, a 19 year-old student who nearly had a fatal encounter with police due to a case of mistaken identity. In a chapter called "Proof Positive", Myers uses hard evidence to link Oswald to the crime. He carefully discusses the autopsy, murder weapon and ballistics evidence, fingerprints (Oswald lucked out here), and jacket.

Hints and Allegations

In a section of the book sure to be of interest to conspiracy theorists, Myers discusses some of the allegations that have been made through the years by such theorists. In each case, Myers either debunks the allegation completely or casts sufficient doubt as to render it useless. The issues discussed are:

1. Oswald's Wallet 2. The Waitress 3. Igor Vaganov 4. Roscoe White 5. The Reynolds Shooting 6. Cecil Small 7. T.F. White 8. Gene Roberts 9. Dobbs House 10. Carousel Club Meeting

Profile of a Killer

It is in this chapter that Myers probably breaks the most new ground. He first uses a technique developed by the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI Academy to classify the Tippit murder scene as a disorganized one. The picture that emerges is a veritable blueprint of Oswald's murder of Tippit. In such a crime scene, according to the FBI analysis, the following characteristics are found:

1. The crime was committed suddenly with no escape plan. 2. The killer attacks quickly, catching the victim off guard. 3. The murderer depersonalizes the victim by targeting specific areas of the body for excessive brutality. 4. The victim is left at the crime scene. 5. No attempt is made to conceal other physical evidence at the crime scene.

Additionally, the FBI found that the murderer of a disorganized crime scene was likely to be of below average intelligence and a high school dropout. He may also have a poor military record and employment history. The murderer was likely to use public transportation rather than drive a car and tends to be a sloppy dresser who enjoys solitary pursuits such as reading. He lives alone or with his parents and often has a physical handicap or speech impediment. Obviously, Oswald had many (although not all) of these characteristics. The remainder of this chapter continues in a similar vein, convincingly analyzing Oswald's actions using both insight from experts and Myers' own ideas in a fascinating and fresh manner.

Conclusion

In With Malice, Dale Myers offers the student of the JFK assassination an in-depth treatment of this vital aspect of the case. Myers pulls together and refines old information while providing new ideas and analysis in a readable and visually pleasing fashion. Whether you are a seasoned researcher looking for a comprehensive volume for reference purposes or a student who needs a solid introduction, this book fits the bill. Dale Myers is to be commended for writing what will be remembered as the definitive work on Lee Harvey Oswald's culpability in the murder of Officer J.D. Tippit.

Many years in the making, this book was written by someone who cares deeply about the asassination. I personally know Dale and we had many discussions througout the last 30 years. While everyone else was hashing over the President's murder, Dale was digging into the Tippit murder. I've read 50 books on the asassination, been to Dallas, been to seminars, met with investigators, and even Penn Jones back in the 70's. If you are buying or plan to buy this book, you must not be a casual reader. Before you critize him, you should talk to him first. I read many facts in all the books, and in a short conversation with Dale, he easily refuted some. I'd trust him more than anyone else that I've read so far.

Regardless of one's opinions on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, one MUST read this book and see the outstanding work Dale Myers has done on this long-neglected aspect of the case.

Myers does not give us speculation and innuendo: He gives us the cold, hard facts, and he gives us the most reasonable, compelling scenario ever advanced for exactly what happened at the crime scene and why.

Again, regardless of one's feelings about the assassination of JFK, if the Warren Commission had put together the evidence as effectively as Dale Myers does, there would never have been any room for doubt about who killed Officer J. D. Tippit that dark day in Dallas.

These are just a few of the problems I have found with Dale Myers' book WITH MALICE:

* Myers repeatedly omits important information that contradicts his conclusions.

* On several occasions, Myers buries important contrary information in his endnotes, which he surely knows most readers will not bother to study.

* Myers repeatedly reaches conclusions that are contradicted by his own raw data.

* Some of Myers' speculations and theories are later stated as though they are established facts.

* Myers is noticeably harder on witnesses whose accounts contradict his views than he is on witnesses whose accounts he likes.

* Myers frequently relies on FBI interview summaries, but he never mentions that numerous witnesses complained that those summaries were inaccurate and incomplete.

* Myers fails to mention that many witnesses changed their stories in ways that favored the lone-gunman scenario by the time they testified before the Warren Commission months after giving their initial statements.

* Myers fails to mention that some witnesses, to include a former Marine sergeant and two former Kennedy aides, reported that FBI agents pressured them to change their stories because what they had to say tended to refute or contradict the lone-gunman scenario. Given Myers' frequent reliance on FBI witness statements, the reader would be well served to know this fact.

* Myers fails to inform the reader that everything we know about what Oswald allegedly said during his interrogations comes through the filter of Dallas police officials, postal inspector Holmes, or FBI and Secret Service agents. Incredibly, not one of Oswald's interrogation sessions was recorded or even stenographed.

* Myers either ignores or only superficially deals with several well-known, widely discussed problems with the case against Oswald in the Tippit slaying.

* Myers' timing reconstruction is contradicted by the Sheriff's Department dispatch tapes and by credible eyewitness testimony.

* Myers obscures the fact that eyewitnesses Helen Markham, T. F. Bowley, and Domingo Benavides gave statements that clearly indicate the shooting occurred several minutes BEFORE Myers' time of 1:14:30. This means Oswald simply would not have had enough time to reach the crime scene in the first place.

* Myers relies on the "identifications" of Oswald from the police lineups. But those lineups were markedly unfair. Furthermore, one witness who picked Oswald from a lineup quickly reversed himself and said Oswald was NOT the man he had seen. Another witness who picked Oswald then went on to select a different man from photos shown to him by federal agents. Myers mentions none of this.

* Myers says nothing about the serious questions regarding the authenticity of the Dallas police dispatch tapes and transcripts.

Michael T. Griffith Author of Compelling Evidence: A New Look at the Assassination of President Kennedy

No matter if you side with the lone assassin group, or the conspiracy group, I highly recommend this book. The pictures and the maps are worth the price alone. I have read several other books, saying such and such person saw Oswald at this street, going in this direction, or no the other direction, and it is quite confusing. The author has easy to follow maps, and a lot of photos of the people involved. Top quality paper, binding, and cool looking dustcover. Did Oswald kill Kennedy? And did he have any help? Well, I'll not even go there, as I'm sure you have made up your mind on that subject. However, I see no way after reading this book, you could think anyone besides Oswald killed Tippit. The Author does go overboard on Tippit being a good cop, and a good family man. In fact he states "good cop" so many times, you feel like he is talking about his dog "good boy good boy" - Besides this, he is open minded about the witnesses changing their stories over the years, or making things up that never happened. Before you read this book, you may want to get a copy of..... We Saw Lincoln Shot One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts.. from those who witnessed the horror at Fords Theater 4/14/65. Its very interesting how the first reports of what happened in 1865 change, and are embellished by the time the last witness tells his story in the 1950s. In reading that book, I believe a person can grasp a better understanding of the Tippit killing, and how so many people can see the same thing, and tell a complete different story.

Dale Myers has an agenda. It's probably fair to say we all do. However, people who reject assasination researchers out of hand, miss a very important point. There are many in that community who carry credentials and pedigrees which far surpass Mr. Myers. They are, for the most part, honest, intelligent, professional and concerned people who simply seek the truth. There certainly are crackpots; and the legitimate researchers deplore them since they damage the value and credibility of their work. A question: Are the crackpots planted to make the rest look foolish? It would be a great tactic wouldn't it? Then you have the discredited Gerald Posner's and Dale Myers of the world. Who subsidizes them?
It's disturbing when someone authors a book and selectively decides the outcome of the research before it is completed. And/or if an author decides to selectively choose only those components of the entire case which support a preconceived conclusion, there is reason to cry foul.
Part of the problem is that many people are NOT serious researchers and lack the background to make critical judgements. In fact, we might not still be hashing over the murder of JFK (and Officer Tippit) if we didn't so quickly buy into the government and media rush to judgement on this issue.
I find it interesting that editorial reviews stated here include a number of Dallas police officers. If you do your homework, you will find that the Dallas police force in November of 1963 was a textbook study in ineptitude. Don't take my word for it, do some reading and research.
The reason I give this book two stars is that it is the first real study of the Tippit killing; and , for that reason, is worth a look. But only if you have some knowledge and understanding of the "facts." For example, the wallets. Oswald left a wallet at the Paine residence the night before the shootings. There are either one or two more Oswald wallets on November 23rd. Sound at all unusual to you?
The route Oswald supposedly took from his rooming house to his encounter with Tippit has been measured with an instrument at 1.1 miles, not .9 miles. A recreational runner, which Oswald wasn't, is clocking decent times if he runs a mile in under eight minutes. If Oswald wasn't wearing running garb and setting a decent pace, the extra two tenths of a mile can be significant.
Myers makes a big deal of the keying of a (the) mike on the police radio band. Fact is, keying mikes was rather routine (especially that day) and NO ONE can trace the keying to Tippit's radio. THAT is a fact that Mr. Myers doesn't mention, as it weakens one of his arguments that sets his timeline.
Consider the following points brought up by a previous reviewer, then be very alert for the spin and imagination Mr Myers employs.

These are just a few of the problems I have found with Dale Myers' book WITH MALICE:
* Myers repeatedly omits important information that contradicts his conclusions.
* On several occasions, Myers buries important contrary information in his endnotes, which he surely knows most readers will not bother to study.
* Myers repeatedly reaches conclusions that are contradicted by his own raw data.
* Some of Myers' speculations and theories are later stated as though they are established facts.
* Myers is noticeably harder on witnesses whose accounts contradict his views than he is on witnesses whose accounts he likes.
* Myers frequently relies on FBI interview summaries, but he never mentions that numerous witnesses complained that those summaries were inaccurate and incomplete.
* Myers fails to mention that many witnesses changed their stories in ways that favored the lone-gunman scenario by the time they testified before the Warren Commission months after giving their initial statements.
* Myers fails to mention that some witnesses, to include a former Marine sergeant and two former Kennedy aides, reported that FBI agents pressured them to change their stories because what they had to say tended to refute or contradict the lone-gunman scenario. Given Myers' frequent reliance on FBI witness statements, the reader would be well served to know this fact.
* Myers fails to inform the reader that everything we know about what Oswald allegedly said during his interrogations comes through the filter of Dallas police officials, postal inspector Holmes, or FBI and Secret Service agents. Incredibly, not one of Oswald's interrogation sessions was recorded or even stenographed.
* Myers either ignores or only superficially deals with several well-known, widely discussed problems with the case against Oswald in the Tippit slaying.
* Myers' timing reconstruction is contradicted by the Sheriff's Department dispatch tapes and by credible eyewitness testimony.
* Myers obscures the fact that eyewitnesses Helen Markham, T. F. Bowley, and Domingo Benavides gave statements that clearly indicate the shooting occurred several minutes BEFORE Myers' time of 1:14:30. This means Oswald simply would not have had enough time to reach the crime scene in the first place.
* Myers relies on the "identifications" of Oswald from the police lineups. But those lineups were markedly unfair. Furthermore, one witness who picked Oswald from a lineup quickly reversed himself and said Oswald was NOT the man he had seen. Another witness who picked Oswald then went on to select a different man from photos shown to him by federal agents. Myers mentions none of this.
* Myers says nothing about the serious questions regarding the authenticity of the Dallas police dispatch tapes and transcripts.

Caveat Emptor!

While Dale Myers' explores a neglected aspect of the assassination of President Kennedy, his investigation stops short on a number of lines of inquiry that are extremely significant, and so he fails in his task of exposing the total truth. Like CBS, the HSCA, and the FBI before him, Myers traces the license plate of the car seen with Oswald driving near the scene of Tippit's murder to Tippit's best friend Carl Mather. He doesn't tell the reader that Mather's alibi was that at the time of the assassination and murder of Tippit he was at work at Collins Radio. Nor does he convey, and he must have known, that Collins was actively engaged in anti-Castro Cuban activities through its ownership of the ship Rex, which on Nov. 1, 1963 deposited a team of assassins in Cuba. "This is one story that may never have survived had the license number T.F. White supplied not been linked to Tippit through Mathers. The resulting investigation clearly shows that the Mathers were not involved,and that White was less than sure of the information he was supplying than the investigators had been led to believe. Perhaps, that explains White's reluctance to come forward." (With Malace p. 333) Wes Wise, the reporter who obtained the license number from White, in no uncertain terms (HSCA Reports - "The Wise Allegation"), said that he had to use all the powers of persuasion at his disposal because White was afraid and not because he was unsure of his facts. Everyone who has gone down this road before has stopped at Carl Mather's front door and not gone the Collins Radio Route, which I believe is the codex of the Rosetta Stone that helps solve the mystery. Myers has left it for others to investigate that line of inquiry, so his work is not totally comprehensive. His attitude of attacking "critics" is annoying as well, as like Posner, he comes across like he's setting the record straight, but still comes up short with Carl Mather and other points, ie. - Igor Vaganov and the mystery of the wallet found at the Tippit murder scene. Well written, well documented, good graphics, but still short of the total truth. For more on Collins Radio, see my COPA abstract: THE COLLINS RADIO CONNECTIONS to the Assassination of President Kennedy (1994). The best book on the assassination of President Kennedy has yet to be written - the one that solves the case. Bill Kelly billkell@bellatlantic.net