Customer Reviews

The Man Who Knew Too Much: Hired to Kill Oswald and Prevent the Assassination of JFK Richard Case Nagell Is

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This book is a true masterpiece! Even if you only have a fleeting interest in JFK conspiracy theories you will enjoy this read. If you like a great mystery novel or chilling spy drama 'The Man Who Knew Too Much'will have you under its spell the way few non-fiction books will. Dick Rusell seems to understand what few JFK assassination book writers do: theories need to be backed up by facts!....I'm sure the true elements of the plot to kill JFK are in this book...everyone gets a name check; from Hoover to Oswald, from the Mafia to secret far-right groups Russell illuminates the dark world of espionage and counter-espionage and centers on the tale of one-time double agent Richard C. Nagell. Nagell it seems sent word of the assassination plot two months BEFORE Nov. 22 to the FBI, who did nothing. In a moment of desperation he fired off a gun in an El Paso bank and got himself arrested......but Nagell is but one figure in the macabre house of cards that led to the death of perhaps our most popular President. Russell has not just written the most coherent analysis on the JFK conspiracy he's written a great book. Period.

Richard Case Nagell was involved in the world of intelligence, sometimes working for the US, sometimes apparently, or possibly, working for the Soviets. His history parallels that of Lee Harvey Oswald and the many federal agencies and right-wing groups that haunt the edges of the assassination of President Kennedy. While never definitive as a whodunit, it is extraordinary in showing the vast covert world of which most Americans are totally unaware. This is clearly the best-researched book on this subject, and necessary if anyone hopes to begin to understand the killing of President Kennedy.

This version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much" has nothing to do with the classic Hitchcock movie(s). Rather it is the story of Richard Case Nagel, an obscure and very shadowy former C.I.A. agent, who may have worked for other spook agencies as well. MWKTM tries to make the case that Nagel was hired by the KGB to kill Lee Harvey Oswald before LHO could assassinate President Kennedy. If such a scenario appears implausible, it is fully in keeping with the tangled web of machinations and wire-pulling painted by author Russell. MKTM is prodigiously researched and documented, nearly 600 pages of information including 105 pages of appendices and notes. However, MWKTM contains far too much information, too many names, too copious acronyms and too numerous possibilities concerning who did-or did not- plan the Kennedy assassination. This reviewer is decently well read on the subject, but was left more confused at the end than at the start. The view from this source is that author Russell's painstaking research and detective work is mostly for naught. Previous reviewers are in disagreement! The bottom line here is that those interested in assassination should NOT start their research with MWKTM, but should turn to reliable standards like Jim Garrison's "On the Trail of the Assassins", Jim Marrs' "Crossfire" or even Matthew Smith's more challenging "The Second Plot". Once grounded, they could proceed to Mr. Russll's tome. MWKTM certainly warrants a 5 star rating for effort, but points must be reluctantly deducted for an uneven and highly verbose performance.

Dick Russell has out-investigated the entire FBI in the JFK assassination case and provided his findings in his book, The Man Who Knew Too Much, so renaming FBI Hqs in his honor would be appropriate. If the FBI had expended a fraction of the effort that Dick Russell devoted to the case (not counting the FBI's effort that went into the coverup), the conspirators would have been wrapped up long ago. Russell is thorough (just look at the number of pages!), fair, and objective, clearly seeking the truth and not trying to force facts into a preconceived notion. He's attempted to follow the facts to wherever they lead. Undoubtedly, solutions to the mysteries surrounding JFK's death will involve some of what is provided to us in this book with regard to events that Richard Case Nagell witnessed. If you want to look into the JFK case, this book is indispensible.

I will wait another twenty years before deciding how much of this book I will accept as fact. No matter--there is so much here which has been later documented elsewhere that Russell stands with the foremost researchers. Beyond the historical value of this monumental book, presented here is the most fascinating story I've ever read.