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Nightmare in Dallas: The Babushka Lady

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If you are a JFK-assassination buff, this book is a must-read for you!

Abraham Zapruder's film of President Kennedy's assassination shows a woman wearing a long coat, with a scarf on her head, who was also filming the presidential parade with her movie camera. She was not asked to testify in the Warren Commission investigation, nor did the police or FBI interview her at the time of the assassination, even though one of police officers at the scene of the assassination recognized her and knew her as a friend of his wife's. In 1977, she was interviewed extensively by two representatives of the House Select Committee investigating the assassination, but she was subsequently not required to testify before the Committee. At long last, her story was published in 1994, in this book titled "Nightmare in Dallas."

Beverly Oliver was standing across from the Texas Book Depository, and she started her movie camera as the President's car made the turn onto Elm Street. She kept filming as his car passed in front of her and the fatal shots were fired. She had not had the film developed when two nights later, two FBI men appeared at her work to take the film from her. What happened to her film has not been discovered, although unsuccessful attempts have been made to retrieve it from the government.

Beverly Oliver's story includes little that is not already known about the Kennedy assassination, but her story gives credence to those who have told their stories before her. She met Lee Harvey Oswald at Jack Ruby's night club, when Jack Ruby introduced him to her as a friend "who's with the CIA." She also saw David Ferrie on numerous occasions at Jack Ruby's bar. She states that Jack Ruby had a strong dislike for John Kennedy and his brother Robert Kennedy, although he admired Jacqueline Kennedy. She claims that the shots that killed President Kennedy were fired from the fence on the grassy knoll.

Her story also includes the disappearance of Jada, one of Jack Ruby's strippers, which Beverly Oliver believes was not because Jada had left for a new job in New Orleans. Jada had been interviewed by newspaper reporters who printed her quotes about how Jack Ruby had introduced her to Oswald a few weeks before the assassination. A few days after the assassination, Beverly found that all of Jada's costumes were being sold and she was reassured by the bar manager that Jada would not be needing them any longer. Obviously, Jada was no longer working as a stripper. But what happened to Jada is not explained, or is still not known. It seems to me that if someone was getting rid of everyone who saw or met Oswald at Jack Ruby's bar, there would have been a lot more people who would have disappeared, including Beverly Oliver.

At the end of the book is an interesting chapter, called "The Fake Ruby?" While the reader is assured that there are credible witnesses to the fact that Jack Ruby was dead years before this incident, no explanation is given about why this impostor claimed to be Jack Ruby.

Beverly Oliver's story is told in the third-person, probably by Coke Buchanan the co-author. The facts about the assassination are interwoven in the story of Beverly Oliver's life as if some facts of her life are more important than what she knows about the assassination of a president.

Beverly Oliver's story begins when she was 15 years old, sneaking out of her parents' Garland, Texas home, in an attempt to start her career as a singer in the shady world of Dallas nightclubs, where she met Jack Ruby. Besides her filming the JFK assassination when she was only 17 years old, the facts of her life which are covered in the book include: She was an unwed teenage mother and gave her baby daughter up for adoption in 1962. -- She was a singer in the Colony Club nightclub and often hung out in Jack Ruby's nearby club, the Carousel. -- She had an her affair with a married man, who was often at the night club. -- She was a friend and companion of Jack Ruby. -- She married a gambler, who apparently unknown to her, was suspected of being a gangster and a murderer. He threatened her life one time when she tried to tell his friends what she had witnessed of JFK's assassination. He later was murdered. -- She was addicted to heroin during her marriage to the gambler, but was cured of her addiction when she found comfort in religion. -- She married a minister and joined him in his ministry on the road. -- Her second child died of a sudden illness and her third child suffered from a mysterious serious illness. -- She contributed to Oliver Stone's movie about the JFK assassination. --

I have few criticisms of this book. I would have preferred a different writing style, such as a presentation of the hard facts in a more concise manner, than a romanticized version of the author's life interspersed with quotes from John Kennedy and imaginative writing about what he was doing that fateful day. Also, I would have preferred a first-person narrative, with more of the author's feelings and her understanding of the events, balanced with researched statements of other facts that correspond to her story. A critical deficit is that this book lacks an index, which makes it hard to locate the important events, names, dates, and places.

The reader is led through a winding tale of Beverly Oliver's life, without much resolution to many questions. Her naiveté about what was really going on is somewhat understandable based on how young she was. I think the most important unanswered question is "Why was she there that day filming the President's assassination?" Her location on the parade route was certainly an important one, being that she had a perfect view of the assassination. Not many people had a movie camera in those days, yet she had a brand new, experimental model that was supposedly given to her as a gift by her married boyfriend.

I would love to talk to Beverly Oliver and find out what she really knows about the assassination of John Kennedy, and the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby.

not only what happened in Dealey Plaza, but also what took place backstage.

here's the juicy stuff........

Mrs. Oliver not only knew Jack Ruby, (she worked for him), but she also claims that Ruby knew Oswald. Beverely comes out in the movie JFK. she is interviewed and then says she won't testify. in real life, she didn't speak with Garrison, but she did know Ruby and Oswald.

Beverely Oliver, aka The Babushka Lady, was present in Dealey Plaza the day JFK was shot. we know this throught over dozens and dozens of photos taken that day. in the photos taken that day, one of which is the front cover of the book, shows her taking film of the JFK assassination. a couple of days after the killing, the film was taken by an FBI man. she identified that man as FBI Agent Reggis Kennedy, who denied it.

Thirdly, and most importantly is that she knows who killed JFK, and it wasn't Oswald. i want to say, but i can't. read this book.
she says exaclty who killed JFK and who the shooter was, because she knew him, and he knew her.

good luck.
good book.

with the Lady who not only was present in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963, but the very person who knew Jack Ruby.

she came out in the movie JFK. the girl at the Carousel Club. but anyway, Mrs. Oliver's book is very interesting. She talks about...........okay, i don't want to ruin the book for you. go and check it out in the Library or buy it. you won't be dissapointed.

Beverly was there.

In her book, Bererly Oliver provides proof she was there (the information is hidden but it is there). If you are familiar with the assassination story, Beverly was working in Jack Ruby's nightclub as a singer/dancer and was reluctant to come forward. As a consultant to the movie JFK she provided the words "if they can kill a president of the United States, do you think they'd hesitate to kill a showgirl?"

Her words of course describe someone very high in the US Government but the book does not zero in on who was behind the crime of the century.

Beverly heard the correct number of shots. She also described the biggest secret concerning the assassination correctly.

Beverly Oliver was there.

Once you pick this book up, you can't put it down. It is one of the most inspirational stories ever told. It is the only book I know of written by a person who actually knew the key players in the assassination. This book is an amazing story and it appears that this story has now been proven to be true.

Beverly Oliver was not in Dealy plaza during Kennedy's assassination, and is perhaps the biggest liar alive today.

She cannot support any of her contentions about being a witness and her book is just an example of the two adages- "A fool and his money are soon parted" (this is you if you buy this piece of tripe), and "There is a sucker born every minute."

Beverly Oliver waited over ten years to spring her preposterous story on the public and the thing is so shot full of holes that you could sail a ship through some of them. Save your money!