Customer Reviews

Oswald's Trigger Films: The Manchurian Candidate, We Were Strangers, Suddenly?

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When one first learns of the thesis of this book, it seems pretty far-fetched: Oswald was influenced to murder Kenndy by the films he watched? Surely a man as disturbed as Oswald, who had already attempted a local Texas assassination, wouldn't need any more to jump to a larger target.

And yet, John Loken surprises. He makes a very convincing case for these movies being the inspiration for Oswald's desperate act of becoming infamous. He follows every thread he can find and doesn't spare us the details, whether they are ultimately convincing or obscured by time. It's a quick read (and priced as one) yet still contains supporting footnotes and photos of newspaper clippings. All in all, an unexpected idea fleshed out by facts. Well worth the read.

Establishing a motive for Lee Harvey Oswald in the assassination of JFK has always been a goal of those who promote the lone assassin view of that event. John Loken's "Oswald's Trigger Films: The Manchurian Candidate, We Were Strangers, Suddenly?" does not prove such motive of course. It does show, if one accepts the well-reasoned premise, that Oswald could have been "triggered" to act, at least in part, by films with a powerful visual impact.

The author shows that Oswald almost certainly did see the film We Were Strangers (with its subject of a revolution in Cuba involving an assassination plot) very shortly before the assassination. Further, Loken breaks new ground by proving that The Manchurian Candidate (starring Frank Sinatra and involving programmed assassins) was playing in Dallas for two months in late 1962. Oswald would have certainly known of the film through his reading of Time magazine (which he subscribed to) and newspapers, and had access to two theaters that ran the film.

Loken presents evidence that Oswald did not see the film Suddenly, another Sinatra thriller. This is unfortunate since that film with its images of an assassin at a window, a scoped rifle, and a dark limousine had the most potential for a psychological trigger. Still, Loken shows that Oswald may have been indirectly influenced by this movie's powerful imagery.

Today, we accept the fact that motion pictures can influence a person to commit a violent act (John Hinckley and the Columbine killers are two examples). Oswald's Trigger Films is a thought provoking and well-written look at Lee Harvey Oswald and three films that may have had a similar sway.

A quick, clear read, Loken's investigation provides a compelling look into this surprisingly sparsely considered area among the body of written work about JFK's assassination. The strength of Loken's thesis lies in the fact that he does not try to reach too far with or make careless assertions about the information he has uncovered. It's definitely worth a read, and its brevity allows for multiple ones.

Kudos to John Loken for his fine bit of research about this important area of assassination research. His book should added to those mythical "must read" lists of JFK assassination books which, oddly enough, seem to be conspicuously lacking any balance in terms of books that support the "lone gunman" theory. Oswald's Trigger Films provides one example of work that seems to be interested in providing objective, reasoned evidence and allowing the reader to draw his own conclusions about it.

The bells went off in my head the very first time that I heard about John Loken's thesis. It immediately seemed entirely reasonable. So much so, that I'm flabbergasted that apparently nobody previously has dealt with this theme in a significant manner. ... Where did Oswald get the idea? The author contends that the impressionable and immature young man was probably influenced by three motion pictures, We Were Strangers (1949), Suddenly (1954), and perhaps most importantly, the Manchurian Candidate (1962) released only a year before the assassination.

"Not only did Oswald have a strong inclination toward such fantasies of intrigue," adds Loken, but he frequently imitated "what others had done or said before him." The author concedes that there's no proof that Oswald viewed the Manchurian Candidate, but it is very unlikely that this was the case. Moreover, he subscribed to a number of publications which highlighted this film starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey as the one chosen to assassinate the president. I don't think it to be out of line to place a special emphasis upon the latter actor's last name being Harvey. Sinatra may have felt so guilty about the possibility Oswald was influenced by the Manchurian Candidate that he made sure it was pulled from distribution for a number of years.

You must obtain a copy of Oswald's Trigger Films. It is mandatory if you are truly interested in further exploring the motivating factors behind the Kennedy assassination. Do not allow the author's lack of prestigious credentials deter you. John Loken has earned your respect. This relatively short book will not be deemed disappointing.

Deftly written about the assassination of American President John F. Kennedy, Oswald's Trigger Films holds to the belief that a lone assassin murdered America's beloved leader... and makes the case three movies dealing with presidential assassinations influenced the gunman and killer Oswald. These three movies, "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962), "We Were Strangers" (1949), and "Suddenly" (1954) are examined in detail and their impact on Oswald's disturbed mind is carefully discussed. John Loken's Oswald's Trigger Films offers a fascinating, unique, and somewhat disturbing analysis that will be of immense interest to students the Kennedy Assassination and its aftermath.

This was a quick read and an interesting concept. It's strength is that it is well researched and (surprisingly) balanced in light of the fact that many JFK assassination texts can get thrown off by strong opinions. It is not a psychology study (which was fine by me). The author obviously did a fair amount of digging but there still is not a ton of facts to support his overall theory. It's a short read (one plane ride) and if you are into JFK assassination information and want something different, this may fit the bill.

This is a strange and curious little book.....

The author's premise is that three films dealing with assassinations of political figures (Suddenly, The Manchurian Candidate and We Were Strangers)gave Lee Oswald some of the impetus to murder JFK...

An interesting thesis, but the problem with the book is though, try as he might, the author John Loken is unable to verify for sure that Oswald ever saw 2 out of the three films, making the point of the entire work sort of moot.

Loken also gives short shrift to many of the plot details of the films, two of which, Suddenly and "Strangers" are totally obscure and probably unknown to Mr. Loken's potential audience.

"Oswald's Trigger Films" is no 'War and Peace'...the text is only 40 pages, the rest given over to author's notes and local Dallas TV and movie listings...

Again, the premise of the book is fascinating and deserves more than the somewhat skimpy treatment given here...

This book is a must read for any history buff. The detailed evidence convincingly explains how the influence of movies led Oswald to commit the assassination of President Kennedy.