Questions of Controversy [Paperback]

Mel Ayton (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Business Education Publishers (June 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1873757883
• ISBN-13: 978-1873757888
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,970,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

VISIT MEL AYTON'S WEBSITE - www.melayton.com




Mel Ayton lives in County Durham, England, with his wife Sheila and has two grown children, Laura and Tim. He has a B.A. Honours degree in Politics and History and an M.A. from Durham University where he specialized in historiography and the teaching of history in American schools. In the early 1980s he was a college lecturer teaching in Colleges of Further Education. In 1988 he was selected as a Fulbright Teacher and taught in schools in Michigan, USA. He also worked in Bermuda and taught in Zambia. He retired as a school deputy headmaster in 1999 to write full time.


Mel Ayton's first book, Questions of Conspiracy, was an examination of the claims made by JFK conspiracy theorists. He decided to write the book following a conversation in 1988 with US Senator Arlen Specter in which Specter expressed his dismay at the way the JFK consipiracists had misused the evidence in the case. The book was updated and revised and was published in 2002 as The JFK Assassination: Dispelling the Myths. Dispelling the Myths was reviewed by The Nation magazine contributing editor and leading JFK historian and author, Max Holland, who described it as "outstanding." The book was favourably mentioned by Vincent Bugliosi in Reclaiming History (2007) his New York Times bestseller about the JFK assassination. (See page 539, Endnotes)


In 2001 the University of Sunderland Press published Mr. Ayton's book Questions of Controversy - The Kennedy Brothers which examined the controversial stories about John, Robert and Edward Kennedy. He was the first researcher to prove that JFK mistress Judith Campbell Exner had deliberately embellished her stories and lied about her role as a conduit between mobster Sam Giancana and JFK. Former JFK adviser and Kennedy White House historian, Professor Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., described his research about RFK and the Vietnam War as "persuasive." Questions of Controversy was acclaimed by Professor of History at the University of Wales, William D. Rubinstein, in his book Shadow's Pasts - Amateur Historians and History's Mysteries (Longman, 2007).


In 2003 Mr. Ayton acted as the historical adviser for the BBC's television documentary, "The Kennedy Dynasty," which was broadcast in the UK in November 2003. In 2005 Ayton's book A Racial Crime - James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King was published by ArcheBooks. In 2008 Insignia Films film director Stephen Ives said A Racial Crime was "essential to (my) research" for an upcoming (2009) PBS documentary about Martin Luther King Jr.


In 2007 his book about the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, The Forgotten Terrorist, was published by Potomac Books. The paperback edition was published in 2008. The Forgotten Terrorist was highly acclaimed by authors Dan Moldea, Max Holland, Patricia Lambert, Gus Russo and Paul Donnelley in his 2008 book Assassins and Assassinations. He was interviewed about the book for National Geographic Channel's documentary "CIA Secret Experiments" (2008) and the Discovery Channel's "CIA - Mind Control" (2006) and "Conspiracy Test: The Robert Kennedy Assassination" (2008). In July 2008 Mel Ayton was interviewed about his latest book for the BBC's Newsnight and Channel 4 News.
Mel Ayton has also written for Ireland's leading history magazine, History Ireland, Crime Magazine, David Horowitz's FrontPage magazine, Washington Decoded, George Mason University's History News Network and a British regional newspaper, The Journal.

His book about the life and crimes of racist killer Joseph Paul Franklin, Dark Soul of the South, was published by Potomac Books in May 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FROM THE PUBLISHER(UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND PRESS), June 25, 2003

By 

Mel Ayton "Mel Ayton" (Durham, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Questions of Controversy (Paperback)

FROM THE PUBLISHER:Intense controversy surrounds the legacy of the three Kennedy brothers.In Questions of Controversy",Mel Ayton has sorted fact from fiction and established the truth about this tragedy-laden family.His work concentrates on: *The Bay of Pigs affair *The Cuban Missile Crisis *The assassination attempts against Fidel Castro *JFK's relationship with Marilyn Monroe *JFK's alleged links to the mafia *JFK's relationship with Judith Campbell Exner and his friendship with Frank Sinatra *RFK and the Vietnam War *RFK's alleged affair with Marilyn Monroe *RFK's assasination *EMK and the Camelot Legacy *The Kennedys and J Edgar Hoover.His research concerning RFK and the Vietnam War was described by Professor Arthur M Schlesinger as "Persuasive".

Mel Ayton's recent book - "The JFK Assassination - Dispelling The Myths" was described by leading JFK historian and "Nation" contributing editor,Max Holland as "Outstanding"."Dispelling The Myths" carries a Forward to the book by JFK expert Larry A Sneed.Mel Ayton acted as the historical consultant for the BBC documentary "The Kennedy Dynasty" broadcast in November 2003.

2 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN HISTORICAL ANTIDOTE, June 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Questions of Controversy (Paperback)

From the Publisher: University of Sunderland Press/BEP.
Mel Ayton's provocative new book makes a significant contribution to the literature about the Kennedy brothers.A thoroughly researched book, Mel Ayton brings challenging new evidence and insights to the controversies surrounding the Kennedys.The book is directed to an audience beyond academia and it will appeal to popular and academic readers.The author reveals new evidence concerning:*The Bay of Pigs affair *The Cuban Missile Crisis *The assassination attempts against Fidel Castro *JFK's relationships with Marilyn Monroe and Judith Exner *JFK's friendship with Frank Sinatra *JFK's alleged 'mob ties' *JFK's personal life *RFK's presidential campaign *RFK's alleged relationship with Marilyn Monroe *RFK's assassination *Edward Kennedy and the Camelot Legacy *Edward Kennedy's private life *J Edgar Hoover and the Kennedys.

Mel Ayton's recent book, "The JFK Assassination:Dispelling The Myths" (Woodfield Publishing, 2002) was described by leading JFK historian Max Holland as "Outstanding".His research concerning RFK and the Vietnam War was called "persuasive" by Professor Arthur M Schlesinger.

His book about the murder of Martin Luther King will be published in 2004.