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Victor S. Navasky

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Kennedy Justice Hardcover – June 1, 1971

by Victor S. Navasky (Author)

4.4 10 ratings

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Nowhere was the clash between idealism and expediency that characterized the Kennedy brothers more apparent during their years in power than at the crossroads of the American legal system, the Department of Justice. This story of how the moral measure of their leadership was most severely tested - how boldly were imperiled liberties championed; how effectively were overlords of corruption prosecuted; how wisely were judges picked; how well, in short, was justice served - has never been told before. Until this book. Victor Navasky's intensive investigative research over a period of five years details and sheds light on many heavily shrouded subjects from the Kennedy era. The result is a remarkable case study in the dynamics of the American political system.

Print length

482 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Scribner
Publication date

June 1, 1971
ISBN-10

0689104138
ISBN-13

978-0689104138
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner; First Edition (June 1, 1971)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 482 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0689104138
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0689104138
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #4,844,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,068 in United States Judicial Branch
- #19,436 in Political Leader Biographies

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Lawn mower worker

As advertised.

Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2023

Verified Purchase

On time. As advertised.

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William Lewis

RE; Thank You for the RFK book.

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2022

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The book was in excellent condition, especially for a 51-year-old book. Thank you for the package wrapping which protected the book in transit. I have previous problems with the Postal Service, but not this time. I hope to buy from your shop again.

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2019

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This book does an excellent job of e the work and attitudes of Robert Kennedy. It also tells about the changes the Kennedy's brought.to the government. It recounts Bobby's enthusiastic work and describes some of the best cases

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insightful look at the most powerful Attorney General

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2013

This book is a somewhat odd candidate for republication. It's over 40 years old at this point. There have been hundreds of books about Robert Kennedy since the early 1970s. So the first question prospective readers might have about this book is if it's worth reading. Does Victor S. Navasky provide any fresh insights? Was this book rereleased simply to take advantage of increased interest in Kennedy with the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination? In short, a resounding "yes" to the first question and "no" to the second. This book still provides valuable insights even after 40 years.

Navasky's goal with Kennedy Justice is to focus on the powers and limits of the office of Attorney General under Robert Kennedy. Navasky argues, with reason, that RFK was in a unique position to take advantage of his office because of his unique relationship with President JFK. Navasky's approach is unique in focusing not just on this period of RFK's life but also focusing so narrowly on his performance as Attorney General. Unlike many books about the Kennedys, Navasky keeps his promise and his focus. This book doesn't devolve into a general biography of RFK.

Navasky does an outstanding job portraying bureaucratic politics. He gets into the minutiae of how RFK managed - or failed to manage - the FBI and civil rights. Navasky shows how an exchange of particular memos or telephone calls had profound implications for Kennedy's ability to rein in J. Edgar Hoover. For example, Hoover used memoranda on wiretapping and bugging to implicate RFK in condoning those activities. Navasky also uses extensive quotes or transcripts from calls, memos, etc to convey the day-to-day activities of the Kennedy Justice Department. This allows Navasky to provide a more nuanced and realistic look at government administration than most books about the Kennedys, which tend to focus on the drama or personalities involved.

The extent to which the FBI obstructed Justice Department investigations and attempts to enforce civil rights is downright shocking. While many other books have been written about the FBI, Navasky does a particularly good job trying to understand the institution. Navasky likens the FBI under Hoover to a secret society, which might sound extreme but actually works quite well as an analogy. Navasky is very through in his exploration of reasons for the FBI's - and, by extension, Hoover's - intransigence.

The book is on shakier grounds when assessing the motivations of Kennedy's staff. Navasky attempts to figure out why RFK did not exert more control over Hoover. He tends to conclude that RFK simply conceded to bureaucratic realities and thought compromise would yield better results. However, there are later allegations that RFK worried Hoover had compromising information about JFK's sexual exploits. There is also relatively little exploration of the political deal-making and electoral politics that often influenced RFK's ability to enforce civil rights in the South. This certainly doesn't undermine the book's credibility, but readers should be aware that Navasky could not always tell the full story (partly due to the lack of information at the time he was writing).

Given that the book was initially written during the early 1970s, I wish this new edition had an editor's note or even new chapters putting Navasky's work in context. I have read several books about RFK but admit I did not focus on the issues discussed in Kennedy Justice. I don't have a good sense of how research during the past four decades has influenced our understanding of Kennedy's tenure as Attorney General. To my knowledge, Navasky's Kennedy Justice is still the only book focused exclusively on this aspect of RFK's life, but I can't imagine we haven't learned anything new during the interim.

For some readers, this lack of modern context might prove even more of a hinderance to appreciating the book. Navasky assumes most readers will know the basic history of the early 1960s, including key figures such as George Wallace. That's probably fair for most readers, but be aware that this is not a book for beginners. Navasky does not spend much time introducing periphery characters or events. We don't beta 50 page digression into the history of the FBI. I for one appreciate this because Navasky keeps the focus on RFK's attorney generalship, but I'd also advise that readers should at least have a passing familiarity with RFK's life and the civil rights movement.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this book to anybody interested in RFK, but also scholars interested in bureaucratic politics and law enforcement.

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Kennedy Justice Hardcover – June 1, 1971

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