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Plausible Denial: Was the CIA Involved in the Assassination of JFK? Paperback – November 1, 2011
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In 1978, when a small magazine ran a story by CIA renegade Victor Marchetti linking ex-CIA operative and convicted Watergate burglar E. Howard Hunt to the assassination, Hunt sued for defamation. Lane signed on as defense counsel for the publication, and set out to prove the truth of the allegations against Hunt and the CIA. Lane’s investigation uncovered a web of conspiracy that involved anti-Castro Cubans, Watergate conspirators, and public officials at the highest levels of the intelligence community. The forewoman of the jury, Leslie Armstrong, stated that Mr. Lane was asking us to do something very difficult. He was asking us to believe that John Kennedy had been killed by our own government. Yet when we examined the evidence, we were compelled to conclude that the CIA had indeed killed President Kennedy.”
Meticulously documented and compellingly written, this book makes public the contents of this curiously unpublicized trial, the only jury verdict directly related to the theory that the CIA was involved in the assassination.
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSkyhorse
- Publication dateNovember 1, 2011
- Dimensions6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
- ISBN-10161608359X
- ISBN-13978-1616083595
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Customers find the book well-written and convincing. They describe it as an enlightening read that provides a comprehensive view of the Kennedy assassination. Readers consider it one of the most important and classic works on the subject.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the book well-written and convincing. They say it's one of the most credible and important books on the Kennedy assassination.
"...line of the government (Oswald did it alone), that this book is a must read. When have you ever heard about the Liberty Lobby lawsuit?..." Read more
"...demonstrative of a crystal clear mind, Lane lays it all out in this amazing book. Read it." Read more
"Very good, in-depth look at how Mr. Lane proved that the CIA was clearly involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy...." Read more
"...It makes a very convincing case. He provides all the details to back up his statements...." Read more
Customers find the book enlightening and interesting. They say it provides a sufficient understanding of the confirmed, corroborated facts. The book is thought-provoking and convincing.
"...Lane writes a flowing, succinct, and, yeah, FUN book that isn't all that long and NO big publisher wants it...." Read more
"...and while it is only a civil action for defamation, the book is absolutely mesmerizing. It's a fantastic read from cover to cover...." Read more
"...Lots of good tips in that regard, as well as tons of information relative to the events of November 22, 1963, in Dallas, of which the average..." Read more
"...It makes a very convincing case. He provides all the details to back up his statements...." Read more
Customers find the book credible and important on the Kennedy assassination. They describe it as a classic among JFK assassination writing, written by one of the foremost and reliable experts.
"This is a classic among JFK assassination writing...." Read more
"Very well written book by one of the foremost and reliable Kennedy assassination experts. No speculation here; very well documented...." Read more
"...the most carefully documented, yet big picture, books on the assassination of President Kennedy that I've read." Read more
"A must read if interested in the Kennedy assassination." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's classic content. They describe it as an amazing piece of history.
"...Mark Lane did us all a service here. This book is a piece of history, as far as I am concerned." Read more
"An Amazing Classic..." Read more
"A Classic and a Must-Read..." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2011Read this book. What I like about the book is the tone - Mark Lane is very confident that there was a conspiracy, and he is very self assured, even when he is wrong, which he has been on some occasions. There is a video on the web where Mark Lane is pointing to photos of the bullets in the 'sniper's nest' that are all lined up in a row, with Sheriff Craig saying that this was evidence of a coverup, because he had been told that nothing was touched before he arrived. Well, the Warren Commission (which Lane should have read by that point) shows the original photos of the bullets randomly scattered about the room - there was no coverup on THIS ISSUE, and Lane looked a bit silly.
That said, Mark Lane punches so many holes in the Warren Report and the official line of the government (Oswald did it alone), that this book is a must read. When have you ever heard about the Liberty Lobby lawsuit? Nowhere but this book. We hear about Garrison's failed prosecution, but we neve hear about Mark Lane's successful defense of a defamation lawsuit, the only time other than Garrison's prosecution of Clay Shaw that witnesses testified under oath and were subject to cross-examination. Why? No big publisher wanted to give Lane a place to speak the truth. Bugliosi writes some half-baked tripe and the MSM trumpets it, yet no on reads it because it is incomprehensible and tome-length. Lane writes a flowing, succinct, and, yeah, FUN book that isn't all that long and NO big publisher wants it. The irony is that I got my book for $2 from some charity book sale. Best buy I have made in awhile.
I promise that if you read this book, listen to what he's saying (ignore his ego trip - he's been fighting on the JFK case since the beginning - he's earned it), and you will never see things the same way again. Had Mark Lane NOT stepped in to defend Liberty Lobby (an obscure, right-wing nutty group at the time oddly the precursor to the American Spctator, the rag that hounded Bill Clinton), the verdict would have been the same as the first time (this was a retrial after reversal on appeal) and the lying scumbag E. Howard Hunt, of Nixon Watergate infamy, would have had a big payoff and had his sundered reputation repaired a little. Mark Lane did us all a service here. This book is a piece of history, as far as I am concerned.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2017This is a classic among JFK assassination writing. Mark Lane was the New York defense attorney who wrote "Rush to Judgment," calling into question the Warren Commission's approach and conclusions. "Rush to Judgment" reads like a lawyer's brief. Likewise, "Plausible Denial" is essentially the detailed account of a trial that he litigated in the 1980s, and while it is only a civil action for defamation, the book is absolutely mesmerizing. It's a fantastic read from cover to cover.
Mark Lane acts as the defense counsel for "Liberty Lobby, Inc.," a right-wing conspiracy-theory interest group that was frequently sued for publishing outlandish stories. Its publication, "Spotlight," published an article written by a former CIA officer alleging that another CIA officer, E. Howard Hunt, was in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Hunt sued Liberty Lobby and won a $650,000 judgment in the trial court, but on appeal, the case was remanded to the trial court and retried due to erroneous jury instructions the first time. Lane takes on the defense in the retrial, and famously wins.
But Lane does more than simply overturn the prior court ruling. He actually makes the second trial into an investigation of whether Hunt was a conspirator in the assassination of JFK, and this is where the book's merit really lies. Lane has little sympathy for his own client, but he does know a lot about E. Howard Hunt, his background, and the various spies and lawyers Hunt calls as witnesses in depositions and at trial. In astoundingly expert fashion, demonstrative of a crystal clear mind, Lane lays it all out in this amazing book. Read it.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023Very good, in-depth look at how Mr. Lane proved that the CIA was clearly involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. This book has been suppressed by the 'liberal media'. Well worth a read, especially if you like courtroom dramas.
It would be an excellent 'How to Do It' gift for a pre-law student, law student, or young trial lawyer. Lots of good tips in that regard, as well as tons of information relative to the events of November 22, 1963, in Dallas, of which the average American has no inkling. And you don't have to take Mr. Lane's word for it. Thanks to his and his team's efforts, it's all now public record, neatly compiled into this must-read book.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2014I thoroughly enjoyed this book even though it is quite old. It makes a very convincing case. He provides all the details to back up his statements. It is amazing that the government could sweep this entirely under the rugOnce in a while Mr Lane gets a little political dig in. I wish he would leave those out.
Top reviews from other countries
W Bruce Robb L7 Productions Inc.Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 20155.0 out of 5 stars The closest to putting the C.I.A. on trial for J.F.K.'s assassination.
E. Howard Hunt's defamation trial allows lawyer Mark Lane to put on the stand the people possibly involved in the murder of John Kennedy. This trial takes up where Jim Garrison's trial left off, and gets it right this time. This is the trial Oliver Stone should have made into a movie.
Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 20145.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - both serious and dramatic
The most convincing account I've read on who was really responsible and why. Best if you have read Mark Lane's earlier work, "Rush to Judgment" first.
DonReviewed in Canada on August 15, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Very Clear and Convincing
Very informative.. Clarifies many issues.. MR. Lane throughout has relied on proven facts and sworn testimony in a very clear and convincing manner in establishing the participation of the CIA in the assasination of John F. Kennedy.




