Who killed JFK? Ever since that fateful day in Dallas, theories about President Kennedy's murder have proliferated, running the gamut from the official "lone gunman" verdict to both serious and utterly screwball conspiracy theories. Michael Kurtz, a distinguished historian who has plumbed every crevice of this controversial case for more than thirty years, now sums up and critiques four decades of debate, while also offering provocative new perspectives. Kurtz presents an objective accounting of what we actually know and don't know about the assassination, underlining both the logic and the limitations of the major theories about the case. He then offers unique interpretations of the physical and forensic evidence and of existing areas of controversy, leading him to new conclusions that readers will find hard to dismiss. Kurtz shows how the official investigation's egregious mishandling of the crime-scene evidence-related to virtually every aspect of the case-is largely responsible for the lone gunman/conspiracy schism that confronts us today. Those responsible for that investigation (including the Dallas police, the FBI, and the Warren Commission) failed so miserably in their efforts that they would have been laughed off the air if they had been portrayed on any of TV's popular CSI series. One of the few experts writing on the subject who actually met Oswald, Kurtz also provides new information about the accused assassin's activities around the time of the assassination and about his double life, analyzing Oswald's ties to the intelligence community, to organized crime, and to both anti- and pro-Castro Cuban activists. Mustering extraordinary documentation-including exclusive interviews with key figures and extensive materials declassified by the Assassination Records Review Board-he both confirms and alters much previous speculation about Oswald and other aspects of the case. Who really killed JFK? Forty years later, most Americans still feel they don't know the truth and that their own government isn't telling them the whole story. This book offers a corrective to even the most recent "final verdicts" and establishes a sound baseline for future research.

The JFK Assassination Debates: Lone Gunman versus Conspiracy

Biographies & Memoirs

Kurtz, Michael L.

Historical

University Press of Kansas

Who killed JFK? Ever since that fateful day in Dallas, theories about President Kennedy's murder have proliferated, running the gamut from the official "lone gunman" verdict to both serious and utterly screwball conspiracy theories. Michael Kurtz, a distinguished historian who has plumbed every crevice of this controversial case for more than thirty years, now sums up and critiques four decades of debate, while also offering provocative new perspectives. Kurtz presents an objective accounting of what we actually know and don't know about the assassination, underlining both the logic and the limitations of the major theories about the case. He then offers unique interpretations of the physical and forensic evidence and of existing areas of controversy, leading him to new conclusions that readers will find hard to dismiss. Kurtz shows how the official investigation's egregious mishandling of the crime-scene evidence—related to virtually every aspect of the case—is largely responsible for the lone gunman/conspiracy schism that confronts us today. Those responsible for that investigation (including the Dallas police, the FBI, and the Warren Commission) failed so miserably in their efforts that they would have been laughed off the air if they had been portrayed on any of TV's popular CSI series. One of the few experts writing on the subject who actually met Oswald, Kurtz also provides new information about the accused assassin's activities around the time of the assassination and about his double life, analyzing Oswald's ties to the intelligence community, to organized crime, and to both anti- and pro-Castro Cuban activists. Mustering extraordinary documentation-including exclusive interviews with key figures and extensive materials declassified by the Assassination Records Review Board-he both confirms and alters much previous speculation about Oswald and other aspects of the case. Who really killed JFK? Forty years later, most Americans still feel they don't know the truth and that their own government isn't telling them the whole story. This book offers a corrective to even the most recent "final verdicts" and establishes a sound baseline for future research.

Univ Pr of Kansas

Traces the life of the controversial Louisiana governor, and assesses the accomplishments of his administration

Earl K Long: The Saga of Uncle Earl and Louisiana Politics (Southern Biography Series)

Peoples, Morgan D.

Leaders & Notable People

Louisiana State Univ Pr

In a region famous for its flamboyant politicians, Earl K. Long was one of the most flamboyant of them all. This first full-scale biography of the former Louisiana governor explores his controversial life-style and his strong family ties, his raw humor and his political savvy, his abuse of power and his accomplishments in the areas of civil rights and public services. Michael L. Kurtz and Morgan D. Peoples provide new information from recently declassified FBI files concerning Earl's ties with organized crime figures, give the first comprehensive account of his stays in mental institutions in 1959, and offer factual information about his notorious relationship with the stripper Blaze Star. Based on more than two decades of research in a variety of sources, this important biography fills a serious gap in the history of modern Louisiana politics.

Earl K. Long: The Saga of Uncle Earl and Louisiana Politics (Southern Biography Series)

LSU Press

Crime of the century: The Kennedy assassination from a historian's perspective

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

University of Tennessee Press

Now a classic, Michael Kurtz’s Crime of the Century recounts the  assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and  provides a detailed critical analysis of the investigations of the  Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations.  Kurtz outlines the major areas of controversy about the assassination  and sifts all the known evidence before concluding that both official  inquiries failed to evaluate the considerable evidence of an  assassination conspiracy. Kurtz also examines each of the most prevalent  conspiracy theories and shows how often they fail to fit the facts.This  third edition includes a new introduction, based on updated information  about the assassination since the second edition was published in 1993,  including material from the National Archives and several major recent  interpretations of the events. Drawing on a variety of primary source  materials from the National Archives and the FBI’s and CIA’s  declassified assassination files, Crime of the Century remains a book of  importance not only to students of the Kennedy assassination but also  scholars of government response to political violence.

Crime of the Century

Kurtz, Micheal L.

True Crime

The assassination of President John F. Kennedy has generated countless books, virtually all of them heavily biased for or against the “lone assassination” conclusion of the Warren Commission. Now, in the first scholarly treatment of the assassination, Michael Kurtz brings all the skills and objectivity of the professional historian to bear on the key question: “Who killed President Kennedy?” This book recounts the tragic events of November 22, 1963, and provides a detailed critical analysis of the investigations of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Professor Kurtz outlines the major areas of controversy about the assassination and sifts all the known evidence before concluding that both official inquiries failed to evaluate the considerable evidence of an assassination conspiracy. Operating on the a priori assumption that Lee Harvey Oswald was guilty, the Commission and the Committee both ignored and distorted the overwhelming evidence that more than one assassin fired shots at the president. Professor Kurtz also shows why the most prevalent conspiracy theories fail to fit the facts and concludes by offering a new and more plausible theory of how the assassination occurred. Thoroughly documented and based on the most exhaustive research carried out to date on John Kennedy’s murder, Crime of the Century draws on a variety of primary source materials from the National Archives and the FBI’s and CIA’s declassified assassination files. It utilizes the latest source materials released by the House Select Committee’s investigation. The depth of research, the rigorously objective sifting of evidence, and the incisive critique of official investigative bias make this a book of importance not only to students of the Kennedy assassination in particular, but also to scholars of government response to political violence in general. Michael L. Kurtz is professor of history at Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond, Louisiana. He is co-author of LOUISIANA: A HISTORY and was associate editor for READINGS IN LOUISIANA HISTORY.

Crime Of Century: Kennedy Assassination From

History

Americas

Univ Tennessee Press

The Challenging of America, 1920-1945

Forum Press

From its ancient Indian peoples to its troubled beginning as a French colony to the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana has a history that, whatever else one might say about the state, has never been dull. This fifth edition of our classic survey history of Louisiana reflects a re-examination on the part of its esteemed team of authors of recent historical findings as well as of their own research, ensuring that Louisiana: A History will continue to present the most comprehensive and current account of the many different peoples that have and currently do make the rich, colorful land known as Louisiana their home.

Louisiana: A History

Cummins, Light Townsend

Schafer, Judith Kelleher

Haas, Edward F.

Wiley/Blackwell

Now a classic, Michael Kurtz’s Crime of the Century recounts the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, and provides a detailed critical analysis of the investigations of the Warren Commission and the House Select Committee on Assassinations. Kurtz outlines the major areas of controversy about the assassination and sifts all the known evidence before concluding that both official inquiries failed to evaluate the considerable evidence of an assassination conspiracy. Kurtz also examines each of the most prevalent conspiracy theories and shows how often they fail to fit the facts. This third edition includes a new introduction, based on updated information about the assassination since the second edition was published in 1993, including material from the National Archives and several major recent interpretations of the events. Drawing on a variety of primary source materials from the National Archives and the FBI’s and CIA’s declassified assassination files, Crime of the Century remains a book of importance not only to students of the Kennedy assassination but also scholars of government response to political violence.

Crime of the Century: The Kennedy Assassination from a Historian's Perspective

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