A review by tonydecember
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglass

5.0

This book looks at the political climate of Kennedy’s presidential years without the taint of conspiracy that followed and still dogs us relentlessly. Instead, the author reveals the maneuverings of Cold War gamesmanship and the tenor of the time as one framed by fear: of nuclear annihilation and military emasculation. Where that tension met Kennedy’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy is how deep state affairs were put into stark relief. If you only read the opening twelve-page timeline overview of events in this history, you’ll at least have the immediate and necessary context. If you read the next two dozen pages you’ll have an idea of whether the book will appeal to you (which is how far along I am). It reminds me of Robert Caro’s biographies: extraordinarily researched and even-handed. A good companion to “The Devil’s Chessboard”: the biography on Allen Dulles.