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Summary: The Most Important JFK Book to Date
Review: *Oswald Talked* is without any doubt, the most important book ever written on the JFK assassination. You may have seen some of this story on national television or in the authors' articles in the Washington Post, but the book goes into much greater detail.Supported by top researchers, Paul Hoch and Bill Adams, the La Fontaines had already made a name for themselves by discovering critically important arrest records that had long been hidden away by the Dallas police and the FBI. These records not only solved the decades-long mystery of the "Three Tramps" (they were innocent), but led to another suspect arrested at almost the same time as Lee Harvey Oswald. His name was John Elrod. Elrod had come forward in August of 1964 to tell the FBI that while he was incarcerated with Oswald, he overheard the alleged assassin identify a suspect who had been involved in the theft of weapons belonging to the army base at nearby Ft. Hood. Oswald also went into considerable detail, describing a meeting of the thieves at a motel, where the sale of the weapons was consummated. He also mentioned one other little detail - Jack Ruby was present at that meeting. All of this might sound incredible, except for the fact that the FBI acknowledged Elrod's description, not only of one of the suspects badly damaged and bandaged face, but of the Ford Thunderbird that crashed after a high speed chase with the police. The Thunderbird's trunk, Elrod reported, was full of the stolen weapons. All of that turned out to match perfectly, with the case the FBI was then prosecuting, right down to the make and model of the car, as well as the contents of it's trunk. It also matched the fact that one of the suspects they were prosecuting for this crime, was named Donnell Whitter. Whitter as it turned out, just happened to be Jack Ruby's mechanic. But Elrod's story amounted to solid proof of the long-suspected notion that Oswald was an informant for the FBI. So, rather than thank him for his contribution, the FBI instead, reported that Elrod lied and wasn't even in the Dallas jail on November 22nd. Of course, like the mysterious "three tramps", Elrod's arrest record had by that time, been hidden and locked away. Years later, the Dallas City archivist would report that these records were placed under "federal seal", undoubtedly by the FBI, and were not even made available to other law enforcement agencies. Likewise, all of the FBI's records, related to the incident, including the interviews with Elrod and others who were arrested that day (and might have told the same story Elrod did), have completely vanished. Had it not been for the efforts of the La Fontaines, this part of our history would never have been known, except of course to the principals in the case, and to those who tried so hard to cover it up. There is a great deal more to this story, much of which is centered around the reasons why such an enormous effort was made to undermine Elrod. The fact that those efforts still continue today, is strong corroboration for the La Fontaine's conclusions about who was responsible for this assassination. No other book on this subject has come nearly as close to unravelling this heretofore unsolvable mystery. This is why you will see, among these reviews, some of the most mean spirited attacks on the authors and their witnesses, that have ever been posted at Amazon.com. Do not confuse this book with the usual "conspiracy buff" claptrap. This is a very solid piece of work by top-notch journalists, much of whose story has been thoroughly fact-checked and confirmed by the notoriously conservative Washington Post. It is well written, meticulously researched, and a very good read. Most important, this book is honest and objective. If you are even slightly concerned about this part of our history, you should read *Oswald Talked*.
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Summary: please who is lance payless???
Review: and who are you calling a 34 star loony??? you sound liker disonfo
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Summary: come on people! this book just plain blows
Review: i can't believe all the psuedo-intellectual and quasi-academic gibbledygobble being expended upon this crappy book! how many ten dollar words does it take to say a book just blows? its crap? its shite? it reeks to high heaven? it is resplendent in its own badinage? i mean does anyone here really think oswald was kickin it with a bunch of bigtime badass cubans and gunrunner types? does anyone think that oswald would last a minute in the ring with these types? gimme a frickin break! go write your own book! you'll do better than these embarassing amatuers!
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Summary: Worthwhile for a couple of key points
Review: I like this book for containing the kind of information which supports my basic beliefs about the society in which I live. This might not be a popular view of this particular book, but it has a lightening rod quality about it because it dwells on some things which I don't see a lot of anywhere else, particularly when it comes to facts. Our society, technologically powerful and experts in communication, to boot, supports experts in a number of different areas. The authors of this book are experts at reporting on factual situations, and the difficulty in reading the book is that the society has managed to condition people's minds to expect an endless stream of fantasy. The amount of facts in this book exceeds the expectations of those whose minds have been probing fantasies for simple meanings which they can apply in their own lives to produce the kind of enjoyment which is what life is expected to be all about. According to the index, this book doesn't even mention Jack Ruby until page 16, then dumps one of the most sensational events of the 20th century into the readers' laps with, "in full view of millions watching on television, and in the packed basement of a citadel of authority, the Dallas police station, he had stepped up and shot the president's accused assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, in the abdomen at point-blank range." (p. 17). This kind of thing is bound to be confusing to people who are not interested enough to learn all about the circumstances. Kaiser Sose isn't mentioned in this book at all, and the idea that anyone had to call Jack Ruby and tell him, *It's your hit, Jack* in order to make him think that he would be considered a great American hero by anyone who reads this book is only part of the confusion about what great American heroes are, anyway. This book is for people who have a mind like a sponge, and know what it means when people start complaining that the arguments about this kind of thing are all wet. Most people can't go down twice to the same river, when the flow of information gets to be this great, because they are used to everybody drifting helplessly on rivers of drivel. This river isn't the easiest thing to swim in.
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Summary: What ever happen to Ray and Jane?
Review: I would to know what ver happen to Ray and Jane LaFontaine. Seem like Geral Posner is done very well for himself as author of many fine nonfiction but what ever happen to Ray and Jane they seem to just vanish. In Dallas last November I ask many people "what tehy think of LaFontaine theory" and they laufgh at me.
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Summary: What ever happen to Ray and Jane?
Review: I would to know what ver happen to Ray and Jane LaFontaine. Seem like Geral Posner is done very well for himself as author of many fine nonfiction but what ever happen to Ray and Jane they seem to just vanish. In Dallas last November I ask many people "what tehy think of LaFontaine theory" and they laufgh at me.
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Summary: The truth the Fontaines won't tell you
Review: In 1964 three Joseph Oswalds resided in Queens county. This multiplicity is curious. Queens had a population of about one million and about thirty listed Oswalds during the sixties. We can trace the development of this curious trio. Joseph Oswald was a resident of Glendale since 1955. In 1961, a second Joseph Oswald appeared in Ridgewood. His address was 1873 Linden Street and phone number was HY7-6670. The following year, the second Joseph Oswald moved to 2025 Menahan Street in Ridgewood and retained his HY7-6670 phone number. This was also the situation in 1962 and 1963, one Joseph Oswald in Glendale and another Joseph Oswald in the neighboring community of Ridgewood. The curious trio arose in 1964 with the initial listing of Joseph J. Oswald. Individually the initial residency of Joseph Oswald in Ridgewood appears innocent. In isolation from other events, the second residency of Joseph Oswald seems benign. Intrinsically the appearance of Joseph J. Oswald in Long Island City looks guileless. These three events become controversial when we consider how they complemented the exceptional listing of an "Oswald (blank)os." The phone company inconspicuously published the exceptional listing of an "Oswald (blank)os" just once in 1964. Most readers would likely overlook the missing letter. If someone did recognize the missing letter they would be inclined to dismiss it as a printing error and look no further. Only someone looking for an exceptional listing would recognize an "Oswald (blank)os" as a subtle hint The implied hint in the exceptional listing was not apparent from just the 1964 directory. However, comparison of the 1963 with the 1964 directories revealed two clues. The 1963 listing of an "Oswald Jos" had the same address and phone number as the 1964 listing of an "Oswald (blank)os." New listings in the 1964 directory contained the next clue. These new listings were an "Oswald Wm A," an "Oswald Peter," and an "Oswald Jos J." If someone were looking for a hint they would examine the sequence "Oswald Jos," "Oswald (blank)os," and "Oswald Wm A" and recognize no patten. They would come to the same conclusion when they substituted "Oswald Peter" for the last member of the sequence. However, they would immediately recognize a patten in the sequence "Oswald Jos," "Oswald (blank)os," and "Oswald Jos J." The missing "J" in "Oswald (blank)os" moved to the middle initial field of "Oswald Jos J." The significance of the curious trio and the exceptional listing is that five seemingly unrelated circumstances produced the suspicious sequence "Oswald Jos," "Oswald (blank)os," and "Oswald Jos J." We can examine the three contingencies and two coincidences that produced this suspicious sequence. When Joseph Oswald moved to Ridgewood in 1961, the phone company would have suggested listing a middle initial. The reason was they listed another Joseph Oswald in neighboring Glendale. The following year, when Joseph Oswald moved from Linden Street to Menahan Street, he had a second opportunity to list his middle initial. If Joseph Oswald in Ridgewood listed his name with any middle initial then there would have been no suspicious sequence. Joseph Oswald declined twice to list his middle initial. These two contingencies contributed toward the suspicious sequence. In 1964, Joseph J. Oswald moved to 21-51 42 Street in Long Island City in northwestern Queens. Despite the distance between Joseph J. Oswald and his namesakes in southwestern Queens he distinguished himself by listing his middle initial. Had Joseph J. Oswald distinguished himself by listing his middle name then he would have frustrated the suspicious sequence. The decision of Joseph J. Oswald to list his middle initial was the third contingency that supported the suspicious sequence. These three contingencies though necessary were not sufficient for the production of the suspicious sequence. The suspicious sequence was dependent upon two more coincidences. Fourth circumstance to foster the suspicious sequence was the coincidence of the middle initial of an "Oswald Joseph J" with the missing first initial of an "Oswald (blank)os." Finally the fifth prerequisite for the suspicious sequence was the coincidence in 1964 of the initial listing of an "Oswald (blank)os" with the initial listing of an "Oswald Jos J." Normally when many pieces fall into place to produce a result, we attribute the circumstance to design. In this case, the interconnections between the exceptional listing, the curious trio, and the suspicious sequence suggest that someone underwent a change in identity and left a clue. However if we attempt to examine if someone did change their identity too many Joseph Oswalds will frustrate our efforts. In 1962 when a Joseph Oswald moved to 2025 Menahan Street we are not certain if this Joseph Oswald was the Joseph Oswald who resided at 1873 Linden Street in 1961. We know these Joseph Oswalds shared the same phone number and we do not know if they shared the same middle initial. Likewise in 1964, we cannot decide whether Joseph Oswald from Glendale or Joseph Oswald from Ridgewood established a second residence in Long Island City as Joseph J. Oswald. This multitude of mistaken identities effectively curtail any investigation. All that remains is suspicion and inaccessible evidence for anyone without access to confidential records. The curious trio was a short-lived group. Just once, in 1965, the phone company explicitly listed two Joseph Oswalds and Joseph J. Oswald. After 1965, we find Joseph J. Oswald not listed in the Queens directories. The curious trio dissolved by 1966 when its distinguished member, Joseph J. Oswald, went his own way leaving two Joseph Oswalds in Southwestern Queens beyond the mid-eighties.
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Summary: Lafontasines and "greater meaning"
Review: Judging from recent events, there seems to be a tendency among certain Warren apologists like Ray and May Lafonatine to drift into fallacious and superficial theories that focus more on psychological profiles than on evidential considerations. More often than not, such semi ad hominem approaches become convenient mechanisms to avoid or escape the burden of rebuttal or refutation. Such senseless and preposterous ad hominem labeling of the critics include: because the assassination buffs cannot understand how a popular president, with all his glory and power, can be removed in an instant through a senseless and random act of a lone-crazed nut, they (the critics) interject "meaning" or purpose into the event." In considering such a hypothesis, it is proper to ask, what degree would any of us allow our beliefs to become compromised by an alleged (innate) desire to seek "greater meaning?" Would a stockholder with a vested interest in a corporation prefer to believe his CEO was murdered through treacherous acts involving Board members and upper-level management, or through the random act of a lone nut? Would a devout Catholic prefer to believe the Pope was murdered through machinations of fellow members and senior hierarchy or through the insane act of a psychopath? It appears that certain Warren true-believers may have to revert back to the drawing board and come up with a more plausible psychoanalysis of the disbeliever. A good case can be made that the opposite side of the theory makes more sense: it is preferable to believe Oswald acted alone and unaided. It may be a great deal more comforting to place the blame on the deranged loner. The uncertainty, the doubts regarding our political structure and its leaders, the insecurity in not knowing who to blame and for what motive -all would come to an end. The Oswald theory is simple, tidy and so conclusive, it allows us peace of mind to move on and forward, without looking back or looking over our shoulder. And above all else, it allows us to maintain faith in our "trusted" leaders, our institutions and our nation. The above analysis describes a certain comfort zone that ultimately may be the security blanket that enhances the faith of the true believers. History reminds us that heads-of-state are vulnerable to political assassinations, so we undertake extra precautions to provide out leaders with body guards, palace guards and secret service agents. Yet when a president is assassinated in a milieu of highly suspicious circumstances (the most suspicious in U.S. history), certain apologists tell us to go back to sleep because we are like children "who look for dragons" and other sinister forces that (somehow) give us peace of mind. It appears we have found our "lost father," it is the propagators of such nonsense. Do the purveyors of the "greater meaning" theory want us to forget the political value, the benefits and the time-tested usefulness of the scapegoat, the patsy and the lone-nut? The usefulness and the need for the lone-nut scapegoat, offsets and overrides any theoretical public need to search beyond the lone nut for "greater meaning." The "greater meaning" theory would be nothing more than a clever psychological spin, were it not for the damage it causes by diverting attention away from serious and critical JFK issues.
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Summary: Ray La Fountain is no Don De Lillo
Review: Ray La Fountain obviously feels inspired by Don De Lillo's excellant novel LIBRA but he is not up to the heights of De Lillo's masterpiece. I think there should be more emphasis on Oswald's character. A book like this should make you feel like you know Oswald but it does not accomplish this task at all.
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Summary: Scientific data proves OSWALD TALKED a hoax
Review: The time has come to examine the claim that Neuron Oxidation Disintegration (NOD) is proof or "hard evidence" Connally's wrist fragments came from bullet 399, is way past due. If the fragments from Connally's wrist can be shown -beyond a reasonable doubt- to have come from bullet 399, it demonstrates (only) that CE 399 impacted John Connally; whereas the single-bullet theory demands evidence that the same bullet also transited JFK. The single-bullet theory hinges on the claim that CE 399 impacted two bodies, whereas NOD has only the potential to show 399 struck Connally, as no testable fragments were recovered from JFK. Anyone claiming that NOD validates the single-bullet theory is highly misrepresenting the facts. And if anyone has been persuaded to believe the first premise, that NOD validates the claim Connally's wrist fragments come from bullet CE 399, they are in for a surprise. The U.S. House Select Committee on Assassinations, the government's 3rd investigative attempt to reexamine the murder of JFK, hired nuclear chemist, Dr. Geraldine Tribble to determine if the wrist fragments came from CE 399. Dr. Tribble opted to apply the science of NOD to 14 Western Cartridge Company (WCC) projectiles -the same make as CE 399, to arrive at a standard for measuring and comparing samples from the wrist fragments. (Verification of the following can be obtained from the HSCA Hearings, Vol 14, pp 485 to 495) Tribble's method involved removing samples from each of the 14 projectiles and -via NOD- compare the samples with material from the other projectiles (inter-bullet comparison) and then compare samples with material from the same projectile, i.e. compare multiple samples with each other from the same bullet (intra-bullet comparison). Of the 14 bullets, Tribble randomly honed in on 4 bullets by removing 4 samples from each one. Without going into great detail, Neuron Oxidation Disintegration -or NOD, utilizes a method where samples are bombarded with neutrons to induce enough decay to measure certain trace elements, elements like antimony. In this case, the antimony in the 14 WCC projectiles had a range of near 0 (zero) to about 1200 parts per million (PPM). See the following table for the antimony content of the 4 samples taken from each of the 4 bullets -16 samples total. Bulletts A through D A B C D 1139 359 667 621 1062 983 395 646 1235 869 395 646 1156 882 441 791 A sample from CE 399 measured 833 PPM of antimony and a sample from the wrist fragment measured 797 PPM, seemingly a "match." However, judging from the wide variation in the above table, it would be impossible to falsify the claim that fragments "match" any of the 4 bullets. Even if Connally's fragment had 358 PPM it would have been consistent with a bullet as variable as projectile B above. By utilizing statistical variations in the above table to determine a standard for a "match," there was a 40% probability of a WCC bullet failing to match itself. It is apparent Dr. Tribble overstepped her scientific limitations or her scientific ethics when he said it would be "extremely improbable" that the wrist fragment would match a bullet other than CE 399. Although the subject of Tribble and her background is another issue, her spontaneous remarks to reporters concerning the uncertainty of the fragment's chain of possession and her prior work for the FBI go a long way in explaining her behavior and her exaggerated claim. Bullet B and D in the above table also yielded PPM values consistent with the wrist fragment. 2 more of the 14 bullets yielded ranges close enough to be considered "matches." (bullet # 6002B at 732 PPM and # 6003A at 730 PPM) To Tribble's credit, he did concede that it was "much easier to exclude" when two samples greatly differ. "It is easy to say definitely they did not have a common origin," he said. Also to her credit, he refused to use her data to support the single-bullet theory -as some would have us believe. The test results, he said "unfortunately can't tell you anything else because there were no other bits and pieces along the other (Kennedy & Connally) wounds." Considering the wide variation among the 14 bullets tested, it would be far more accurate to say there was a possibility, not a probability that Connally's fragments came from CE 399 -the magic bullet. Of all the things Neutron Activation Analysis cannot tell us about CE 399, a little physics coupled with scientific reasoning call tell us it would be impossible -virtually impossible- for a copper jacketed WCC projectile, traveling at 2000 ft. per second, to transit two adult bodies, transverse an entire upper torso & chest, take out segments of a rib, shatter wrist bones, lodge in a knee and finally emerge with a near pristine nose, absent nicks, indentations and blunt marks -to say nothing about the absence of bone-splinter striations or clothing fiber striations.
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