Rating: 
Summary: Revisionist trash
Review: This is the mainstay of all JFK revisionists books. We know that Kennedy was a man who had questionable morals. He did cheat on his wife, yes. However, this book makes absolutely no note on what JFK did successfully as president. Every possible negative judgement is made, most of which are products of a notion or rumor. 'JFK may have...which definetly lead to...' is usually the point of argument. All the while, he makes no statement on the fact that JFK had inherited all the assassination plots agaist Castro in the Eisenhower administration and that he was advised by Eisenhower and Dulles to go ahead with the Bay of Pigs. It tries to use the arguement that JFK's womanizing demeaned the presidency by 'making him the butt of jokes' (which NEVER HAPPENED TO ANY OF HIS SUCCESSORS). The truth is that his womanizing did not affect the presidency any worse that Nixon's resignation, Reagan's Iran-Contra, and the existance of the current president. His recklessness is used to explain his recklessness in foreign policy, but nobody can explain why he decided not to invade Cuba and punch out Castro. Plus, Kennedy rejected every proposal to send combat units in Vietnam, an he drew up plans for withdrawal of advisors which was approved in May of 93 and would send 1000 Americans home by December of 1963. Recklessness, eh? Plus, he also states that gangster Sam Giancana was paid by Joe Kennedy Sr. to get Chicago for him in the 1960 election. funny that at that time, Bob Kennedy was prosecuting him and wrote the book The Enemy Within which had some harsh words agaist Giancana. Anyways, regardless of what happend in Chicago, both Kennedy and Nixon were cheating and the 4-1 Republican electoral board in Illinois certified Kennedy all the electoral votes. If you want real Kennedy information, read PROMISES KEPT, the recent Cigar Aficianado article written by Arthur Schlesinger, or President Kennedy. The absolute worst piece of garbage in this book was the chapter on JFK's pre-Jackie marraige, which is "confirmed" as factual from a drunken priest that gives no names. Reckless writing to be sure.
Rating: 
Summary: an interesting way to review the history of the early 60's
Review: a lot has been written about the accuracy of hersh's assertions. i'll leave that for the historians to decide. what i found fascinating was what a fun and detailed read this was about the major events of the kennedy presidency. there are certainly better pure histories of the bay of pigs, the berlin wall, the 1960 election, the cuban missile crisis, etc. however, i am not sure that there is a more entertaining book encompassing all of these incidents.you have to remember that hersh has a strong point of view, and most of what he presents is geared at supporting that point of view. if you keep that in mind and take his conclusions with a grain of salt, the level of detail he provides makes for a very interesting historical read.
Rating:
Summary: Thanks Seymour, You¿ve got a winner!
Review: The Dark Side of Camelot-by Seymour M. Hersh The Dark Side of Camelot rewrites the history of John F. Kennedy and his presidency-at least the public version. Thank you Mr. Hersh, for taking aim at the Kennedy mystique and helping change the popular view of the Kennedy family forever. This is a must read for all. This books exposes what Kennedy should be remembered for: Vietnam (which he viewed as a strategic piece of real estate), stolen elections, adulterous affairs, the invasion of CubaÉ The Kennedy's-those paragons of reformism and concern for the people-are shown for what they truly were: communist hunters, union busters, counter-insurgency enthusiasts, torture chamber academy founders... Those under the spell of the mythic "Camelot" will not like this book, but it's a truth from the 60s we should not shy away from. Kennedy should be remembered for unleashing the military might of U.S. imperialism against the Vietnamese, Cubans and more. Those who've been fooled by the likes of Clinton's liberal image would do well to study this book. It unveils the liberal as but a sugarcoated mask, the better to eat you with, in their rule of U.S. imperialism. Thanks Seymour, You've got a winner!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best thrillers I've ever read.
Review: This book straddles the line between James Bond and Tom Clancy.It is packed with money,sex,politics,and some classic cloak and dagger.There are also suprising revelations and riveting anecdotes. I didn't know that Richard Nixon took a bribe from Nicolae Malaxa, a Romanian metallurgist who had connections with the Nazi and Communist party. Malaxa,according to Hersh, was using Nixon to get permanent status in the U.S.,because the immigration authority's were reluctant to let him in. Only a handful of C.I.A officials knew about this bribe. This flies in the face of Nixon's anti-communist credentials.If this were made public,Eisenhower would had dropped Nixon off the ticket as his running mate. Nixons career would had been destroyed,plus the democrats might had waged a counter-offensive against the McCarthyite's. Little wonder why Eisenhower had mixed feelings about Nixon. Hersh would had enhanced his credibility if he included a snapshot of this check,{it was deposited in a Whittier bank},in the photo section. The sexual stuff was serious and hilarious. After reading this book I've become convinced that Kennedy suffered from a severe sexual addiction.It's a condition brought on by genetic's,socialization{i.e. Joe Kennedy},cortisone treatments, and Kennedy's failure to seek treatment for this problem. It's like a drug addict getting a fix of cocaine.In Kennedy's case he was getting his fix from prostitutes and girlfriends. On the other hand I busted a gut when I read the part about Kennedy rushing out of the swimming pool with a bloody mary in his hand, after he found out that Jacqueline was on her way back from a trip. The secret service agents account of the orgy at Bing Crosbys mansion had me rolling over; particularly the part when Dave Powers grabbed some of Crosby's clothes and then plunged in the pool with them, much to Kennedy's amusement. One of Hersh's finest moments was his description of the West VIrginia campaign. It's a depressing one for those who believe in America's unbridled democracy. Hersh tells how the Kennedys poured poured millions into the hands of county sheriff's and local committeeman to put their man at the top of the slate. This account is based on interviews with the sheriffs and the local polticians whowere involved with the pay-offs. One sheriff shocked the Kennedy's when he needed only a few thousand dollars,when some of the sheriffs were pocketing 50,000 dollars. The chapter on the Bay of Pigs could stand more detail, but the anecdotes take up some of the slack.Hersh reveals that four pilots of the Alabama National Guard disregarded Kennedy's cancellation of a second air strike. They took off from Nicaragua in B-26's and bombed Castro. At this part I got a bit disappointed in Hersh. He said the pilots did considerable damage before they were shot down and captured. Yet he didn't describe what kind of damage they did. I liked Hersh's explanation of why Kennedy canceled a second strike.It appears to be one of the few places that Hersh veers away from his overwhelming negativism of Kennedy. Here he paints a somewhat sympathetic picture of a young president caught between a rock and a hard place. If Kennedy does'nt go through with the invasion the right wing Republicans would had accused kennedy of being soft on communism. That would give them more impetus to stall Kennedy's domestic legislation. On the other hand a second strike would tip the Russians off to America's involvement, and Khruschev would had been pressured by hard liners in the Kremlin to call off a summit with Kennedy. That would be a major foreign policy blow for Kennedy. Thus the invasion minus the second air strike. Kennedy risked failure,but at least he would have his summit. He could also minimize fallout from the conservative republicans. Cold hard political calculation. Kennedy was more of a poltical animal than the idealist he's mythologized as. Yet Hersh failed to take Berlin into account. If Kennedy moved full throttle into Cuba, Russia probably would had retaliated in Berlin. Kennedy would be compelled to send armored divisions into Berlin. He'd had faced a two front war in Berlin and Cuba.Not an auspicious start for the new frontier. The best part of the book for me was the breakdown in arms between America and Russia. I could not get enough of this. Hersh shows that notwithstanding the 134 warheads Khrushchev sent to Cuba, the U.S. still maintained an overwhelming superiority, with 3000 nuclear warheads,compared to Russiia's paltry 250 warheads and 40 missile launchers. Still,Hersh shows that by having medium ranged missiles in Cuba,Russia had the capability of destroying places like Washington D.C. Hersh shows that though Kennedy looked tough to his associates,he consistently compromised via a backchannel to the Soviets.One example is the Cuban Missile Crisis. Khruschev was not as humialiated as the American public was lead to believe.He not only got a guarantee that America would not invade Cuba,{in return for removing the missiles from Cuba},but he got a secret deal on the removal of Jupiter missiles from Turkey. Strategically this was not a major concession. The Jupiter's were unreliable. Anyway the U.S. could take out the Russians with land and submarine based missiles. Politically,it was another story, if the Jupiter trade were made public the right wing would had cried foul, and Kennedy's public relations coup post missile crisis would had been tarnished. This is probably the first Kennedy book I've ever read that includes actual accounts of Judith Exner ferrying money from Kennedy to mobster Sam Giancana.One item that blew me away was the part when the security chief of General Dynamics tried to bug Exner's apartment,so he could get enough dirt on Kennedy and Exner to blackmail the administration into selecting GD over Boeing to build the TFX fighter. To say that this book is a definitive account of the Kennedy's would be a mistake. It's too biased. For example,Robert Kennedy is depicted as a ruthless one dimensional person.There is some truth in this. He did push obsessively for Castro's murder, behaving more like a mobster than an attorney general.On the other hand,Hersh ignores Robert Kennedy's role in the civil rights movement. Nonetheless the book is too well researched to ignore.It is packed with interviews, footnotes, and Hersh sometimes refer to other well written books about Kennedy. To those who feel heavily disillusioned about Kenndy because of this book,well I have two words of consolation.NO#1,no person in this world can live up to our ideals.NO#2 often the reality about a person is much more interesting than the myth. Disconcerting, yes, but also quite compelling. Kennedy should be accepted as the complex person he really was than the myth we Americans have shouldered him with. Thank you for reading this commentary.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: I found this book to be utterly fascinating. As Hersh is a relatively well-known investigative reporter, I tend to trust what he says is true, although I have no way to verify any of it. Although others have commented that what he reveals isn't any news, I haven't read any other books about Kennedy, so it was all news to me. It seems to me that the earlier reviewers who have rejected his conclusions resent having their idol smashed to pieces. It's interesting how Kennedy's misdeeds and compulsions parallel those of the current president. Perhaps the only distinction is their family background.
Rating:
Summary: Great book that strips away Camelot's false luster
Review: Mr. Hersh has done an excellent job in exposing the lies and sleaze that was all over the Kennedy administration. While JFK will always be remembered as a martyred president, this book shows the things he should be remembered for, namely Vietnam, stolen elections, and adulterous affairs that may have ultimately (and inadvertantly) cost him his life in Dallas. Those under the spell of the mythic "Camelot" will not like this book, but it is medicine that is sorely needed.
Rating:
Summary: JFK makes Bill Clinton look like a pussy cat.
Review: It must be assumed that Hersh is as good an investigative reporter as his reputation indicates, and therefore the book must be very largely factual. It is hard to imagine that the occupant of Camelot (and his father and brothers) were actually the scoundrels so comptetely depicted. I, for one, have had my "hero" worship dashed to zero by the goings on in "OUR" White House. Hillery, take note!!
Rating:
Summary: Expose' tour de force! No stone left unturned
Review: This book is one stunning fact after another taken from witness after witness. It shows clearly something we allready knew, the Kennedy famliy was made up of normal people who, due to access to money and power did outrageous things. The best part about this book is the way it helps to deconstruct the diety status we have placed on JFK.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting expose, lacking in sources, but worth reading!
Review: Hersh obviously knows something (or lots of things) about Camelot not meant for public consumption. Although the book introduces some new information, few knowledgeable readers will find substantial new ground here. The best of the book is probably Hersh's recounts of Secret Service inside philoandering of the Kennedy White House. The weakest part has got to be Hersh's revisionist ideas re. the Cuban Missile Crisis, Bay of Pigs, and his overall assessment of JFK's foreign policy. In my opinion, although much of the book relates highly-charged material, Hersh pays too little attention to detailing his sources. If it sounds to good to be true - it may be a bit of literary license!
Rating:
Summary: excellent, rating =10
Review: Unless the Kennedy family or someone can produce evidence to contradict Mr Hersh, I have no reason to disbelieve what he worte about the Kennedys. While I am very disgusted with the Kennedys, I do believe retribution has been given to both Jack and Bobby with their early and tragic deaths. What I find very disturbing were the people who worked with or were associated with the Kennedys, they never spoke out . Money and power have certainly corrupted a lot of people
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