From Publishers Weekly
Scott, a poet, an English professor at UC Berkeley and a long-time investigator into the impact of drugs on U.S. foreign policy in Asia and Central America, has been examining the issues surrounding the John Kennedy assassination for many years. His thoughtful, extremely (and sometimes excessively) detailed book promises more than it actually delivers. Scott's thesis is that under the surface of everyday politics is an often sinister mingling of business and criminal interests that sometimes coincide with the national interest as perceived by the military and intelligence communities; and that such a combination lay behind JFK's shooting. This is hardly a new concept, although Scott broadens the scope of the shadowy business villains considerably beyond the usual military-industrial complex to include fruit companies and law firms. His drawing of suggestive links is tireless--he is a great synthesizer--but since the "facts" on which he relies are often the result of other people's not necessarily accurate reporting, the whole structure has a ramshackle feel. The book's most useful feature is a careful discussion of how U.S. Vietnam policy changed abruptly after Kennedy's death.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Over the past 30 years, more than 2000 books about the Kennedy assassination have been published. While Posner and Scott come to different conclusions, their studies are important additions to the field. Providing a detailed account of Oswald's life from childhood on, Posner shows him to have been a psychologically disturbed malcontent who was unhappy with both the U.S. and Soviet political systems. Posner counters claims of the major conspiracy theorists point by point and backs up his arguments with documentary evidence, recent interviews, and up-to-date computer analysis. Faulting conspiracy theorists for equating coincidence as evidence, Posner concludes that there was no other gunman and no conspiracy. Scott, a Berkeley English professor, approaches the assassination in its sociopolitical context, focusing on why it happened rather than on who did it. The phrase "deep politics" refers to the secret networks operating within and outside government agencies. While they do not constitute a unified shadow government, they comprise a coalition of individuals who cooperate in order to maintain the status quo. Accordingly, Scott examines Ruby's links with organized crime, army intelligence and JFK's planned withdrawal from Vietnam, J. Edgar Hoover's misuse of his authority, and the collusion of international drug traffickers with the CIA and FBI. Scott believes that Oswald and Ruby were part of this convoluted network. Both these titles offer important insights and are highly recommended for most libraries. Case Closed was previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/93.
- Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Gary D. Barber, SUNY at Fredonia Lib.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
