Huffington Post: July 23, 2009

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/oliver-stone/jfk-and-the-unspeakable_b_24324.html
!he murder of "resident #enned$ was a seminal event for me and for millions of
%mericans. &t changed the course of histor$. &t was a crushing blow to our countr$ and to
millions of people around the world. &t put an abrupt end to a period of a misunderstood
idealism' akin to the spirit of () when the *oviet bloc to began to thaw and 2++)' when
our new %merican "resident was fairl$ elected.
!oda$' more than 4, $ears later' profound doubts persist about how "resident #enned$
was killed and wh$. -$ film JFK was a metaphor for all those doubts' suspicions and
unanswered .uestions. /ow an e0traordinar$ new book offers the best account & have
read of this traged$ and its significance. !hat book is 1ames 2ouglass3s JFK and the
Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters. &t is a book that deserves the attention of
all %mericans4 it is one of those rare books that' b$ helping us understand our histor$' has
the power to change it.
!he subtitle sums up 2ouglass3s purpose: 5h$ 6e 2ied and 5h$ it -atters. &n his
beautifull$ written and e0haustivel$ researched treatment' 2ouglass la$s out the 7motive7
for #enned$3s assassination. *impl$' he traces a process of stead$ conversion b$
#enned$ from his origins as a traditional 8old 5arrior to his determination to pull the
world back from the edge of destruction.
-an$ of these steps are well known' such as #enned$3s disillusionment with the 8&%
after the disastrous 9a$ of "igs &nvasion' and his refusal to follow the reckless
recommendations of the 1oint 8hiefs of *taff in resolving the 8uban -issile 8risis. :!his
in itself was trul$ 1;#3s shining moment in the sun. &t is likel$ that an$ other president
from <91 on would have followed the path to a general nuclear war.= !hen there was the
!est 9an !reat$ and 1;#3s remarkable %merican >niversit$ *peech where he spoke with
empath$ and compassion about the *oviet people' recogni?ing our common humanit$'
the fact that we all 7inhabit this small planet. 5e all breathe the same air. 5e all cherish
our children3s futures. %nd we are all mortal.7
9ut man$ of his steps remain unfamiliar: #enned$3s back-channel dialogue with
#hrushchev and their shared pursuit of common ground4 his secret opening to dialogue
with ;idel 8astro :ongoing the ver$ week of his assassination=4 and his determination to
pull out of @ietnam after his probable re-election in (A4.
%ll of these steps caused him to be regarded as a virtual traitor b$ elements of the
militar$-intelligence communit$. !hese were the forces that planned and carried out his
assassination. #enned$ himself said' in (A2' after he read Seven Days in May' which is
about a militar$ coup in the >nited *tates' that if he had another 9a$ of "igs' the same
thing could happen to him. 5ell' he did have another 79a$ of "igs74 he had several. %nd
& think #enned$ prophesied his own death with those words.
Why does it matter? !he death of 1;# remains a critical turning point in our histor$.
!hose who caused his death were targeting not just a man but a vision -- a vision of
peace. !here is no calculating the conse.uences of his death for this countr$ and for the
world. !hose conse.uences endure. !o a large e0tent' the fate of our countr$ and the
future of the planet continue to be controlled b$ the shadow$ forces of what 2ouglass
calls 7the >nspeakable.7 Bnl$ b$ unmasking these forces and confronting the truth about
our histor$ can we restore the promise of democrac$ and la$ claim to #enned$3s vision of
peace.
Huffington Post: