Martoons

BOOK REVIEW: The Ruby Cover-Up by Seth Kantor.

Fans of JFK assassination books will enjoy this. Originally published in 1978 (and re-published since), it is one of the best reads. (I know! I’ve read dozens of books in this genre.) Author Seth Kantor was a top journalist in the US in the ‘60s and ‘70s and this work harkens back to what could be called the golden age of journalism – when members of the media could actually be granted interviews with important newsmakers; when those newsmakers generally at least tried to give meaningful answers to the press; and when journalists followed standards of truth which, if not followed, could lead to libel or slander charges. So, if you want an example of the “old” standards, read this book.

The problem with JFK books is that not a single one of them (and there are dozens!) have solved the puzzle of who killed JFK. We don’t know; may never know. Yet writers continue to chip away at the stone, and readers continue to show great interest – I’m told there is resurgence these days. In Cover-Up Kantor limits himself to showing that Ruby might very well have been involved with JFK’s killing but only the second act of the drama: the killing of Oswald. A central question is how did Ruby get into the basement of the Dallas police station when it was protected like a fortress? Did he sneak in totally unassisted, or did he have help? Kantor offers only a strong possibility as an answer – not a proof. After you read his well-researched scenario, you can reasonably draw your own conclusion.

And what about the legendary ‘magic bullet’, which some have said Ruby dropped into the stretcher at Parkland Hospital? Kantor takes a stand on this one. He actually knew Ruby well enough to conclude that Ruby was too much of a neurotic, jittery person to have done something so delicately timed. Interestingly enough, Kantor was in the hospital at that time and saw Ruby there also. However, it took years for this mundane fact to be accepted into the official record.

What can we take away from this book? Definitely a little more insight into the JFK mystery – but no rock hard answers. A legal standard of truth is likely impossible now, almost 60 years later. Yet this meticulously researched and compellingly written documentary is the next best thing.

One useful detail Kantor offers us is about the Warren Commission. Its findings have for decades become generally accepted as a gloss-over of the crime or even a shameful cover-up. Kantor points out that the commission was not a legal entity and its mission must be understood. It was a political creation of President Johnson and its specific function was to show that there was no conspiracy. President Johnson carefully selected the Warren Commission finding “seven men whose ultimate findings would not touch off any foreign crises or riots in the streets of America – seven men who would find no hidden conspiracies nor stir the fears of mankind.” (Kantor’s words, p. 162) Johnson wanted the public mind to be put at ease. Ironically, the Warren Commission’s report, even to this day almost 60 years later, did anything but that.

by Marty West, Editor and Founder, clickmartoons.com