Background
Published in 2013, “Countdown to Dallas” is by Paul Brandus exploring the events leading up to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The book examines the lives of both Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, and it debunks various theories about who was responsible for the assassination. Brandus argues that the assassination was at the hands of Oswald and gives compelling evidence of the series of events that led to that day in Dallas.
My Thoughts
I never saw the movie “JFK” by Oliver Stone but Paul Brandus doesn’t seem to have a high opinion of it. In fact, he takes every opportunity to show where it was in error. I also had no idea of the time Oswald lived in Russia or his communist ties. I didn’t know he idealized Cuban Marxism or that he was so far down the end of his rope. I was gratified to hear that the Marines kicked him out. He sounds like a real piece of work.
However, if all the above were true, I can certainly understand why it wouldn’t be such a great idea to inform everyone of exactly who this guy was and what he was about as it would certainly cause issues. Of course, it did anyway and that is a worthy story in of itself.
Recommendation
I enjoyed it. The book seems to be well researched and written but there is still some tangible bias in his language. It’s enough that makes me want to delve further.