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Best Evidence
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Critics called the movie JFK fiction, but they won't be able to say that about this shocking, unimpeachably convincing book that pieces together startling new disclosures behind John F. Kennedy's assassination. David Lifton's skilled analysis leads to one irrefutable conclusion: that the plot did not begin in the twisted mind of a lone assassin but was a successfully execu
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Paperback, 920 pages
Published
November 1st 1992
by Signet
(first published 1980)
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I have to take my hat off to David S. Lifton. The author was just a UCLA Physics student in '63.
Sparked by the Zapruder 'head snap' footage he pulled on a thread that began a fifteen year trawl through U.S. Government archives. The Warren volumes, the House Select Committee, a huge list of released documents under the freedom of information act. 'Best Evidence', published 1980, is not chasing after a shooter on the grassy knoll, or concerned with Oswald, Ruby or JM Wave. Lifton's body of evidenc ...more
Sparked by the Zapruder 'head snap' footage he pulled on a thread that began a fifteen year trawl through U.S. Government archives. The Warren volumes, the House Select Committee, a huge list of released documents under the freedom of information act. 'Best Evidence', published 1980, is not chasing after a shooter on the grassy knoll, or concerned with Oswald, Ruby or JM Wave. Lifton's body of evidenc ...more
Complete farce and an embarrassment to not only empirical researchers, but quite possibly to humanity as a whole. Lifton has managed to invent theories out of thin air that are so ludicrous as to make one's eye's bleed after 50 pages or so, and yet the book never stops, with one hideously asinine supposition after another. Sadly, I ate this up when I read it in University, but luckily I've been exposed in later life to better books such as Case Closed and now Reclaiming History by Bugliosi. Comm
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I was probably thirteen or so when I first came across this book in my local bookstore. Back then, I didn't know that there was any reason to question the fact that Lee Harvey Oswald killed JFK; heck, I didn't even suspect that the American government would ever deliberately lie to the public. This book opened my eyes - and not just about the JFK assassination. It would take me a little while longer to learn to distrust every single thing the government tells me, but David Lifton definitely succ
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I picked up David Lifton's Best Evidence in 1981, I think the original paperback edition. I had just moved to Saudia Arabia, where I learned the English language bookstores had limited selections. Back home for a week to accompany my family to Saudi, I stopped in a bookstore, saw this, and picked it up. Prior to this, I had never given the JFK assassination much thought, and certainly didn't wonder whether the official version was correct or not.
This book was an eye-opener. Lifton painstakingly ...more
This book was an eye-opener. Lifton painstakingly ...more
I used to be interested in the John Kennedy assassination conspiracies and read quite a lot about it. However when I read Vincent Bugliosi's book Reclaiming History, I realized how foolish the conspiracies were and how childish I'd been to even wonder about them. Bugliosi proves the case against Oswald as a prosecutor would and leaves no doubt that had Oswald stood trial none of the deranged theories would have ever seen the light of day.
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The book that got me started. The first people to see JFK after he was shot was the doctors at Parkland and what did they say about where the bullit must of hit his head. Take a week and really read this book.
Sep 27, 2017
Norman Nelson
added it
"Best Evidence" by David Lifton from 1981 is a groundbreaking book on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Lifton chronicles his own journey in understanding the truth behind the president's murder. As a graduate student in engineering at UCLA in the mid- 60s Lifton discovered that a Warren Commission lawyer, Wesley Liebler, had joined the UCLA faculty. Lifton introduced himself to Liebler and the two began a frequent colloquy on the facts of the assassination. Liebler believed the findings of
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Good grief, this was long. But worthwhile, and recommended reading.
A very powerful book. While reading this book I had to put it down in a coffee shop at least five times and say, "Wow, this ACTUALLY happened???" I was very intriqued with the portions of the book in which the author, James Lifton, describes how their was two ambulances and possibly two caskets (or even a body bag) with the President in it or not in it. In fact, when Jackie was next to the casket before going on to Air Force One, it might have been a fake empty casket. Yeah, hard to swallow.
What ...more
What ...more
This book is about the author 19s process of doing research and investigation into the Kennedy Assassination. He uncovers huge differences between the Warren Commission evidence, FBI evidence and the different autopsy reports. Part of the story is how he gets pulled into more research the more he found. He builds a personal relationship with one of the people on the Warren Commission and uses that insight into what was considered as the 1Cbest evidence 1D. There is fantastic documentation into t
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I really enjoy reading this book about JFK. I definitely learned more from this book than in my 1960's history class.
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I don't like conspiracy theories because they require a machine with thousands of moving parts to operate flawlessly in total secrecy. A successful conspiracy, therefore, requires less than a handful of people to control the primary source of evidence. This is Lifton's premise regarding the Kennedy assassination.
As a conspiracy theory, Lifton's is logical and elegant. Whether it's true or not is a separate issue. Do I believe Oswald acted alone: one pathetic dweeb (the guy had the IQ of a radish ...more
As a conspiracy theory, Lifton's is logical and elegant. Whether it's true or not is a separate issue. Do I believe Oswald acted alone: one pathetic dweeb (the guy had the IQ of a radish ...more
Jul 24, 2008
Dick Baldwin
rated it
it was amazing
Recommends it for:
anyone wanting to cut through the levels of crap in the JFK assassination case
Shelves:
non-fiction-true-crime
It's hard to ignore the evidence set down by Lifton in this book, which does not go into the usual and obvious theories of who or how many people shot at JFK. Instead, the best evidence of the crime is examined -- and in this case the "best evidence" is JFK's remains. Autopsy photos, doctor and FBI reports at both Texas and Maryland facilities point to the same thing: the wounds inflicted and areas around them were altered from the time the body left Parkland to when it was received at Bethesda.
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Fascinating book although I can't really accept Lifton's central thesis that President Kennedy s body was altered to fit in with the Oswald lone shooter theory. What is great about this book is Lifton's personal slant on how the mystery of the assassination gripped him and took over his life almost. Best of all, the book takes a new look at the Warren Commission and instead of saying look, the Warren Commission was false and a complete cover up he takes a sensible look at their work and how the
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I read this book after reading Jim Garrisons On The Trail of The Assassins and Jim Marrs Crossfire. David Lifton offered more scientific evidence then anyone I have read on the subject. This is a VERY DIFFICULT book to read. If you are dedicated to the JFK case and have not read this book, it is a must. I might suggest sitting down with a copy of Greys Anatomy when you are reading it. This is not for the meek.
This is the hardest book I've ever read. It took me weeks to get through it, but that's because it made me think on every page, and often look back to previous pages to reread previous evidence. I go back and read it every 10 years or so. I don't know if the hypothesis is correct - I suspect it isn't - but it is meticulously investigated, researched and footnoted, and for that reason it's a satisfying read.
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I may have the year wrong... I picked this one up as well as several others when Oliver Stone's "JFK" came out. If you believe there was a cover-up of the assassination (and I do,) this is a must-read. Lifton was a NASA computer programmer who put off going back to grad school to write this weighty tome.
It's a very logical and detailed deconstruction of the record surrounding those few days when the autopsy was performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Well worth reading. ...more
It's a very logical and detailed deconstruction of the record surrounding those few days when the autopsy was performed at Bethesda Naval Hospital. Well worth reading. ...more
Recommended by a friend, this is probably the only book I've read that supports a conspiracy theory of any kind, let alone regarding JFK. I found it interesting at the timed and had fun diving into the questions and unknowns, but I eventually donated my copy as it's just not something I feel compelled to keep on my shelf. If you are interested in a different take and the concept of "best evidence" - not perfect evidence or DNA or CSI - give it read.
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I think I picked this up at the library during the 25th anniversary week of Kennedy's assassination. While I believe there was a conspiracy to kill him, I'm not a fanatic about it. If the evidence presented in this book is as the author claims, it does seem to point to a plot and cover-up of major proportions.
It's an interesting subject, I suppose, but not one to which I give much thought. ...more
It's an interesting subject, I suppose, but not one to which I give much thought. ...more
If you are only going to read one book about the assassination this is it. Written in the first person it is a spellbinding account of the authors investigation into JFK's autopsy and the cover up surrounding it. Using documents in the public domain and interviewing first had witnesses to teh autopsy reveals truth that will shock you. Reads like a mystery story. A real page turner!
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I remember this as being a powerful and engaging read. Who can judge the truth of it, but fascinating nonetheless!
Many believe in conspiracy theories for President Kennedy's assassination. The author presents information that is claimed to have been overlooked or ignored by the Warren Commission.
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Fascinating, well-written, and utterly terrifying.
Proof postive that JFK was not assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald.
Successfully fed my JFK assassination conspiracy theories
Nov 10, 2007
Paul
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
JFK assassination conspiritors
Certainly not the best on this subject. Lifton really stretches to find a different angle. Sure it could be there, but, whew, it gets redundant after a while
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