Live by the Sword: The Secret War Against Castro and the Death of JFK

The New York Times Book Review, May 23, 1999, NONFICTIONIn December 1991, Oliver Stone released his movie "JFK," about the murder of John F. Kennedy, and as a result of a public outcry, Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, which called for total disclosure by all Federal agencies and private individuals who might be in possession of relevant material. These three million-plus pages proved to be a treasure-trove of information for those interested in the assassination, and Gus Russo has based much of his compelling, exhaustively researched and evenhanded book, "Live by the Sword," on it. Russo has had a longstanding interest in the assassination; he was one of the lead reporters on "Frontline"'s 1993 documentary "Who Was Lee Harvey Oswald?" and served as the chief investigative reporter for ABC's news special "Dangerous World: The Kennedy Years." After sifting through mountains of evidence and conducting interviews, Russo comes to a simple conclusion: Lee Harvey Oswald killed Kennedy. Russo also maintains that it was Kennedy's obsession with ridding the world of Fidel Castro by any means necessary, including assassination, that resulted in his own death. Was Oswald a Cuban agent? Russo stops just short of saying this, but he does argue persuasively that the emotionally disturbed Oswald acted out of admiration for Castro and could well have been encouraged by pro-Castro agents. What is most impressive about "Live by the Sword," however, is that he is able to explain (though not condone) the activities of many of those in Government, including Lyndon B. Johnson, the C.I.A. and Robert Kennedy, all of whom fought hard to keep what Russo calls "the secret war against Castro" from the public - thereby averting possible American retaliation and, perhaps, another catastrophic world war.CHARLES SALZBERGI'm awestruck by this review--it says that the "simple" conclusions of this daring, groundbreaking book are in fact right, and must be taken seriously. Basically, the most prestigious--and critical--newspaper in the world has itself concluded that Gus Russo cracked the case, correctly demonstrating what the Kennedy assassination was all about. I've read tons of these "assassination books"--and it's a field full of writers offering vastly different opinions about who did what, to whom, and why. Lots of us layman, I think, have a tough time accepting new angles or "new spins" on this old, old story. Some of us are instantly put off by a large, persuasive book whose contents are tough to evaluate. That's why I was so struck by the NYT review--and why it's so important. It represents a clarion call to the uncertain media that it's safe to regard "Live by the Sword" in the same terms that the Book of the Month Club used--"a definitive chronicle."

One of the problems this book will encounter is the "what-about-this-isms" that conspiracy theorists love to throw out in debating Kennedy issues. What fun would it be to know what actually happened when there is so much more money to be made by authors who write DOZENS of books on this subject, all realising different scenarios and key players. As far as I know Gus Russo has written this ONE book, and he interviewed persons unwilling to go on record prior to his writings. That in itself is reason to give the book a read. Even if this work is negated by those who "know what REALLY happened and I'm working on MY book" types, a realistic picture of the surrounding times and tensions that are rarely presented in works relating to the Kennedy Presidency are available here. If that isn't reason enough there are intriguing never before seen photos that will pique your curiosity and have you rethinking things you thoght you knew !

In writng this book, Russo uses the somewhat daunting style of quoting specific sources, many of which have only recently been released. Beginning as a supporter of RFK during the late 1960's, Russo shows the reader how his vision of the early 60's has been slowly changed by mounting evidence that the Kennedy brothers circumvented many of the established political processes in their zeal for revenge against Castro for the Bay of Pigs disaster. And in this zeal, they also bypassed much of the CIA professional savvy and care, ultimately having Castro apparently find out about every one of their numerous plots to have him overthrown and assasinated. What Russo achieves is an excellent antidote to all the conspiracy theories of the past. It makes sense and provides exciting reading.

Gus Russo has outdone himself with maticulous research and an excellent writing style in this explanation of why Lee Harvey Oswald murdered JFK. After my own extended reading of assassination related materials over the last 10 years, this one book tied together for me practially all of the loose ends, finally providing a motive for the murder of JFK. This is the first book I've read in years where I found myself saying out loud, "That's right! I understand it now!" Caution: This book does not deal with multiple shooter conspiracies. Its premise (after extensive and documented research by Russo) that Oswald acted alone is a foregone conclusion, and dealves extensively into the "why" of the crime...not the "who"...something that has here-to-fore not been sufficiently tied together. I would STRONGLY recommend the purchase of this amazing work by Gus Russo. Good job Gus!Gary Savage, author "JFK First Day Evidence"

Live By The Sword is probably the most comprehensive book on the assassination of JFK to date. Author Gus Russo pulls together information from a staggering array of sources and concludes that Kennedy conspiracy researchers have been asking the wrong question all along. The real question is not who killed JFK, but why he was killed. Russo's answer is that JFK was shot because of his secret war against Fidel Castro, a "secret" which was common knowledge in the city of New Orleans, from which many anti-Castro operations were based. Lee Harvey Oswald, a desperately unhappy and alienated young man, knew of these operations through acquaintances in New Orleans' Cuban community. This book made a believer out of me; even if only a fraction of Russo's sources are accurate, there is still far more than can be explained away.