History Will Prove Us Right: Inside the Warren Commission Report on the Assassination of John F. Kennedy

As a member of the Warren Commission’s supervisory staff, Willens had intimate knowledge of the commission’s work investigating the assassination of J.F.K. Here, he revisits the topic, from L.B.J.’s creation of the commission through the many twists and turns the investigation encountered, as well as the tumultuous reception the commission’s report received upon its release. Conspiracy theorists will be disappointed (Willens believes Oswald acted alone), but his descriptions of behind-the-scenes machinations are both illuminating and disheartening as he recounts the many roadblocks that hampered the case. Of note are former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover’s continuous obfuscations (up to and including the bureau’s contact with Oswald prior to 1963), the evolution of the single-bullet theory, and Oswald’s attempt to kill a well-known Dallas politician in April of 1963—which eerily mirrored his assassination of President Kennedy. Willens covers all his bases, including Oswald’s work as an FBI informant, his time spent in Cuba, and a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the commission report. Readers with only a passing knowledge of the Warren Commission or its report will get the most out of the book; those more familiar with the subject who are hoping for new threads to pursue will likely end up frustrated. (Nov.)