David Talbot on JFK Websites

[John Simkin]

David Talbot had this to say about websites and the JFK assassination.

In my opinion, the two best Web sites for information and discussion about the JFK assassination are the Mary Ferrell Foundation and the Education Forum. The Mary Ferrell site, named after the late JFK research pioneer, is run by a talented Massachusetts software expert-turned-Kennedy archivist named Rex Bradford. The site is an oasis of calm and orderly rationality whose deep well of resources appeals to everyone from student novices to hardcore buffs. Bradford has amassed more than 400,000 documents on the site, including many invaluable declassified government papers. And his video archive -- including not only the infamous Zapruder film but a number of other more obscure home movies taken in Dealey Plaza -- vividly bring that day to life. Other videos -- including TV interviews with JFK and the stunning live broadcast of Lee Harvey Oswald being gunned down by Jack Ruby -- also make this history seem powerful and immediate.

The Education Forum, a sprawling complex of chat rooms covering a broad spectrum of history subjects, was created by an enterprising British scholar named John Simkin. Its many discussion threads on the Kennedy presidency and its violent end are provocative and refreshingly free of the obsessive nuttiness and flame-throwing that characterize many online Kennedy circles. Simkin's forum has attracted respected JFK researchers like Anthony Summers and Larry Hancock, as well as dozens of serious amateur historians well worth talking with, and even the occasional aging source with some firsthand information about the case.

The Mary Ferrell Foundation and Education Forum sites are both shining examples of communal learning and research -- exactly what the Internet was intended to do, in all its democratic glory.

http://www.salon.com/books/authors/talbot/about/blog.html

[John Simkin]

David Talbot: "The Education Forum, a sprawling complex of chat rooms covering a broad spectrum of history subjects, was created by an enterprising British scholar named John Simkin. Its many discussion threads on the Kennedy presidency and its violent end are provocative and refreshingly free of the obsessive nuttiness and flame-throwing that characterize many online Kennedy circles. Simkin's forum has attracted respected JFK researchers like Anthony Summers and Larry Hancock, as well as dozens of serious amateur historians well worth talking with, and even the occasional aging source with some firsthand information about the case. The Mary Ferrell Foundation and Education Forum sites are both shining examples of communal learning and research -- exactly what the Internet was intended to do, in all its democratic glory."

http://www.salon.com/books/authors/talbot/about/blog.html

Thank you for your kind comments.

The internet has been described as a system that links computers together. The internet is at its best when it “wires” brains together. The result is “community intelligence”. The forum is an attempt to create community intelligence. In the future it will be the main way we solve problems. It is also the best way to investigate the past. This YouTube video gives you some idea of how the web is developing.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE

[Myra Bronstein]

David Talbot had this to say about websites and the JFK assassination.

In my opinion, the two best Web sites for information and discussion about the JFK assassination are the Mary Ferrell Foundation and the Education Forum. The Mary Ferrell site, named after the late JFK research pioneer, is run by a talented Massachusetts software expert-turned-Kennedy archivist named Rex Bradford. The site is an oasis of calm and orderly rationality whose deep well of resources appeals to everyone from student novices to hardcore buffs. Bradford has amassed more than 400,000 documents on the site, including many invaluable declassified government papers. And his video archive -- including not only the infamous Zapruder film but a number of other more obscure home movies taken in Dealey Plaza -- vividly bring that day to life. Other videos -- including TV interviews with JFK and the stunning live broadcast of Lee Harvey Oswald being gunned down by Jack Ruby -- also make this history seem powerful and immediate.

The Education Forum, a sprawling complex of chat rooms covering a broad spectrum of history subjects, was created by an enterprising British scholar named John Simkin. Its many discussion threads on the Kennedy presidency and its violent end are provocative and refreshingly free of the obsessive nuttiness and flame-throwing that characterize many online Kennedy circles. Simkin's forum has attracted respected JFK researchers like Anthony Summers and Larry Hancock, as well as dozens of serious amateur historians well worth talking with, and even the occasional aging source with some firsthand information about the case.

The Mary Ferrell Foundation and Education Forum sites are both shining examples of communal learning and research -- exactly what the Internet was intended to do, in all its democratic glory.

http://www.salon.com/books/authors/talbot/about/blog.html

Talbot speaks the truth.

And the Education forum/Spartacus is free.

[Rex Bradford]

Talbot speaks the truth.

And the Education forum/Spartacus is free.

I would like to clarify the policies of the Mary Ferrell Foundation if I may, because there seems to be a bit of continuing confusion.

There is not a single document page, video clip, audio clip, photograph, or anything else on the Mary Ferrell Foundation website which is "off limits" to anyone. A well-organized (well, I hope it is, I tried hard) browsing system makes as accessible as possible more than 500,000 pages of documents as well as over a thousand photos, hundreds of audio and video clips, etc. If you find a page you like, you may also email a link to that page to anyone, and they will be able to view it without restriction.

Here's the deal on memberships:

1. A free membership afford the ability to make comments.

2. A paid membership ($39.95 per year) affords the ability to use the search tools.

The above system was the best way I could think of to make materials fully accessible to everyone, and still have a mechanism for generating a little revenue from serious users of the site. People obviously have differing opinions on this decision. My personal biased view is that paid membership is a steal for the ability to search and use an archive of this scale. Your mileage may vary.

In any case, if anyone is confused about what I mean by "browsing", here's a quick tutorial:

1. Go to www.maryferrell.org

2. Click on the ARCHIVE tab near the top of the screen

3. Select a type of material to browse: Browse Documents, Browse Multimedia, etc.

4. If documents, you will then get a listing of high-level "document sets," organized somewhat similarly to the National Archives - Warren Commission, HSCA, FBI, CIA, ARRB, etc. Clicking on any one gets you to a further level of detail. After a few steps, you get a list of documents.

5. Click on a document title to view it. There are then controls for advancing through pages, viewing a table of contents if available, changing page rotation or size, etc.

If the above is not clear, and anyone would like to learn more about how to find materials on the website, I'm happy to help explain further either here on this forum or in email.

Rex Bradford

Mary Ferrell Foundation

[William Kelly]

Talbot speaks the truth.

And the Education forum/Spartacus is free.

I would like to clarify the policies of the Mary Ferrell Foundation if I may, because there seems to be a bit of continuing confusion.

There is not a single document page, video clip, audio clip, photograph, or anything else on the Mary Ferrell Foundation website which is "off limits" to anyone. A well-organized (well, I hope it is, I tried hard) browsing system makes as accessible as possible more than 500,000 pages of documents as well as over a thousand photos, hundreds of audio and video clips, etc. If you find a page you like, you may also email a link to that page to anyone, and they will be able to view it without restriction.

Here's the deal on memberships:

1. A free membership afford the ability to make comments.

2. A paid membership ($39.95 per year) affords the ability to use the search tools.

The above system was the best way I could think of to make materials fully accessible to everyone, and still have a mechanism for generating a little revenue from serious users of the site. People obviously have differing opinions on this decision. My personal biased view is that paid membership is a steal for the ability to search and use an archive of this scale. Your mileage may vary.

In any case, if anyone is confused about what I mean by "browsing", here's a quick tutorial:

1. Go to www.maryferrell.org

2. Click on the ARCHIVE tab near the top of the screen

3. Select a type of material to browse: Browse Documents, Browse Multimedia, etc.

4. If documents, you will then get a listing of high-level "document sets," organized somewhat similarly to the National Archives - Warren Commission, HSCA, FBI, CIA, ARRB, etc. Clicking on any one gets you to a further level of detail. After a few steps, you get a list of documents.

5. Click on a document title to view it. There are then controls for advancing through pages, viewing a table of contents if available, changing page rotation or size, etc.

If the above is not clear, and anyone would like to learn more about how to find materials on the website, I'm happy to help explain further either here on this forum or in email.

Rex Bradford

Mary Ferrell Foundation

Thanks, Rex,

You're the best.

Will you keep us posted when David Talbot and Jeff Morley's update and new photos of Morales will be available?

That's a real coup for you, and thanks for making it available to all of us.

Thanks,

BK

[John Simkin]

Will you keep us posted when David Talbot and Jeff Morley's update and new photos of Morales will be available?

That's a real coup for you, and thanks for making it available to all of us.

Rex, did you see this question?

[Rex Bradford]

Will you keep us posted when David Talbot and Jeff Morley's update and new photos of Morales will be available?

That's a real coup for you, and thanks for making it available to all of us.

Rex, did you see this question?

John and Bill,

I did just now. I will definitely send a link re: the Morley and Talbot update; stay tuned.

Rex