I Will Be Teaching a JFK Assassination Class

[Don Jeffries]

Starting in February, I will be teaching a class on the JFK assassination for my county's adult education program. I'm working on a syllabus and any suggestions will be welcomed.

[Douglas Caddy]

This is wonderful news, Donald. Your example should inspire other members of the forum to consider doing the same in their communities.

[Jim Hargrove]

I've been reading Don's 2014 book entitled Hidden History: An Expose of Modern Crimes, Conspiracies, and Cover-Ups in American Politics. Even though I'm only about a hundred pages into it, I can heartily recommend it to everyone.

It begins with a withering destruction of the Official Story of the JFK assassination, familiar territory for many of us, but notable nevertheless for the breadth of the carnage in a frugal 50 pages or so. Don calls the JFK hit "The Mother of All Conspiracies," and then goes on to pretty much prove his point.

Things turn even more interesting in subsequent chapters, about the Sixties, Seventies, the Reagan Years ("Trickle Down Treachery") the Clinton Years, the Death of John Kennedy, Jr., 9/11, Dubya and More Dubya, and so on well into the Obama Administration. One of Don's talents is the clarity of his thought and writing, which results in a concise and convincing portrayal of often complex events.

His insights are sometimes stunning. For example, as a young man in the 1960s I thought the apparently anti-establishment antics of people like Abbie Hoffman and the Yippies was an attempt to end the the U.S.'s growing involvement in perpetual warfare in SE Asia. But Mr. Jeffries poses a number of simple questions about these demonstrators. First and foremost was this: Why did none of the Chicago Eight offer any criticisim of the official story of the Kennedy assassination, which obviously opened the door to the wholesale slaughter in Asia?

Other readers well versed in the Kennedy Assassination probably will find Don's book a refreshingly broad look at both the Kennedy Assassination and the last 50 years of our hidden history, written by a true kindred spirit. No doubt his class will be equally entertaining and informative.

[Don Jeffries]

Thanks, Jim and Douglas. I truly appreciate the support.

I will try and attempt to be thorough enough for the newbies, while still throwing enough new and lesser known information out to keep seasoned researchers interested.

[Greg Burnham]

Good work, Don!

[David G. Healy]

congratulations Don!

[David Andrews]

You might want to devote 1-2 classroom hours to discussion of Kennedy's foreign and domestic policies, why these were opposed, and why these policies matter to the worlds of then and now.

Edited December 15, 2015 by David Andrews

[Pamela Brown]

Starting in February, I will be teaching a class on the JFK assassination for my county's adult education program. I'm working on a syllabus and any suggestions will be welcomed.

Great idea. Good for you. Please include a section on the Presidential Limousine SS100X being the primary crime scene of the assassination and not the TSBD.

Thanks...:-)

[Richard Gilbride]

Fabulous to hear of this, Don. You might give consideration to Stewart Galanor's Cover-up. Sort of like a Dutch miniature that becomes a celebrated masterpiece 200 years later. Your students might need to invest in a daypack with some smaller side pockets to tote it around.

[Ollie Curme]

Hi Don. I'm also preparing to teach a course on the JFK Assassination this spring.

If you send me your email, I'll share my materials.

Best

Ollie Curme

Edited December 18, 2015 by Ollie Curme

[Gene Kelly]

Don:

I've had some experience in teaching, creating courses, and developing a syllabus and course outline. JFK is obviously a topic that can go in many directions, with numerous interesting aspects and subplots. Given that you are preparing for a semester and 15-20 classes (if you teach once or twice per week), I would approach this as follows.

There's a separate thread recently that in essence asked "what is the one single compelling fact of this case that sticks out and convinces you of conspiracy?" That answer (or list) is different for many, but there are a handful of things that just don't add up or seem contrived, coincidental or suspicious. Why not structure the JFK course (i.e. each class) on those very topics, such as:

1. A factual record in contention 50 years later
2. Subverted and failed investigations (WC, Garrison, HSCA, AARB)
3. Crime scene evidence pattern and control (TSBD, 10th & Patton, Paine garage)
4. The Plaza kill zone (the case for triangulated ambush)
5. The implausible Manlicher Carcano
6. CE 399
7. Provenance of the Zapruder film (kept from public by C. D Jackson)
8. Obfuscation of key testimony (e.g. Carolyn Arnold, Victoria Adams, Julia Mercer, Richard Carr)
9. Ruby
10. Oswald impersonators, doubles (Lee and Harvey)
11. Mexico City
12. Infiltration and collusion of DPD (Hill, Westbrook, Sawyer, Baker, et al)
13. Secret Service protection breakdown
14. Tippit murder
15. Chicago plot/Thomas Valee
16. Parkland physician intimidation
17. Limousine damage and cleaning
18. Wounds, jacket hole, autopsy photographic record, Sibert & O'Neill report
19. Michael and Ruth Paine
20. Backyard photograph authenticity
21. Composition, conduct and "packaging"of Warren Commission
22. Related/causal historical backdrops (Bay of Pigs, Cold War, Vietnam)

Gene

[James DiEugenio]

Just don't borrow anything from John McAdams' class.

Which he won't be teaching anymore but which I think there are some remnants online.

But seriously, I would begin with the actual scene of the crime, set out the official story, and then show how the actual testimony and photos undermine that story. An excellent example would be linking SM Holland with Bowers.

Edited January 7, 2016 by James DiEugenio