Mervyn Hagger Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 I am pouring over the life of LHO in hundreds of old newspaper articles about Lee Harvey Oswald, and they conveniently skip over awkward questions that an editor should have asked of a reporter or feature writer, thus revealing inconsistencies in the life of the person known as Lee Harvey Oswald. I have also looked to see if there is a good biography of this individual, because whether he had a double, or a replacement, or whatever, there was a core human being who was born and given the name of Lee Harvey Oswald. Unfortunately, while there are a lot of books about Lee Harvey Oswald as a person that are currently available, they seem to vary from theatrical plays with no documented evidence in the form of citations from contemporary and time-stamped sources, to rambling essays about the assassination of JFK. Since there are people on this Forum who represent academia and other professions requiring strict proof, I would appreciate suggestions of which biography is considered to be the most reliable account (with citations) about the life of Lee Harvey Oswald - with one important caveat - it must be readable. I don't want the work of someone trying to write a thesis who has gathered up every fragment that can be found and shoved them together within two covers. I want a sensible book that can be read and understood and which will help me to put events in order while pointing to areas where no one knows how the story got from a - b. (Like the incident involving the departure of LHO from UK Immigration at Southampton, England, after which he disappears and the only clue is a stamp from Heathrow inside his U.S. Passport which he may not have had control of when the stamp was applied.) Mervyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Tracy Parnell Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 Some books that contain biographical information on LHO: WR Chapter 13 Reclaiming History by Bugliosi Marina and Lee by McMillan Harvey & Lee by Armstrong The Interloper by Savodnik Oswald's Tale by Mailer Oswald's Game by Davison Legend by Epstein The Mind of Oswald by Holloway Mrs. Paine's Garage by Mallon Lee by Robert Oswald The Missing Chapter by Swike Russian Episode by Titovets Lee Harvey Oswald's Cold War by Parker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 I would add Phil Melanson, Spy Saga and also John Newman's Oswald and the CIA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Harper Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 I'd add The Oswald Affair by Leo Sauvage published in France & Canada in 1965; with a translation and US version in 1966 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mervyn Hagger Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 I was thinking of one book. If you could pick from a single biography, not a spy book or assassin book or any other kind of book but a biography with supporting references, which book best describes the non-partisan life of Lee Harvey Oswald? Mervyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Tracy Parnell Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 1 hour ago, Mervyn Hagger said: I was thinking of one book. If you could pick from a single biography, not a spy book or assassin book or any other kind of book but a biography with supporting references, which book best describes the non-partisan life of Lee Harvey Oswald? Mervyn Honestly, I would start with Appendix 13 of the Warren Report. Concise and free: https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/warren-commission-report/appendix-13.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Josephs Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 "Harvey and Lee" by John Armstrong will teach you more about the circumstances regarding his life than any other book available... Finished in 2000 there have been a few things learned since... we're working on a single, copy-able thumb drive that contains the entire book, CD-ROM and all the Baylor notebooks... until then, the book may still be available as a pdf online https://www.krusch.com/books/kennedy/Harvey_And_Lee.pdf I too cannot agree with everything found in that book, yet 95% offers an amazingly detailed look into Oswald's life... DJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Josephs Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 (edited) And most honestly, I would not take ANYTHING the Warren Commission says about Oswald... I doubt we'll ever see John Ely's original notes or reports.... Edited June 18, 2018 by David Josephs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Tracy Parnell Posted May 14, 2018 Share Posted May 14, 2018 7 minutes ago, David Josephs said: And most honestly, I would not take ANYTHING the Warren Commission says about Oswald... I doubt we'll ever see John Ely's original notes or reports.... This simply means that in Jenner's opinion, Ely did not have all the details correct. BTW, I was simply listing some resources that the OP could use without my own editorial comment. But as long as you opened the door, while Armstrong did some good research, his book must be approached very cautiously since the thesis is that there were two Oswalds rather than the one historic Oswald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mervyn Hagger Posted May 14, 2018 Author Share Posted May 14, 2018 From what I can see in these responses so far, a basic biography of Lee Harvey Oswald does not exist, either that or no one here reads biographies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Brancato Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Mervyn - do you own search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Bulman Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 Oswald and the CIA. Dr. John Newman, U S Military Intelligence. In it he details Oswald's whole life. And it's objective, not a spy novel. Plenty of supporting references. You mentioned a while back being new to the subject. Granny said haste makes waste. Take time to read it. It's deep enough to engage your though processes. https://www.amazon.com/Oswald-CIA-John-Newman/dp/0786701315 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Von Pein Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) 47 minutes ago, Paul Brancato said: Mervyn - do you[r] own search. That seems a bit brusque, Paul. Mervyn was merely asking a question about LHO biographies. The top 2 answers to Mervyn Hagger's inquiry/search are the following publications [of course 😀].... 1. "Oswald's Game" by Jean Davison (1983) (W.W. Norton & Co.) 2. "Reclaiming History" (Chapter 5) by Vincent T. Bugliosi (2007) (W.W. Norton & Co.) Edited May 15, 2018 by David Von Pein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph McBride Posted May 15, 2018 Share Posted May 15, 2018 (edited) John Armstrong's HARVEY & LEE is a key book, deeply researched. It's an eye-opener, one of the paradigm-changers in the case. I don't agree with every conclusion, and sometimes I get lost in his certainty in which Oswald is which at a given moment, but the research is overwhelming and generally convincing. John Newman's OSWALD AND THE CIA is also essential. And the Léo Sauvage book THE OSWALD AFFAIR is still valuable. Richard H. Popkin's book THE SECOND OSWALD is thin but anticipates Armstrong. Edited May 15, 2018 by Joseph McBride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mervyn Hagger Posted May 15, 2018 Author Share Posted May 15, 2018 6 hours ago, David Von Pein said: That seems a bit brusque, Paul. Mervyn was merely asking a question about LHO biographies. The top 2 answers to Mervyn Hagger's inquiry/search are the following publications [of course 😀].... 1. "Oswald's Game" by Jean Davison (1983) (W.W. Norton & Co.) 2. "Reclaiming History" (Chapter 5) by Vincent T. Bugliosi (2007) (W.W. Norton & Co.) David, while I appreciate your response and your recommendations, I have the distinct impression that these books are in themselves interpretations rather than biography, and that they lend support to your own belief that LHO was the lone assassin. On the other hand there are lists of books being posted here that are drowning in various conspiracy theories. What I had in mind was something that was more objective than subjective. Mary Ferrell does provide a timeline, but it is not complete regarding LHO, while at the same time it incorporates a lot of other contemporary information that is not directly related to the story of LHO. I guess, what I am looking for is something that incorporates a lot of the superb exhibits that have been posted elsewhere on this Forum - which would be acceptable as hard evidence in a court of law after a chain of custody has been established to prove their authenticity. Unfortunately, a number of these exhibits are often accompanied by commentary attempting to skew an interpretation of them to a particular point of view. To cite Joe Friday on 'Dragnet' (yes, I know that character and show is fiction), I am looking for 'just the facts' - the hard evidence sans commentary. Surely someone has produced such a book? - Mervyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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