Donald Freed

[John Simkin]

On several occasions Tim Gratz has criticised the work of Donald Freed. I think this is understandable as Freed is a talented journalist who has carried out several investigations into the dirty tricks campaigns of the Republican Right (a movement that Tim Gratz is very much a part).

In the 1970s worked for the Citizens Research and Investigation Committee. Freed has written numerous articles on the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King. He also covered the political activities of Richard Nixon and events surrounding the Watergate Scandal.

In 1973 Freed worked with Mark Lane on the book, Executive Action. Other books by Freed include The Killing of RFK (1977), Death in Washington: The Murder of Orlando Letelier (1980), and an interesting novel, Spymaster (1980), where he explains his theory of how the far right undermined democracy in America.

Would be interested in member's views on Donald Freed.

[Jack White]

Donald Freed (and R.P. Briggs, PhD) wrote one of the few good investigative books on the O.J.Simpson murder case, KILLING TIME. It deals with the facts of the case, not speculation or opinions.

Jack

[Tim Gratz]

John wrote:

On several occasions Tim Gratz has criticised the work of Donald Freed. I think this is understandable as Freed is a talented journalist who has carried out several investigations into the dirty tricks campaigns of the Republican Right (a movement that Tim Gratz is very much a part).

As the best twentienth century president of the US famously said: "There he goes again."

John, several comments. The dirty tricks campaign was run by operatives of the Nixon campaign. I never considered either Nixon or his aides as part of the "Republican Right". Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan were the embodiment of the Republican Right. As you probably must know, Reagan was very critical of Nixon and Kissinger and went so far as to run against an incumbent Republican President.

I do amit to being a card-carrying member of the Republican Right (which is, of course, right in two senses of the word).

John, can you cite a single instance where I "criticised" the work of Donald Freed? I have never read any of his work. As I recall, all I did was ask you what his source was for the assertion that Hunt or Colson were involved in the formation of YAF. I take it from your post his source is "unidentified". Interesting. As I recall, Hunt's involvement in the 1964 camapign was spying on the Goldwater campaign on behalf of LBJ while being paid by the CIA.

I don't think it matters much whether Hunt or Colson were involved in founding YAF. I just think we should try as much as possible to get our historical facts straight.

Edited October 9, 2005 by Tim Gratz