Gary Mack and the Sixth Floor Museum

[Jack White]

Museums are as much about interpretation of the past as history books. See the following thread for a detailed discussion of this issue.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=6344

Interpretations in museums are mainly expressed through the selection of exhibits. In the case of the Sixth Floor Museum it also seems to be about the books selected for sale in the shop. The idea that a curator will only sell books by authors who send free review copies is ridiculous. If Gary Mack was really interested in presenting a balanced view of the assassination he would make sure the shop contains the best books available on the subject. Until he does this, the Sixth Floor Museum is just propaganda.

I can understand why the state of Texas is reluctant to admit that the JFK assassination was carried out by more than one man. Especially if the conspiracy involved a politician who dominated politics in Texas during this period of history. It is propaganda of the worse kind: an attempt to protect the illegal removal of a democratically elected leader. While Gary Mack continues to take blood money in order to preserve the false image of Texas his museum should be boycotted by all visitors to Dallas.

I believe people with an interest should go there once. It does have some nice exhibits on Kennedy. It does acknowledge that there's reasons to suspect there was a conspiracy. It's not as biased as you might think. And, as Gary has pointed out, the book store has carried conspiracy books in the past. It's just that the good ones are mostly out of print. As stated, if he carries Larry's book, or Ian's book, both of which he's expressed an interest in, he'll have convinced me he has no bias. As a former buyer for a music wholesaler who sold to thousands of music retailers, I'm well aware that not everything is for everybody. There's what is called a proper fit--where the social context of the record matches the social views of the store owner, and the clientele of the store. NWA does not need to be in Costco. Britney Spears does not need to be in a vinyl-only turntable shop. There's also the problem of corporations. Corporations generally shy away from controversial records and/or artwork. For example, Target would never carry the Brujeria album with the severed head on the cover. Because of the corporate nature of the museum, its high volume of traffic, and the mainstream views of many of its customers, it makes sense that the museum book store is selective about what it carries. To many of the customers in that store, each book carried there will be carrying an invisible seal of approval. The museum has the right to be selective how they use that seal.

And Tim, rather than have people crowding the sniper's nest, which would distract from the other exhibits, the museum opted to put a webcam in the window. Anyone interested anywhere can access the window whenever they want. The webcam is here: http://www.earthcam.com/jfk/

EarthCam - Dealey Plaza Cam

Marrs' CROSSFIRE was in print for about 15 years but was never

stocked by the museum. Posner's CASE CLOSED was always

stocked by the museum at full price...even while being dumped

in other places as cheap remainder sales.

The museum has a preference for neutral JFK books, or LN books

by Posner, Trask, Myers or Mailer. If Bugliosi's LHO book is ever

published, count on it being there.

Jack

Edited April 10, 2006 by Jack White

[Tim Carroll]

There's what is called a proper fit--where the social context of the record matches the social views of the store owner, and the clientele of the store....

Granted, a fair rendition of the history may not fit well with the Dallas Citizens Council's desired self-image.

Because of the corporate nature of the museum, its high volume of traffic, and the mainstream views of many of its customers, it makes sense that the museum book store is selective about what it carries. To many of the customers in that store, each book carried there will be carrying an invisible seal of approval. The museum has the right to be selective how they use that seal.

The museum, being a non-profit entity, is prohibited from engaging in any activity which promotes a particular political perspective. A conservative perspective of the Kennedy assassination is the Lone Nut Theory, which also conveniently absolves the "City of Hate" from any responsibility for the "Wanted For Treason" flyers, General Walker's activities and the extreme right-wing politics of the City's leaders, such as H. L. Hunt, Clint Murchison and Ted Dealey. That perspective is political. The landlord of the Museum is the County of Dallas. Is the Museum realistically independent of its sugar daddy landlord? The "seal of approval" implicitly applied to the books sold in the Museum's bookstore amounts to a predatory propagandizing of a general public largely unaware of the complexities of this matter.

And Tim, rather than have people crowding the sniper's nest, which would distract from the other exhibits [like the falsely labeled window], the museum opted to put a webcam in the window.

Yes, the webcam. And what does it show? A Live Oak tree that has been allowed to overgrow and eliminate the possibility of anyone gaining an accurate view of the conditions in 1963. When I was in Cozumel recently, and saw the repair efforts following the three days Category 5 Hurricane Wilma hung over the island in October, the tree trimming and replacement was extensive. Yet we are to believe that this highly profitable non-profit Museum, which has enough money to loan to other city refurbishments, can't afford to apply the slightest landscaping effort to trimming a few particular trees as part of its stated goal of preserving the Plaza to reflect its 1963 condition.

Gary Mack has said: "Even the city, which is responsible for upkeep of Dealey Plaza, rarely makes a move without checking with the Museum first. Yes, it is a shame that such an effort to keep the foliage trimmed needed to be initiated long ago. Obviously, no trimming is going to be done to replicate the lighting existent at the west end of the colonade back in '63. If it can be done safely, then it probably will be done. The restoration of the Plaza is a long-term project that is only partly funded."

So the Museum generates enough profits to provide loans to other resoration projects in the City, but just can't manage to "keep the foliage trimmed." Is that credible?

Tim

Edited April 10, 2006 by Tim Carroll

[Jim Hackett II]

Museums are as much about interpretation of the past as history books. See the following thread for a detailed discussion of this issue....

"If Gary Mack was really interested in presenting a balanced view of the assassination he would make sure the shop contains the best books available on the subject. Until he does this, the Sixth Floor Museum is just propaganda."

Exactly John!

Some no doubt are already aware of a boycott of the 6th Floor "Museum" as LN ad naseum.

Len Osanic in the 1990s tried to inquire of Mr. Mack the hack as to why his CD The Collected Works of Col. L. Fletcher Prouty IS NOT available there. Mr. Mack's replies made clear all I need to know about the issue.

I have supported that boycott since becoming aware of the communication between Mr. Mack and Mr. Osanic about 1998.

Many enlisted in that boycott as the bias of the Dallas Landmark is clear and was long ago. I still WILL NOT support any supposed museum as biased and protective of the "state" of Tejas.

I still do and will continue to boycott the 6th Floor Ad Naseum. We all know too much and can prove too much to allow the presentation of junk LN "theories" as history when facts fall clearly on another view of Dallas and Tejas in the past, the present and I hope NOT in the future.

It is all psyops to me at the 6th Floor Ad Naseum - we know too much to accept Posner and Specter DAMMIT.

Only denial can empower the LN junk. Too frightening to consider the alternative in my well considered opinion.

I didn't care to see the inside of the building during my only trip to Dallas. I knew the real role of the TSBD in the assassination or do so TO MY OWN SATISFACTION.

I did NOT enter the place nor did I "buy" much merchandise from anywhere else either.

I was more interested in making my own observations and so forth.

More that I was stunned as to the perfection of the ambush site as a text book "L" ambush right out of tactical manuals of military services and the tiny size of the Plaza as compared to the perception of the Plaza from photos.

My agenda wasn't to shape others' perceptions as the 6th Floor Ad Naseum is and continues to be, my agenda was to test some ideas I had by my own reasoning and observations of the Plaza.

For that 6th Floor agenda alone and the attending stifling of citizen's curiousity about the November Coup by pushing only the "Lee Dunnit" junk - the place well deserves to be boycotted AND publicized as a PSYOP endeavor covering up that which is known about the November Coup.

FWIW.

Jim

Ed Lansdale had it wired tight and some continue the cover up even now. The 6th Floor Ad Naseum does.

Edited April 10, 2006 by Jim Hackett II

[Ron Ecker]

Len Osanic in the 1990s tried to inquire of Mr. Mack the hack as to why his CD The Collected Works of Col. L. Fletcher Prouty IS NOT available there. Mr. Mack's replies made clear all I need to know about the issue.

If the museum was selling the Collected Works of Col. L. Fletcher Prouty, I would boycott it too.

[Jim Hackett II]

So typical...

Why am I not surprised by this barely relevant commentary Ron?

So you don't like Fletcher Prouty? Or Len Osanic? Or myself?

Or all of the above and more.

Or just feel the need to support Gary Mack and the 6th Floor Ad Naseum?

And the promotion of LN junk?

Whichever, whatever...

As you wish Ron.

I knew something like that was coming .

Too bad, so sad.

Jim

[Ron Ecker]

Jim,

You are not aware of all the careless and baseless statements made by Prouty? He made statements about things without doing any research or knowing what he was talking about. This is a matter of record. I'm sorry to say this if he was a personal friend of yours or something. Have you read his ARRB interview? It's a travesty. When I researched and wrote an article about the Cabinet trip to Japan, it was necessary to answer sensationalistic questions raised by Prouty that unknowing readers of his writing would think were legitimate questions when in fact they were nonsense. And that's stuff that should be sold in a museum as research or history?

Here's the article on the Japan trip if you want to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.hobrad.com/acretoky.htm

Edited April 11, 2006 by Ron Ecker

[John Simkin]

I thought this should be added to this thread. I will then give it a link to my page on Gary Mack (its number one at Google).

If the matters being discussed here are upsetting to you perhaps you should go somewhere where your precious delusional sensibilities are not violated.

Robert, the same advice might be just as pertinent to another Forum member. Only this one refuses to post, contenting himself to take potshots by private e-mail rather than post in the open where his vituperation might be challenged.

To wit, this just in from one Gary Mack, nee Lawrence Dunkel. [Aren't aliases forbidden by Forum rules?]

At 10:13 pm my time, Gary wrote me:

There you go again, Robert. So Bush travels from Houston to Tyler for his noon speaking engagement and makes a reservation at a Dallas hotel....all BEFORE the assassination.?

And the fact that he did so prior to the assassination implies what? That's he's well organized? And you know of his travel arrangements because you personally checked them out and found the claims to be true?

Then he remembers the guy who suggested JFK might be killed but no one took him seriously at the time. So Bush calls the FBI in DALLAS right away to report what happened, then tells he would be in Dallas later that day in case they need to speak with him further?

And where he'd be on the following day, for what purpose? So that he could be "briefed" by Hoover, as Hoover's own memo alleges? You'd provide a far more beneficial service to the cause of "research" that you once pretended to champion by addressing whether or not the George Bush in question was the same man cited by the Hoover memo. If you don't have the teeth to chew on the meat of the matter, why chime in at all? Lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Do you have any evidence that ANY of the above account could not be true?

Do you have any evidence indicating whether the George Bush who phoned the FBI was also the George Bush identified by Hoover as being CIA? Seems the rather more germane question, dunnit?

Would you have felt better if Bush withheld the information from investigators?

Actually, I would have felt better had Mr. Bush informed the FBI prior to the assassination, when it might have done some good. That's what I wrote, and that's what I meant. Is English your second language, or do you send these deliberately pointless e-mails because you have nothing better to do with your time?

Would you have felt even better if the FBI had NOT checked out his story and found the guy Bush named was provably nowhere near Dallas and was not involved in anything other than having said something really stupid in front of others?

At least his stupid comments were made in public, not in hectoring e-mails. If you have nothing constructive to offer the debate on matters of substance, why do you dwell on the insignificant to the exclusion of what may be of probative value?

And if you haven't the manners to state your case in public, can I suggest you cease sending me unsolicited e-mails? This pattern of back-channel needling has been going on for, what, the better part of a decade? If I want to hear from you, I know where to find you. It's just not out in the open, where people can discern your MO, is it?

If your employers preclude you from posting, perhaps they'd also prefer that you not send unsolicited e-mails to those who don't wish to receive them. Or perhaps they prefer that you do. The next time I get one, perhaps I'll take it up with them and discover for myself what their preferences are.

[Bill Miller]

It seems that Gary Mack does not allow the Sixth Floor Museum to sell "conspiracy" books.

I think one needs to first define 'conspiracy book'. Does not Josiah Thompson's book "Six Seconds in Dallas" imply that there must have been a conspiracy and is it not sold in the Museum's book store or am I mistaken about that?

I was standing on the knoll last Fall listening to Gary and Robert Groden talking about the Museum's criteria for the sale of books (conspiracy or otherwise). I had the impression that the Museum would consider selling a conspiracy book that called into question the lone assassin theory if it dealt with fact, but they did not want books that were dilluted with mere speculation.

Has anyone bothered to contact Gary Mack for a defined explanation as to what the Museum will or will not stock in the book store?

Bill Miller

[Bill Miller]

Interpretations in museums are mainly expressed through the selection of exhibits. In the case of the Sixth Floor Museum it also seems to be about the books selected for sale in the shop.

I think that people should not lose sight that the 6th Floor Museum is a 'historical museum', thus they have a responsibility to cite that history even if they have their own personal beliefs about it. Two blocks away is 'The Conspiracy Museum' where one can buy all the conspiracy materials that they can afford.

Bill Miller

Edited May 27, 2006 by Bill Miller

[Francesca Akhtar]

I would like to see the museum selling Gerald McKnight's book if it doesn't already. (I don't remember seeing it there my last trip). Anyone who has read that could not say that it isn't based on 'fact' as revealed in the many memos and documents he refers to.

And if we are talking about the muesum only selling books that deal with 'facts' well I guess it depends whose version of 'history' you believe. I always thought the magic bullet was a fairytale.....

I'm all for the shop stocking only books that have been well researched and carefully documented. As far as I'm aware Anthony Sumers 'Not in your lifetime' is still in print so why isnt it being stocked?

To it's credit it does stock JFK but I think it could offer a wider selection of other books etc that aren't LN to give a balanced view.

[David G. Healy]

I was standing on the knoll last Fall listening to Gary and Robert Groden talking about the Museum's criteria for the sale of books (conspiracy or otherwise).

dgh: I'm sure they're BOTH tickled over book sales and museum admission numbers [for fees of course ]. A question does pop into my mind though; does the museum have for sale, the complete set of Warren Commission books and the final Warren Commission report? If not, why NOT?

I had the impression that the Museum would consider selling a conspiracy book that called into question the lone assassin theory if it dealt with fact, but they did not want books that were dilluted with mere speculation.

dgh: speculation, there's that buzz word again....? How about, the Single Bullet THEORY SBT, how'd anything to do with THAT make it in?

Has anyone bothered to contact Gary Mack for a defined explanation as to what the Museum will or will not stock in the book store?

dgh: WHY? most know whats there... Put Gary's explanation right here, yourself...

Bill Miller

[Bill Miller]

dgh: speculation, there's that buzz word again....? How about, the Single Bullet THEORY SBT, how'd anything to do with THAT make it in?

I hardly consider my being there and hearing the information being shared between Gary and Robert first hand as "speculation", but maybe you are just wanting to appear intelligent again like you did when you tried to tell me there was a difference in the terms "enlarged" and "blown-up" when discussing Photography.

dgh: WHY? most know whats there... Put Gary's explanation right here, yourself...

"dgh: A question does pop into my mind though; does the museum have for sale, the complete set of Warren Commission books and the final Warren Commission report? If not, why NOT?"

Obviously everyone doesn't know what's there are you would not be asking a silly question about a set of books that were limited in numbers when printed ... have not since been reprinted in over 41 years ... and are only found on Ebay or in Book Shops where they have usually have taken them on consignment from private owners.

Bill Miller

[David G. Healy]

'Bill Miller'

dgh: speculation, there's that buzz word again....? How about, the Single Bullet THEORY SBT, how'd anything to do with THAT make it in?

I hardly consider my being there and hearing the information being shared between Gary and Robert first hand as "speculation", but maybe you are just wanting to appear intelligent again like you did when you tried to tell me there was a difference in the terms "enlarged" and "blown-up" when discussing Photography.[/b]

dgh01: oh, I suspect you were right in the middle of the conversation lmao! I don't know, Bill -- there's been so many things you post that need correction, most of us have given up that ghost moons ago.... it's simply assumed you have difficulty with subject beyond your realm of expertise, whatever that might be...

dgh: WHY? most know whats there... Put Gary's explanation right here, yourself...

dgh01: we're waiting...

dgh: A question does pop into my mind though; does the museum have for sale, the complete set of Warren Commission books and the final Warren Commission report? If not, why NOT?"

Obviously everyone doesn't know what's there are you would not be asking a silly question about a set of books that were limited in numbers when printed ...

dgh01: a mueum's (dedicated to a slain president?) front door, not 150 feet from the scene of a assassination of the President of the United States... and it does or doesn't have the governments (for the people - after all we paid for it AND the Zapruder film, too) "formal conclusions" of said investigation on its premises? If it doesn't, that speaks volumes too!

have not since been reprinted in over 41 years ... and are only found on Ebay or in Book Shops where they have usually have taken them on consignment from private owners.

dgh01: I see, maybe the Zapruder family will purchase one for the museum, they can afford it? We do know, certain DP film/photo originals, copies of whatEVER generation are under the guidance and care of the 6th Floor Museum. So, is a copy of the WCReport and attendent volumes at/or on DISPLAY at the museum?

Bill Miller

[Terry Mauro]

Jim,

You are not aware of all the careless and baseless statements made by Prouty? He made statements about things without doing any research or knowing what he was talking about. This is a matter of record. I'm sorry to say this if he was a personal friend of yours or something. Have you read his ARRB interview? It's a travesty. When I researched and wrote an article about the Cabinet trip to Japan, it was necessary to answer sensationalistic questions raised by Prouty that unknowing readers of his writing would think were legitimate questions when in fact they were nonsense. And that's stuff that should be sold in a museum as research or history?

Here's the article on the Japan trip if you want to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.hobrad.com/acretoky.htm

************************************************************************

What about the work of Harold Weisberg? Has that ever been allowed in the Mausoleum?

What about Mark Lane's work, Sylvia Meagher's, or darest I even ask about Garrison's?

I'm truly interested to know the list of books that have been allowed by the Dallas City Commissioners.

How about Dick Russell's, or Peter Dale Scott's? What about David Lifton's? Any bites, yet?

To quote from one of the above posts:

"And, as Gary has pointed out, the book store has carried conspiracy books in the past. It's just that the good ones are mostly out of print."

Yeah, but where there's a will there's a way. As Dawn pointed out, you can obtain just about any book through Amazon.com, and it needn't be all the worse for wear, either. Still, it's blatantly obvious how strong-willed the Dallas City Commissioners really are. They need to change their name to, "The Dallas Hysterical Historical Society." Re-name the "supposed" sniper's lair, to the pidgeon-hole eye view of Dealey Plaza.

[Jack White]

Jim,

You are not aware of all the careless and baseless statements made by Prouty? He made statements about things without doing any research or knowing what he was talking about. This is a matter of record. I'm sorry to say this if he was a personal friend of yours or something. Have you read his ARRB interview? It's a travesty. When I researched and wrote an article about the Cabinet trip to Japan, it was necessary to answer sensationalistic questions raised by Prouty that unknowing readers of his writing would think were legitimate questions when in fact they were nonsense. And that's stuff that should be sold in a museum as research or history?

Here's the article on the Japan trip if you want to see what I'm talking about:

http://www.hobrad.com/acretoky.htm

************************************************************************

What about the work of Harold Weisberg? Has that ever been allowed in the Mausoleum?

What about Mark Lane's work, Sylvia Meagher's, or darest I even ask about Garrison's?

I'm truly interested to know the list of books that have been allowed by the Dallas City Commissioners.

How about Dick Russell's, or Peter Dale Scott's? What about David Lifton's? Any bites, yet?

To quote from one of the above posts:

"And, as Gary has pointed out, the book store has carried conspiracy books in the past. It's just that the good ones are mostly out of print."

Yeah, but where there's a will there's a way. As Dawn pointed out, you can obtain just about any book through Amazon.com, and it needn't be all the worse for wear, either. Still, it's blatantly obvious how strong-willed the Dallas City Commissioners really are. They need to change their name to, "The Dallas Hysterical Historical Society." Re-name the "supposed" sniper's lair, to the pidgeon-hole eye view of Dealey Plaza.

Jim Marrs' CROSSFIRE has been continuously stocked at Barnes and Noble

for more than 15 years. Booksellers and the public like it, even if the Sixth Floorers

don't. This year is the first time I have checked and not seen at least one copy

in stock. But they probably have some on order for November.

Jack