My new book, "Into the Nightmare"

[Joseph McBride]

Vince Palamara, whose groundbreaking work on the Secret Service and medical aspects
of the assassination has been so important to our understanding of the events of November 22, 1963, posted this review on Amazon.com of my book INTO THE
NIGHTMARE: MY SEARCH FOR THE KILLERS OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY AND OFFICER J. D. TIPPIT:




A Master Work! July 23, 2013
By Vince Palamara


Every once in a while, a book comes along that is not merely a book, a good book, or even, for that matter, a great book, but what I am fond of calling a master work. "Into The Nightmare" by Joseph McBride is just such a rare commodity: a master work on the assassination that is very well written (even poetic at times), thought provoking, and well researched. Clearly, the author is passionate about both President Kennedy (having met the man several times in younger days) and his tragic assassination. This passion comes through, loud and clear, on every page, but without the shrill tone common in many books on this subject. In short, this volume was written with loving care, encompassing every facet of the case, including the murder of police officer J.D. Tippit, an area that usually receives short shrift in the literature of the assassination.

Along with other such master works as Jim Douglass "JFK & The Unspeakable" and Doug Horne's 5-volume"Inside The ARRB", McBride's book is an essential purchase and essential reading. This one is a keeper; a book you will refer back to again and again. They don't make them like this very often. Get this very fine volume asap- you'll be glad you did.

[Tracy Riddle]

I'm sure I remember Palamara endorsing Dale Myers' "Oswald shot Tippit alone" theory somewhere (on a Youtube video, perhaps?) I don't want to take away anything from all the great research he has done, but I wish he'd spend less time on self-promotion. And I swear a lot of the favorable comments on his Youtube videos look like sockpuppet accounts (open them up and they all look suspiciously alike).

Sorry, but his credibility took a major dive with me when he jumped in bed with Bugliosi, however briefly.

Note: I don't mean to impugn your book in any way, Joseph. It's just that Vince tends to enthusiastically call every book on the JFK assassination a masterpiece. He endorses books that are totally in conflict with each other. Here's a sample:

"I am truly impressed with Phillip Nelson's outstanding book "LBJ: The Mastermind of the JFK Assassination", now in an EXPANDED and UPDATED format on the very same publishing house as major best-selling authors Mark Lane and Jesse Ventura! While there are quite a few "honorable mentions", I feel strongly, based on reading hundreds of books and decades of research, that Nelson's book, along with Mark Lane's "Last Word", Doug Horne's "Inside The ARRB" 5-volume works, Jim Douglass "JFK & The Unspeakable", and Barry Ernest's "The Girl On The Stairs", is among THE very best books written on the JFK murder to date. Nelson finishes the work started by such authors as Craig Zirbel and Barr McClellan, yet greatly expands and improves on what came before. Nelson, Lane, Horne, Douglass, and Ernest: their works are absolutely essential to all students and scholars on the case."

Craig Zirbel? Barr McClellan?

I honestly don't know who Palamara thinks was responsible for the assassination. I'm not sure he's even thought about it very much.

[Charles Drago]

A few months back on this forum I took Vince to task vehemently -- some at the time thought violently -- for his ostensibly long-concluded affaire d'amour with Bugliosi and a lesser known, not-quite-public dalliance with Gerald Posner. In speculating on the motivations for such perfidy, I drew attention to Vince's narcissism (just yesterday, on his Facebook page, he breathlessly noted how many times he is referenced in the McBride book -- a disturbing and too-common behavior exhibited within the contexts of other JFK-related works over the years that cannot be explained as a one-off, pre-publication book promotion tactic). And I did not write off the possibility that darker agendas were at play.

Grand Guignol ensued.

Eventually an agreement was reached: I would exit stage left and wait in the wings until Vince's production was performed; only then would I come forward to offer my critique and help lead audience discussions.

Please do not read this post as a violation of my pledge. I simply wish to indicate that the points made above by Tracy Riddle are not necessarily without merit.

As for Joseph McBride: He might be better served if he exercised a more robust form of due diligence before endorsing his endorsers. Why? Because Vince's loving embrace of Phillip Nelson's "LBJ-as-JFK-assassination-'mastermind'" disinformation remains intellectually and morally indistinguishable from his previous make-out session with Bugliosi.

Time will tell.

[Charles Drago]

Joseph,

I have read and considered with the utmost care your argument that the so-called Badge Man figure firing at JFK could very well be J. D. Tippit.

Here is a splendid case-in-point in which the application of a refined and encompassing conspiracy model informed by not just the facts of the assassination as we know them, but also by a broad and deep understanding of deep political systems and methodologies, can lead us to valuable insight.

Has your unarguably valuable research uncovered evidence of Tippit possessing world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team?

Here's why I ask: I'm not alone in having concluded that the conspirators (at the Sponsor and Facilitator levels, at least) understood that, once initiated, the attack on JFK must succeed if their own security and that of the institutions they represented were to be preserved.

Accordingly, only the most accomplished snipers in the world would have been entrusted with the assignment of fatally wounding the president.

If it can be documented that Tippit possessed such rare skills, then you're on to something.

If not, then Tippit-as-Badge-Man either was shooting blanks (perhaps as a diversionary tactic) or was servicing an as yet poorly understood aspect of the ambush.

To put it another way: Absent proof of Tippit's sniping prowess, identifying him as one of the JFK shooters is as foolhardy as naming the likes of Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, James Files, and Lee Harvey Oswald.

[Joseph McBride]

Joseph,

I have read and considered with the utmost care your argument that the so-called Badge Man figure firing at JFK could very well be J. D. Tippit.

Here is a splendid case-in-point in which the application of a refined and encompassing conspiracy model informed by not just the facts of the assassination as we know them, but also by a broad and deep understanding of deep political systems and methodologies, can lead us to valuable insight.

Has your unarguably valuable research uncovered evidence of Tippit possessing world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team?

Here's why I ask: I'm not alone in having concluded that the conspirators (at the Sponsor and Facilitator levels, at least) understood that, once initiated, the attack on JFK must succeed if their own security and that of the institutions they represented were to be preserved.

Accordingly, only the most accomplished snipers in the world would have been entrusted with the assignment of fatally wounding the president.

If it can be documented that Tippit possessed such rare skills, then you're on to something.

If not, then Tippit-as-Badge-Man either was shooting blanks (perhaps as a diversionary tactic) or was servicing an as yet poorly understood aspect of the ambush.

To put it another way: Absent proof of Tippit's sniping prowess, identifying him as one of the JFK shooters is as foolhardy as naming the likes of Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, James Files, and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Thank you, Charles. I'm not sure why you wonder
if there is proof of Tippit's shooting prowess in the book, because there is.
See the references to J. D. Tippit's
marksmanship, including the story told me by his father about
his son's uncanny skill in hitting a small target at a long distance. The
retaining wall where Badge Man was firing was relatively close to the position of the limousine. Kennedy was
hit at least twice from the Grassy Knoll. There probably were two
shooters there. That too is covered extensively in the book.

[Joseph McBride]

Tracy and Charles,

I'm sure we can agree to disagree on numerous aspects of
assassination-related research. I think that's part of what
makes it such a rich and complex field of study. We can't expect to fully agree
with any of us.

But I am sure we can all agree that Vince Palamara
has done groundbreaking and invaluable research
into the role of the Secret Service in the events
of November, 22, 1963. I found his research very helpful
to me in understanding those events. So I am pleased
that he found my book helpful as well.

Joe

[Charles Drago]

Joseph,

I have read and considered with the utmost care your argument that the so-called Badge Man figure firing at JFK could very well be J. D. Tippit.

Here is a splendid case-in-point in which the application of a refined and encompassing conspiracy model informed by not just the facts of the assassination as we know them, but also by a broad and deep understanding of deep political systems and methodologies, can lead us to valuable insight.

Has your unarguably valuable research uncovered evidence of Tippit possessing world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team?

Here's why I ask: I'm not alone in having concluded that the conspirators (at the Sponsor and Facilitator levels, at least) understood that, once initiated, the attack on JFK must succeed if their own security and that of the institutions they represented were to be preserved.

Accordingly, only the most accomplished snipers in the world would have been entrusted with the assignment of fatally wounding the president.

If it can be documented that Tippit possessed such rare skills, then you're on to something.

If not, then Tippit-as-Badge-Man either was shooting blanks (perhaps as a diversionary tactic) or was servicing an as yet poorly understood aspect of the ambush.

To put it another way: Absent proof of Tippit's sniping prowess, identifying him as one of the JFK shooters is as foolhardy as naming the likes of Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, James Files, and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Thank you, Charles. I'm not sure why you wonder
if there is proof of Tippit's shooting prowess in the book, because there is.
See the references to J. D. Tippit's
marksmanship, including the story told me by his father about
his son's uncanny skill in hitting a small target at a long distance. The
retaining wall where Badge Man was firing was relatively close to the position of the limousine. Kennedy was
hit at least twice from the Grassy Knoll. There probably were two
shooters there. That too is covered extensively in the book.

I understand.

But I was not asking after Tippit's skills relating to "hitting a small target at a long distance."

Rather, I specifically referenced "world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team."

A world of difference.

[Charles Drago]

Tracy and Charles,

I'm sure we can agree to disagree on numerous aspects of
assassination-related research. I think that's part of what
makes it such a rich and complex field of study. We can't expect to fully agree
with any of us.

I most assuredly do NOT "agree to disagree" with Nelson or his champion Palamara regarding the former's fatally flawed contention that LBJ was the "mastermind" of the JFK assassination.

There is ZERO evidence to place LBJ within the Sponsor level of any reasonable assassination model.

There is, however, compelling reasons to conclude that the resurrection of LBJ as a FALSE Sponsor, timed to reach a peak during 50th anniversary commemorations, is designed to support the ongoing cover-up.

So I am pleased that [Palamara] found my book helpful as well.

Joe

So how would you react to a similar endorsement from Nelson?

[Joseph McBride]

Tracy and Charles,

I'm sure we can agree to disagree on numerous aspects of
assassination-related research. I think that's part of what
makes it such a rich and complex field of study. We can't expect to fully agree
with any of us.

I most assuredly do NOT "agree to disagree" with Nelson or his champion Palamara regarding the former's fatally flawed contention that LBJ was the "mastermind" of the JFK assassination.

There is ZERO evidence to place LBJ within the Sponsor level of any reasonable assassination model.

There is, however, compelling reasons to conclude that the resurrection of LBJ as a FALSE Sponsor, timed to reach a peak during 50th anniversary commemorations, is designed to support the ongoing cover-up.

So I am pleased that [Palamara] found my book helpful as well.

Joe

So how would you react to a similar endorsement from Nelson?

"Agree to disagree" means having a tolerance for differing views
and a willingness to have free exchanges. I try to do that. I think
the assassination research community does not benefit from
the kind of infighting that is too common in it.

[Joseph McBride]

Joseph,

I have read and considered with the utmost care your argument that the so-called Badge Man figure firing at JFK could very well be J. D. Tippit.

Here is a splendid case-in-point in which the application of a refined and encompassing conspiracy model informed by not just the facts of the assassination as we know them, but also by a broad and deep understanding of deep political systems and methodologies, can lead us to valuable insight.

Has your unarguably valuable research uncovered evidence of Tippit possessing world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team?

Here's why I ask: I'm not alone in having concluded that the conspirators (at the Sponsor and Facilitator levels, at least) understood that, once initiated, the attack on JFK must succeed if their own security and that of the institutions they represented were to be preserved.

Accordingly, only the most accomplished snipers in the world would have been entrusted with the assignment of fatally wounding the president.

If it can be documented that Tippit possessed such rare skills, then you're on to something.

If not, then Tippit-as-Badge-Man either was shooting blanks (perhaps as a diversionary tactic) or was servicing an as yet poorly understood aspect of the ambush.

To put it another way: Absent proof of Tippit's sniping prowess, identifying him as one of the JFK shooters is as foolhardy as naming the likes of Johnny Roselli, Charles Nicoletti, James Files, and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Thank you, Charles. I'm not sure why you wonder
if there is proof of Tippit's shooting prowess in the book, because there is.
See the references to J. D. Tippit's
marksmanship, including the story told me by his father about
his son's uncanny skill in hitting a small target at a long distance. The
retaining wall where Badge Man was firing was relatively close to the position of the limousine. Kennedy was
hit at least twice from the Grassy Knoll. There probably were two
shooters there. That too is covered extensively in the book.

I understand.

But I was not asking after Tippit's skills relating to "hitting a small target at a long distance."

Rather, I specifically referenced "world-class marksmanship skills of the sort associated with snipers firing at moving targets while operating as part of a military style, two- or three-person team."

A world of difference.

Charles, I find it hard to argue about whether or not topics are discussed
in my book when in fact I do discuss a subject at different points in the book; I mentioned one such piece of information. Please look up the references to this
subject in my book.