Brothers

Brothers
The Hidden History of the Kennedy years
By David Talbot

Mr. Talbot did an excellent job in writing this book. He did extensive research and had countless interviews with those who were a part of these critical years. It is a glowing tribute to Jack and Robert as they tried their best to change from the madness of nuclear destruction to peace. They fought a battle with their military advisors, the FBI and the CIA throughout their administration. It proved to me once again that we are a militaristic country. How else to explain why we pour billions each year into the military including the maintenance of our vast nuclear arsenal, space war technology, development of newer, deadlier weapons, paying outlandish bribes to get new recruits and keep those in the services from retiring, and fighting at the present time two wars with other countries on the hit list.
The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba had been supported by President Eisenhower. Kennedy agreed to allow it to proceed but insisted that the US military would not be used. Those supporting the invasion knew that our military would be required and just assumed when things went bad that Kennedy would acquiesce but he didn’t. Even yours truly was angry about this, but in retrospect it was the right thing to do. I only wish he had not allowed them to invade.
Robert Kennedy as Attorney General aggressively prosecuted members of the Mafia and Jimmy Hoffa of the Teamsters. He did it without support from J. Edgar Hoover.
The CIA was constantly plotting to kill Castro against the President’s orders to stop. They poisoned crops and did other things to disrupt the Cuban economy. The Kennedy’s were trying to find the way to normalize relations while this was going on.
They stood up to racism culminating in the confrontation at the University of Mississippi with their successful effort to allow James Meredith, a Negro, to attend the all white college. The Army and the FBI did not support the President forcing him to push them harder than he should have had to do. This took a great deal of political courage as the Democratic Party lost the South as a result.
The author convinced me that Jack Kennedy was only waiting until after the election to start pulling advisors out of Vietnam. He did not believe Vietnam was that important. Berlin, the Soviets and Cuba were enough for him.
After the assassination of the President, Robert left the government and ran for and was elected Senator for the State of New York. His ultimate goal was to be elected President to carry on the work started by Jack. In his campaigning he was ecstatically supported by the workers of America. He also visited other countries and received tumultuous responses everywhere he went.
Both Jack and Robert were hated by many groups including the Mafia, Cuban exiles, white supremacists and those in the military industrial complex which former President Eisenhower had warned against. I never bought that either assassination was the work of one man. With so many vicious enemies they were both doomed. Today it is even worse. A man or woman elected as a peace President will be stalked and killed. The money involved dictates that this is so.
For those of you who lived through these years as I did, I highly recommend reading this book. For those born after the 60’s reading it would give you an understanding on how through these two courageous men hatred for America around the world could have been lessened. The world we live in could be so much better had they finished their mission.


Jack B. Walters
3961 N. Hillwood Circle
Tucson, AZ 85750
(520) 722-2958
August 29, 2007
jackbwalters@yahoo.com