I have just published a review of The Kennedy Detail, a book penned by Gerald Blaine. He was part of the Secret Service team tasked with protecting the well being of President John F. Kennedy. Needless to say it was a job had had an unhappy ending.
It did not seem to be appropriate to sully a book review with internet scuttlebutt, but I do think that the subject needs addressing. When I was offered a galley of The Kennedy Detail I published a short article on the subject. I had read only a few pages, and made no editorial comments, merely that the book was being published.
Within 24 hours I heard from the ‘self proclaimed’ expert on JFK and the Secret Service, some guy named Vince Palamaro. A gentleman who was not even born when the JFK story unfolded. His claim to fame seems to stem from some Discovery Channel documentary that calls him an expert. Hell, watch any documentary on any subject, the people are always billed as experts! There would be little reason in announcing the fact that our next guest knows next to nothing on the subject!
I take great umbrage when someone tries to include preconceptions in any book, music, DVD, or whatever I am planning to review. Unlike other reviewers I do not search out what others think. I review the material as I see it, and how it effects me. This, I am sure puts me in the minority, but it is the way I work.
I am a reviewer, not a critic, I read a book, and talk about the enjoyment factor. Yes, in the case of a factual book I look for the facts. But I am old enough to understand that everyone has their own ‘pain threshold’ on what they wish to put in print. I am sure that there are many aspects of the JFK story that Gerald Blaine opted to leave out.
I have a good friend who has a bestseller in his brain, but he will not put pen to paper because of the harm that it might cause to the famous Hollywood families involved.
Is he wrong? NO!!!!! My friend will never share certain confidences with the world. Gerald Blaine obviously is cut from the same cloth.
This Vince Palamara on the other hand is a man on what can only be viewed as a witch hunt. Move on Vince! Take some time out and smell the roses! Oh and while you are doing that, why not create a web site that takes less than 5 minutes to load? I would give the URL but that would be a huge disservice to my readers, no-one wants to have high speed internet emulate dial up!
As we near the 50th anniversary of the events in Dealey Plaza it is increasingly unlikely that the truth will ever be revealed. What we can however do is take the little bits of information and put them in the patchwork.
Leaving comments such as:
Vince Palamara said,
in November 8th, 2010 at 5:44 pm edit
Vince Palamara is not just a ‘researcher’: he has appeared on the History Channel (and dvd), in over 55 books, in a government report, and has interviewed over 80 former agents, including Blaine and many who died before his book came out. There is value in “The Kennedy Detailâ€, but there is also selected fiction.
Gives me a gag reflex. I don’t give a damn that you have been on the History Channel, so have many other people. I have not kept a count of the number of books that I have been mentioned in, I am sure it is less than 55, but who is counting? Who cares? I also seem to recall that this Vince guy was the one that talked about The Kennedy Detail being written in the third party voice, oops.
I will state once again, I’m a book reviewer, I enjoy reading peoples books, I enjoy books about JFK, but unlike some, I am not obsessed with the story. I read many books on many subjects, I keep an open mind. The Kennedy Detail is not a tell all book, it is merely the story of the events as seen through one mans eyes.
Take your war to someplace that cares. Me, well I about to review a really fun childrens book. The story line is wonderful, and the pictures are well done, they match the age group that the author is aiming at. In fact it might be some good therapy for Vince Palamara and the rest of his merry band of obsessives, to do something similar.
Simon Barrett
10 users commented in " The Kennedy Detail – The Rabid Dogs Of The Internet! "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackNo problemo-the “war” is over, my friend. :O)
We were just stating that “The Kennedy Detail”, while a fine book in some respects, is NOT to be trusted as THE final word on the JFK era Secret Service and the assassination; that’s all. I have interviewed close to 80 former agents (including Blaine) and many of them told me facts in contradiction to what is being espoused in Blaine’s book. No “theories”; heck, you can have Oswald acting alone and no conspiracy-if the agents wouldn’t have blamed JFK and did their jobs, the man would have lived. Thanks for your blogs and this forum- much appreciated. Take care. Vince Palamara and “the rest of his merry band of obsessives” :O)
It would seem the word of Gerald Blaine is far more reliable than the word of this Vince guy. At least Blaine is NOT writing a book designed to hurt someone. He is relating events as he observed them. Obviously the Vince guy is trying to draw blood from the Secret Service. Go away, Vince, there is no other law enforcement organizstion that can match the Secret Service and the dedication of the agents.
Gerald Blaine said JFK “never interfered with our actions at all” to Vince Palamara on 2/7/04 and, on 6/10/05, Blaine added that the alleged “Ivy League charlatans” comment he heard second-hand came “from the guys-I can’t remember who said it”; thus, Blaine admitted he did NOT hear that alleged comment from President Kennedy…now he says he heard it via walkie talkie—sure!!!!
Wake up, Matt (and America): Blaine and Co are getting rich on their lies. Funny how they always say the conspiracy writers are making a fortune, when it is Blaine, Posner, Manchester et al who are raking in the big bucks; hypocrisy at its finest
P.S. I don’t think Mr. Palamara is casting aspersions on the Secret Service as an organization…only 2-3 guys circa 1963. Get your facts straight, “Matt”
Why do so few believe the deathbed confession of E. Howard Hunt who said he himself was one of the CIA Operatives who shot JFK? Gee, he told his own son this fact! Have you seen the Jesse Ventura interview with the son? If not, you should!
And don’t forget the book called “Bound By Honor” wherein the Mafia man actually said there was a shooter in the drain. They would never have left the assassination to one lone shooter like Oswald in my opinion; neither does his widow, Marina.
Has anyone thought about there possibly being a bullet hole in the front windshield of the JFK Limo? I recall seeing a show that they immediately whished it away after taking JFK to the hospital…maybe to hide it? Such a bullet hole would confirm a shot from the FRONT.
There is a former FBI Agent from AKRON who has now written a book stating that the man named “Millter” boasted he would kill JFK and was in the crowd at the time of the assassination. This guy was supposedly part of a far-right-wing group called States Rights that was being investigated, but it was dropped.
Just found some old info I saved about the History Channel’s show called “The Men Who Killed Kennedy” and it says the MAFIA was hired to kill him; they recruited and smuggled in 3 foreign men, one from Mexico who was then flown to Canada and back to France after the hit. There was also a man named Malone who was taking movie film on the knoll whose head was grazed by a bullet, but the photo taken of him by a woman in a babushka was confiscated and never seen again! A deaf mute on the bridge saw men pack up rifles behind the fence, too. I believe Akron FBI man ADAMS is correct in fingering “Milteer” as one shooter, although his shot is not the one that actually shot JFK from the front!
The complete change of or obvious nelect of protocol screams out “CONSPIRACY.”
There was a dossier on Oswald already known to exist by those responsible for the President’s protection. Why wasn’t Oswald picked up or followed for the two days the Presidents parade route was known, especially since Oswald was working in a six story building along that route? If this dossier was existant at this time–but no doubt destroyed without delay–this also screams out “conspiracy.” Oswalds actions after the shooting make no sense for a man whose brother says he wanted a place in the history books. Oswald had supposedly already blew the Presidents brains out all over Dealey Plaza, and killed officer Tippit. Why then did Oswald wait to be confronted by police searching the theater, before drawing his pistol from his pant waist? Officers, in the process of subduing Oswald, claim to have heard two clicks of the pistol, two misfires. Do cops lie? Do they ever embellish an incident? Has evidence ever been planted by police? They screw up like we all do.
Stopping the Zapruder film at the precise time of impact shows the bullet hit in front of the right ear. How do you do this shooting from behind? The right forehead flips sickenly to the left and backward. How can an assassin be so lucky and magician-like? Conspiracy.
Leave A Reply