May 30, 2013

“Crossfire” by Jim Marrs – The Kennedy Encyclopedia

The Kennedy assassination is a topic which I've already prodded on a number of occasions here, and not without reason. After all, it was perhaps one of the most high-profile killings of the century, and after all these years, let’s face it, we aren’t any closer to getting any conclusive answers. 

If anything, the web of intrigue has become ever more convoluted, with questions piling up with nobody to answer them. Nevertheless, people haven’t given up on trying to find out what happened and perhaps unearth some kind of breakthrough, and many would argue that Crossfire by Jim Marrs is, at the moment at least, the best source of information on the subject.

Naturally, I couldn’t stop myself from giving one of the most prominent conspiracy books a shot, and frankly-speaking, I had somewhat mixed reactions to it. For starters, I was definitely impressed by the way Marrs decided to tackle the event; the six hundred pages of the book are dedicated to exploring it from every angle and perspective possible, highlighting and analyzing all the known details along the way.

Otherwise said, it can be likened to a very thorough and precise account of the events. Of course, Marrs doesn’t simply content himself with providing us with the details, but he goes beyond them and draws his own conclusions. I won’t really tell you how he reached his conclusion or why, but in the end it seems likely enough that certain highly-placed people in the government knew about the assassination, and though they didn’t plan, they made it possible by considerably weakening Kennedy’s security.

Crossfire by Jim Marrs (Book cover)
Where the book falters a bit, in my opinion, is in the exploration of Kennedy’s personal life and the so-called new content. Marrs takes a very aggressive to approach to analyzing Kennedy’s relationships with other people, quickly jumping to conclusions that paint a picture in which every in man, woman, child and animal wants to see Kennedy dead. 

Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get the drift. As far as the new content goes, I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The new interviews with witnesses that never spoke out and never-before-released pictures don’t provide any really valuable or shocking facts we didn’t know before.

All in all, it’s a great book for anyone who wants to learn as much as possible about the Kennedy assassination from all sides of the story, but if you are looking for new facts and leads, chances are you’ll have to wait until 2039, when the government case file will be unlocked for the public.


Jim Marrs (December 5, 1943 - August 2, 2017)

Jim Marrs 

(December 5, 1943 - August 2, 2017)


Jim Marrs is a former American newspaper journalist (still an American, of course) as well as a bestselling author according to the New York Times list, having written a number of works revolving around alleged cover-ups and conspiracies. Most notably, his book Crossfire actually served as the source for Oliver Stone's widely acclaimed movie, JFK.



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