Today, Harford Books Examiner talks alternative American history with Dick Russell.
Russell, who collaborated with former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura on the new book American Conspiracies: Lies, Lies, and More Dirty Lies that the Government Tells Us (Skyhorse Publishing, $24.95), is a widely acclaimed author and environmental activist. Having written six previous titles (including The Man Who Knew Too Much, which Publishers Weekly called “a masterpiece of historical reconstruction,” and On the Trail of the JFK Assassins), he has also published prolifically in various periodicals from The Nation to Parenting. He is married with one child and splits his time between Boston and Los Angeles.
American Conspiracies, which currently sits at #6 on the New York Times bestsellers list, has already been to print three times since its release in March. Says Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic David M. Kinchen, “If you're not a believer in conspiracy theories, or governmental coverups and lies before you read Ventura's book, you'll probably experience a change in attitude following a close reading of the book…”
From the publisher:
In this explosive account of wrongful acts and on-going cover-ups, Jesse Ventura takes a systematic look at the wide gap between what the American government knows and what it reveals to the American people. For too long, we the people have sat by and let politicians and bureaucrats from both parties obfuscate and lie. And according to this former Navy SEAL, former pro wrestler, and former Minnesota governor, the media is complicit in these acts of deception. For too long, the mainstream press has refused to consider alternate possibilities and to ask the tough questions. Here, Ventura looks closely at the theories that have been presented over the years and separates the fact from the fiction.
Now, Dick Russell offers a behind-the-scenes look at this explosive book...
1) For those who aren't familiar with AMERICAN CONSPIRACIES, can you give us the "Reader's Digest" version?
"American Conspiracies" is really an alternative history of the past 45 years in America, raising questions about the official versions of all four assassinations of the Sixties (JFK, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King and RFK), then on into Watergate, the Jonestown massacre, the October Surprise, CIA funding through drug money, and eventually the stolen elections of 2000/2004, September 11th, the Wall Street Conspiracy and what's now in place to end American democracy.
2) You have covered the JFK assassination extensively in the past. Will long-time students of the case find any surprising revelations in AI? What do you see as the true nature of the connections between the JFK, MLK, and RFK shootings?
The JFK assassination section has information about the "double Oswald" possibility that will be new to some readers. I don't see the same direct perpetrators of the assassinations of the Sixties, but I do believe all four were conspiracies and all four leaders were taken down by the same "sinister forces," for lack of a better term.
3) You co-authored the book with Jesse Ventura. What can you tell us about the collaborative process? What would readers be surprised to learn about him that they don't already know?
Collaborating with Jesse Ventura meant that we needed to have extensive discussions about the research that I was including in the book, quite a bit of which was new to him. However, he's a "quick study" and my task was then to weave in his comments in his distinctive voice. Readers might be surprised to know what a keen quick intelligence he has, and what a creative thinker he is as well.
4) It is sometimes a very fine line between fact and fiction. How do you go about discerning truth from the wealth of contradictory information that is out there concerning the historical events that your book tries to make sense of? And what do you see as the media's role in shaping the "reality" that most of us accept without question?
There is indeed a tremendous amount of contradictory information out there concerning the events I chronicle. But I've had many years of experience as an investigative reporter learning to tell the difference between "b-s" and truth, as I've interviewed a good number of people who at first seemed credible but later their information would not hold up. As for the media, the fact is that most won't pay any heed to what they deem "conspiracy theories" - even where substantial evidence exists to suggest such. Why, for example, were the 2004 presidential election results so readily accepted, when it was obvious that Ohio was stolen from Kerry? Today's big media are predominantly owned by big corporations and interested above all in propping up the status quo and their sales & ratings. Investigative reporting is largely a thing of the past.
5) The book ends with a comparison between the American government and colonialists. Can you expand on that idea? What can the average American do to help ensure a truly democratic society?
Apathy is what undermines and eventually kills democracy. Vigilance and activism keep it alive. "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism," Thomas Jefferson once said, or words to that effect. We need to push for reform in whatever ways necessary, including taking to the streets. Unfortunately, the Tea Party people are doing so for all the wrong reasons, in my opinion.
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In gratitude to Dick Russell for sharing an eye-opening look at the America that few people know...
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A related article from Hartford Books Examiner:
JFK and the Unspeakable by James Douglass (A book review)
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