It takes just a split-second.
That’s all that’s needed for plans to go sideways, and for disaster to hit. A wrong turn, a broken tie-down, slippery steps, or an open door or gate could change your life. An inattentive driver, a loose bottle cap, a million things can happen fast and there you are. So just be careful. Keep your eyes open and, as in the new book “The JFK Conspiracy” by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch, don’t let your attention split off.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was already a hero when he ran for President of the United States in 1960.
Trouble was that despite his bravery during World War II on a PT boat in the ocean near Japan, despite that he’d risked his life to save the lives of men on the wrecked boat, despite that he’d had experience in the Senate for many years, nearly half of voting Americans were dead-set against him taking over the White House. The election of 1960 was, in fact, one of the 20th century’s closest races but in the end, Kennedy defeated Nixon and he prepared to become the President that following January.
While controversy continued to swirl and many Americans grumbled about the GOP’s defeat, one New Hampshire resident, seventy-three-year-old Richard Pavlick, known to his neighbors as “a man full of grievances,” decided that this election outcome would ruin the country, and he wasn’t having it.
Hinting to friends and to his local postmaster about his plan, Pavlick traveled from New England, south to Palm Beach, Florida, with an idea in mind. He’d pack his 1950 Buick full of dynamite that he’d recently purchased, he’d get near the Kennedy compound – which was easily located, too public, and too-easily approachable – he’d flip a switch and drive hard, right into Kennedy and his detail.
It wouldn’t take more than a few seconds, but he had to find the right time to do it. Pavlick didn’t want to hurt anyone he considered blameless. He only wanted to fix a problem…
So many things come to mind when reading “The JFK Conspiracy.”
One must consider the times, America’s love of John Kennedy and the adoration of his wife, the fact that instant news wasn’t a “thing” yet, the end of the Cold War, hidden politics, presidential infidelities, and how this country seems now to have been so innocent.
Authors Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch address all that in a river of nostalgia, first reminding readers of Kennedy’s womanizing and his past service, explaining the PT-109 incident for modern eyes. From there, they raise the bar on tenseness, in a careful back-and-forth between the election, the ramp-up to inauguration, Kennedy’s first days in office, and Pavlick’s madness. Why Pavlick failed is astounding, especially in light of the focus inside modern terrorism. Why this account isn’t in many history books rounds things out nicely.
The more things change, the more they stay the same? Perhaps you’ll think so, as you read “The JFK Conspiracy.” Find this book and it’ll grab you, lickety-split.
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