Legacy of Secrecy: The Long Shadow of the JFK Assassination

The rifle fire in Dallas that killed John F. Kennedy didn’t just start a frantic effort to find his assassins. It also launched a flurry of covert actions by officials like Robert F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Helms to hide U.S. plans to invade Cuba with the secret help of Cuba’s Army Commander, Juan Almeida. Cover-ups by top U.S. officials prevented a major international catastrophe but also prevented a full investigation of JFK’s assassination, spawning a tragic legacy of secrecy.

Extensively documented and based on exclusive interviews and newly declassified files from the National Archives, this update and expanded edition of Legacy of Secrecy details:

The full story behind Mafia godfather Carlos Marcello’s confession to JFK’s murder, with new details appearing for the first time in this updated edition

Each step taken by mob bosses Carlos Marcello, Santo Trafficante, and Johnny Roselli to hide the results that followed

The secret attempts of Robert F. Kennedy and his aides to expose his brother’s killers, continuing his war against the Mafia by focusing increased attention on the Mafia bosses behind JFK’s assassination until RFK’s own murder

Legacy of Secrecy also includes new evidence about the assassination of Martin Luther King, exposing connections between James Earl Ray and Marcello, who “brokered” the hit for a Georgia white supremacist. Additionally, this trade paperback edition features fresh information about Robert Kennedy’s murder, revealing the criminal ties of Sirhan and his two mob attorneys. The long shadow of secrecy surrounding both JFK’s murder and the coup plan ultimately set the stage for the Watergate break-in. It drove Richard Nixon from office, triggered the murders of five Congressional witnesses, and continues to impact U.S.-Cuba relations today.