Historian and journalist, Burton Hersh, author of
BOBBY AND J. EDGAR: The Historic Face-Off
Between the Kennedys and J. Edgar Hoover That
Transformed America, is available for interviews in
Boston and New York City in July and August 2007.

POWER, DECEIT, AND SURVIVAL-OF-THE FITTEST

Burton Hersh Reveals New Information About What Led To The
Ultimate Confrontation Between Robert Kennedy And J. Edgar Hoover,
As Well As New Details About Joseph Kennedy's Behind-The-Scenes Manipulations

". . . Hersh might well have titled his excellent book 'Collision Course,' for that is exactly what J. Edgar Hoover and the Kennedys were on from as early as the 1930s. . . What Hersh brings to the party is important new research and intensive analysis revealing the complex background attendant to the confrontations of the 1960s. . . Hersh reveals the ways of power, deceit, and survival-of-the-fittest in Kennedy-era D.C."
-- Publishers Weekly, starred review


Dear Producer/Interviewer:

Burton Hersh draws on years of personal research, including rare access to Joseph Kennedy's and J. Edgar Hoover's personal papers and interviews with confidantes of the Kennedy family and Hoover, to recreate a unique era in American history. With his riveting new book, BOBBY AND J. EDGAR, Hersh reveals previously unknown details about political manipulation, illicit liaisons, and illegal activities throughout this period. His work is enhanced by details from critical FBI files as well as both personal and professional relationships with Robert and Edward Kennedy. In this book, Hersh not only examines the volatile relationship between Robert Kennedy and J. Edgar Hoover but divulges new details about Joseph Kennedy's lifelong involvement in political scandal, bootlegging, and organized crime.

In an interview, Hersh will discuss what went on behind the scenes during the Kennedy era and how those years of wheeling and dealing molded the Justice Department and the FBI.

He will also answer the following questions:
  1. Dozens of books have been written about the Kennedys, and you have written two on Ted Kennedy. What makes BOBBY AND J. EDGAR different?

  2. You have a personal relationship with Ted Kennedy, yet you wrote a book that is sure to trouble him. How do you balance your professional and personal relationship in this case?

  3. The Kennedy family history you describe in BOBBY AND J. EDGAR is quite unique. Joseph Kennedy appears to have been very involved in every detail of the early political careers of both John and Robert Kennedy. Why did he play such a powerful role? Did the boys ever defy their father?

  4. You claim that not only did Joseph Kennedy arrange to have J. Edgar Hoover pressure his sons into putting Lyndon Johnson on the presidential ticket, but that Joseph Kennedy also paid off much of Johnson's campaign debt. Why was the elder Kennedy so insistent that Johnson be John Kennedy's running mate?

  5. According to BOBBY AND J. EDGAR, Joseph Kennedy had very strong organized crime connections, as did J. Edgar Hoover. Who were some of the crime bosses they were affiliated with? How did this affect Robert Kennedy's role as Attorney General? Why was Robert Kennedy so intent on pursuing organized crime figures considering his father's association with them? How did his determination to destroy organized crime create conflicts with Hoover?

  6. How did Joe Kennedy's personal investments in Cuba and his friendships with lieutenants of Meyer Lansky fuel the Bay of Pigs fiasco? What about his involvement with Cardinal Spellman and how did that set the stage for the Vietnam War?

  7. Hoover's efforts to exploit John Kennedy's compulsive womanizing are detailed extensively in your book. How did Hoover use this dangerous philandering to try to bring the Kennedy administration under his control? What confrontations arose between Hoover and Robert Kennedy because of these efforts?

  8. What were the key areas of contention between Robert Kennedy and Hoover? Who ultimately won?

  9. How did Robert Kennedy's opinions on civil rights differ from those of Hoover? And how did this conflict come to involve Martin Luther King, Jr.?

  10. Is there any truth to rumors of Hoover's bizarre sexual orientation?

  11. To what extent does this book provide an unhurried, hard-headed look into who really killed JFK, how, and why?

  12. In researching BOBBY AND J. EDGAR you uncovered new forensic details that bring into question the official versions of the deaths of JFK, Robert Kennedy, and J. Edgar Hoover. What did you find?

  13. Is it true that you discovered new evidence regarding Robert Kennedy's involvement in the death of Marilyn Monroe?
Burton Hersh is a sought-after authority on the Kennedys and the CIA, an accomplished lecturer, and an experienced talk show guest. Please contact us to schedule an interview.

 

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