With Malice: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Murder of Officer J.D. Tippit

Rating:
Summary: No Doubt Here!
Review: Mr. Myers has performed a great service to all students and researchers of the Kennedy assassination phenomenon. This superbly researched volume is not only filled with valuable information, but it is one of the most handsome books I have ever had the pleasure to read. It contains photographs and images not previously seen and the way it flows won't let you put it down. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind about who killed Officer Tippit before, WITH MALICE should solve that mystery. We all have our own opinions about "Who killed JFK?", but Mr. Myers' book answers the question, "Who killed J. D. Tippit?" Read the book - you will understand.

Rating:
Summary: No Doubt Here!
Review: Mr. Myers has performed a great service to all students and researchers of the Kennedy assassination phenomenon. This superbly researched volume is not only filled with valuable information, but it is one of the most handsome books I have ever had the pleasure to read. It contains photographs and images not previously seen and the way it flows won't let you put it down. If there was any doubt in anyone's mind about who killed Officer Tippit before, WITH MALICE should solve that mystery. We all have our own opinions about "Who killed JFK?", but Mr. Myers' book answers the question, "Who killed J. D. Tippit?" Read the book - you will understand.

Rating:
Summary: A superbly researched account, very convincing
Review: No matter if you side with the lone assassin group, or the conspiracy group, I highly recommend this book. The pictures and the maps are worth the price alone. I have read several other books, saying such and such person saw Oswald at this street, going in this direction, or no the other direction, and it is quite confusing. The author has easy to follow maps, and a lot of photos of the people involved. Top quality paper, binding, and cool looking dustcover. Did Oswald kill Kennedy? And did he have any help? Well, I'll not even go there, as I'm sure you have made up your mind on that subject. However, I see no way after reading this book, you could think anyone besides Oswald killed Tippit. The Author does go overboard on Tippit being a good cop, and a good family man. In fact he states "good cop" so many times, you feel like he is talking about his dog "good boy good boy" - Besides this, he is open minded about the witnesses changing their stories over the years, or making things up that never happened. Before you read this book, you may want to get a copy of..... We Saw Lincoln Shot One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts.. from those who witnessed the horror at Fords Theater 4/14/65. Its very interesting how the first reports of what happened in 1865 change, and are embellished by the time the last witness tells his story in the 1950s. In reading that book, I believe a person can grasp a better understanding of the Tippit killing, and how so many people can see the same thing, and tell a complete different story.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST HAVE book for Kennedy Assassination buffs
Review: No matter if you side with the lone assassin group, or the conspiracy group, I highly recommend this book. The pictures and the maps are worth the price alone. I have read several other books, saying such and such person saw Oswald at this street, going in this direction, or no the other direction, and it is quite confusing. The author has easy to follow maps, and a lot of photos of the people involved. Top quality paper, binding, and cool looking dustcover. Did Oswald kill Kennedy? And did he have any help? Well, I'll not even go there, as I'm sure you have made up your mind on that subject. However, I see no way after reading this book, you could think anyone besides Oswald killed Tippit. The Author does go overboard on Tippit being a good cop, and a good family man. In fact he states "good cop" so many times, you feel like he is talking about his dog "good boy good boy" - Besides this, he is open minded about the witnesses changing their stories over the years, or making things up that never happened. Before you read this book, you may want to get a copy of..... We Saw Lincoln Shot One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts.. from those who witnessed the horror at Fords Theater 4/14/65. Its very interesting how the first reports of what happened in 1865 change, and are embellished by the time the last witness tells his story in the 1950s. In reading that book, I believe a person can grasp a better understanding of the Tippit killing, and how so many people can see the same thing, and tell a complete different story.

Rating:
Summary: The "Other" Murder in Dallas
Review: One aspect of the JFK assassination story often overlooked by conspiracy theorists is the alleged murder of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit by Lee Harvey Oswald. The late Warren Commission Attorney David Belin called it the Rosetta Stone of the assassination; that is, if you accept the fact that Oswald killed Tippit, it doesn't require a huge leap of logic to find him guilty of the death of JFK as well.

In With Malice: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Murder of Officer J.D. Tippit, Dale Myers provides the first in-depth study of the "other" killing in Dallas that fateful November day. Myers, a twenty-year veteran of the Radio and Television industry who has won three Emmy awards, succeeds in proving Oswald's guilt in that crime beyond any reasonable doubt.

First Impressions

This fine book makes a powerful first impression. The hardcover volume is an oversize 10 and one fourth by seven inches. The beautiful dust jacket, designed by Myers, features a collage of important evidence with Oswald's eyes watching in the background. The 702 page book contains 157 photographs embedded in the text as well as 16 color plates and 13 maps and illustrations. For documentation, Myers provides over 1,000 endnotes and 182 pertinent documents. With Malice also gives researchers a first look at the Tippit autopsy photos with the facial features tastefully (and properly) obscured by computer graphics. Also included in this researcher-friendly volume is a list of principal figures and an excellent chronology.

The Case Against Oswald

Myers begins his work by providing context and offering answers to the question of why so many people seem to doubt Oswald's guilt in the Tippit killing. He then uses a short biography of Tippit to provide insight into this "quiet cop" and to humanize him. Myers also carefully follows Tippit's last hours before the shooting.

In a book of this type, a thorough and accurate description of the crime and its aftermath is of paramount importance, and here Myers does not disappoint. Using Dallas Police radio transcripts, photographs, and his own computer-generated diagrams and interviews, Myers returns the reader to 1963 and places him/her inside the crime scene. Even veteran researchers may be surprised to learn something new. For example, I had never heard the story of Adrian Hamby, a 19 year-old student who nearly had a fatal encounter with police due to a case of mistaken identity. In a chapter called "Proof Positive", Myers uses hard evidence to link Oswald to the crime. He carefully discusses the autopsy, murder weapon and ballistics evidence, fingerprints (Oswald lucked out here), and jacket.

Hints and Allegations

In a section of the book sure to be of interest to conspiracy theorists, Myers discusses some of the allegations that have been made through the years by such theorists. In each case, Myers either debunks the allegation completely or casts sufficient doubt as to render it useless. The issues discussed are:

1.Oswald's Wallet 2.The Waitress 3.Igor Vaganov 4.Roscoe White 5.The Reynolds Shooting 6.Cecil Small 7.T.F. White 8.Gene Roberts 9.Dobbs House 10.Carousel Club Meeting

Profile of a Killer

It is in this chapter that Myers probably breaks the most new ground. He first uses a technique developed by the Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI Academy to classify the Tippit murder scene as a disorganized one. The picture that emerges is a veritable blueprint of Oswald's murder of Tippit. In such a crime scene, according to the FBI analysis, the following characteristics are found:

1.The crime was committed suddenly with no escape plan. 2.The killer attacks quickly, catching the victim off guard. 3.The murderer depersonalizes the victim by targeting specific areas of the body for excessive brutality. 4.The victim is left at the crime scene. 5.No attempt is made to conceal other physical evidence at the crime scene.

Additionally, the FBI found that the murderer of a disorganized crime scene was likely to be of below average intelligence and a high school dropout. He may also have a poor military record and employment history. The murderer was likely to use public transportation rather than drive a car and tends to be a sloppy dresser who enjoys solitary pursuits such as reading. He lives alone or with his parents and often has a physical handicap or speech impediment. Obviously, Oswald had many (although not all) of these characteristics. The remainder of this chapter continues in a similar vein, convincingly analyzing Oswald's actions using both insight from experts and Myers' own ideas in a fascinating and fresh manner.

Conclusion

In With Malice, Dale Myers offers the student of the JFK assassination an in-depth treatment of this vital aspect of the case. Myers pulls together and refines old information while providing new ideas and analysis in a readable and visually pleasing fashion. Whether you are a seasoned researcher looking for a comprehensive volume for reference purposes or a student who needs a solid introduction, this book fits the bill. Dale Myers is to be commended for writing what will be remembered as the definitive work on Lee Harvey Oswald's culpability in the murder of Officer J.D. Tippit.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting from the moment I picked it up!
Review: One of the most detailed accounts of a crime I have ever read. This book is full of documentation and a minute by minute record of Lee Harvey Oswald's actions following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It is an inspirational story of a dedicated police officer and the many photographs add great substance to the entire work.

Rating:
Summary: Closing the case on an American mystery
Review: Regardless of one's opinions on the assassination of John F. Kennedy, one MUST read this book and see the outstanding work Dale Myers has done on this long-neglected aspect of the case.

Myers does not give us speculation and innuendo: He gives us the cold, hard facts, and he gives us the most reasonable, compelling scenario ever advanced for exactly what happened at the crime scene and why.

Again, regardless of one's feelings about the assassination of JFK, if the Warren Commission had put together the evidence as effectively as Dale Myers does, there would never have been any room for doubt about who killed Officer J. D. Tippit that dark day in Dallas.

Rating:
Summary: Accurate
Review: Research excellent, accuracy correct. Thankful Mr. Myers wrote the account which proves Lee Harvey Oswald alone killed Officer Tippit, and disproves any conspiracy rumors. Carol Christopher - Niece of Officer J. D. Tippit Dallas, Texas

Rating:
Summary: Informative, thought provoking... and entertaining.
Review: The assassination of JFK has become a world in itself. It is mostly populated by "buffs" and conspiracy theorists of various kinds, that at the end of the day attest to the fact that L.H. Oswald, who did it, was a weirdo endowed with a wicked "talent" of his own, to do evil, since the web of mystery he tried to cast has been consistently injuring his enemies over the years, and has even gained first rate "accessories after the fact", not in a legal sense, but in a moral and political sense.

What I say above is simply the opinion of this reviewer. In DALE K. MYERS masterly book we have a paragon of investigative journalism-history, the conclusions from the facts he unfolds with thorough accuracy and interest for detail and source, are left to the reader. Mr. Myers doesn't conceal anything, in fact he devotes dozens of pages to discuss puzzling issues that could undermine the firmness of the acknoledged facts he makes available in the main chapters.

There is no doubt that this book has been very well researched and the subject honestly handled. The autor offers a considerable number of original documents reproduced. B&W and color photos give an unccanny sense of immediacy. Maps are provided showing the positions of the people involved.

I say that the book is entertaining, although it could look as a not so respectful statement (given its grim subject and the seriousness of purpose felt along the work) because you can read it as a crime mystery, and Myers writing skills are considerable in that deparment, with no need to budge an inch from evidence and reliable sources -or any kind of sources-. I've had a great time reading it and I am sure that any person interested in Oswald's fateful goings-about on 22nd November 1963 will, provided that you don't have prejudices or emotional attachments in these matters.

So that Mr. Myers deserves high praise for his painstaking endevor: this book is the result of twenty years of serious and active research, no less, and this calls for reward and recognition.

Rating:
Summary: A BADLY FLAWED BOOK
Review: These are just a few of the problems I have found with Dale Myers' book WITH MALICE:

* Myers repeatedly omits important information that contradicts his conclusions.

* On several occasions, Myers buries important contrary information in his endnotes, which he surely knows most readers will not bother to study.

* Myers repeatedly reaches conclusions that are contradicted by his own raw data.

* Some of Myers' speculations and theories are later stated as though they are established facts.

* Myers is noticeably harder on witnesses whose accounts contradict his views than he is on witnesses whose accounts he likes.

* Myers frequently relies on FBI interview summaries, but he never mentions that numerous witnesses complained that those summaries were inaccurate and incomplete.

* Myers fails to mention that many witnesses changed their stories in ways that favored the lone-gunman scenario by the time they testified before the Warren Commission months after giving their initial statements.

* Myers fails to mention that some witnesses, to include a former Marine sergeant and two former Kennedy aides, reported that FBI agents pressured them to change their stories because what they had to say tended to refute or contradict the lone-gunman scenario. Given Myers' frequent reliance on FBI witness statements, the reader would be well served to know this fact.

* Myers fails to inform the reader that everything we know about what Oswald allegedly said during his interrogations comes through the filter of Dallas police officials, postal inspector Holmes, or FBI and Secret Service agents. Incredibly, not one of Oswald's interrogation sessions was recorded or even stenographed.

* Myers either ignores or only superficially deals with several well-known, widely discussed problems with the case against Oswald in the Tippit slaying.

* Myers' timing reconstruction is contradicted by the Sheriff's Department dispatch tapes and by credible eyewitness testimony.

* Myers obscures the fact that eyewitnesses Helen Markham, T. F. Bowley, and Domingo Benavides gave statements that clearly indicate the shooting occurred several minutes BEFORE Myers' time of 1:14:30. This means Oswald simply would not have had enough time to reach the crime scene in the first place.

* Myers relies on the "identifications" of Oswald from the police lineups. But those lineups were markedly unfair. Furthermore, one witness who picked Oswald from a lineup quickly reversed himself and said Oswald was NOT the man he had seen. Another witness who picked Oswald then went on to select a different man from photos shown to him by federal agents. Myers mentions none of this.

* Myers says nothing about the serious questions regarding the authenticity of the Dallas police dispatch tapes and transcripts.

Michael T. Griffith Author of Compelling Evidence: A New Look at the Assassination of President Kennedy