Edward Jay Epstein (1935–2024)

Choosing to read this book is based on a fundamental question - is Edward Snowden a hero? Most people in the United States have an opinion of Snowden and my guess is that very few people who think he is a hero will be interested in reading this book. Epstein does a very thorough job of describing Snowden's background and then walking through the hours between when Snowden left Honolulu and when he exited the airport in Moscow. Epstein's reporting does an excellent job of asking some basic questions such as why did Snowden take so many documents and how did he as a contractor get access to such high level documents? The book often treads over the same ground and repeatedly makes the same point in different chapters but overall presents a clear and succinct argument that Snowden may not have had the best of intentions. Overall an enjoyable book which made me question my true opinion of Edward Snowden.… (más)

This is less than 100 pages, and has some very interesting aspects. He describes how he first got involved with looking at the Warren Comm report as a college student, and how that led to some very compelling contacts and questions. In doing research for a project he spoke with most of the members of the commission, and in later years spoke with various FBI and CIA officials/veterans.

The book is not organized as most books would be, but is generally just journal entries covering interviews and steps. A good portion relates to a former KGB official, who was either a defector or a double agent. The man supposedly would have known if Oswald had connections/support from Russia. The last part of the book deals with Cuba, and CIA efforts to kill Castro. There were significant steps during Sept-Nov of 1963. If that also involved double agents, did Castro know of those efforts? Did Cuba then either directly or indirectly influence Oswald? An earlier section chronicles Epstein's knowledge of Jim Garrison and his efforts to prosecute Clay Shaw.… (más)