Michael Pascullo has written a novel that looks at a conspiracy behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This is a fascinating topic and a story that is certain to attract a lot of interest. Here’s Mike with what he calls the “behind the scenes look” at the history of that time and day and the premise for The Real JFK Conspiracy.
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Like many people, I’ve been fascinated with playing the “What if this happened instead?” game. Being a big believer in the “butterfly effect”, I don’t venture down this path with my own life, as I couldn’t imagine my life being any different than it currently is – luckily for me, this is a good thing. However, from a historical perspective, I often wander into these murky waters. This was the exact catalyst that inspired me to write my first historical fiction novel, The Real JFK Conspiracy: A Tale to End All Speculation.
In full transparency, I was very intrigued by Stephen King’s book, 11/22/63. While I am a huge fan of Mr. King, writing science fiction is not something that comes naturally to me, so I leave that genre to the experts. However, I did feel that exploring a world where JFK was still alive was a story that could be worth telling, as I didn’t believe that approach had been delved into yet, despite the hundreds of who-shot-JFK conspiracy works that have been written.
As I gave this premise some serious thought, I saw two separate, but distinct paths that my story could take. The first was that President Kennedy somehow managed to survive the shooting, and the fact that he was still alive was kept under wraps. After reflecting on this track for a while, I felt that this was not a credible approach. For starters, the entire world saw most of Mr. Kennedy’s head get splattered all over the backseat of his convertible on that fateful day, so spinning a believable tale where he survived those fatal gunshots would have been very hard to weave. Additionally, there would have been too many witnesses in the Parkland Memorial Hospital for his survival to be kept a secret.
Once I eliminated that option, I began to explore the substitution route, whereby some JFK look-alike is the one who is actually assassinated. The more I pondered this approach, the more I felt that I could build a believable, and equally important, interesting story with this angle. The one area where I did get stuck for a little while though, was in developing the reason as to why the president felt so compelled to take such drastic actions. Given that there have been so many conspiracy accounts written as to who shot JFK and why, I didn’t feel that I could add anything novel or exciting by either developing some new theory, or by rehashing one of the many existing arguments. Establishing a conspiracy hypothesis and then building a case to support that theory was not my intention. My goal was to tell a brand-new tale regarding the demise of our thirty-fifth president, one that was told from JFK’s perspective.
With that, I intentionally kept the “who and why” aspects vague. Yes, I did mention the usual suspects – Cuba/Castro, the mob, the CIA, etc. – but I didn’t single out any one individual or organization as the leading suspect. Instead, I focused on President Kennedy’s thoughts and actions once he was convinced that his life was in grave danger.
Throughout my book, several themes naturally presented themselves, with the first being loyalty. Since JFK was uncertain as to exactly where this threat was coming from, he was extremely hesitant to bring others into the fold. After a brief conversation with his ailing father, the president became convinced that he needed to start with his brother Bobby. Kennedy blood runs thick, so confiding in Bobby was the obvious starting point for the president.
As time goes on and the proverbial plot thickens, the two brothers realize that they will need additional brain power. After much consideration, they decided to recruit two additional Kennedy loyalists, David Powers and Ted Sorenson. David and Ted were both members of what was referred to as the president’s Irish Mafia, so their loyalty to the president had already been established.
Another theme that I explored was the cost of leadership. Like most heads of state, JFK was well aware of the risks and dangers that he signed up for when he became the de facto leader of the free world. However, once there was a credible threat, the reality and potentially fatal consequences of the situation caused President Kennedy to realize how fragile his own mortality could be. As a leader, one is expected to be able to face difficult situations head-on, without flinching. While that was absolutely the case with JFK’s resolve and fortitude when dealing with major world crises, his perspective changed when his personal fate was on the line.
The second half of my story takes place after the shooting on November 22, 1963. As JFK begins to reflect on all that has occurred, we see a couple of additional themes surface. As the consequences of the foursome’s devastating actions start to materialize, JFK finds himself completely isolated and alone, his family torn apart by what they believe to be the senseless murder of their husband, father, brother and son. With this as the backdrop, the president begins to question the decisions that were made and the path that they took. With each passing day, the isolation continues to gnaw at Mr. Kennedy, as he is completely isolated from all that he knew, and everyone that he loved, with no end in sight. Ultimately, JFK becomes thoroughly convinced that the sacrifices he made were short-sighted, selfish, and downright wrong.
One last technique that I used throughout my book was the inclusion of actual dialogue. I felt that I could best pull the audience into the room by using “real” conversations as opposed to straight prose. Over time, I started having some fun with the various verbal exchanges, especially those between JFK and his brother Bobby, while still maintaining the seriousness of the situation.
I hope that you will enjoy reading The Real JFK Conspiracy, and that I can at least temporarily transport you, the reader, back in time as a fly-on-the-wall observer of the events that take place in my story.
Well, I’m totally hooked on the premise! Many thanks, Michael, for sharing the work you did to develop this novel. I wish you great success – and I’ll be downloading it for sure.
The Real JFK Conspiracy: A Tale to End all Speculation by Michael Pascullo
It’s early 1963, and through a series of unconnected events, President John F. Kennedy begins to suspect that his life is in grave danger. To confirm the credibility of his suspicion, the president assembles a small team of trusted confidants, who slowly and methodically determine that the threat is indeed real. One that seemingly involves some very high-powered people and organizations.
Given the urgency of the situation, Kennedy’s highly capable and relentless team quickly and covertly works together to determine the best course of action. After painstakingly considering a number of alternatives, they collectively decide that a charade assassination of the president is the only way to fully and utterly thwart the threat against him.
An integral component of their overall strategy assumes that Bobby Kennedy would run for, and win, the 1964 presidential election. Bobby’s presidential victory in turn would enable this group to uncover and prosecute the real coconspirators that were plotting against the president, with the ultimate goal of returning JFK back to his “normal,” pre-assassination life.
Unfortunately, the only part of the scheme that was successful was the faux assassination; everything else goes off the rails, including Bobby’s 1964 presidential bid. As their plan slowly unwinds, we begin to gain insight into the president’s struggle with his own role in the deadly plot, his reflections on the apparently unnecessary damage and destruction that he was personally responsible for, as well as the self-inflicted agony he begins to feel regarding the total disruption of his own life, with the most painful element being the lifelong sentence of never being able to see his family ever again.
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M.K. Tod writes historical fiction. Her latest novel THAT WAS THEN is a contemporary thriller. Mary’s other novels, THE ADMIRAL’S WIFE, PARIS IN RUINS, TIME AND REGRET, LIES TOLD IN SILENCE and UNRAVELLED are available from Amazon, Nook, Kobo, Google Play and iTunes. She can be contacted on Facebook or on her website www.mktod.com.
