It Did Not Start with JFK Volume 1: The Decades of Events That Led to the Assassination of John F Kennedy, by Walter Herbst, is an absorbing deep-dive into the view that right-wing anti-Communists were responsible for the JFK assassination. The author presents detailed information on this idea, and is puzzled as to why history books haven't addressed it from this angle. Herbst explains that fifteen assassination attempts and coups occurred around the world within the span of about two years around JFK's murder, all aimed at toppling leftist leaders worldwide. The author goes on to say that the election of President FDR was the catalyst for the movement, and was wide-reaching, including leaders in military, intelligence, and business sectors who wanted to intervene to uphold the Constitution--not necessarily the US President. This agenda, which included racism, trickled down to JFK, and his assassination was the result. Lee Harvey Oswald, according to the author, was used as a small cog inside this bigger machine.

No doubt, the assassination of JFK has been the subject of many books and theories, and the story-behind-the-story has been told in many ways. But not many have this author's angle, and Herbst does a tremendous job of putting it all together to give you a clear picture of where he is coming from. We all want to know why, and this author's reasoning is as logical as any, if not more. Even if you think we will never know the real truth behind JFK's murder, this is still an important, intriguing, and enlightening book. So many theories are farfetched, but this one has a ring of strong probability to it. Maybe you've heard of the anti-Communist angle before--I have in a broad sense myself over the years. But Herbst gives an overview and breakdown too plausible to ignore. This book is also a giant history lesson, told from the perspective of someone who's researched for decades. I admire the author's drive to know the truth and the courage to present it as he sees it. It Did Not Start with JFK, by Walter Herbst, isn't just another conspiracy book--it's an eye-opening theory of how the military industrial complex most likely orchestrated one of the most tragic moments in US history.

It Did Not Start with JFK: The Decades of Events That Led to the Assassination of John F Kennedy - Volume 1 by Walter Herbst is a heavily researched book on what led to JFK’s assassination. The world was shaken to its core when John F. Kennedy was murdered most shockingly and brutally in broad daylight. The USA was on the right progressive track with JFK at its helm; however, that all changed drastically when he was assassinated. The author has done intense research and shared facts about how that was not an isolated event. In fact, the plan to stop that progress and prevent JFK or any other progressive leader in the world had been in the making for decades before. The planning goes as back as far as the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt. The anti-communist movement grew over the decades and added new members, including Lee Harvey Oswald, the man who killed JFK.

Reading this book has made me realize how little we know about the JFK assassination and how much of what we know is a glazed-over, vague, and very hush-hush version of the events. Author Walter Herbst takes readers deep into the mystery and provides the information that has been kept hidden from the world and only shared with those who research to find the answers. I was shocked to read about other coup attempts and the assassination of other important leaders of the time that occurred within just 2 years of JFK’s murder. It is hard to argue if the military (ex-leaders or not) and bureaucracy were directly involved with the right-wing anti-communists to make that happen. There are theories and a lot of details that were kept hidden, but the author has done a fantastic job of revealing the information. I can only imagine how the author must have spent years to find all the information to write this book. It takes a special kind of courage to write something so informative yet heavily guarded. Intense and very educational! Kudos to Walter and all his hard work!