Oliver Stone Throws a Hissy Fit

Fred Litwin
6 hours ago
7 min read

The recent ABC special, "Truth and Lies: Who Killed JFK?", has made Oliver Stone go over the bend.

The recent ABC News Special "Truth and Lies: Who Killed JFK?" went to great pains to convince me to appear (along with Jim DiEugenio, who I insisted would join me on the air for "protection purposes," as I made the mistake of giving an interview to Peter Jennings in 2003 that was essentially cut to pieces). I figured this time they'd behave better.

DiEugenio was on "for protection purposes." We all know why DiEugenio has to appear with Oliver Stone when discussing the JFK assassination, and that's because Stone doesn't really know the case. Stone has always needed someone by his side for the facts.

Here is an excerpt from the New York Times of March 5, 1992, about a panel discussion with Oliver Stone, Edward Jay Epstein, Norman Mailer, Nora Ephron and Christopher Hitchens:

In a brief question period, four counter-panelists onstage fired away at Mr. Stone, who relied heavily on a young research assistant at his side who slipped him notes on yellow paper with arcane bits of Kennedy-assassination data.

That assistant was Jane Rusconi who helped Stone with his research.

Here is another document with a transcript of some pre-interview discussion from the Harry Shearer show in 1991:

Without somebody prompting him, Stone cannot argue the specifics of the JFK assassination.

Stone continues with his diatribe against ABC:

But they did it again and repeatedly misrepresented who was going to be on the show, and once again, we were stuck in the ridiculous wasted argument about the Single Bullet Theory (SBT), which is pathetically out-of-date given all the new information we've accumulated and presented, covering the period from 1991 when the original "JFK" came out up to now – 2025. ABC repeatedly cut any serious discussion in this complex case of any of the new evidence presented by the Assassination Records Review Board in 1994 or Jim DiEugenio and my documentary of 2021, "JFK Revisited." Instead, they fall back repeatedly on the indefensible SBT and pass this warmed over manure as their proof.

The show is a disgrace to those who follow the trail, and because of their wide access and irresponsible use of their TV license, can ONLY be believed by the suckers who still watch America's pathetic version of the news on the main network channels.

This is an old, old story with these three networks going back to 1964 with their attack on Mark Lane and defense of the Warren Report without even reading the evidence. They simply edit all dissent by not allowing counter-evidence to be presented honestly.

Perhaps ABC realized that Stone's arguments are tired and lacking in believability.

Stone thinks the single-bullet theory is "indefensible" but that's just plain untrue. And then he calls the Dale Myers' animation "warmed over manure." Stone is good at insults, but not so good at arguing his case.

As for his 2021 documentary, JFK Revisited, well, I wrote many blog posts, and a whole book, debunking its nonsense.

Here is my Viewer's Guide to JFK Revisited.

And how dare ABC interview Dale Myers in their documentary:

You said, more than once, that no one involved in that 2003 ABC program would be involved with this one. That ended up not being true. When it was clear the first question in our interview was about the Magic Bullet, I pulled out immediately from the interview, sensing a set-up. I was furious, reminding you of your promise – that this would be about the information NOW – not then. But, smoothly, you managed to convince me this was not a set-up to prove the Single Bullet Theory.

Yet Dale Myers was one of the featured talking heads on the Jennings special. If you recall, he actually made the absurd statement that, through the magic of his computer simulation, the Single Bullet Theory was now the “Single Bullet Fact.”

Supposedly, Oliver Stone also insisted that ABC not interview Gerald Posner.

And DiEugenio continues in that vein:

If I had been fully informed of who was going to be on this show, I would have strongly advised you not to do it. Because, in addition to Philip Shenon — who we were told about the day of filming — there was also Tim Naftali and Dale Myers.

Gee, who would be acceptable to them?

DiEugenio, of course, brings up the chain of custody of CE399:

There was no mention of the chain of custody problem with CE 399, the one we talked about with Henry Lee on "JFK Revisited." The reason they do not want to do this is that it would blow up Myers. "Dale, just what trajectory of what bullet are you diagramming, since its not CE 399?" Also, they never mention the question of which stretcher CE 399 was found on. It was not Connally’s, as proven by Josiah Thompson in Six Seconds in Dallas. And it had to be if Specter’s Single Bullet Theory is to have any validity.

There are no chain of custody problems with CE399.

Perhaps DiEugenio forgets his major error in claiming that the initials of Elmer Todd were not on CE399.

Bombshell: "JFK: Destiny Betrayed" Proven Wrong on Chain of Custody of CE 399

And then DiEugenio is critical of Howard Brennan:

How do they place Oswald on the Sixth Floor? Through the testimony of Howard Brennan. This guy has been wrecked so many times, it’s not funny. He gave a full description of the sniper as to height and weight. How could that be if the guy was in a kneeling position, which he had to be in? And why would Brennan then refuse to testify for the HSCA? In fact, he did not even want to be informally interviewed. And he said that if he was summoned, he would hire a lawyer to fight the summons.

Brennan has not been "wrecked." What a choice of words.

Brennan was very reluctant to testify before the HSCA. He had been profoundly affected by the assassination and his health had deteriorated from the constant attention.

Had the HSCA really wanted him to testify they could have brought him to Washington with his wife.

The HSCA did issue a subpoena, and here is what Brennan wrote in his book, Eyewitness to History:

I was stunned. It was April 28, 1978. For fifteen years this one event had controlled my life, driven me from one corner of the world to the other, played an instrumental part in my heart attack and the break down of my health, been a factor in my early retirement and now they wanted me to go back to Washington and start all over again.

The HSCA granted him a two-week delay, and then dropped the matter.

I don't know what the HSCA would have learned from having Brennan testify. They had his Warren Commission testimony, and there was really nothing to add.

DiEugenio continues with his minutia:

They also said that Oswald dashed down the stairs afterwards. How do they know this? No one saw him doing so. And he was notably not out of breath when he was encountered by supervisor Truly and officer Baker.

Do we really need a witness?

Here is a chart that was compiled by Jerry Dealey which shows the movement of Oswald and others on November 22, 1963:

Oswald could have easily beaten the women from the fourth floor down the stairs. And why would Oswald be out of breath? I don't think a 24-year-old former marine, who was in good shape, would be out of breath after going down four flights of stairs.

DiEugenio thrives on minutia. And that is why Stone needs him at his interviews.

Because the big picture is so damning.

Previous Relevant Blog Posts on Oliver Stone's JFK

Stanley Karnow on Oliver Stone's "JFK"

Stone gets an anecdote all wrong.

Chicago Tribune on Oliver Stone's JFK

A particularly good review that notices the homosexual angle of JFK.

The New Yorker Reviews Oliver Stone's "JFK"

Another excellent review.

Oliver Stone Gets Away with Nonsense

At an event in Dallas, Stone says that someone gave orders to Allen Dulles and James Angleton to kill JFK.

Is this the Oliver Stone Contract for the Ricky White Story?