Gerald Posner

Gerald Posner (born 1954) is an investigative journalist and author of several books, including "Case Closed" (1993) which explores the John F. Kennedy assassination, and "Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr."

Biography

Posner was born in San Francisco, the only child of Jerry and Gloria Posner, native San Franciscans. His father was a labor union official.

Posner was educated at St. Ignatius College Prep (1972), the University of California, Berkeley (1975), and Hastings Law School (1978). He worked for the Wall Street law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore until 1980, at which point he went into private practice with a partner. John Martin of ABC News says "Gerald Posner is one of the most resourceful investigators I have encountered in thirty years of journalism." Garry Wills calls Posner "a superb investigative reporter," while the "Los Angeles Times" dubs him "a classic-style investigative journalist." "His work is painstakingly honest journalism" concluded the "Washington Post". The "New York Times" lauded his "exhaustive research techniques" and The "Boston Globe" determined Posner is "an investigative journalist whose work is marked by his thorough and meticulous research." "A resourceful investigator and skillful writer," says The "Dallas Morning News".

When Posner was hired at Cravath at age 23, he was one of the youngest attorneys ever hired by them. A Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of California at Berkeley (1975), he was an Honors Graduate of Hastings Law School (1978), where he served as the Associate Executive Editor for the Law Review. He left the law in 1986, when his first book, about Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele's life on the run, was published by McGraw Hill.

He is married to author and journalist Trisha Posner.

Writings

Case Closed

In his book "Case Closed", Posner contends that both Lee Harvey Oswald, the widely suspected assassin of John F. Kennedy, and Oswald's assailant, Jack Ruby, acted alone and without the aid of a conspiracy. "Case Closed" was a nominated finalist for the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for History. Case Closed was also the subject of a double issue of "U.S. News and World Report", and featured on programs such as ABC's "20/20", CBS "Special Reports", and PBS's "Frontline". Posner testified before Congress about the findings in his book, that Oswald had, indeed, acted alone in killing JFK. The book has been optioned for a television miniseries. "After Case Closed, everyone thinks Oswald did it," wrote "Newsweek".

However, the book also drew widespread criticism from assassination researchers and conspiracy theorists who contended that it contained factual inaccuracies, pointing in particular to its complete avoidance of any mention of documents released under the 1992 JFK act. ["Massive numbers of factual errors suffuse the book, which make it a veritable minefield", wrote Gerald R. Wrone, who has personally attacked Posner in numerous occasions, in the "Southern Journal of History" (February, 1995)] [ [http://www.assassinationweb.com/milam4.htm Wallace Milam, the Posner Follies] ] Some of the bluntest of critiques came from some of those directly involved in previous open investigations of the assassination, or with first-hand knowledge of key events and persons related to the events in question. HSCA chief investigator Gaeton Fonzi called it "a dishonest book", [ [http://cuban-exile.com/doc_001-025/doc0006.html Interview with Gaeton Fonzi, October 8, 1994] .] and Oswald's marine officer at Atsugi, Gerry Patrick Hemming, took grave issue with the book's conclusions. [A. J. Weberman, [http://ajweberman.com/nodules2/nodulec1.htm COUP D'ETAT IN AMERICA - THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA] - ajweberman.com] Vincent Bugliosi, whose own book "Reclaiming History" largely agrees with Posner's conclusions, has also described Posner's approach as dishonest. [Bugliosi, Vincent. "Reclaiming History", Chapter 1. ]

Secrets of the Kingdom

In his 2005 book "Secrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Secret Saudi-U.S. Connection", Posner provides an account of the "close" business and personal relationship between the House of Saud and the U.S. government, including discussions of "dirty bomb" technology and the financial and political maneuvering surrounding 9/11. He also discloses, for the first time, an elaborate doomsday scenario the Saudis have built around their oil fields, something the Saudis have vehemently denied. Posner, and his wife, Trisha, have been banned from entering Saudi Arabia as a result of this book.

Why America Slept

Another 2003 book by Posner, "Why America Slept", discusses the conspiracy of the Arab al-Qaeda terrorists who were responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks. In the book Posner claims that Prince Ahmed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud had ties to al-Qaeda and advance knowledge of the 9/11 attacks. The story was strongly denied by Prince Ahmed's family, who pointed out that he in fact loved America, spent time at his home there, and invested heavily in the American horse racing industry. Ahmad's friends in American racing stated their knowledge of him and his attitudes made it impossible to believe the allegations.Fact|date=July 2007 Prince Ahmed, two other Saudi princes named by Posner, and the chief of the Pakistani Air Force, all died, even within days of each other, either from a blood clot after a simple operation, a car wreck involving only one vehicle, dehydration in the desert, or a sabotaged helicopter explosion. Three of the men were in their forties, and one in his twenties. In "Why America Slept", Posner became the first journalist to reveal the details of an American interrogation against one of the highest ranking Al Qaeda suspects caught to date. "Why America Slept" reached #2 on the "New York Times" best-seller list.

Editorial writings

Posner, who was a strong supporter of Al Gore for the 2000 presidential election, wrote a "Wall Street Journal" editorial shortly after the 9/11 attacks reversing his opinion of George W. Bush. [ [http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=95001212 I Was Wrong About Bush ] , The Wall Street Journal, 2001-09-25] Later he changed his opinion again; in October, 2006, in " [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gerald-posner/an-open-letter-to-the-pre_b_30865.html An Open Letter to the President] ," published on The Huffington Post, he reverted to his original position that Bush was a bad president stifled by his stubbornness. He has also written about investigative issues for the New York Times The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Talk, Newsweek, Time, The Miami Herald, and the London Telegraph. He is a regular contributor to NBC's TODAY Show as well as other national shows on the History Channel, CNN, FOX News, and CBS. He is a frequent guest on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. A member of the National Advisory Board of the National Writers Union, Posner is also a member of the Authors Guild, International PEN, The Committee to Protect Journalists, and Phi Beta Kappa. He works on all his projects with his wife Trisha Posner, pictured above, who is also an author and artist. [ [http://www.trishaposner.com/ TrishaPosner.com ] ]

Bibliography

*"Mengele: The Complete Story" (1986)
*"Warlords of Crime: Chinese Secret Societies - The New Mafia" (1988)
*"Bio-Assassins" (1989)
*"Hitler's Children: Sons and Daughters of Leaders of the Third Reich Talk About Their Fathers and Themselves" (1991) ISBN 978-0394582993
*"Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK" (1993) ISBN 978-0679418252
*"Citizen Perot: His Life and Times" (1996)
*"Killing the Dream: James Earl Ray and the Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr." (1998) ISBN 978-0375500824
*"Why America Slept: The Failure to Prevent 9/11" (2003) ISBN 978-0375508790
*"Motown: Music, Money, Sex, and Power (Music of the Great Lakes)" (2003) Random House ISBN 978-0375500626
*"Secrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Saudi-U.S. Connection" (2005) ISBN 978-1400062911

References

External links

* [http://www.posner.com Official home page]
* [http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=95001212 "Wall Street Journal": "I Was Wrong About Bush"]
* [http://slate.msn.com/id/1008352/ Slate.com: "Gerald Posner, Weathervane"]
* [http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ae/books/reviews/2094247 "Houston Chronicle": "Writer says allies knew about 9/11 beforehand"]
* [http://therightperspectivepodcastblog.blogspot.com/2006/07/security-and-prosperity-partnership-of.html "The Right Perspective" interview about Posner's book, "Why America Slept..." (audio archive)]
* [http://www.theskepticsguide.org/skepticsguide/podcastinfo.asp?pid=50 Interview of Gerald Posner] for the The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast.

Reactions to "Case Closed"

* [http://www.assassinationweb.com/ecc.htm "The Posner Report: A Study In Propaganda: One Hundred Errors in Gerald Posner's "Case Closed" by David Starks]
* [http://www.assassinationweb.com/de.htm "Posner in New Orleans: Gerry in Wonderland" by James A. DiEugenio]
* [http://www.ctka.net/pr798-posner.html "He's Baaack! The Return of Gerald Posner" by James A. DiEugenio]
* [http://www.assassinationweb.com/issue1.htm "Case Closed or Posner Exposed?" Electronic Assassinations Newsletter]