audiobook TWA 800: The Crash; the Cover-Up; and the Conspiracy by Jack Cashill in History

Review

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful. Essential ReadingBy Allan J. FavishJack Cashill’s book; “TWA 800: The Crash; the Cover-Up; and the Conspiracy;” is about two tragedies. One is the loss of 230 innocent human lives; and the impact that has had on the survivors of those lost. The second tragedy is the continued loss of honest government in America; as made possible by the corruption of the dominant news organizations.I have not researched the TWA 800 disaster as thoroughly as Cashill and others. However; I have followed the story from the beginning and am familiar with many of the holes in the government’s version of events. Cashill’s presentation of the facts is highly understandable and compelling. The book is essential reading for anybody who cares about the survival of the rule of law in America.The government never provided credible explanations for various facts; including; 1) the hundreds of eyewitness accounts of an object appearing to be a missile or missiles intercepting TWA 800; 2) radar data showing an airborne object or objects intercepting TWA 800; 3) radar images of a ship moving away from the crash site at a relatively high speed as many other ships were moving to the crash site; 4) a Central Intelligence Agency-produced video showing TWA 800 ascending (which is a physical impossibility) after it lost its cockpit and first-class section; that was part of the government’s attempt to discredit eyewitnesses who reported seeing a missile or missiles ascending; and 5) the government’s demonstrably false explanation for the presence of residue found on TWA 800 wreckage that was indicative of a missile.There was more information that Cashill could have used to make his attack on the U.S. Government’s position even more persuasive. For example; Cashill discusses the possibility that a missile accidently fired by the United States Navy exploded in close proximity to TWA 800. Cashill did not discuss the evidence from TWA 800’s flight data recorder indicating that there was an overpressure event outside of the plane consistent with such an explosion. You can read about it by searching in Google for “TWA Flight 800: THE FDR EVIDENCE OF OVERPRESSURE.”A related example is the discussion of radar data showing what appears to be airborne debris moving faster than would be the case if the only explosive event was the explosion of the center fuel tank; as advocated by the Federal Government. According to “The TWA 800 Project” the radar data is consistent with an explosion from a missile. You can read about it by searching Google for “NTSB Petition to Reconsider TWA Flight 800 Probable Cause” and “The TWA 800 Project's Corrections to the July 2014 National Transportation Safety Board Response to the Petition for Reconsideration.” The driving force behind the TWA 800 Project is physicist Thomas Stalcup; who is discussed in Cashill’s book.One of the examples of the news media’s abdication of its responsibility jumped out at me. Cashill writes about receiving a call from a Cable News Network producer in 2001 inviting him to appear on CNN to discuss the TWA 800 disaster. As soon as I began reading this; I was sure how the episode would end. A couple of pages later; it ended the same way as it ended for me: CNN called back to cancel the appearance. The same thing happened to me after I orally argued my Freedom of Information Act case before the United States Supreme Court on December 3; 2003 regarding photos of deceased Deputy White House Counsel Vincent Foster’s body.67 of 70 people found the following review helpful. Hundreds of Eyewitnesses Disregarded?By BassocantorThe author confides that he did not initially buy into any type of conspiracy--"I never intended to become a conspiracy theorist." Well; you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to see that there are lots of issues with the official investigation and reviews. Jack Cashill does a creditable job of documenting these problems.Using much of his prior research; the author documents; in minute detail; the eyewitness accounts that appear to so starkly contradict the official version of the investigation. What is especially troublesome is that there are SEVERAL HUNDRED eyewitness accounts that strongly suggest a missile; not some equipment malfunction; caused the loss off TWA 800.Furthermore; many of the witnesses are professional--even military personnel. That is; they are NOT pig farmers in the middle of nowhere; looking for publicity. They are not loons; looking for attention. Here is one of the clearest examples:"Witness 558 was on fire duty for the Air National Guard at Gabreski Airport...He watched the flare ascend for as long as thirty seconds; lost it for a split second; and then observed ‘a large fireball erupt in the sky’ before becoming “a ball of fire which separated into two equally sized balls dropping from the sky with no audible sound.' "Here's another one--eerily similar: "Witness 221 was sitting on the beach in Fire Island with his wife watching the surf come in. He saw a commercial jet fly by; surely TWA 800; and then 'saw a streak of light travel up from the water into the sky. [He] described the streak of light as though it was like a rocket or shooting star only going upward.' "Many of the witnesses report very similar accounts. These accounts were brushed aside by the FBI; that agency concluded that they were seeing something AFTER the plane had exploded. (Of course; how can something go UP from the surface if that were the case?)Making the whole investigation so odd is that the investigators seemed so drawn to blame equipment (fuel tank) problems--even though that possibility could never actually be proven--only inferred: "Its experts spent four years desperately trying to find the cause of the explosion other than the obvious; and the best its expert could conclude was that “the source of the ignition for the explosion could not be determined with certainty."In a bizarre conclusion the FBI reported at a November 1997 press conference: “No evidence has been found that would indicate that a criminal act was the cause of the tragedy of Flight 800.” I agree with the author that it is absurd to conculde that there is "no evidence." Of course; there is LOTS of evidence; which of course; needs to be interpreted. It's that interpretation of the evidence that invites such criticism.The eyewitness accounts are the most compelling feature of TWA 800. The author has done a great job of documenting; and questioning what appear to be irrational interpretations of these accounts. He rightly questions why invetigators seemed so rapt with ignoring the missile possibility.On the other hand; I thought the weakest part of the book is when Mr. Cashill accuses the White House of a huge cover-up: "...the uncorrected wrong began after the plane’s destruction. The Navy could not have—and would not have—concealed its responsibility unless authorized to do so. Nor would the FBI and CIA have intervened on their own initiative. These authorizations could only have come from the White House. This was the rare White House in American history; perhaps the only one; reckless enough to have authorized a cover-up this bold."In my opinion; the author would have served his cause better by sticking with the facts of the case; and letting readers make up their own mind about cover-ups. In any case; TWA 800 presents a mountain of evidence that calls into question the objectivity of the investigation. The reader will have to weigh the evidence for themselves; and see if they agree with Mr. Cashill's conclusions. TWA 800 documents perhaps one of the oddest investigations in U.S. history. I think Mr. Cashill has done a good job of marshalling the facts.Advance Review Copy courtesy of Edelweiss Book Distributors.38 of 38 people found the following review helpful. I'm witness 571; I observed what happened on that ...By mike wireI'm witness 571; I observed what happened on that night; Jack Cashill has along with Jim Sanders and others have been relentless in seeking the facts and the truth as the Boeing Company said in their final report; "If you want to know what happened; ask the eyewitnesses"; Jack represents the witness accounts; well and factually.