this to her?
And what on earth does that stunning adverb "again" signify? Does
this mean the government pushed her in 1977? In 1988? On both
occasions?
In retrospect, the recurring intervals of Exner's appearances are
suggestive. Although the Post surfaced her in 1975, her book did
not come out until two years later, on the fifteenth anniversary
of Kennedy's assassination. The 1988 People version - boosted by
two Times stories previewing its release - seems done to get the
jump on other stories for the 25th anniversary (as we shall see,
Ron Rosenbaum filled this role for the 20th anniversary). The
latest edition, with Exner aware of the JFK Act, was done at the
beginning of what was originally to be the last year of the
Review Board. Smith wrote the piece before the extra year was
granted by Congress. Smith's friendliness with Hersh, seems to
further this. For according to the ARRB's original timetable, the
Vanity Fair piece would arrive at the beginning of its last year
and Hersh's attack book in October, right when the Review Board
was originally set to shut down. This would make a nice pincers
movement with which to smother the Board's serious and
blockbuster work amid sexy smears about abortions and Marilyn
Monroe (Hersh).
In historical perspective, the Times and Safire, and the Post and
Ben Bradlee (who, as we shall see, a