“I’m still waiting for your point.”
“I think the Kuklovod was trying to start a war back then — and they might be trying to do the same thing today… in the exact same way. Except this time, they have a president who has no qualms about launching a missile in our direction.”
Osborne remained quiet.
“So, what do you think?”
“Well, it’s a good theory. Not sure how much of it you can prove.”
“I don’t care about proving it at this point. All I want to do is set every law enforcement agency on high alert for tomorrow’s speech at the U.N. The last thing I want to write about is another assassination attempt. I want to write about the one nobody’s ever been able to figure out — until now.”
“I think you’ve got some good points, points that would be taken seriously if you were still an operative. But I just don’t see how going on television is going to create more intense security measures tomorrow.”
“Trust me, it will. Besides, the American public deserves to know that there’s a group trying to infiltrate this country and wreak havoc.”
“Why do they deserve to know? The public barely knows a shred of the truth when it comes to what’s really going on in this country anyway.”
“They deserve to know because this group killed our President and now they’re trying to make a move again.”
“Letting the American people stay in the dark about JFK isn’t the worst thing that could happen to them.”
“Yeah, but it is if this group somehow gets a foot hold again. Do you even know what Kuklovod means?”
Of course, Osborne knew. He didn’t waste his Russian degree from Princeton.
“Yes. It means puppeteer,” Osborne said.
“Exactly. And they’re pulling the strings again. This has got to stop.”
“No, what has to stop is you. I’m only going to say this one more time, so listen closely: you don’t know what this organization is capable of doing. For your own sake, just let it go.”
“Just hear me out, Osborne. If the Kuklovod is active again, who knows what their end game is. But all signs are pointing toward a repeat of history.”
“Fine, post all your cockamamie theories on The National’s blog site. Just please tell me you’re not going to get on television with these accusations. I’m begging you.”
Flynn decided to side step the question. “Now how could I do that so quickly?”
It was only seven o’clock, which gave Flynn less than two hours to convince one of the cable news network programs being broadcast in New York City that he had discovered who was behind the JFK assassination. If he were anyone else, it would be an impossible task. But his name was James Flynn.
He placed a call and within minutes he was heading down to one of the area studios to share his theory with the world — a theory with proof.
It was a risky proposition at best, blurting out who killed JFK without all the hard concrete evidence necessary to publish an article. But there wasn’t time. If the Kuklovod was active on American soil again, Flynn needed to do what he could to get law enforcement looking for them, if not for anything else but to heighten security tomorrow. By ten o’clock that evening, this revelation would dominate the front page of every newspaper and website in the U.S. and beyond.
Flynn knew just enough to make a splash. He had only disjointed theories as to what the Kuklovod’s end game was and why they might be suddenly active in the U.S. again. What he did know was that they paid George de Mohrenschildt to orchestrate the assassination of JFK and that one of their operatives fired a bullet from a street culvert that was ultimately responsible for JFK’s death. The CIA was involved in some capacity, but Flynn suspected de Mohrenschildt trusted the agency to cover his tracks. If the government that’s supposed to be investigating a crime assigned the top suspect to commit that crime, their “findings” will lead nowhere. Flynn thought de Mohrenschildt was betting on it — and he bet right.
During the cab ride to the studio, Flynn called his editor and told her what he was doing. She wasn’t thrilled about the idea, but she consented as long as he typed up a story with supporting media before the show aired. Flynn hung up and began pounding away on his laptop. It was a blog and most of the people were dead. If he played a little loose with the facts, he reasoned that it was OK for now. He wanted to gin up the idea that the Kuklovod was active on U.S. soil so other defense agencies would begin an aggressive search for the terrorist group’s operatives. It was the best plan he could come up with on such short notice.
He even called Osborne back and gave him a courtesy heads up. Flynn rejected Osborne’s sharp protests, urging his friend and agent to call his superior and alert him to the possibility that the Kuklovod was planning an attack of some sort. It wasn’t exactly the best way to secure the trust of a longtime friend, but Flynn trusted his gut more than anything — as well as Osborne’s capacity to forgive him later.
CHAPTER 18
The bright lights of the USN studio didn’t bother Flynn. He thrived in this environment, especially during prime time. But moments before the show began, Flynn felt like he might throw up. This wasn’t just another interview where he debunked an alien crash site in an Iowa cornfield or dismissed the idea that NASA staged the lunar landing. No, this was different. This was the moment upon which his career as a journalist would turn, where he would either achieve great credibility or be labeled a fraud.
Frances Clarke hosted USN’s nine o’clock program On the Hill, which covered political issues of all stripes. Flynn had appeared on the program several times in the past and curried plenty of favor with Clarke. It’s the only reason he was sitting in the studio on such a short notice.
Once the show began with the ominous intro music, Clarke made sure her viewers understood that tonight’s show was non-nonsense and would be historic in nature. Her thick blonde hair and perky personality often gave her an edge with her interview subjects. Bedazzled by her good looks, many politicians failed to take her seriously. But when Clarke peppered her interview subjects with difficult questions, they realized they were dealing with a woman who had no qualms about eviscerating them in a matter of moments. Clips of her contentious interviews often worked their way into the 24-hour news cycle moments after the show ended. Flynn hoped she would put away the attack dog style for tonight’s interview.
After ten minutes of briefly recapping the day’s top political news, Clarke introduced Flynn.
“So, Mr. Flynn, you are here tonight because you want to answer a question that has haunted history buffs, politicians, and conspiracy theorists for half a century: Who was behind the JFK assassination? Was it Lyndon Johnson? Was it the CIA? Did the mob order a hit on the President? Was Clay Shaw involved? Did Russia have a hand in his death? Or perhaps Cuba? I could go on with all these theories, but why don’t you tell us which of these groups is responsible for JFK’s death.”
Flynn paused, hoping he could deliver his pre-planned line the right way.
“Well, Frances, the answer is simple: they all did.”
Clarke forced a nervous laugh, wondering if she had been taken by Flynn for a cheap publicity stunt. Her fake smile wouldn’t stay plastered there for long if Flynn didn’t give her what she really wanted.