Truth, Myth and Oliver Stone’s ‘JFK’

Regarding “Oliver Stone Builds His Own Myths,” by Robert Scheer (Dec. 15):

In the beginning of “JFK,” President Eisenhower warns Americans of the dangers of the military-industrial complex having too much power.

Stone goes on from there to build a case for a massive conspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy and later an even bigger cover-up both active and passive.

Many people in the media have assailed Stone on several fronts. Unfortunately they conveniently skirt the big picture, which is that Eisenhower’s ominous warning has in fact become a living reality, a nightmare even worse and more tragic than what the New York Times’ Tom Wicker calls “Mr. Stone’s nightmarish visions of conspiracy.”

Even if Stone’s specific allegations are not entirely correct, he is certainly right that a lot of opportunists took advantage of the assassination to line their pockets, foolhardily pursue the Vietnam War and abuse democracy through both misinformation and covert operations for decades to come. Our leaders have failed, and it takes artists like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and now Stone to make dramatic social-realistic works in the spirit of Swift or Dickens to try to bring us to our senses.

I remain an optimist because I know we have both the technological and human resources to confront and solve our problems--but first what is needed is an honest assessment of how we became so corrupted.

Thank God for Oliver Stone giving us his version. In America, we already have the freedom most of the world is fighting for. Let’s use our precious freedom to save ourselves. JEFF DOWD

Santa Monica

Dowd is a producer of the forthcoming film “Zebrahead,” which Stone executive-produced.