Plausible Denial
Encyclopedia
Plausible Denial is the title of a book by American lawyer, Mark Lane
that chronicles his legal defense of Victor Marchetti
, a former-CIA agent who wrote an article for The Spotlight
about the JFK assassination and was sued for defamation by E. Howard Hunt
.
The drama of this book intensifies when E. Howard Hunt is subjected to cross-examination by Mark Lane. It intensifies further when the sworn testimony of Marita Lorenz
is offered as evidence for the defense. Plausible Denial suggests that Mark Lane convinced the jury that sworn testimony provided by certain high-ranking CIA witnesses could not be verified, and must be doubted based on the very nature of their business.
Although his 1963 book, Rush to Judgment
, was a best-seller, this book did not enjoy the same popular success. However, among JFK assassination researchers, this book was a key event that led to 1992 and 1998 legislation regarding the Freedom of Information Act as it applies to the JFK assassination.
Mark Lane (author)
Mark Lane is an American lawyer who has written many books, including Rush to Judgment, one of two major books published in the immediate wake of the John F. Kennedy assassination that questioned the conclusions of the Warren Commission. Another book, Plausible Denial, published in 1991, continued...
that chronicles his legal defense of Victor Marchetti
Victor Marchetti
Victor Marchetti is a former special assistant to the Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and a prominent paleoconservative critic of the United States Intelligence Community and the Israel lobby in the United States....
, a former-CIA agent who wrote an article for The Spotlight
The Spotlight
The Spotlight was a weekly newspaper in the United States, published in Washington, D.C. from September 1975 to July 2001 by the now-defunct Liberty Lobby...
about the JFK assassination and was sued for defamation by E. Howard Hunt
E. Howard Hunt
Everette Howard Hunt, Jr. was an American intelligence officer and writer. Hunt served for many years as a CIA officer. Hunt, with G...
.
The drama of this book intensifies when E. Howard Hunt is subjected to cross-examination by Mark Lane. It intensifies further when the sworn testimony of Marita Lorenz
Marita Lorenz
Marita Lorenz is a German woman who had an affair with Fidel Castro in 1959 and in January 1960 was involved in an assassination attempt by the CIA on Castro's life. She later had a child with the Venezuelan former dictator Marcos Pérez Jiménez.In the 1970s she testified regarding the John F...
is offered as evidence for the defense. Plausible Denial suggests that Mark Lane convinced the jury that sworn testimony provided by certain high-ranking CIA witnesses could not be verified, and must be doubted based on the very nature of their business.
Although his 1963 book, Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment
Rush to Judgment is a book by American lawyer Mark Lane. It is about the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and takes issue with the conclusions of the Warren Commission, suggesting there was a conspiracy to assassinate John F...
, was a best-seller, this book did not enjoy the same popular success. However, among JFK assassination researchers, this book was a key event that led to 1992 and 1998 legislation regarding the Freedom of Information Act as it applies to the JFK assassination.