It was half past noon when the gunfire hit the Presidential motorcade traveling through Dealey Plaza. The joy that enveloped the attending crowds devolved into shock and horror as they witnessed the mortal wounding of President John F. Kennedy and the serious wounding of Texas Governor John Connally. 

The news of the shootings spread quickly around the country --- from Greenwich Village, New York, to Hominy, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles, California. As the events of that day began to sink in, questions germinated in the minds of Sylvia Meagher, Shirley Martin and Maggie Field. The assassination of the 35th President of the United States, the fourth in the nation’s history, seemed to involve something far beyond the unconscionable actions of a lone gunman.

"A book that is as much about an investigation as it is about relationships and how an impactful and influential movement was broken up, THE HOUSEWIVES UNDERGROUND is an unforgettable historical biography."

Sylvia Meagher was a born-and-bred New Yorker who worked for the World Health Organization. She was a dyed-in-the-wool liberal who pushed back against the authoritarianism of governments. While not a fan of Kennedy, she sensed something sinister in the events of November 22, 1963. In the initial days after the assassination, Meagher noticed anomalies in the case and believed that the alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was the patsy he declared himself to be shortly before his televised execution by the connected nightclub owner/“patriotic” avenger, Jack Ruby.

Shirley Martin was an Oklahoma mother of four who was an atypical Kennedy fan in an area of stalwart Republicans and anti-Catholic Democrats. She already was considered a bit of an outsider as she opted to homeschool her children. The public gunning-down of Kennedy left the Martin family stricken with grief. In the ensuing days, she took note of witnesses named in newspapers and on television. In the weeks and months to come, Martin emerged as an intrepid investigator traveling down to Dallas with her children in tow as she spoke to people about the case. She questioned if they housed Oswald’s wife, Marina, or had information regarding the shooting of Dallas policeman J.D. Tippit. 

While Meagher represented part of the East Coast assassination critics, former New Yorker Maggie Field became an important source of information on the case out in California. The high-society housewife maintained a library of newspaper articles and contributed writings to the political publication The Minority of One. Through the tight-knit research community, Field began a years-long correspondence with Meagher in which they spoke about the assassination and the motives behind it. Field befriended fellow Californian Ray Marcus, whose opinion on various photographic evidence would become invaluable to the skeptic community. Her refusal to believe in the lone gunman theory resulted in the straining of more than a few friendships in California.

The outrage caused by the Kennedy assassination and Oswald's murder led President Lyndon Johnson to appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission to delve into matters related to November 22nd. It was meant to quell public skepticism, yet it didn’t mollify people like Meagher, Martin, Field and others so much as enrage them. While critics such as Mark Lane went on television and published books about the case, Meagher and Martin wrote and called in helpful leads.

By the time the controversial case was brought by New Orleans D.A. Jim Garrison against businessman Clay Shaw in 1967, the research community had shined a spotlight on the unanswered questions surrounding the assassination. However, the schism amongst the critics as a result of Garrison’s inquiry severed relationships in the community.

THE HOUSEWIVES UNDERGROUND is an articulate work that pays tribute to the first-generation researchers of the Kennedy assassination, those courageous women and men of diverse backgrounds who spent time and resources investigating the murder of their President. These people didn’t view themselves as gadflies or “conspiracy theorists.” They were genuinely skeptical of the mainstream narrative that didn’t gel when looked under a microscope. 

Kaitlyn Tiffany captures the bold and undaunted spirit of those who persisted in their work despite harassment from government agents or ridicule from the media. She insightfully examines the misogynistic elements at play that factored into the criticism of Meagher, Martin and Field by reporters who wrote slanted hit pieces questioning their motives.

A book that is as much about an investigation as it is about relationships and how an impactful and influential movement was broken up, THE HOUSEWIVES UNDERGROUND is an unforgettable historical biography.