David Talbot's 'Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years' is a study of the relationship between John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert. Specifically, the book focuses on Robert Kennedy's apparently firm belief that his brother was killed as a result of a conspiracy, most likely as direct blowback from the CIA's attempts on Fidel Castro's life. Talbot unearths countless references to both RFK and his aids that suggest RFK was almost fully convinced of a plot. The book also details RFK's attempts at diplomacy with Cuba and several other communist leaders toward the end of his life. Though he started out as a rabid anti-communist who engineered or sanctioned most of the early plots to kill Castro, by the time he was killed, RFK was an advocate of a new brand of foreign policy focusing on diplomacy and talking to our "enemies". The book could not be more timely in light of the debates over Barack Obama's foreign policy intentions, particularly with regard to Iran. Though Talbot fails to make clear who may have finally been involved in the conspiracy to kill JFK, he does make a strong case that both brothers were killed as the result of an internal power struggle in the US between the Kennedy brothers and the "intelligence" community. A scary book, quite frankly, even if it doesn't tie up all its loose ends.

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