The Strange Death of President Harding

by Gaston B. Means

The Strange Death of President Harding is a non-fiction book written by Gaston B. Means that explores the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of President Warren G. Harding in 1923. The book investigates the various theories and rumors surrounding Harding's death, including the possibility of foul play and conspiracy. Means, a former detective and secret service agent, offers a unique perspective on the case and provides insight into the political and social climate of the time. The book delves into the personal life of Harding, including his extramarital affairs and questionable business dealings, and examines how these factors may have played a role in his untimely death. Overall, The Strange Death of President Harding offers a fascinating look into one of the most intriguing mysteries in American political history.1930. From the diaries of Gaston B. Means and his Department of Justice Investigation, comes the insider story on Harding's death as told to Thacker. Means, a private detective, was hired by Mrs. Harding to get information on the President and Nan Britton. Means asserts that Harding was poisoned as a result of the Teapot Dome scandal. In the spring of 1923, Harding was visibly distraught at what he regarded as the betrayal of his friends who were taking advantage of his kindliness and lax administration. He sought escape from Washington in mid-June by taking a trip to Alaska with his wife and a large entourage. On his way home at the end of July, the president complained of abdominal pain, but he seemed to rally as he rested at a San Francisco hotel. On the evening of August 2, however, as his wife read to him from a magazine, Harding suddenly died from either a heart attack or stroke. This book should definitely be on the list of must-reads for anyone interested in conspiracy theories.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Genres: Presidents

314 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1930

Reviews

[Guera25 · Rating 3 out of 5]

What malarkey! But it's such gleeful, audacious malarkey that I don't care. The historical credibility of this supposed expose of President Harding's alleged murder at the hands of his vengeful, fanatical wife was discredited and repudiated after its publication, but if read as a work of fiction, it's gloriously entertaining. Presidential philandering! Love children! Seductive Lolitas seducing older men! A beleaguered President blackmailed by his own cabinet! A vindictive wife with dreams of assuming the reins of power! Shady government ops! That anyone could have believed this patent load of codswallop astounds. It's pure dime-novel pap, panting and cliched and almost feverish in its enumeration of its endless twists.

The syntax is terrible; I've never seen so many inexplicable emphatic dashes, and sometimes, they were even used in place of commas for no discernible reason. Truly confusing and godawful. I can hardly credit the claim that the writer was a journalist. If so, she was a poorly-educated hack who must've used the pages of her copy of Strunk and White in the privy.

[Richard Elam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book reads like historical fiction but without knowing the historical backstory of Harding’s presidency how is one to know fact from fiction? I read this believing that what was said was true.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in 1930, an unscrupulous private investigator named Gaston Means, (just out of the federal penitentiary in Atlanta for various offenses) wrote this book that cast doubt on the "official" version of President Harding's sudden 1923 death. Means was used as an investigator and henchman by Harding's wife Florence and by the president to hide some of his more unsavory habits, (his mistress Nan Britton, for example, who was smuggled in and out of the White House) and numerous other questionable things that smeared the Harding Administration with a veneer of corruption. The book was explosive when it came out, although the basic story has absolutely no corroboration whatsoever. President Harding was under enormous pressure due to scandals in his administration and had gone on a long western trip in the summer of 1923, succumbing to a heart attack in San Francisco. Means supposed that he had been poisoned, possibly by enemies, possibly by Mrs. Harding to "save his reputation" before they destroyed his presidency. Neither theory has ever come close to being proved, but it is a fascinating book about a mostly forgotten president.