Q&A with Featured Author Howard Willens
Howard Willens is an attorney, author and historian who has practiced law in both the public and private sectors in Washington, D.C., and also was a member of the Warren Commission. His new book, “History Will Prove Us Right: Inside the Warren Commission Investigation into the Assassination of John F. Kennedy,” is the true story of what really happened during the Warren Commission’s investigation of the assassination and is the only book written about the commission by someone who was part of the management team that supervised the largest criminal investigation ever conducted in the United States.
What’s the funniest/scariest/best interaction you’ve had with a fan?
Given the nature of my recent book about the Warren Commission investigation of President Kennedy, I anticipated that some from the conspiracy community would attend one of my events and challenge me from the audience. That did not happen last Fall at any of the 19 presentations in nine states. They have concentrated, instead, on writing one-star reviews on Amazon.
I did have one recent conversation in New York with a small group of law enforcement personnel, who were generally predisposed to respect me and consider my views carefully. After a very short presentation, I asked for questions. One listener admitted that he never had felt comfortable with the idea that Jack Ruby just appeared from nowhere and shot Oswald. When I explained how Ruby spent the Sunday morning of November 24, 1963, which included going to Western Union to send a $25 money order to one his strippers who had been unable to work Saturday night because Ruby had closed his night club out of deference to President Kennedy, my questioner responded with a smile: “Now, I can sleep better.” A modest accomplishment, to be sure.
Do/did you have a day job? What was it and how did it influence your writing?
I have practiced law in Washington DC since January 1959 — with five or so years working in the public sector and the remainder in private practice and consulting. I have had some extraordinary opportunities in my career: working at the Kennedy Justice Department was one of them, as was working on the Warren Commission staff, and helping 14,000 Micronesians in the Western Pacific achieve their goal of becoming part of the United States back in the 1970s. I have always been a reader of books about American history and was encouraged by this background, and some inspirational guidance from my lawyer wife, to contribute to our history by writing about these experiences. I have published three books about United States policy in the Western Pacific based on what I learned in the course of representing these Micronesians over several decades.
If you could ask another author (living or dead) one question, what would it be and what author would you ask it of?
It would be Shakespeare and it would be the obvious one: Did you write these plays?
Why should people come listen to you talk about your book?
My experience is that people come to hear about my most recent book because of a sincere interest in learning more about an assassination that many of them had personally experienced. At most of my presentations, there are very few attendees under the age of 40 and only a handful under 30. I feel a personal responsibility to reach out to the younger generations and try to encourage them to read about, and think about, the history that we all share. I believe that events such as the Gaithersburg Book Festival provide a special opportunity to attract a broader range of potential readers and I am proud to be a part of that effort.