A Review of, Requiem for a Kingfish
A review of, Requiem for a Kingfish: the strange and unexplained death of Huey Long by Ed Reed.
In “Requiem for a Kingfish: the strange and unexplained death of Huey Long”, Ed Reed gives the reader a thought provoking account of this murder which has been clouded in mystery ever since that fateful night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1935. Reflecting the chaos surrounding Long’s death, the fractured account jumps around in time and location, Reed anchors it with crystalline prose and the driving mystery; how really did Huey Long die? A question which, it is fair to say Reed feels has not been properly addressed in the over fifty years which has passed between Long’s death and the publishing of this book. There are a number of reasons why this question has never been answered to the satisfaction of Reed. Firstly, Long’s hospital records were sealed and never released or analyzed. Then there is the fact that there was no official autopsy performed on the body of Huey Long and all the medical professionals participating in the surgery refused all interviews. Also investigations by the city and state police have disappeared along with the weapon allegedly used by Weiss. These are the key pieces of information needed for solving the puzzle that is the death of Huey Long.
In order to correctly answer this question Reed interviewed a vast number of people and reviewed thousands of documents connected with the case. Also, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, Reed was able to obtain and examine some 2,000 FBI files which deal with Long and Louisiana. Through painstaking efforts he was also able to gain access to the hospital records that give valuable knowledge into last hours of Huey Longs life. But perhaps most interesting of all Reed was capable of breaking the silence of those present at the surgery, giving us precious eyewitness account of what really happened in the operating room. This new information obtained by Reed gives the reader an
In “Requiem for a Kingfish: the strange and unexplained death of Huey Long”, Ed Reed gives the reader a thought provoking account of this murder which has been clouded in mystery ever since that fateful night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1935. Reflecting the chaos surrounding Long’s death, the fractured account jumps around in time and location, Reed anchors it with crystalline prose and the driving mystery; how really did Huey Long die? A question which, it is fair to say Reed feels has not been properly addressed in the over fifty years which has passed between Long’s death and the publishing of this book. There are a number of reasons why this question has never been answered to the satisfaction of Reed. Firstly, Long’s hospital records were sealed and never released or analyzed. Then there is the fact that there was no official autopsy performed on the body of Huey Long and all the medical professionals participating in the surgery refused all interviews. Also investigations by the city and state police have disappeared along with the weapon allegedly used by Weiss. These are the key pieces of information needed for solving the puzzle that is the death of Huey Long.
In order to correctly answer this question Reed interviewed a vast number of people and reviewed thousands of documents connected with the case. Also, under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, Reed was able to obtain and examine some 2,000 FBI files which deal with Long and Louisiana. Through painstaking efforts he was also able to gain access to the hospital records that give valuable knowledge into last hours of Huey Longs life. But perhaps most interesting of all Reed was capable of breaking the silence of those present at the surgery, giving us precious eyewitness account of what really happened in the operating room. This new information obtained by Reed gives the reader an
Bibliography: Reed, Ed. Requiem for a Kingfish: the Strange and Unexplained Death of Huey Long (Award Publications/Ed Reed Organization, 1986), -------------------------------------------- [ 1 ]. Reed Ed, Requiem for a Kingfish: the Strange and Unexplained Death of Huey Long (Award Publications/Ed Reed Organization, 1986), 8.