Valenti blasts cabler's JFK doc
MPAA topper says History Channel irresponsible
Valenti told Daily Variety that it was irresponsible for the History Channel to carry the piece. Documentary aired Monday as the channel launched a week of special programming marking the 40th anniversary of Kennedy's death in Dallas.
On defense
In his long career as MPAA topper, nothing has enraged Valenti so much as when Hollywood pursues a storyline suggesting that Johnson, his former boss, somehow arranged Kennedy's death so that Johnson could ascend from the vice presidency to the presidency. Valenti was special White House assistant to President Johnson.
In a separate joint statement issued earlier this week with LBJ Foundation chair Tom Johnson, Valenti said the History Channel doc was an absurd smear.
"In televising this production, the History Channel has distorted history beyond recognition," Valenti and Johnson said.
Presenting all sides
In response, the cabler said in a statement it was sympathetic to the family, staff and friends of Johnson, but it was dedicated to examining all aspects of JFK's life and death.
"The History Channel does not say that any of these theories are correct nor does it in any way say that the theory in this program is correct. We are, however, presenting a point of view that has been meticulously researched. By presenting different viewpoints, we enable our viewers to decide to agree or disagree with them and to arrive at their own conclusions," statement said.
The doc in question, "The Guilty Men," is part of "The Men Who Killed Kennedy" series, which was produced by Nigel Turner. "Guilty Men" was based in part on Barr McClellan's book "Blood, Money & Power: How L.B.J. Killed J.F.K."
