The Rocketdyne Commission

Book excerpt: For the powerful final chapter of The Henry Bell Project, his award-nominated saga of American presidential politics, author and lawyer Michael Davidow takes on the rise of the American right wing: from the death of John Kennedy to the election of Ronald Reagan. After investigating CIA abuses for Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, political operative Henry Bell struggles with his allegiances as the 1980 election approaches. Reluctantly agreeing to work for George Bush, he soon finds that spies are wreaking havoc in every campaign. A confidential interview about Eisenhower and Nixon that he has given to historians, meant to remain secret for decades, gets stolen instead. And an old friend of Bell's has leaked classified information about John Kennedy's assassination to members of the U.S. Congress, leaving those betrayed in search of better answers: when, where, and why. It's Christmas Eve in Washington, and winter has begun. With help from the Sound Man, Kermit the Frog, and Caspar the Friendly Spook; weaving together actual events and the richly imagined fabric of Bell's private life; going back and forth in time between Italy during World War II and America during the 1970's: THE ROCKETDYNE COMMISSION pulls its readers into the drama and the tragedy of our nation's darkest hours.