Did Lee Harvey Oswald's closest friend, George de Mohrenschidlt worked with Mark Lane and Donald Freed on the film Executive Action. George de Mohrenschildt wrote "LBJ material was deleted. And a conspiracy took place coalition blacks and Jews and welfare of our people-- JFK and Madmen kill the President. Conspiracy banana republic.... No nuclear test treaty with Russians. Radar theory L.H.O. Russian language for Lee courtmartialed. Dependency discharge affidavit for me."

Adamson made contact with Donald Freed and asked him if he corresponded with George de Mohrenschildt and he said "He didn't remember." Adamson presented Freed with letter between de Mohrenschildt and to Freed. He had no comment.

1973 - USA - 91 min. - Feature, Color

Director  David Miller

Flags  Questionable for Children, Violence, Adult Situations
MPAA Rating  PG
Keywords  assassin, conspiracy, espionage, industrialist, investigator, politician, President, political-intrigue
Themes  Murder Investigations, Political Conspiracies, Assassination Plots
Tones  Confrontational, Paranoid
From book  Rush to Judgment
Produced by  National General Pictures

If you think that Oliver Stone invented the "political paranoia" movie, take a glance at Executive Action sometime. Based on Mark Lane's Rush to Judgment, the conspiracy theorist's bible, Executive Action perpetuates the popular urban legend that John F. Kennedy was assassinated at the behest of a right-wing cartel with military and industrial interests. The film further hypothesizes that Lee Harvey Oswald not only didn't pull the trigger, but was also set up as a disposable dupe (this notion wasn't even new in 1973). The film's premise is meticulously and professionally laid out, but in the end it's so much applesauce. Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan and Will Geer are appropriately sinister as the conspirators, but their dialogue, by Dalton Trumbo, is silly and sophomoric. Helping not at all is the haphazard direction of David Miller; the microphone boom makes so many unexpected appearances that it should have been given Special Guest Star billing. The only faintly persuasive moment is the film's coda: still photos of 18 witnesses to the assassination are shown, while the accompanying text informs us that all of these people had died between 1963 and 1973. We are further told that the odds against this coincidence are one in a trillion. When Oliver Stone's thematically similar JFK came out in 1991, viewers with long memories were quick to notice the eerie similarities between the Stone film and Executive Action - right down to choice of camera angles. Hmmm....a conspiracy, perhaps? - Hal Erickson

Burt Lancaster  - Farrington
Robert Ryan  - Foster
Will Geer  - Ferguson
Gilbert Green  - Paulitz
John Anderson  - Halliday
Paul Carr  - Gunman Chris
Deanna Darrin  - Stripper
James MacColl  - Oswald Imposter
Colby Chester  - Tim
Richard Bull  - Gunman-Team A
Sidney Clute  - Depository Clerk
Sandy Ward  - Policeman
John Brascia  - Riflemen Team B
William Watson  - Technician-Team B
Walter Brooke  - Smythe
Hunter Von Leer  - Rifleman-Team B
Lloyd Gough  - McCadden
Robert Karnes  - Man At Rifle Range
Ed Kemmer   
Richard D. Hurst  - Used Car Salesman
Lee Delano  - Gunmen Team A
Paul Sorenson  - Officer Brown
Tom Peters  - Sergeant
Ed Lauter  - Operation Chief Team A
Richard Miller  - Rifleman-Team B
Joaquin Martinez  - Art Mendoza
David Miller  - Director
Edward Lewis  - Producer
Donald Freed  - Story Author
Mark Lane  - Story Author / Book Author
Dalton Trumbo  - Screenwriter
Robert Steadman  - Cinematographer
Randy Edelman  - Composer (Music Score)
George Grenville  - Editor
Irving Lerner  - Editor
Kirk Axtell  - Art Director
Dan Bessie  - Co-producer
Bruce Bisenz  - Sound/Sound Designer