Author Edward Jay Epstein stated that the book argues that John F. Kennedy's image was presented in too pristine a way, and sought to show "a far more sinister vision" of the president.
Shortly before publication, it emerged in the press that Hersh had removed claims at the last minute that were based on forged documents provided to him by fraudster Lex Cusack, including a fake hush money contract between Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe.
[3] Other aspects of the book also came under criticism, including its prying into Kennedy's alleged sexual escapades based on interviews with his Secret Service guards, and its claim that Kennedy used Judith Exner as a courier to deliver cash to mobster Sam Giancana, made by a source who later recanted it before the Assassination Records Review Board.
[2] Powers stated that people criticizing the book and/or supporting Kennedy used the fake documents scandal to paint the information in the work "as trifling gossip and unsupported hearsay.
"[2] Epstein criticized how the book's "idiosyncratic interpretations" meant that it always assumed that fear of exposure of negative information instead of "conventional political considerations" were reasons behind Kennedy's actions.