Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs for a compelling conversation on Martyrs to the Unspeakable: The Assassinations of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK by James R. Douglass. In this provocative work, Douglass reexamines the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, arguing that these four leaders were killed not by isolated actors, but within a deeper context of national security power and Cold War politics.
Drawing on extensive documentary evidence, witness testimony, and declassified records, Douglass challenges the official narratives and situates each assassination within a broader struggle between movements for peace and justice. At the heart of the book is the concept of the “Unspeakable” - a term Douglass uses to describe the hidden structures of power capable of silencing transformative leadership.
Together, they explore how each of these figures, in different ways, broke with prevailing orthodoxies - opposing nuclear brinkmanship, militarism, racism, and war - and how their evolving commitments to peace may have placed them in direct conflict with powerful institutions. The discussion confronts enduring questions about democracy, truth, and moral courage in moments of national crisis.
This episode invites listeners into a profound reconsideration of one of the most turbulent eras in American history. It is a story of conscience and consequence — and of how the unresolved traumas of the 1960s continue to echo in political life today.
Learn more at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org
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About the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN):
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.
Connect with us:
unsdsn.org
twitter.com/UNSDSN
facebook.com/UNSDSN
Join Professor Jeffrey Sachs for a compelling conversation on Martyrs to the Unspeakable: The Assassinations of JFK, Malcolm, Martin, and RFK by James R. Douglass. In this provocative work, Douglass reexamines the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, arguing that these four leaders were killed not by isolated actors, but within a deeper context of national security power and Cold War politics.
Drawing on extensive documentary evidence, witness testimony, and declassified records, Douglass challenges the official narratives and situates each assassination within a broader struggle between movements for peace and justice. At the heart of the book is the concept of the “Unspeakable” - a term Douglass uses to describe the hidden structures of power capable of silencing transformative leadership.
Together, they explore how each of these figures, in different ways, broke with prevailing orthodoxies - opposing nuclear brinkmanship, militarism, racism, and war - and how their evolving commitments to peace may have placed them in direct conflict with powerful institutions. The discussion confronts enduring questions about democracy, truth, and moral courage in moments of national crisis.
This episode invites listeners into a profound reconsideration of one of the most turbulent eras in American history. It is a story of conscience and consequence — and of how the unresolved traumas of the 1960s continue to echo in political life today.
Learn more at bookclubwithjeffreysachs.org
---
About the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN):
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) was set up in 2012 under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. SDSN mobilizes global scientific and technological expertise to promote practical solutions for sustainable development, including the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. SDSN works closely with United Nations agencies, multilateral financing institutions, the private sector, and civil society.
Connect with us:
unsdsn.org
twitter.com/UNSDSN
facebook.com/UNSDSN
