John Wiles Booth- just a tool in the hands of Andrew Johnson and Edwin Stanton? The author argues that Lincolns very lenient Reconstruction policies for the South led to a conspiracy by Edwin Stanton, secretary of war, Andrew Johnson, vice-president, and high-ranking radical members of Congress to order his execution. They were motivated by a desire for power but they also opposed Lincolns recently announced program of amnesty for the South. The author presents compelling evidence that Booth was not shot down but in fact escaped, thanks to his collaboration with Johnson and Stanton. This is an excellent and timely rebuttal to the recent popular book Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearn Goodwin, who claims that Lincoln mastered his cabinet and was able to gain the respect of its discordant members.