Mary Haverstick, a filmmaker, had initially planned to create a documentary about 13 women who attempted to join NASA’s astronaut training program in 1960. The focus of her film was Jerrie Cobb, a pilot and Nobel Prize nominee who passed the physical tests for the Mercury missions but was ultimately rejected due to gender discrimination. However, as Haverstick spent more time with Cobb, she began to suspect that something about her story didn’t add up.
Despite Cobb’s accomplishments and contributions to aviation and humanitarian work, Haverstick’s research attracted the attention of a Department of Defense official who warned her that the documents given to her by Cobb were classified. This warning sparked a decade-long quest for the truth about Cobb, leading Haverstick into the world of JFK’s assassination.
Instead of making a film, Haverstick ended up writing a book titled “A Woman I Know: Female Spies, Double Identities and a New Story of the Kennedy Assassination.” In her book, she reveals Cobb to be a much more complex character than previously known and includes her alleged undercover work for the CIA. Haverstick discovered that Cobb flew a light aircraft in and out of a private airport in Dallas on the day of the assassination, raising suspicions that she may have played a role in the murder.
Furthermore, Haverstick believes that Cobb may have been the mysterious “Babushka Lady,” who was filming President Kennedy at the moment he was shot but disappeared afterward. Finding the Babushka Lady and her footage has been a long-standing goal for JFK investigators.
Haverstick’s book delves into the world of espionage during the Cold War era, involving figures like Khrushchev, Castro, the Mafia, the CIA, and even Nazi rocket scientists. While Haverstick hadn’t initially given much thought to the Kennedy assassination and its conspiracy theories, her encounter with Cobb and subsequent research led her down a rabbit hole of unanswered questions.
Through her investigations, Haverstick found striking similarities between Jerrie Cobb and June Cobb, who appeared in declassified CIA files as an agent and was linked to the Kennedy assassination. Haverstick confronted Jerrie with her findings and received bizarre responses, leading her to believe that Jerrie may have been impersonating June.
Despite the uncertainties and lack of concrete evidence, Haverstick believes that the Babushka Lady is an under-researched character who played a significant role and should have been thoroughly investigated. She also expresses her belief in a second shooter during the assassination.
Haverstick’s book sheds new light on Jerrie Cobb and offers a fresh perspective on the Kennedy assassination, delving into the world of espionage and conspiracy theories that continue to captivate audiences to this day.
