History Channel Will Broadcast Show on Meriwether Lewis's Death on Thursday, Dec. 9
By David M. Kinchen
Huntingtonnews.net Book Critic
On Thursday, Dec. 9 )9 p.m. Central/10 p.m. Eastern) The History Channel series" Brad Meltzer's Decoded" will broadcast the episode in which Tony Turnbow and Kira Gale appear. Gale is the author of "The Death of Meriwether Lewis: A Historic Crime Scene Investigation." For David M. Kinchen's review of her book, click: http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/091213-kinchen-columnsbookreview.html.
Gale e-mailed me saying that the show is "also called Secret Presidential Codes. I have seen both names used."
Gale added that "'The Secret Presidential Codes' blurb on the History Channel site says:
The team investigates the secret presidential codes of Thomas Jefferson and how they may be partially responsible for the death of one of the world's greatest explorers, Meriwether Lewis, of Lewis and Clark fame. Meltzer discovers that although the Lewis family has been working for 15 years to exhume his body, the National Parks is preventing the exhumation. This episode attempts to answer why the federal government would want to keep the body buried against the family's wishes and what really happened to the man who more than 200 years after his death remains our most iconic explorer.
Kira Gale e-mailed me: "To give you a little background. I was asked by the producers to fly to Tennessee for a couple of days of filming in late July-early August. My co-author Jim Starrs was unable to appear due to recent knee surgery, but he sent the replica pistol. I was not told anything, except that it was all secret and I wasn't to reveal any details."
She continued: "When I got to Hohenwald it was around suppertime, and I was invited to eat with the cast and crew. But I knew something was up when I was hurried away from the stars and told not to talk to them. So I truly was in the dark as to what would happen during filming, and so were they."
Kira added that "The three stars are in real life, an English professor/author, Buddy Levy, a mechanical engineer, Christine McKinley, and a trial lawyer, Scott Rolle. They drive around in a Porsche on the show and try to solve mysteries. The producers put them in situations, but they ask the questions and they form their own opinions."
She added: "How this all plays out I don't know. We will all have to wait and see. What I do know is that Tony told them about his new discovery that is really important evidence that the story of Lewis's death is based on lies. Don't miss this show! I will blog about it after I have a chance to recover from the excitement."