Is the Lorentz contraction inevitable in the special theory of relativity ?

We look afresh at the deduction of the "Lorentz contraction" of a "rod" from the Lorentz transformation equations of the special theory of relativity. We show that under special conditions, which include acceleration of the "rod", length "expansion" and "invariance" are possible, and thus these are purely kinematical phenomena. We then take a closer look at Einstein's two famous papers on the special theory of relativity and point out a flaw in his argument. It seems that it is possible to have the times of the clocks of two, and indeed all, inertial systems to agree with each other.