OpEdNews » Did RFK's search for JFK's killers lead to his own murder?

Home

Hot News

Economic Crisis

Barack Obama

Rights Justice Democracy

Obama transition

Veterans Military

Torture Guantanamo

Barack Obama Family, et

Iraq Afghanistan Pakista

MiddleEast

Support OEN
With Your
Tax-Deductible Donation

Tags for This Article:

Government (3580) Conspiracy (473) Assassination (324) COINTELPRO (61) JFK (29)

Populum
Tag Cloud
Control Panel

Fine tune your search to access content

Articles	Links
Diaries	Products
Events	All

All time
Last 6 mos
Last month
Last week
Last 24 hrs

From:
Month Day Year

To:
Month Day Year

Alphabet Popularity	Count ON Count OFF
This Level	Sub-levels

Classics of Liberal Thinking
Progressive Radio Links

Tag(s): Assassination; COINTELPRO; Conspiracy; Government; JFK
Add to My Group

November 22, 2008 at 10:26:45

View Ratings | Rate It

Did RFK's search for JFK's killers lead to his own murder?

by Michael Richardson Page 1 of 2 page(s)

www.opednews.com

SAVE FAVORITES

VIEW FAVORITES

The anniversary of that tragic day in November 1963 will be marked by quiet memorials by those that remember that fateful and fatal trip to Dallas by President John F. Kennedy. The Warren Commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald, with some difficult ballistics and a controversial "magic" bullet, acted alone to take the life of the President.

Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General and President Kennedy's younger brother, never did believe the Warren Commission despite his public refusal to contradict the official version of events.

The younger Kennedy began his own investigation the day of the murder convinced that members of the U.S. government were responsible for the shooting in Dallas. Author David Talbot perhaps sums it up best in his book Brothers. "Robert Kennedy did not resign himself to the lone gunman theory. On the contrary, he immediately suspected that President Kennedy was the victim of a powerful conspiracy. And he spent the rest of his life secretly searching for the truth about his brother's murder."

The Attorney General had been informed of the shooting by J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hoover had no love for either Kennedy and abruptly delivered news of the shooting. Later, Robert would tell Nicolas Katzenbach that Hoover seemed to enjoy being the bearer of bad tidings. "I think he told me with pleasure."

Kennedy so little trusted Hoover he declined FBI protection for his family. Uncertain if a conspiracy included members of the Secret Service, Robert pieced together his own security detail out of the U. S. Marshal Service in those early awful hours after the assassination.

With Kennedy when Hoover made a second call about the death announcement from Parkland Hospital was John McCone, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. McCone called Kennedy when he heard the news of the shooting and Kennedy ordered him over to his house. Kennedy grilled McCone for three hours that afternoon about whether or not the CIA had a role in the killing.

Fresh from intense behind-the-scene battles with the Cuban exile community and counter-intelligence CIA agents angry with both Kennedys over the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Robert know that lethal tempers raged. Kennedy told his close friend Edwin Guthman, "There is so much bitterness I thought they would get one of us, but Jack, after all he had been through never worried about it. I thought they would get me, instead of the President."

On the evening of November 22nd Kennedy would reach out to investigators he knew familiar with organized crime to explore if the Mafia was involved. The CIA had joined forces with members of organized crime in their clandestine efforts to kill Fidel Castro and Robert wanted answers. Kennedy made call after call with his network of advisors, investigators and friends seeking information.

Kennedy continued to make calls while he waited for the return of his brother's body from Dallas. Robert probed the Cuban exile community telling Enrique "Harry" Ruiz-Williams, "One of your guys did it."

When the Kennedy family gathered for Thanksgiving at their Palm Beach compound and the family struggled to regain control of emotions, Robert cordoned himself with his investigators and advisors and continued working on solving the crime.

Robert Kennedy would dispatch his own investigator to Moscow for a secret meeting with the Soviets before the year was out to find out what their intelligence agencies knew.

Kennedy refused to appear before the Warren Commission. When Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren moved toward compelling Robert's appearance, Nicolas Katzenbach worked out a compromise, which became Kennedy's official statement on the inquiry.

"I would like to state definitely that I know of no credible evidence to support the allegations that the assassination of President Kennedy was caused by a domestic or foreign conspiracy."

In September 1964, when the Warren Commission issued its single-assassin report Kennedy, then campaigning for the U.S. Senate in New York, was pressed for his opinion of the Commission conclusions. Kennedy adopted a terse statement that became a standard response to end questions, "I have not read the report, nor do I intend to."

But Kennedy's relentless pursuit of the truth behind his brother's death, which he privately blamed on a conspiracy within the secret branches of the U.S. government, was an inner driving force.

1 | 2

Michael Richardson is a freelance writer based in Boston. Richardson writes about politics, law, nutrition, ethics, and music. Richardson is also a political consultant.

	Contact Author
	Contact Editor
	View Other Articles by Author

Bookmark this page: (what's this?)

(More...)

Comments: Expand Shrink Hide

7 comments

Avid reader, jazz musician, philosopher, chef, stone mason, carpenter, writer, painter, poet,humanist, teacher, holistic ethicist who believes consciousness and love pervade the universe, except among self-obsessed humans. I perceive the philosophical unified field to be consciousness and joy. The entire universe is composed of waves, which we surf by understanding.
martinweissAvid reader, jazz musician, philosopher, chef, stone mason, carpenter, writer, painter, poet,humanist, teacher, holistic ethicist who believes consciousness and love pervade the universe, except among self-obsessed humans. I perceive the philosophical unified field to be consciousness and joy. The entire universe is composed of waves, which we surf by understanding.

cui bono-- who benefits?

Thanks for the article. Keeping on with the faith in reason and common sense that denies the right-wing big lie is a habit of many of us who will never give up. Now we know JFK planned to pull out of Vietnam and abolish the CIA. Little by little, it will all come out. Why, 45 years later, are the documents still sealed? Who might be implicated?

Odd that Bush's 'military commissions act' pardons BushCo back to 1989... What did they do in 1989? Thus algebraic reasoning ala Holmes will out the truth. I liked and respected JFK. He was a good leader, unlike any of the GOP thugs we have had since. Unlike the GOP of the last forty years, in those days presidents did not set out to damage the US with premeditated malice.

by martinweiss (34 articles, 4 quicklinks, 12 diaries, 460 comments) on Saturday, November 22, 2008 at 8:47:25 PM

Michael Richardson is a freelance writer based in Boston. Richardson writes about politics, law, nutrition, ethics, and music. Richardson is also a political consultant.
Michael RichardsonMichael Richardson is a freelance writer based in Boston. Richardson writes about politics, law, nutrition, ethics, and music. Richardson is also a political consultant.

Why are records sealed?

Why indeed are the records still sealed after 45 years? That the guilty may escape justice?

by Michael Richardson (95 articles, 17 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 67 comments) on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 10:05:23 AM

18 year progressive talk radio caller/activist with a progressive economic justice priority overriding the Liberal social justice emphasis, and a decidedly anti-Establishment/media bias. Other principal interests are U.S. political assassinations, and Cold war conspiracy crimes involving our security agencies, including 9/11.
Richard Lee18 year progressive talk radio caller/activist with a progressive economic justice priority overriding the Liberal social justice emphasis, and a decidedly anti-Establishment/media bias. Other principal interests are U.S. political assassinations, and Cold war conspiracy crimes involving our security agencies, including 9/11.

Sirhan fired blanks

There is abundant evidence that Sirhan was a "manchurian candidate" patsy and could not have shot RFK since he was in front, too far away to inflict point blank wounds to the back and head of RFK and was using a starter pistol given the serial number. He remembers nothing after talking to the "girl in the poka dot dress", Sharin Kahn (daughter of Khaiber Kahn who was set up with a bank fraud charge to blackmail him into doing this hit.) She was the girl heard running out shouting "we shot him" or words to that effect. The substitute security guard form Hughes, Thane Eugene Ceasar, who brought RFK down from behind apparently fired the lethal shots. Robt. Meheu, the CIA laison to the mob through Johnny Roselli (found dismembered in a barrel in Biscayne Bay after talking to the HSCA), was the head of Hughes at the time, which did contract work for the CIA. Meheu had also worked with the LAPD which was apparently involved in covering up this crime. RFK had stated he would reinvestigate his brothers murder if elected President 3 days before he won California. Hoover, RFK's enemy, indicated this was a CIA hit and there was little he could do about it. There is good information on the internet at CTKA, Real History Archives, Oil Empire, and Mary Ferrell. There is not justice because out media are all CIA assets, noted by the Church committee as seen in Carl Bernsteins l978 Rolling Stone expose.

by Richard Lee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 62 comments) on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 9:38:34 PM

Starter gun?

This is the first I've heard of a starter gun. There were already more bullet holes in the Ambassador kitchen than bullets using Sirhan's gun. If he only fired blanks then there would have been two other shooters. The "tranced" Sirhan was likely firing live ammo.

by Michael Richardson (95 articles, 17 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 67 comments) on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 7:28:56 AM

The info. is correct. You don't fire at the assassin.

There is indication from witnesses and of course from all the bullet holes and injuries that there was another shooter. 'Seems strange to me given we know the assassin was right behind RFK, but the evidence and testimony goes in this direction. The gun was taken home by Rafer Johnson inadvertently that night and his recollection (!?) of the serial # showed it to be what one might have expected, a diversionary patsy, as has often been the case in such shootings (See "Contract on America", Schiem, but don't by into the mob did it scenario.) Sounds like your getting much info from the MSM. They are complicit in these Establishment hits as accessories after the fact in covering them up with lies. They are of course also CIA assets. Check out the Nation for 4/12/65 "The Billion Dollar Mystery" for info on Khaiber Khan.

by Richard Lee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 62 comments) on Monday, November 24, 2008 at 10:43:19 PM

Assassins are liabilities

Once an assassin makes a hit the assassin is an immediate liability. There are indeed reasons to shoot at an assassin.

by Michael Richardson (95 articles, 17 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 67 comments) on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 8:30:38 AM

Shooting at an assassin starts after his action not before!

Your confused as to the use of patsys and the order of the firing at RFK. Patsys always shoot first as shooters to draw attention away from the real assassin. That's what happened in the pantry here with the "return fire" from security guard Cesar killing RFK. One might then theorize that the additional shots might have been aimed at him, but not any shots from the initial patsy shooter Sirhan. The direction of the shots also show what happened here. To study these cases of political murder you need to go to the sites I originally recommened, or 3 good books on the subject, preferably both, but never to the complicit media wherever it may be found.

by Richard Lee (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 62 comments) on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 8:19:13 PM