The Assassination of Robert Kennedy

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"I was in Dallas when we got the son of a bitch and I was in Los Angeles when we got the little bastard" - Allegedly from David Morales

Robert Kennedy

The Assassination

The Number of Bullets

More than one Gunman?

Pruszynski Recording

CIA Involvement

CIA involvement
It didn't take long for the word 'conspiracy' to raise its head. And inevitably the CIA were implicated. But is there any evidence to suggest CIA involvement in the assassination of Robert Kennedy? There is certainly much controversy about it.

Sirhan's defence team claimed he was under a trance at the time of the shooting. To this day, Sirhan himself claims he has no recollection of the incident. And even under hypnosis he has no recollection - though this is a debatable point. Just after the shooting, in the struggle for the gun Sirhan was said to have shown enormous strength in resisting Kennedy's bodyguards, suggesting that he may have been hypnotized. And when police officers arrived they claimed he was in a trance like state when they shone a light into his eyes, his eyes were apparently dilated and didn't react.

Dr. Herbert Spiegel, an expert on hypnosis, suggests Sirhan was a very hypnotizable person. And it's highly possible he was hypnotised and in a trance like state for the whole event. And after coming out of the trance he would not remember anything of the event. The LAPD, who had arrested Sirhan said he chatted to them while in custody for some time after the arrest, apparently at ease, not seeming to realise why he had been arrested, again suggesting he had just come out of a trance.

Sirhan did possess a notebook found in his apartment which appeared to incrimate him. It contained repetitious phrases such as 'RFK must die' written on various pages. Also written was "My determination to elimanate RFK is becoming more and more and unshakable obsession, RFK must be assassinated". Sirhan admitted that it was his handwriting but that he could not remember writing the notes, suggesting he may well have been in a trance while writing the statement in the notebook. He also possessed a paper clipping, found in his shirt pocket after he was arrested, about Kennedy's plans to sell 50 bombers to Israel, suggesting a motive for a Palestinian (or perhaps it was planted there)!

But could someone have programmed Sirhan. Was he highly hypnotizable? This was well into the era of the CIA mind control programs such as Project Artichoke, and project MKULTRA, where we saw the beginnings of psychological warfare.

Sirhan repeatedly states that he could not remember the incident of the night. Neither defense and prosecution teams disputed or challanged this claim at the trial. Could the memory lapses (writing in his notebook, returning to his car to get his gun, firing at Kennedy) be evidence of mind control by persons unknown (remember the Manchurian candidate!)? Is he lying about what he can and cannot remember or was he programmed to kill and programmed to forget?

Can someone be hypnotised to murder another person? Supposdly it's not possible to hypnotise someone and get them to carry out an act against their moral beliefs. But how accurate is this and what if murdering a particular person was not against your moral beliefs and was considered a justified action before you were hypnotised?

Some people have positively identified three senior CIA figures present at the Ambassador hotel that night, both from photographs and video evidence. But others have disagreed about their identity.

One such figure was David Morales, Chief of Operations, at JMWAVE, the CIA's Miami base. He was a legendery covert operator for the CIA. It was also common knowledge that he despised the Kennedys. And five years after the assassination of Robert, he was quoted as saying "I was in Dallas when we got the son of a bitch and I was in Los Angeles when we got the little bastard". Strong words indeed to suggest implication in these crimes.

Is this Gordon Campbell and George Joannides at the Ambassador Hotel?

Two other CIA figures allegedly present that night were Gordon Campbell, Chief of Maritime Operations and George Joannides, Chief of Psychological Warfare Operations. All three worked together at JMWAVE, in the early 1960s. This was the operational headquarters for 'Operation Mongoose', the plot to overthrow Castro. George Joannides worked closely with the Student Revolutionary Directorate (DRE), a militant anti-communist, anti-Castro group

So who can identify who?

Ed Lopez (CIA): 99% certain of the identification of Joannides in the ambassador hotel.

Dan Hardway (CIA): He knew Joannides as well as Ed Lopez but could not identify Joannides.

Tom Clines CIA): Claimed it wasn't Morales, and couldn't identify Joannides or Campbell.

Ed Wilson (CIA): Claimed it wasn't Morales, and couldn't identify Joannides or Campbell.

Wayne Smith (State Dept Official): Worked with Morales in the US Embassy in Havana in 1959. "Virtually certain" identification of Morales in Ambassador hotel.

Bradley Ayers (US Army Captain): Identifies Campbell and Morales with 90% accuracy. Though it's difficult to read much into his opinion after his comment on video 'see how he moves back and forth very casualy so as not to attract attention to himself, that is no question', that's definately David Morales'. Though this is an unconvincing comment to make when one views the video! (Sorry lost the link - will search later).

Grayston Lynch (CIA): Claims it's not Campbell.

Manuel Chavez (CIA): Claims it's not Morales. He had shared a desk with Morales a few years previous

David Rabern (freelance mercenary contracted by the CIA for bay of pigs): Was in the Ambassador hotel that night and positively identify Morales and Campbell.

If the CIA were involved why would senior CIA figures be present and expose themselves on video and photos at the scene of the assassination and thereby allow everyone create a link between the CIA and the assassination. 'They' might as well have asked three senior CIA figures to stand on the grassy knoll in Dealy Plaza at the time of JFKs assassination!

And what of George Joannides role in the reopening of the JFK assassination in 1978? He was retired, but called up and selected as a CIA liaison to the House Select Committee on Assassinations. He never revealed his CIA past (why was it not investigated), so there was possibly a conflict of interests. What credence can be attached to the conclusions of this report?