Ted Kennedy FBI Files:
Mafia 'Pulled the Trigger' on JFK, Plotted Ted's Death
Tuesday 15 June 2010
21 hours ago
Satirical newspaper The Onion once mocked the myriad conspiracy theories surrounding President John F. Kennedy's death with the headline "Kennedy Slain by CIA, Mafia, Castro, LBJ, Teamsters, Freemasons." Merits of these assassination theories aside, it's clear that the conspiracy mindset was ingrained in the American psyche soon after the 1963 shooting in Dallas.
Information from Ted Kennedy's FBI files, just released today, will do little to dispel that mindset, making numerous references to Mafia conspiracies to kill members of the Kennedy family, including Ted.
Most of the information comes from letters or threats the FBI received from individuals claiming to work for the Mafia or to have knowledge of mob plots concerning the Kennedys.
In a rambling 1970 letter, one man who identifies himself as a former mafioso wrote:
In 1948 I joined the Mafia organization and was inogurated [sic] by the Supreme Boss who is a Governor of one of your states in America. From 1948-1960 I did a lot of gun smuggling, and held many secret documents relating to the security of America. In 1962 I attended a meeting during which the main discussion was the killing of President John F. Kennedy. Now, although you did tap a conversation on Nov the 9th relating to the killing this was deliberately done for you to hear. But although you caught one man and he was shot by another, up to now the man who really pulled the trigger is at large still and the man who planned it all, for we knew we could not miss. In 1965 the killer was sent to me for a rest, but last October I sent him back upon instructions, for another assanin [sic] is to take place which is the last of the Kennedy's.
The writer went on to demand a payment of $20,000 and passage to the United States to reveal what he knew about JFK's death.
In another 1969 incident in the file, a woman reported to a Michigan sheriff's office that she had prior knowledge of a plot against Kennedy's life. The sheriff's office believed the call to be a hoax, but filed an FBI report nonetheless.
You can follow the rest of my updates on the Ted Kennedy FBI files here.
Filed Under: Surge Desk
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