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Robert Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe


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It is usually assumed that Robert Kennedy did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe. However, William Sullivan, who was Deputy Director of the FBI under Hoover claims that this was not the case. This is what he had to say about this and other matters it in his autobiography: The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover's FBI (1979):

Although Hoover was desperately trying to catch Bobby Kennedy red-handed at anything, he never did. Kennedy was almost a Puritan. We used to watch him at parties, where he would order one glass of scotch and still be sipping from the same glass two hours later. The stories about Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe were just stories. The original story was invented by a so-called journalist, a right-wing zealot who had a history of spinning wild yarns. It spread like wildfire, of course, and J. Edgar Hoover was right there, gleefully fanning the flames.

When Bobby Kennedy was campaigning for the presidential nomination in 1968, his name came up at a top-level FBI meeting. Hoover was not present, and Clyde Tolson was presiding in his absence. I was one of eight men who heard Tolson respond to the mention of Kennedy's name by saying, "I hope someone shoots and kills the son of a bitch." This was five or six weeks before the California primary. I used to stare at Tolson after Bobby Kennedy was murdered, wondering if he had qualms of conscience about what he said. I don't think he did.

On 6 June 1968, the Los Angeles office called me at about two o'clock in the morning to tell me that Robert Kennedy had been killed. I had the damn phone in my hand, half asleep, and I asked the agent to repeat what he'd said. And then I woke up, really woke up. There was another tremendous investigation of course, and we did finally decide that Sirhan acted alone, but we never found out why. Although he was fanatic about the Arab cause, we could never link Sirhan to any organization or to any other country. He never received a dime from anyone for what he did. We sometimes wondered whether someone representing the Soviets had suggested to Sirhan that Kennedy would take action against the Arab countries if he became president. But that was only a guess.

There were so many holes in the case. We never could account for Sirhan's presence in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. Did he know Kennedy would be walking through? Intelligence work is exasperating. You can work on a case for years and still not know the real answers. There are so many unknowns. Investigating Sirhan was a frustrating job, for in the end we were never sure.

Hoover's dislike of Robert Kennedy continued even after Kennedy's death. We had a positive identification on James Earl Ray, the killer of Martin Luther King, Jr., a full day before Hoover released the news to the world that he had been caught in London. He purposely held up the report of Ray's capture so that he could interrupt TV coverage of Bobby's burial, on June 8.

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It is usually assumed that Robert Kennedy did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe. However, William Sullivan, who was Deputy Director of the FBI under Hoover claims that this was not the case. This is what he had to say about this and other matters it in his autobiography: The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover's FBI (1979):

Although Hoover was desperately trying to catch Bobby Kennedy red-handed at anything, he never did. Kennedy was almost a Puritan. We used to watch him at parties, where he would order one glass of scotch and still be sipping from the same glass two hours later. The stories about Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe were just stories. The original story was invented by a so-called journalist, a right-wing zealot who had a history of spinning wild yarns. It spread like wildfire, of course, and J. Edgar Hoover was right there, gleefully fanning the flames.

When Bobby Kennedy was campaigning for the presidential nomination in 1968, his name came up at a top-level FBI meeting. Hoover was not present, and Clyde Tolson was presiding in his absence. I was one of eight men who heard Tolson respond to the mention of Kennedy's name by saying, "I hope someone shoots and kills the son of a bitch." This was five or six weeks before the California primary. I used to stare at Tolson after Bobby Kennedy was murdered, wondering if he had qualms of conscience about what he said. I don't think he did.

On 6 June 1968, the Los Angeles office called me at about two o'clock in the morning to tell me that Robert Kennedy had been killed. I had the damn phone in my hand, half asleep, and I asked the agent to repeat what he'd said. And then I woke up, really woke up. There was another tremendous investigation of course, and we did finally decide that Sirhan acted alone, but we never found out why. Although he was fanatic about the Arab cause, we could never link Sirhan to any organization or to any other country. He never received a dime from anyone for what he did. We sometimes wondered whether someone representing the Soviets had suggested to Sirhan that Kennedy would take action against the Arab countries if he became president. But that was only a guess.

There were so many holes in the case. We never could account for Sirhan's presence in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel. Did he know Kennedy would be walking through? Intelligence work is exasperating. You can work on a case for years and still not know the real answers. There are so many unknowns. Investigating Sirhan was a frustrating job, for in the end we were never sure.

Hoover's dislike of Robert Kennedy continued even after Kennedy's death. We had a positive identification on James Earl Ray, the killer of Martin Luther King, Jr., a full day before Hoover released the news to the world that he had been caught in London. He purposely held up the report of Ray's capture so that he could interrupt TV coverage of Bobby's burial, on June 8.

Typical Hoover,

Sullivans account just shows how difficult matters of this magnitude are to investigate and what international forces you may or may not be dealing with.

I find Hoover interupting bobbys burial truly sickening.

John

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  • 1 year later...
It is usually assumed that Robert Kennedy did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe. However, William Sullivan, who was Deputy Director of the FBI under Hoover claims that this was not the case. This is what he had to say about this and other matters it in his autobiography: The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover's FBI (1979):

Although Hoover was desperately trying to catch Bobby Kennedy red-handed at anything, he never did. Kennedy was almost a Puritan. We used to watch him at parties, where he would order one glass of scotch and still be sipping from the same glass two hours later. The stories about Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe were just stories. The original story was invented by a so-called journalist, a right-wing zealot who had a history of spinning wild yarns. It spread like wildfire, of course, and J. Edgar Hoover was right there, gleefully fanning the flames.

I imagine Sullivan is referring to Dorothy Kilgallen who first broke the story in The New York Journal American (3rd August, 1962) when she wrote: “Marilyn Monroe's health must be improving. She's been attending select Hollywood parties and has become the talk of the town again. In California, they're circulating a photograph of her that certainly isn't as bare as he famous calendar, but is very interesting... And she's cooking in the sex-appeal department, too; she's proved vastly alluring to a handsome gentleman who is a bigger name than Joe DiMaggio in his heyday.” It was assumed that she was talking about John Kennedy. However, she said later she was writing about the affair with Robert Kennedy.

Sullivan correctly describes Kilgallen as a right-wing journalist (although she had liberal views on race). Kilgallen was a reporter that the CIA could trust to put out disinformation about people they wanted to damage.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkennedyR.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKkilgallen.htm

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  • 3 weeks later...

It is usually assumed that Robert Kennedy did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe. However, William Sullivan, who was Deputy Director of the FBI under Hoover claims that this was not the case. This is what he had to say about this and other matters it in his autobiography: The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover's FBI (1979):

Although Hoover was desperately trying to catch Bobby Kennedy red-handed at anything, he never did. Kennedy was almost a Puritan. We used to watch him at parties, where he would order one glass of scotch and still be sipping from the same glass two hours later. The stories about Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe were just stories. The original story was invented by a so-called journalist, a right-wing zealot who had a history of spinning wild yarns. It spread like wildfire, of course, and J. Edgar Hoover was right there, gleefully fanning the flames.

I imagine Sullivan is referring to Dorothy Kilgallen who first broke the story in The New York Journal American (3rd August, 1962) when she wrote: “Marilyn Monroe's health must be improving. She's been attending select Hollywood parties and has become the talk of the town again. In California, they're circulating a photograph of her that certainly isn't as bare as he famous calendar, but is very interesting... And she's cooking in the sex-appeal department, too; she's proved vastly alluring to a handsome gentleman who is a bigger name than Joe DiMaggio in his heyday.” It was assumed that she was talking about John Kennedy. However, she said later she was writing about the affair with Robert Kennedy.

You left out Kilgallen saying that in the "interesting" photograph "Marilyn's dress looks as if it were plastered to her skin."

No, William Sullivan is not referring to Kilgallen. He's referring to Frank Capell. Read more about him in Anthony Summers' 1986 paperback edition of "Goddess." Capell published a small book, more like a pamphlet, that smeared Robert Kennedy during his campaign for the U. S. Senate in 1964. Mr. Summers notes that the pamphlet "failed to hurt Robert Kennedy." Indeed, he was elected to the U. S. Senate from New York.

Sullivan correctly describes Kilgallen as a right-wing journalist (although she had liberal views on race).

Kilgallen also had liberal views on pornography as she explained on the TV talk show "Hot Line" broadcast with a ten - second delay on October 8, 1964. Listen to the audio track via www.atvaudio.com. She also said the words "republican" and "democrat" don't do her justice because her stance varies according to the topic. On another "Hot Line" she reminded Gore Vidal and the Rev. William Sloane Coffin -- Google him -- that the FBI had caught a suspect in the murder of Medgar Evers, but he was acquitted.

Kilgallen was a reporter that the CIA could trust to put out disinformation about people they wanted to damage.

You have said this before -- that she could be a CIA media asset. But how do you know ? Who have you talked to who knew Kilgallen personally ?

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAkennedyR.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKkilgallen.htm

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hoover's dislike of Robert Kennedy continued even after Kennedy's death. We had a positive identification on James Earl Ray, the killer of Martin Luther King, Jr., a full day before Hoover released the news to the world that he had been caught in London. He purposely held up the report of Ray's capture so that he could interrupt TV coverage of Bobby's burial, on June 8.[/color]

Typical Hoover,

Sullivans account just shows how difficult matters of this magnitude are to investigate and what international forces you may or may not be dealing with.

I find Hoover interupting bobbys burial truly sickening.

John

Hoover's trying to cut into the coverage of the funeral was not just Sullivan's theory. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Hoover's boss at the time, discovered the same thing, and has mentioned it in several interviews. In Robert Kennedy's FBI file, moreover, there are memos regarding a memorial service for Kennedy held at the Justice Department. Hoover had one of his men take notes on everyone who attended and what they had to say.

Hoover was a sick S.O.B. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he had something to do with the JFK, MLK and RFK killings. While many of the Europeans on this forum tend to think CIA CIA, within the United States Hoover and his FBI were far more powerful, and far more evil.

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Hoover's dislike of Robert Kennedy continued even after Kennedy's death. We had a positive identification on James Earl Ray, the killer of Martin Luther King, Jr., a full day before Hoover released the news to the world that he had been caught in London. He purposely held up the report of Ray's capture so that he could interrupt TV coverage of Bobby's burial, on June 8.[/color]

Typical Hoover,

Sullivans account just shows how difficult matters of this magnitude are to investigate and what international forces you may or may not be dealing with.

I find Hoover interupting bobbys burial truly sickening.

John

Hoover's trying to cut into the coverage of the funeral was not just Sullivan's theory. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, Hoover's boss at the time, discovered the same thing, and has mentioned it in several interviews. In Robert Kennedy's FBI file, moreover, there are memos regarding a memorial service for Kennedy held at the Justice Department. Hoover had one of his men take notes on everyone who attended and what they had to say.

Hoover was a sick S.O.B. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if he had something to do with the JFK, MLK and RFK killings. While many of the Europeans on this forum tend to think CIA CIA, within the United States Hoover and his FBI were far more powerful, and far more evil.

Pat, I feel certain that Hoover would have had people in the CIA keeping him completely updated, as well as implementing any directives. I think that without a doubt that J. Edgar Hoover was directly involved before and after the three assassinations.

Terry

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