Jump to content
The Education Forum

Dorothy Kilgallen: The Key Witness


John Simkin

Recommended Posts

I just discovered an interesting datum in the 1967 CIA Inspector General's Report.  (I've probably included too much of it below.)

The point, made in red, is that Dorothy Kilgallen was apparently quite friendly with Sam Giancana's girl-friend Phyllis McGure.  See the passage re Maheu, O'Connell and Rosselli going out for late-night drinks at the Copacabana in Manhattan and almost runnning into Phyllis McGuire, who was there with Dorothy Kilgallen.

Significant?  You decide.

I don’t think this is significant. Dorothy Kilgallen had a large number of friends who were in show business. After all, she was mainly a gossip columnist. It might have been significant if she was seen having a meeting with Sam Giancana.

Interestingly, there were rumours that she had been murdered by the mob. The reason was her long-term feud with Frank Sinatra. He often made personal attacks on her during his concert performances. This conflict dated back to an article she wrote about Sinatra in 1956. Another enemy was Jack Paar. This is an extract from Lee Israel’s book on Kilgallen:

”There had been some snide little items about her (Dorothy Kilgallen) in the columns, an occasional short profile in the magazines, and frequent strafing from television performers. Jack Paar led the pack in 1960, taking up Sinatra's slack. That tempestuous round began when Dorothy swiped at him in the column over his impassioned support of Fidel Castro. She was violently opposed to the new Cuban leader and peppered her column with anti-Castro items, many of which appear to have been fed to her by Miami-based exiles or CIA fronts on an almost daily basis. Paar retaliated on his prime-time, high-rated television show.”

"Interestingly, there were rumours that she had been murdered by the mob."

I am sure there were lots of rumors at the time, however, in the end, having an interview with Jack Ruby trumps a petty feud with the likes of Sinatra, who got back at her many times over with the chin comment.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 45
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...