Kenneth O'Donnell

[Jamey Flanagan]

Just wanted to see what everyone's take was on this man. From all appearances he seems to be loyal and close to the Kennedy family, especially Bobby. He and Dave Powers had both went along with the "official" story in their Warren Comission testimony but in the Tip O'Neill biography "Man Of The House" he wrote of a dinner with those two where both indicated that shots were fired from behind the fence on the grassy knoll. After Tip pointed out how that differed from their WC testimony O'Donnell replied "I told the FBI what I had heard, but they said it couldn't have happened that way and that I must have been imagining things. So I testified the way they wanted me to. I just didn't want to stir up any more pain and trouble for the family." That's not to say that he was neccesarily a traitor or anything because Robert Kennedy did many puzzling things that seemed as if he went along with the "official" story at least on the surface. Like sending Walter Sherridan to N.O. to torpedo Garrison's investigation. And some say that the missing JFK (or who ever it belonged to, lol) brain and other objects were delivered to Bobby by Burkley. This apparent cover up from RFK may lend credence to the research into a supposed Operation Freedom that Bobby headed himself to solve the Cuban situation and take out Castro. I've heard as well about RFK talking by phone to one of the anti-Castro Cubans involved in this operation and flatly stating one of their guys killed his brother. That would be just like the plotters to blame someone in RFK's own operation for the assassination. And I have no doubt that Bobby knew it was a conspiracy but I really do believe he thought Oswald was part of the assassination plot. I think that may have had a lot to do with Bobby keeping his silence on the assassination for the most part. He felt personally responsible. Not just for his Cuban operation being turned around on his own brother but for his agression in trying to take out the mob. Anyway, back to Kenny O'Donnell......he stayed on with the Johnson administration for awhile. Then later worked on the RFK campaign until his assassination. I just wanted everyone's thoughts on him. Do you think he had any knowledge or involvement at all? I don't really think so but so many people close to the Kennedy family did so many strange and puzzling things after the JFK murder.

[David Andrews]

Kenny O'Donnell literally drank himself to death by 1977 out of depression over the deaths of the Kennedy brothers.  That aside, I doubt he had any involvement in the JFKA.  I see him as political only in he party-loyalist sense.  I'm certainly interested in other facts and opinions.

Edited September 12, 2019 by David Andrews