The location of JFK's first casket?

[Guest Mark Valenti]

From a 1999 news report:

Loaded with 240 pounds of sand and drilled with holes so it would stay on the ocean floor, the coffin that carried John F. Kennedy's body from Dallas to Washington was dumped at sea in 1966 under orders of the Kennedy family. Documents released Tuesday by the National Archives showed that despite concerns over whether the casket should be destroyed, the government honored the Kennedy family wishes and took pains to ensure that the casket would remain in a watery grave.

Does anyone know where this took place? And if so, has anyone tried to locate the casket underwater? Presumably the ocean would have tainted most evidentiary material by now but maybe not...

[Bruce Cormier]

From a 1999 news report:

Loaded with 240 pounds of sand and drilled with holes so it would stay on the ocean floor, the coffin that carried John F. Kennedy's body from Dallas to Washington was dumped at sea in 1966 under orders of the Kennedy family. Documents released Tuesday by the National Archives showed that despite concerns over whether the casket should be destroyed, the government honored the Kennedy family wishes and took pains to ensure that the casket would remain in a watery grave.

Does anyone know where this took place? And if so, has anyone tried to locate the casket underwater? Presumably the ocean would have tainted most evidentiary material by now but maybe not...

I suspect the answers are "no" and "no" respectively. This indeed occurred per the orders of RFK. I believe documents pertaining to the mechanics of the disposal were released by the AARB. We are not talking about the Titanic here. We are talking about a bronze casket dropped by a USAF plane somewhere over the Atlantic. I doubt Ballard has either the interest or know how.

[J. William King]

The casket was dropped into 9000 feet of water at N 38.5 deg, W 72.1 deg., on Feb. 18, 1966 at 10am.

http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/othe...Disposition.pdf

This is a large (2meg) pdf file. The acutal disposition memo is the "Steadman Memo", page 14. The rest are related documents.

JWK

Edited July 23, 2006 by J. William King

[Rex Bradford]

The casket was dropped into 9000 feet of water at N 38.5 deg, W 72.1 deg., on Feb. 18, 1966 at 10am.

http://www.aarclibrary.org/publib/jfk/othe...Disposition.pdf

This is a large (2meg) pdf file. The acutal disposition memo is the "Steadman Memo", page 14. The rest are related documents.

JWK

The documents in question, released by the National Archives in 2000, contain maps delineating the location of the drop. It is apparently in an area used, at least at one time, as a dumping ground for weaponry. Still, it might be a great project to convince somebody like Mel Fischer-King (who found the Atosha Spanish wreck and its gold) to go after it.

Given the timing of the drop (early 1966), there are many reasons to suspect that the "missing #9 materials" related to the autopsy could be in the casket. In April 1965 the Kennedy family received the autopsy materials from the federal government:

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk.../md70_0001a.htm

Then in October 1966 the family transferred the materials back to the federal government via a "deed of gift," which put the materials under control of the Kennedy family while in govt. possession:

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk...md112_0001a.htm

When the materials were inspected in 1966, it was discovered that some things were missing - everything listed under number 9 in the original transfer document. This included "gross material" (the brain) and tissue slides. It also included the original and 7 copies of the autopsy report. This is interesting because there is a separate "original" autopsy report in federal hands. Doug Horne of the ARRB wrote about the problem of two originals:

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk...Prot1_0001a.htm

and

http://www.history-matters.com/archive/jfk...Prot2_0001a.htm

So anyway the timing makes it quite possible that the brain, tissue slides, and maybe even the real original autopsy protocol are under 9000 feet of water. It would make sense that RFK would give his brother's remains a "sea burial," given that JFK was a Navy man.

Also worth noting is that it was a letter from Congressman Earl Cabell, former mayor of Dallas, that got the ball rolling on this.

Rex

[Dawn Meredith]

[quote name='Mark Valenti' date='Jul 24 2006, 08:46 PM' post='70085']

The casket was dropped into 9000 feet of water at N 38.5 deg, W 72.1 deg., on Feb. 18, 1966 at 10am.

Also worth noting is that it was a letter from Congressman Earl Cabell, former mayor of Dallas, that got the ball rolling on this.

Rex

Rex,

Fantastic research on the casket and its disposition. How remarkable that Cabell was instrumental in the destruction of a key piece of evidence.

Mark, Rex:

Interesting indeed. I would be very interested in knowing what sort of relationship- (if any) -existed between Senator Kennedy and Earle Cabell in 1996.

Interesting that JFK Jr was aslo buried at sea, under most mysterious circumstances.

Dawn

[J. William King]

Interesting that JFK Jr was aslo buried at sea, under most mysterious circumstances.

Here's a can-opener to that particular container of worms, Dawn...

http://www.skolnicksreport.com/goldenboy.html

JWK

[Myra Bronstein]

Interesting that JFK Jr was aslo buried at sea, under most mysterious circumstances.

Here's a can-opener to that particular container of worms, Dawn...

http://www.skolnicksreport.com/goldenboy.html

JWK

It is my opinion that the true number of convenient and mysterious deaths would shock even most conspiracy-oriented researchers, if known - and is beyond the credulity of most of the public. Johnson's statement of a 'Murder Incorporated' comes to mind....and I think he was NOT just talking about Latin America.

Does anyone know if JFK Jr was laid to rest in the same part of the ocean as his father?