Ted Kennedy Death Threat File Now Public: FBI Conceals Kennedy Name: Remember Mary Jo One More Time

No surprise that Ted Kennedy's life was under continual threat of assassination. Apparently the file released by the FBI is huge. I found a couple of interesting items - about Mary Jo Kopechne, of course.

Ted Kennedy's car in waters off of Chappaquiddick Island

The FBI file, some 2,352 pages of it, shows that the Boston office of the FBI was notified of the "accident" immediately, but kept his identity secret as long as they could.

John Dean, in Richard Nixon's administration, asked the FBI to discreetly determine if Mary Jo had been in Greece in August 1968, about eleven months before she died. Dean supplied Kopechne's passport number. This report blacks out whatever answer was found. This give the impression that Ted Kennedy was in Greece in August 1968. So far, I haven't found any reports putting him there, but I'm sure if Ted Kennedy did not want to be found, he could make that happen.

Here's a reminder of Chappaquiddick that I found at Boston.com - many years after Mary Joe Kopechne died. This article published by the leading paper in Ted Kennedy's hometown makes you feel as though you were in the car with Kennedy and Kopechne. Portions of the following is from my own article. Those portions have not been indented.

Mary Jo Kopechne

Her death occurred on July 20th, 1969 [she would have been 70 in 2010]. She was 28 at the time. Two days later her funeral was held in Pennsylvania and she was buried there. Ms. Kophecne's body was whisked off the island and out of Massachusetts for a very quick burial.

There was no defense for Ms. Kopechne against the Kennedy clan. There was no autopsy.

Kennedy pleaded "guilty," and then:

Ted Kennedy

His lawyer asked that his sentence be suspended. Judge James Boyle consented. 

"It is my understanding that he has already been, and will continue to be, punished far beyond anything this court can impose," said Boyle. 

The hearing lasted less than 10 minutes. Afterward, the police chief told reporters his investigation was closed. 

In January [1970], the Chappaquiddick inquest was held on Martha's Vineyard. Kennedy's lawyers had prevailed, and the four days of testimony were closed to the public and press, the transcript locked away until a later date. 

Within days of its decision, Judge Boyle released the 764-page inquest transcript — including his own stunning conclusion that Kennedy's negligence had contributed to Kopechne's death. 

Based on testimony at the inquest, Boyle concluded that Kennedy had lied; he "did not intend to drive to the ferry slip and his turn onto Dike Road was intentional."

Ted Kennedy's book, True Compass, was released just before his death. One thousand leather-bound copies sold for $1,000 each. Maybe Kennedy found his True Compass before he died. He certainly didn't have it the night he did not rescue Mary Jo Kopechne from the cold waters off of Chappaquiddick Island. I guess it is time I let his memory rest in peace.