Ted Kennedy FBI file

Portions of Kennedy FBI File May Stay Family Secret

(April 12) — What secrets still remain
about one of America’s most famous public
figures?

Before the FBI releases 3,000 pages of its
file on Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy,
the family of the late political icon will have
a chance to review them and make its case
to keep some portions from being made
public.
The release of this first installment of
Kennedy’s file comes in response to several
Freedom of Information Act requests made
following the senator’s death from brain
cancer in 2009 at the age of 77.
Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images
Ted Kennedy’s family will have the opportunity
to review the late Massachusetts
senator’s FBI file before it is released to the
public.
According to The Boston Globe, the
Kennedy family’s review of the documents
is an “uncommon” privilege and is meant to
ensure that the privacy of living people
mentioned in the file is not violated.
While neither the FBI nor the Kennedy
family has publicly commented on its contents,
it’s possible the file could shed new
light on such events as the 1969 death of
Mary Jo Kopechne, the passenger who
drowned when Kennedy drove his car off a
bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Mass.
“It’s impossible for me to say what is in
the file,” Robert Dallek, an author and former
Boston University professor, told the
Globe, “though one can speculate that it
will contain material about Sen. Kennedy’s
private life, including Chappaquiddick.”
It is also likely the FBI file contains information
regarding threats against the former
senator, whose two brothers — John F.
Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy — were
assassinated.
While family members such as
Kennedy’s widow, Victoria Reggie
Kennedy, and his son Patrick Kennedy will
not be able to prohibit the FBI from releasing
anything within the 3,000 pages, their
objections could cause the bureau to rethink
which portions it ultimately makes
public.
Already released government documents
show that under the leadership of J. Edgar
Hoover, the FBI, in conjunction with the
Nixon White House, illegally attempted to
gather information to discredit Kennedy,
the Globe said.
As yet, no date has been set for the release
of this installment of Kennedy’s file.

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