RFK: An Open & Shut Case - Parts 1 - 3 (& continuing)
In a period of under 5 years the hijacking of the US government by a CIA-led cabal was completed. The assassinations of JFK, MLK and finally RFK allowed the shadow government to take full control of the reins of power. They have never relinquished it! Starting with JFK's successor (also complicit) each occupant of the White House has had little alternative but to implement programs initiated by the CIA and its warring partners in the military-industrial complex. While there was one other failed attempt (on the life of Ronald Reagan), the others have all been made to 'see the light' and to comply with the concealed agenda. One who served an abbreviated term even came out of that organization and played a key role in at least one of those power-grabbing assassinations - he is still alive today!
But though he was neither President nor legendary civil rights leader, Bobby's 'offing' was essential to those 'behind the scene' as he had clearly signaled his intention to hunt down his brother's real killers. In each of the cases the tried and proven model of a 'patsy' who played no part in the killing was used. But unlike Oswald who was silenced before a trial could take place, Sirhan was sentenced to death by the gas chamber. The plotters however could not foresee that his sentence would be commuted when California abolished the death penalty three years later. Although denied parole on every application, Sirhan is very much alive and if recent moves to reopen his now discredited trial are successful, this could well be the key to exposing the hidden connections behind all three agency-organized murders.
This post continues from my earlier ones dealing with first JFK then RFK - part two of a 3-part series that will be completed with MLK in the near future. Both the video series and article expand on what was previously brought to light. Below are the links that will take you directly to my earlier postings.
Synopsis
“…An open and shut case, right from the beginning; with all of the witnesses and the physical evidence; and I don’t think it probably could have been handled in any better fashion than it really was.”
These were the words of Edward Davis, Chief of Police, Los Angeles Police Department, commenting on the performance of his department in the aftermath of the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Indeed, statements not only by Ed Davis, but also by most local officials at the time – such as Evelle Younger, Los Angeles District Attorney, and Sam Yorty, Mayor of Los Angeles, reflected the ‘obvious’ simple finding that Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, and Sirhan alone, shot RFK and five others in that cramped kitchen-pantry adjacent to the Embassy Room in the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968.
After all, a number of people saw Sirhan raise and fire his weapon at close range to Kennedy. His Iver Johnson Cadet 55 eight–shot .22 caliber revolver was removed from his hand and later placed into evidence. What more could you want to define “an open and shut case“?
And yet, what emerged were many contradictory bits of evidence; some appeared from the very beginning, others gradually came to light over the months and years that have transpired since the shooting.
In this book, we explore a number of these findings, focusing first on recent scientific discoveries that cast grave doubt upon the ’single shooter’ conclusion that was so hastily cast at the outset. Not that there weren’t sufficient clues at the outset pointing to the existence of a “second shooter”. Unfortunately, it took many years for significant facts to become available to the public. The authorities carefully guarded the evidence, and destroyed many key items, releasing details only when forced to do so.
At the same time, as you read this book it will become perhaps a bit easier to understand the actions initially taken by the authorities at the time of the shooting, as we uncover – for the first time – detailed, unedited conversations within the LAPD during those crucial moments following the shooting.
As we become armed with the new scientific knowledge firmly establishing the existence of a second shooter, we then present a fresh perspective on the bullets fired in that pantry. We re-examine witness statements and scrutinize the investigation process followed by the authorities. As many contradictions will become apparent when this information is presented, we examine them in detail, also presenting the government point of view.
Finally, in the Epilogue, we present our conclusions, based on the data presented earlier. There is much additional research that should be conducted in the future; but at this moment in time our knowledge base has significantly progressed. No longer need there be any discussion as to whether a second shooter was present in that dimly lit, narrow kitchen-pantry in the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968.
Voluminous material is provided in the Appendices, allowing readers to view for themselves actual transcripts, photos, witness statements, government document excerpts and medical reports. Plus, there’s a DVD package, providing many video and audio clips – some rarely or never seen before. Included are many interviews, two video clips capturing the chaos in the kitchen-pantry shortly after the shooting, and excerpts from previous documentaries covering the assassination through the years.
In Chapter 1, the Stanislaw Pruszynski recording is examined. This obscure journalist had just completed recording Senator Kennedy’s California Presidential Primary victory statement. Then, inadvertently, his tape recorder remained in record mode as he exited the Ambassador Hotel’s Embassy Room, following the Kennedy procession into the adjoining kitchen-pantry area. It was precisely at this time, as Pruszynski departed the Embassy Room, that the shots began. Author Van Praag’s extensive analysis of this recording has led to significant findings, prompting the production of a one–hour television documentary on the Discovery Times Channel (originally airing in June, 2007) and followed by additional findings never before published.
Prior to making judgments based on the raw analysis, however, given the complex arena that existed in the Ambassador Hotel’s kitchen-pantry area (moreover with imperfect source information) it’s important to consider the complete context of the event; not simply the raw data. In conjunction with (and really inseparable from) this data, this context is covered in detail.
In Chapter 2, police radio transmissions are examined. These unedited never-before-available recordings provide a first-hand accounting of the actual police conversations beginning just after the shooting. No conjecture, no imperfect recollections; just the real-time captured communications as authorities struggled to meet the demands of this event. Particular focus will be placed on LAPD Sergeant Paul Sharaga, who set up and operated the police “Command Post” in the rear parking lot of the Ambassador shortly after the shooting.
In Chapter 3, we take an in-depth look into those shots fired in the kitchen pantry. Unfortunately, the combination of a chaotic crime scene, withheld and destroyed evidence, conflicting statements and a quick rush to judgment have all contributed to many years of erroneous beliefs and speculation that could have been largely avoided, had common sense and appropriate police procedure been followed.
In Chapter 4, we look at witness and expert statements related to the shooting, including ‘pre’ and ‘post’ shooting observations. A number of those statements and observations are presented in captured video clips contained on the DVDs included with this book.
In Chapter 5, we scrutinize the LAPD’s investigation of this event. We closely examine every aspect of government activities, from forensic analysis of the crime scene, medical analyses, government prosecution of the murder case against Sirhan, and the handling of evidence. Statements from government representatives will be compared against independent expert views. A number of apparent mis-judgments and errors (some would suggest a ‘cover-up’) will be closely examined.
In Chapter 6, three Government accounts related to the assassination are discussed, including the massive “An Investigation Summary…” produced by the LAPD’s special “SUS” task force, “The Kranz Report” as produced at the completion of a special investigation requested by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, and “Special Unit Senator“, written by Robert A. Houghton, the LAPD’s Chief of Detectives.
In Chapter 7, we describe a number of the conspiracy theories that have emerged through the years. What must be considered in this context are two possible avenues of conspiracy: one being a conspiracy to commit murder; the other being a conspiracy to cover up. Both avenues are explored.
In Chapter 8, we delve into the victim injuries incurred in that kitchen-pantry. We find that the deeper one examines the facts encompassing both Senator Kennedy’s autopsy findings and the other shooting victim details, the more flaws are revealed in the government’s conclusions.
In the Epilogue, we report our best judgment as to what likely occurred in the Ambassador Hotel’s kitchen-pantry on June 5, 1968; what we feel can be reasonably concluded, based on past evidence and new findings.
Several Appendices are included, with considerable raw data to support and flesh out the earlier chapters. And attached to this book is a unique collection of broadcast and print media segments – presented in DVD format. Many of these clips were recorded very soon after the shooting, capturing the detailed nuances of what occurred that night. Later recollections and viewpoints are also included; and while still useful, these may be less accurate, suffering perhaps from failing memories, or even tainted – as some may claim - by embellishment, or as a result of persuasion by (and / or collaboration with) others.
*****Overall, the purpose of this book is twofold: first, to present important new evidence that has taken 40 years to uncover; second, to serve as a model for what can occur when a ‘rush to judgment’ blinds us to important facts; facts that can lead to far different conclusions.
No one contests the fact that Sirhan was in that kitchen–pantry; no one contests that he fired his weapon. Yet many other factors – including a number of the “obvious” early judgments that seemed to obviate the need for a more complete, objective investigation, resulted in the loss of valuable evidence and the lack of accurate findings that could have radically altered the ultimate conclusions. Through the passage of so much time, many witnesses are no longer with us and much original evidence has been lost. Unfortunately, this casts doubt as to whether others who may have been involved in this crime will ever be identified. Nonetheless, it is important from an historical perspective, and an important lesson of life, to uncover and present what is now known about this tragic event in the history of our nation.
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