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Family stalls release of Ted Kennedy’s secret FBI Chappaquiddick file

Files expected to shine light on accident and death threats after brothers' assassinations

CATHY HAYES,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 7:25 AM

Updated Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 7:33 AM

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23 Comments

Senator Ted Kennedy

The late Senator Edward Kennedy’s FBI file, which was to be released this week, is expected to reveal major secrets about the family's history.

However, the release has been delayed as the file has been placed “under further review” pending a requested by the family.

The total document, which is believed to be over 3,000 pages long, has been eagerly anticipated by historians who say it will shine light on some of the more controversial history of the Kennedy dynasty.

It is believed the file will give information on issues such as the potential threats to Ted Kennedy’s life after the assassination of his brothers President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

And it is also believed to include previously unreported details about Kennedy’s involvement in the accidental drowning of May Jo Kopechne in 1969 when his car drove off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island.

The Kennedys have successfully stalled the release of the files by raising objections about certain information on privacy grounds.

Kenneth Feinberg, a former chief of staff to Ted Kennedy, and now part of the Treasury Department, is representing the family on this issue. There has been no comment from the family about the reason for the delay.

FBI spokesman Dennis Argall, said information cannot be excluded from the document simply because it is embarrassing.

FBI experts are expect to remove references to individuals still living or anything connected to national security, including details related to Kennedy’s own involved in intelligence matters.

Nster.com

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23 Comments

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tsmothers | Mar 01, 2011, 09:24 AM EST

He's been gone almost a year know, wonder whats taking so long to rename Massachusetts after him. He made sure the Garden in Boston was named after that great politician his mom. I wonder when the citizens in Mass got to vote on those naming rights?

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killowen | Jun 02, 2010, 09:52 PM EDT

chapaquiddickers of which there were many roamed thru Merry O during war years. brit seaman told of returning home to find yankee chap doing wife. hard times and needing a little candy or stockings was all it took, or a quid perhaps. in cuba it was chapabuckdickers flowing in from florida – pre castro.

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McNamara31 | May 31, 2010, 08:00 PM EDT

@Realist ....Just a few thoughts for you. Your people arrived in 1600 and witnessed the outright cruelty, deprivation, starvation and death of generations of Irish people so forgive me if I don't have an ounce of sympathy for your position about poor old Ted. If anything, I like him even better, even with all his falts.

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Monsoonman | May 30, 2010, 02:13 PM EDT

May I inquire into the thinking that it is not OK to know the truth? Just because it happened a few years back does that mean it is not important to know exactly what happened? Or is ignorance bliss?...Is there anything about Richard Nixon that we don't know about? He had a profound impact on our country, so did the Kennedys, lets see the truth: The good the bad and the ugly.

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beachline | May 30, 2010, 12:18 PM EDT

Let the dead rest in whatever peace they can get . It is a known fact that all of the Kennedys attained their money and power from "Grandpa Joe", who got the money from various ways and means and bought political favors with it. SO WHAT !!!! The files have probably been sanitized many times over and do not contain any thing new.

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Monsoonman | May 29, 2010, 03:06 PM EDT

Evidently in the land of oz, some looked behind the curtain and found it isn't pretty. Others will continue blithely on the yellow brick road.

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Realist | May 29, 2010, 02:00 PM EDT

Is this the same Edward Kennedy who in 1971 suggested, and I quote, "....the Unionists of Northern Ireland should be given adequate opportunity to return to England and Scotland...."? In short, kindly uncle Ted, whose family arrived in the US from Co. Wexford in the 1860s, wanted the Unionists, who arrived in Ulster during the early 1600s, to up and leave - at his behest. I think Sir Ted knew a thing or two about how to dish out the prejudice....lol.

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McNamara31 | May 28, 2010, 08:56 PM EDT

You can trash the Kennedy's all you want. For a family to come from poor Irish immigrants, to major political leaders in one or two generations should still remain a matter of pride to us. In their days, they broke through major barriers of prejudice against the Irish.

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rcrdskpr@aol.com | May 28, 2010, 06:51 PM EDT

kennedy? intelligence? in the same sentence? oxymoron? ted kennedy couldnt walk and chew gum at the same time; walk and drink booze, ok.

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binging15 | May 28, 2010, 07:44 AM EDT

ryhgfjhgj

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Ggieb4m | May 27, 2010, 12:16 PM EDT

Who cares? The entire family was crooks and womanizers. The Teddy politics was the most dispictable thing ever, wanting to have the entire country on welfare. Wanting to "share the wealth" but not their own of course, just everyone elses. Power hungry crooks robbing the middle income to give to the rich and to the non-working, non-taxpaying poor. The "little accident" he had killed an innocent woman, then was covered up because he had enough money to do it. ANOTHER CASE OF SEALING UP PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. Nothing but TRASH

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killowen | May 27, 2010, 10:18 AM EDT

The targetting of any successful goy achiever - painting them anti is a demonizer tool that is readily used on; Henry Ford, Disney, Kennedys, Watson IBM founder ...such a pattern I've noticed over the years. Its powerful programming that comes across media that they largely control. When Kennnedy wanted to get into movie business that's when the fit hit the shan for 'ol Joe - another no no, as was his competition against Seagram mavens. Topping it off was his success at clearing out the scum that infested Wall Street - he was one pain in the butt to our Financial Whizzes. FDR got him out of the way got him off to Merry O. The darn fellow was so popular that there was a possibility of him running against scared FDR. Old Joe, having demonstrated genius at every turn - was it any wonder that this uppity RC would have those "togetherness brethern" set on his destruction. Wurra Wurra, and he not being a Mason nor Saxon, and being Irish to boot. Thinking like this is feared, most especially by those who cling to the old rugged cross.

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Celtlaw | May 27, 2010, 08:57 AM EDT

How does Kenneth Feinberg continue to represent the Kennedy family vis-a-vis release of a govt file while he is a current Treasury Department employee?? I guess the ethical rules regarding conflict of interest don't apply to the royal family and their minions.

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irishbob | May 27, 2010, 06:43 AM EDT

Does anyone really believe that file will contain anything of real importance? Seriously! Does anyone believe that? If you know anything about the Kennedy clan, you know that Papa Joe made his money running rum and that he was a Nazi sympathizer. They know that John, Bobby, and dear old Teddy were womanizing SOBs, and that Teddy killed that woman at Chappaquiddick. Let’s not forget about John and Bobby’s involvement in the death of Marilyn Monroe. What I would like to see is J. Edgar Hoover’s secrete files he kept on everyone he disliked. Now that would be worth a bundle.

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IRISHKIN | May 26, 2010, 09:58 PM EDT

It is about time that details of what happened when Teddy took a swim "alone" at Chappaquiddick.

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