Revisiting Chappaquiddick After 35 Years

Human Events ^ | July 19, 2004 | Joseph Calandra, Jr

[pilgrim]

 

 

Revisiting Chappaquiddick After 35 Years

Posted Jul 19, 2004Thirty-five years after the night of July 18, 1969, when Ted Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile sedan off the side of a wooden bridge on Chappaquiddick Island on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., and left for dead Mary Jo Kopechne, the 28-year-old former secretary of his brother Robert F. Kennedy, in his submerged car, unanswered questions linger over the events of that fatal evening. Kennedy escaped the wreckage with a concussion and waited nine hours before reporting the incident to the police shortly after a young boy noticed the sunken car.

Kennedy pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident, but no other charges were filed against the Massachusetts senator. Edgartown Police Chief Dominick J. Arena said that an examination of the evidence, shortly after the incident, showed that Kennedy could not be held legally responsible for Kopechne’s death.

Leo Damore, author of the best-selling 1988 book Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up (published by Regnery, a sister company of HUMAN EVENTS), described Chappaquiddick as “the most famous traffic fatality in the history of American politics. . . . The mysteries of the case continue to haunt Sen. Edward Kennedy’s [D.-Mass.] career. For many, Chappaquiddick stands as the single obstacle in his path to the Presidency.”

HUMAN EVENTS covered the aftermath of the fatal drowning in the weeks that followed the incident and concluded at the time that “the available evidence, in fact, suggests that Teddy, aside from his own statement that he dove repeatedly into the waters to retrieve Mary Jo Kopechne, did nothing else during this mysterious nine-hour interval to see that she received help. . . .

“While Kennedy has said he was ‘exhausted and in a state of shock’ after the accident, local officials found that he was not too shocked or exhausted to immediately call for his lawyer, Paul Markham, when he returned to the party at the Chappaquiddick cottage after the accident. The receptionist at his motel in Edgartown has also claimed the senator appeared ‘natural’ when he borrowed a dime from her to make a phone call two and half hours before he reported the accident to the police.”

The facts relating to the incident are as follows:

• Kennedy participated in the 46th Edgartown Yacht Club Regatta Friday afternoon, July 18, finishing a dismal ninth place in the contest.
  
  
• Kennedy’s cousin Joe Gargan, a Boston lawyer, arranged a party on Chappaquiddick with his friends that included a group of young women, primarily friends and Kennedy-family political staffers, who joined Kennedy, Gargan and the entourage for cocktails at a cottage on Chappaquiddick Island. A USMC veteran and lifelong townsman, John Sylvia, recounted the Shiretown “cocktail party” as one where “there was yelling, music, and general sounds of hell raising.”
  
  
• Around 11:15 p.m. on the evening of July 18, Kennedy left the party with Kopechne and, Kennedy claims, decided to take her back to the ferry and to Kopechne’s motel about three miles south of Edgartown.
  
  
• Sometime after 11:15 p.m. Friday, Kennedy drove his Oldsmobile sedan off Dike bridge and into Poucha Pond where Kopechne drowned.
  
  Kennedy’s explanation of his actions immediately after the incident is strange to say the least. He couldn’t remember any details of the accident. Kennedy claimed he was in a state of shock, but made 17 phone calls although not a single call to reach police, fire, Coast Guard officials or nearby residents to summon help to assist in the rescue of Miss Kopechne.
  
  Kennedy also claimed he was confused and turned the wrong way on the dirt road toward Dike bridge despite the fact that he had been on this stretch of road several times and was in fact on it earlier that day.
  
  Shortly after the accident, Kennedy addressed the nation in a televised broadcast after spending several days in seclusion at the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port and admitted that his actions were “indefensible.”
  
  One troubling aspect is how the authorities handled the case, including the inquest into Kopechne’s death, subsequent investigation and release of information pertaining to the case. The assistant DA Jimmy Smith, according to author Damore, avoided prosecuting Kennedy.
  
  As HUMAN EVENTS pointed out in the issue of Aug. 2, 1969, “The inconsistencies and the unanswered questions proliferate…quot;not only because of Sen. Kennedy but because of the police investigation into the incident. Why, for instance, did Police Chief Arena fail to interrogate Kennedy when the senator handed Arena his prepared statement some nine hours after the fatal accident? Why was it that neither Arena nor County Prosecutor Walter Steele has questioned any of the party participants, at least one of whom has given statements to reporters? Why is it that Dr. Donald R. Mills, the medical examiner, was so reluctant to reveal the exact alcoholic content of Miss Kopechne’s blood?”
  
  For that matter, why did the family refuse an autopsy?
  
  In terms of a settlement, the Kopechnes eventually received $140,904 ($90,904 from Kennedy and $50,000 from his insurance coverage).
  
  Since the fatal accident 35 years ago, Kennedy has claimed that he has told the full story of what happened that night, but reporters and authors have raised numerous questions over the years that suggest otherwise.
  
  
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  HUMAN EVENTS intern Joseph Calandra, Jr., with the National Journalism Center, worked on the preparation of this story.

[weegee]

Whether the Kennedys murdered Marilyn or she was a suicide, her death is on their hands. Kicked to the curb.

It is an important question to learn if she was murdered. She was a prominent celebrity. If the head of state was willing to have her knocked off, what does that say for us "nobodies"?

[ninonitti]

Found it, it was a '67 olds 88

The car in fact belonged to his mom Rose Kennedy and was towed from the pond, kept at a garage and crushed - all in short order.

No evidence - no crime

[longfellow]

check out Boss of Bosses. great read and Giannconna says the mob did it .

[freeplancer]

You forgot the sarcasm notice.

[LisaMalia]

it's too bad he didn't drive Marilyn home when his brothers were done with her.

Unfortunatly, Marilyn met with another type of demise, and in my opinion, it wasn't sucicide. The Kennedy machine and the liberal press (yes, even in those days they covered for the Kennedy's..they all know about Marilyn) went into high gear at that time as well.

[LisaMalia]

Bobby was in LA the day that Marilyn died, but had an airtight alibi courtesy of friends in the area he was "staying with". She had threatened a newsconference for the following Monday, finally sick and tired of being used and abused by the Kennedy brothers.

Giananca had no reason to kill Marilyn, and if he would have, the body would have never been found. Besides, that would have been doing the Kennedy's a favor, and at that point he hated them (especially Bobby) for turning on the mafia after they fixed the presidential election for Jack.

What a perfect target for murder, a depressed megastar who was already hooked on pills. Not too many people thought twice when she ended up dead. She played right into the Kennedy boys hands.

[jejones]

I don't know whether you could find a woman willing to ride in the car made up zombie style in what would probably be hot weather... but it would certainly draw attention.

[timydnuc]

We need Teddy on the US Olympic swimming team. Instead of a platform he can dive in from an Oldsmobile. Just like old time, eh Ted?

Disgusting bag of whale poop alert.

[TheBattman]

Amazing - if a "similar" incident had happened to any "average citizen", they would still be in prison...

The truth is so simple - even for someone who was only 2 days old at the time of this accident murder. Teddy had been drinking (24/7 activity), and drove into the water - and waited so long to make sure she was dead - she couldn't testify to his not trying to help her....

Did ole' Teddy have another reason to murder this young lady - quite possible, but that part isn't quite as simple....

Why this sick drunk has been re-elected so many times is a true puzzle to me - how could even people of Mass. be THAT blind and stupid? Probably the pork he brings home.

Amazing how the representation of "justice" is a blindfolded woman holding scales - when this case just proved, even 35 years ago, that justice is definitely NOT blind.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

In New England towns have a "town meeting" not a city council. A board of selectmen and a manager sort of run the town, but anything like this has to be voted on by all the voters who show up at a town meeting. Chappy is, as best I can tell, trying assiduously to make the whole thing go down the memory hole.

[satchmodog9]

are there more links on this subject from today?

[Saints fan]

"When I find myself....fallin for some girl.....I put her in that car of mine and take her for a whirl.......cause I'm a filanderer...yes a filanderer... it spins around and round and round and round and round....."

[Saints fan]

http://www.ytedk.com/
http://www.google.com/search?q=Chappaquiddick+%2B+kennedy&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1

[Lewite]

You are so right, Fattie got away with murder, the Judgement Day will not have a bunch of Rat Lackies scrambling to save teddie's huge arse...he will no doubt burn to a crisp.

[fredhead]

You're right, anyone but the rich, powerful, and famous. But he will get his in the end. I'm sure that there is a nice hot furnace waiting for him when he leaves this world and meets his maker.

[1Old Pro]

I don't know whether you could find a woman willing to ride in the car made up zombie style in what would probably be hot weather... but it would certainly draw attention.

Perhaps just put it on a car trailer and tow it. I'll bet a '67 wreck could be found at the Lewiston sp? junk yard.

[1Old Pro]

I don't know whether you could find a woman willing to ride in the car made up zombie style in what would probably be hot weather... but it would certainly draw attention.

Perhaps just put it on a car trailer and tow it. I'll bet a '67 wreck could be found at the Lewiston sp? (IT'S LEOMINSTER) junk yard.

[El Gran Salseron]

"There is no statute of limitations on murder."

As I understand it, unfortunately, because he pled guilty to leaving the scene of an accident it blocks prosecution of him for any and all charges related to that death.

[El Gran Salseron]

"It may be sad, but it's also pathetic and shameful."

Agreed. I thought that "pathetic" and "shameful" were kind of a given. :-)

[gobucks]

"Fattie got away with murder"

He sure did.