Sen. Stennis Shot in DC (1973 AFVN Radio transcript)

American Forces Vietnam Network (archive) ^ | January 73 | SP5 Jerry Elliott

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This is the American Forces Vietnam Network.

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News compiled from major commercial and military news sources.

It’s 5 pm.

In the top of the News, Senator John Stennis underwent a lengthy operation at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after he was shot during a hold up in front of his Washington home today.

The surgery was for the removal of two bullets, one from the Senator’s chest, and one from his left leg.

A hospital spokesman says that Stennis’ condition is listed as stable.

White House News Secretary Ronald Ziegler says that President Nixon has been informed of the shooting, and has instructed the FBI to assist in every possible way.

A 1971 law makes it a federal crime to assault or kidnap or kill a member of Congress.

Stennis, who entered the Senate in 1947, is Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Police spokesman say the 71 year-old Mississippi Democrat was shot as he stepped from his car in front of his home.

They say the assailants got Stennis’ gold watch, wallet, and 25 cents in change.

The Senator reportedly offered no resistance to his assailants, and, after being shot, crawled fifty feet to his house, where his wife called the police.

Police say they are searching for two black men in connection with the shooting.

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Full audio here:

http://swc2.hccs.cc.tx.us/rmorecook/afvnnewsjerryelliott.ram

I came across this old radio broadcast reporting the shooting of Senator John C. Stennis in 1973. There's been curiousity about the status of the shooters, since Stennis' name has turned up in recent revelations of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War's assassination plot against six U.S. Senators in November of 1971, called the Phoenix Project.

I figured the broadcast was worth transcribing.

Information on the shooting of Senator Stennis is sparse. Here are a few links:

Several years ago, the late United States Senator John Stennis of Mississippi was shot during an attempted robbery in front of his Washington, D.C. home.  One of the first persons to rush to his bedside was Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon.  The reported story of their friendship amazed many students of politics.  Mark Hatfield was a liberal Republican and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War.  John Stennis was a conservative Democrat and one of the war's staunchest supporters.
Faith in Politics
Paul Hillegonds | Fifth Annual Henry Lecture
Calvin College | April 30, 2001

Senator Stennis' unselfish achievements during his long years of hard work did not come without great adversity. In 1973 he was shot twice during a holdup attempt in his front yard in northwest Washington, D. C. Although doctors didn't at first give much hope of Senator Stennis' survival, then later of ever walking again, he surprised practically everyone and recovered almost completely. He said his chief thought during those doubtful days was, "Would I be useful?" Senator Stennis' dedication and commitment to duty would not allow him to stop or slow down.
U.S. Senator John C. Stennis
www.ssc.nasa.gov/about/history/stennis

This is a weird one, apparently from a foreign language reading comprehension test, but it basically fits with my recollection...

Senator Stennis was the victim of a classic street crime. He happened to be an important politician, but that is not why he was shot. What happened to him could happen to anyone else.

Senator Stennis, Who is 71, Got out of his white car at 7:40 p.m. , outside his home at 3609 Cumberland Street. Two youths said, "Get them up." He put up no resistance. He handed over his wallet containing credit cards, driver's license, and the like, a gold watch and all the cash he had in his pockets-- twenty-five cents. The youths said, " Get them up." He put up no resistance. He handed over his wallet containing credit cards, driver's license, and the like, a gold watch and all the cash he had in his pockets¬ótwenty-five cents. The youths said either "Now we're going to shoot you any way," or "We ought to shoot you anyway." Anyway they did. One bullet hit him in the thigh and struck the bone, and the other entered his chest just below the breast pocket of his suit. It narrowly missed his heart.

Senator Stennis is a powerful political figure, but it is unlikely that the two young men knew who he was.

More likely his offense was that he had no more cash than a quarter¬ónot enough for a taking of drugs or two cups of coffee.
LINK

I can't vouch for the accuracy of this last link. One has to sort through a lot of Bildeburger & Illuminati tinfoil when researching assassinations or attacks on government officials. I'm including it only because it claims that there were convictions in the shooting of Senator Stennis.

Robert Olsen of the Rockefeller Commission reported that "HUNT categorically denied...any participation or involvement whatever in the attempted assassination of Governor Wallace, the disappearance of Congressman Hale Boggs or the shooting of Senator Stennis." [NARA SSCIA 157-10011-10090] Senator Stennis was shot on January 31, 1973, in front of his home in the capital during an apparent robbery. Three black men were convicted of this crime. There was no political motive.
http://www.ajweberman.com/nodules/nodule23.htm

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FYI

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FYI

[#3Fan]

If it was VVAW, Kerry could've saved him had he reported it.

[Defender2]

VVAW????

[Yaelle]

Did any other of the 6 senators who were subject to Kerry & Co.'s assassination vote end up getting shot or killed?

[My2Cents]

Interesting. Extremely interesting!

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Did any other of the 6 senators who were subject to Kerry & Co.'s assassination vote end up getting shot or killed?

John Tower died in a plane crash in 1991.

Strom Thurmond passed away last year.

The names of the other three Senators aren't known.

[GeronL]

Interesting

[GeronL]

were any of them attacked or had an attempt on them in the early 70's?

[Robert_Paulson2]

VVAW = Vietnam Veterans Against the WAR.
An organization in which John Kerry was a leader... that plotted to kill several US Senators, in an act of terrorism against the united states...

Kerry supposedly knew of that plot, but did NOT report it, as far as we know. However under questioning he DID admit to commiting war crimes against the Vietnamese People in violation of the Geneva conventions... during some federal type of investigation.

This assassination was of that era of VVAW leadership.
Kerry was arrested with other war protestors of the VVAW, but strangely even though he was photographed in an arrest lineup, his arrest record seems to be non existant.

that is what is referred to with the VVAW implication here.
we got our own osami ben kerri running for democrat president... no wonder the terrorists like johnny.

[GeronL]

I love original reporting

[Defender2]

Thanks, Robert_Paulson2. I do know about VVAW. I was raising the question, was VVAW possibly involved in the Senator Stennis incident in 1973? I guess my VVAW???? could have been confusing. However for the threads sake, thank you very much for all that info.

Thanks, D2

[Deb]

Jesse Helms was one.

[dandelion]

Excellent find - this is great work on your part.

Hark, I think I hear the sound of a million freepers hitting Google for "Stennis"...

[spycatcher]

How often did early 70's bad guys shoot their victims just for the hell of it after they were cooperative? I know it happens today a lot, but wasn't it unusual back then?

This could have easily been a cleverly contracted hit. I wonder if that was a secondary VVAW vote in KC? You know... Let's murder! -- thumbs down. Let's contract it out? -- thumbs up! It's perfect, because Kerry can say of the assassination plan that he voted against it before voting for it.

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Jesse Helms was one.

Both Helms' and Sam Nunn's names have come up, but both were elected to the Senate in 1972, taking office in January of 1973. The VVAW Phoenix Project was debated and voted on in November of 1971.

It's possible that the list wasn't exclusively Senators, and Nunn was a Congressman from 1969 to 1973, but Helms was a radio and TV exec for a dozen years before going to the Senate.

[Nick Danger]

[pax_et_bonum]

pinggggggggggggggggg

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How often did early 70's bad guys shoot their victims just for the hell of it after they were cooperative? I know it happens today a lot, but wasn't it unusual back then?

How often do robbers stake out the home of a U.S. Senator, and not know it's a Senator?

"Police spokesman say the 71 year-old Mississippi Democrat was shot as he stepped from his car in front of his home."