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

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

[Sabertooth]

This is the American Forces Vietnam Network.

< -snip- >

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.

[Texasforever]

LOL you are all over this. Good work.

[piasa]

Thanks for the additional info...

If the new world order is to move us past nationalism, then even the proprietor of the world's most powerful military force must be prepared to conform to a perhaps laboriously created international consensus... Progressives have an opportunity to enter this debate and to convince our families, colleagues and neighbors that we need not fear and have much to gain by taking such a course. - U.S. Representative Ronald V. Dellums,Vice Chair of the Democratic Socialists of America and ranking minority member of the House National Security Committee

[Happy2BMe]

"Know any VVAW pilots who would know about messing up an aircraft landing gear?"

Hmmm....

What is the statute of limitations on fair-haired senators from Faggachusettes?

[txrangerette]

Stennis & Tower were confirmed on
the list, the others are guess-
work. There's no copy of a list,
it's from memory of one guy who
knew of the discussions.

[MeekOneGOP]

[Fedora]

Thanks. BTW, I found the quote I was trying to remember regarding the KGB contact with the California Democratic Party:

Though [Gus] Hall tended to overstate the influence of undeclared members of the CPUSA within the Democratic Party, there was at least one to whom the Centre attached real importance during the 1970s: a Democratic activist in California recruited as a KGB agent during a visit to Russia. The agent, who is not identified by name in the reports noted by Mitrokhin, had a wide circle of influential contacts in the Democratic Party: among them Governor Jerry Brown of California, Senator Alan Cranston [California], Senator Eugene McCarthy [Minnesota], Senator Edward Kennedy [Massachusetts], Senator Abraham Ribicoff [Connecticut], Senator J. William Fulbright [Arkansas] and Congressman John Coyers, Jr [Michigan]. During the 1976 Presidential campaign the agent was able to provide inside information from within the Carter camp and a profile of Carter himself, which were particularly highly valued by the Centre since it had so few high-level American sources. On one occasion he spent three hours discussing the progress of the campaign at a meeting with Carter, Brown and Cranston in Carter's room at the Pacific Hotel. His report was forwarded to the Politburo. During the final stages of the campaign the agent had what the KGB claimed were 'direct and prolonged conversations' with Carter, Governor Brown and Senators Cranston, Kennedy, Ribicoff and Jacob Arvits. Andropov attached such importance to the report on these conversations that he forwarded it under his signature to the Politburo immediately after Carter's election.

[Reference: "[Mitrokhin archives] vol. 6, app. 1, part 4; t-3,76. Mitrokhin had access only to reports in FCD files based on intelligence provided by the agent, not to the agent's file itself--probably because he had been recruited by the Second (rather than the First) Chief Directorate during a visit to the Soviet Union. Within the United States he seems to have been run from the San Francisco residency."]

Source: Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin, The Sword and the Shield, 1999, 290-291, 627n84

I've been trying to figure out from the above description who the individual in question was; if anybody has any luck figuring it out, please ping me. With reference to the present context, what I'm wondering is if the individual's presence at the San Francisco residency may have put them in contact with Dellums, the Oakland Black Panthers, and other terrorist groups operating in the SF area in the late 60s/early 70s (Situationists, Yippies, Weathermen, Venceremos Organization, SLA, etc.).

[Hon]

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

I wonder if this law wasn't fallout from the Weathermen's attempt to kill Senators by blowing up the Senate washroom in February of 1971?

And, as I've mentioned, the VVAW leadership were very tight with the Weathermen at the time.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[Hon]

"JANUARY 1971 : (DELLUMS ACCUSES US SOLDIERS OF WAR CRIMES) In January 1971, only a few days after assuming his House seat, Representative Ron V. Dellums organized a so-called war crimes exhibit in an annex of his congressional office. The atrocities, allegedly committed by U.S. soldiers, were featured on four large posters embellished with red paint to simulate blood. Needless to say, there was no suggestion that communist forces were engaging in terror and torture as policy. Dellums demanded Nuremberg-style trials only of U.S. officers responsible for supposed "war crimes."

You do know that Dellums was one of the guys who threw his medals over the fence and onto the Capitol steps, don't you?

He was a Congressman even then. And he was a major force behind the scenes helping Kerry and the VVAW.

[js1138]

There's no copy of a list, it's from memory of one guy who knew of the discussions.

they were "all" on the list, whatever that means. the two biggies were to be saved for last, to prolong their suffering.

[Mo1]

Thanks for that information

[twigs]

I read somewhere that Hale Boggs name was on the list; I can't confirm that. Anyway, he died a short time later in a plane crash in Alaska. I'm not sure that the wreckage was ever discovered.

[Fedora]

You do know that Dellums was one of the guys who threw his medals over the fence and onto the Capitol steps, don't you?

He was a Congressman even then. And he was a major force behind the scenes helping Kerry and the VVAW.

[SNIP]

And, as I've mentioned, the VVAW leadership were very tight with the Weathermen at the time.

Didn't know either of those very interesting pieces of information, though I'd suspected the latter. Do you happen to have a link with some details on the VVAW/Weathermen relationship, or know a book that would discuss that?

[fatima]

bump for later read Detective Sabertooth.

[Fedora]

Ping--compare the topic of this thread with this piece of information I just found:

VVAW and the Anti-intelligence Lobby

[piasa]

bttt

[Yaelle]

I would like to be on your VVAW ping list as well, Saber. Thanks very much.

[Yaelle]

Yes, I think Boggs has been mentioned. And which other senator was also killed in a plane crash? If there are, as it seems, 3 of the 6 that were either shot in the chest or died in a plane crash within the next couple of years, does that raise any eyebrows?

[piasa]

bttt

[Sabertooth]

Looks like I found something from the FBI on the Stennis shooter, on a site about the
FBI files on L Ron Hubbard and Scientology, of all places:

[LETTERHEAD INFO BLACKED OUT]

October 14, 1973

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Washington Office
Pennsylvania Ave. at 9th St., N.W.
Washington, D.C.

Gentlemen:

It has come to our attention that the assailant of Senator Stennis, Tyrone Marshall, and his companion, were present at Scientology and at the RAP houses on 19th St., N.W. the night of the attack. This information was disclosed in the reports of the trial, as well as the fact that the FBI had conducted an investigation of both Scientology and RAP. We would like to have access to your investigative report of both of these addresses.

The Association is appearing as a party in two cases before the Board of Zoning Adjustment involving these two places which you have investigated, and wish to present for the record whatever facts you have developed. The first case, on Scientology, will be heard October 17, and the second, on RAP, will be heard November 14th.

We would be grateful for your assistance in these matters.

Sincerely,

[SIGNATURE BLACKED OUT]

October 18, 1973

[ADDRESS BLOCK BLACKED OUT]

Dear Mrs. [BLACKED OUT]

I have received your letter of October 14th.

In response to your request, while I would like to be of assistance to you, information contained in the files of the FBI which has been compiled for law enforcement purposes cannot be made available to other than authorized individuals. Please do not infer from this that the two organizations to which you refer have or have not been the subjects of an investigation by this Bureau.

Sincerely yours,

[stamped] C.M. Kelley

Clarence M. Kelley
Director

NOTE: Our files reveal prior correspondence with [BLACKED OUT] Attempts to telephonically contac[BLACKED OUT] on 10-17-73 to furnish her the above information because of the short deadline, were unsuccessful. Our files contain numerous references to Scientology and RAP. Mrs. per current telephone directory.

JCF:law (4)

As of this post, that's the only mention of John Stennis and Tyrone Marshall (or Marshall, Tyrone) that comes up on Google. I found nothing at all on the shooting of Senator Stennis in searches of the FBI website.

BTW, I'm flagging everyone who posted on this thread to this post, plus the regulars on the VVAW ping list. Freepmail me if you want on or off the regular list. Thanks.