◆ SpookStack

Declassified Document Archive & Reader
Log In Register
Reader Ad Slot
Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.

Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick — Part 1

44 pages · May 10, 2026 · Document date: Jul 18, 1969 · Broad topic: Politics & Activism · Topic: Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick · 44 pages OCR'd
← Back to feed
NE RR A eR, Re ee Tie ta RS mir NN meme le trata Aly ata eR th AE RE I ERT Nie eRe ee ee ee ee wt vo ee cee de nts ee ae erent en, nen ee wal weet . ° CB. noon Session 2:00 me (Mr. Dinis resumed the questioning and Senator Kemedy said he . had not been successful in his attempt to reach Burke Marshall, that he then returned to Edgartown and went to the ¥ecal police de- 4, partment; arriving “sometime béfore 10 a.m." and made a statement.) Q: ‘Now, I have in my hand what purports to be the statement tha® you made to Chief Arena at that time, and in this statement you Say-~ well, would you read it first, Senator? A: Yes. ee That is correct. (The text of the statement follows.) (On July 18, 1969, at approximately 11:15 ps. on Chappa- .quiddick, Marthl Vineyard, Mass. I was driving my car on Main Street, Chappaquiddick, on my way to get the ferry back to Ed- gartown. I was unfamiliar with the road and tursed right onto the Dyke Road instead of bearing hard left on Main Street. After proceeding for approximately one-half mile on Dyke Road, I descended a hill and came upon a narrow gridge. The car went off the side of the bridge. There was me passer-"— with me, Miss Mary Jo Kopechne, a former secretay of my bre- ther Robert Kennedy. The car turned over and sank into the water and landed with the roof resting on the bottom. I attempted toegen the door and window of the car but have no recollection co how I got out of the car.. I came to the surface and then repeatedly dor down to the car in an attempt to see if the passenger was st2l] in the cer. I was unsuccessful in the attempt. . I was exhausted and in a state of shock. I recall walking back to where my friends were eating. There wasa car parked “ §in front of the cottage, and I climbed into the beck seat. I then asked for someone to bring me back to Edgartown. 23/ Ior-- member walking around for a period of time and then going baca to my hotel room. . When I fully realized what had happened this morning, I in- mediately notified the police.) Q: Now, Senator, prior to the effort you made te contact Burke Marshall by phone, did you make any other phone calis? A: I made one cali after 8 o'clock in the mornisy from the pub- lic phone outside of the restaurant at the Shiretow: Inn. ~ Q: One call? - A:- That is all. [fT] Q: And to whom did you make this call? A: Mr. Stephen Smith, the party that I felt world know the number. t Q: With regard to the statement that you made at the police sta- qe eee NA RR RR 23/ This request was elaborated on in his inquest testimony, buy isn't it a- / pity the Cnief did not ask him wnom he asked, how ne resred to do so under the circumstances, how he managed to cet back to his hoi anc wheter any rescue atiemmt was made at tmi tine?
OCR quality for this page
Community corrections
First editor: none yet Last editor: none yet
No user corrections yet.
Comments
Document-wide discussion. Follow the Community Standards.
No comments on this document yet.
Bottom Reader Ad Slot
Bottom Reader Ad Slot placeholder
If you would like to support SpookStack without paying out of pocket, please consider allowing advertising cookies. It helps cover hosting costs and keeps the archive free to browse. You can change this choice at any time.

Continue Exploring

Use the strongest next step for this document: continue reading, jump to the topic hub, or move into the matching agency collection.
Continue Reading at Page 2
Jump straight to page 2 of 44.
Reader
Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick — Part 2
Stay inside Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick with another closely related document.
Topic
FBI Documents & FOIA Archive
Open the FBI agency landing page for stronger archive context.
FBI
Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick Topic Hub
See the topic overview, related documents, and linked subtopics.
Hub

Agency Collection

This document also belongs in the FBI Documents & FOIA Archive landing page, which is the stronger starting point for agency-level browsing and for searches focused on FBI records.
FBI Documents & FOIA Archive
Open the agency landing page for introduction text, topic links, and more FBI documents.
FBI

Explore This Archive Cluster

This document belongs to the Politics & Activism archive hub and the more specific Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick topic page. Use these hub pages when you want the broader collection context, linked subtopics, and more documents around the same archive thread.
federal bureau letter
Related subtopics
J Edgar Hoover Appointment and Phone Logs
42 documents · 3899 known pages
Subtopic
American Friends Service Committee
39 documents · 2906 known pages
Subtopic
Senator Edward Kennedy
33 documents · 3523 known pages
Subtopic
ACLU
26 documents · 191 known pages
Subtopic
J Edgar Hoover
24 documents · 1926 known pages
Subtopic
Billy Carter
20 documents · 688 known pages
Subtopic