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Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick — Part 2

44 pages · May 10, 2026 · Document date: Jul 19, 1969 · Broad topic: Politics & Activism · Topic: Mary Jo Kopechne Chappaquiddick · 43 pages OCR'd
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ens Re Rn eas re EA REE ey sori ae dere em tem Balt A rari AAR Cn AT ae er A ee Reactant a ES aS — ne area cee cee Be ae eee eee ne Ae Sean A RR RL REACT A BIDS AIRS SESE wena ee we eee 7 a ee ’ ‘ \ i _ A: Yes. They & had = i reported the acc a st, and why I hadn't reported the accident; and I tcid them about my own thoughts and feelings as I swam across that channel and how I was always willed that Mary Jo still lived; how I was hopeful even as that -: night went on and as I almost tossed and turned (?--Auth.), paced that rgom and walked around thgt room that night that somehow wnen = ~~ they ayrived in the morning that they were going to say that Mary J Jo was jstill alive. I told them how I somehow believed that when 3/ the sun came up and it was a new morning that what had happened peo the night before would not have happened and did not happen, anda. how I just couldn't gain the strength within me, the moral strength, to call Mrs. Kopechne at 2:00, 0'clock in the morning and tell her ‘ that her daughter was dead.20/ | ~ Q: Now, at some time you actually did call Mrs. Kopechne? x A: Yes, I did. Q: And prior to calling Mrs. Kopechne, did you cross over on the Chappaquiddick ferry to Chappaquiddick Island? A: Yes, I did. And was Mr. Markham and Mr. Gargan with you? Yes, they were. Now, did you-then return to Edgartown? Yes, I did. Did anything prompt or cause you to return to Edgartown? Well, what do you mean by "prompt"? Well, did anything cause you to return? Other than the intention of reporting the accident, the in- tention of which had been made earlier that morning. [S} Q: But you didn't go directly from your room to the police de-_ partment? : A: No, I did not. Q: Did you have a particular reason for going to Chappaquiddick first? A: Yes, it was to make a private phone cail to one of the dear- est and oldest friends that I have. and that was to Mr. Burke Mar- shall. I didn't feel that I could use the phone that was availat.. the public phone that was available outside of the dining recom at the Shiretown Inn, and it was my thought that once that I went co the police station, that I would be involved in a myriad of details and I wanted to talk to this friend before I undertook that respon- sibility. 21 Q: You mean that-- THE COURT: Excuse me, Mr. Dinis, I think we will take the -noon luncheon recess. 20) , , e e# 00 8 Ge 28 #0 OF PO PO PO POD 20/ Once again, how or why was he so certain that Mary Jo was dead? People - have been known to survive for several hours in submerged cars, breathing “4n air bubbles, and it is known that Mary Jo Lived for a while tmsly. And was it lack of moral strength that kept him fron calling for profes- sional help while, hovefully, there was still tine? t Note: This renly of the Senator's is faithiu. to the text in The Imuest. 2if According to Jack Olsen, in The Bridge at Cnarpamiddick, Yr. Kenedy could have had his choice of a dozen public rhones within two blocks of the im. 22/ Unfortunately, we will never know what Kr. Diris's question was. yt - 16 -
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