APPROVED FOR RELEASE 2025 UNDER EXECUTIVE ORDER 14176 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505 7 AUG 1968 REC-86863 TO: Director Federal Bureau of Investigation Attention: Mr. S. J. Papich FROM: Deputy Director for Plans/# SUBJECT: Report on Rumor About Robert Kennedy Being Shot 1. This office has been informed of a rumor similar to that reported on our rumor about telephone number 06680 of 8 June 1968. 2. On 23 July 1968 but not deliberately sought out by Somalia, was contacted by a United States citizen, by a Mr. Kimney (Kimney). A United States Citizen, volun- teered information about a rumor of Robert Kennedy having been shot. Mr. Kinney reported that on 18 May 1968 stopped in Belmont, Lebanon, the enemy of Mogadisho, with his wife- and the enemy thereof of Magadisho. With the wife- cia Bar, Phoenician Hotel, Beirut, about half-half hour before closing time. This was either 2130 or 2230 hours according conversation. With a Mr. Smith Strong or United States Citi- zen. During the conversation Mr. Strong inquired if Mr. Kenney had heard that Robert Kennedy had been shot. Mr Kimsey had heard the President's speech. He had heard this just before coming to the bar from a man he did not identify. Mr.' Kinney and Mr.' Strong reportedly felt that if this were true it would appear in the newspapers the next day, which, it did not. On 19 May Mr. Hinney left Beirut for Jida, Saudi Arabia, there were company business, he questioned some of his company's business. He said that the question story about Robert Kennedy has been shot." The colleagues dis- claimed having heard him so so. Kinsey attributed the story to the president's office. He was also known as "Kinney attributed to the story- got but it was no more met. Strong in Jida during the week of 19 May, and no mention was made by either party about the rumor that Robert Kennedy had been Shot." 4. According to our representative in Mogadishoo Mr. J. Christian Kinney is employed as a consultant by the Middle West Service Company, 69 West Washington Street, Chicago, crimino. He presently as a Water Agency on a United State consultant to the Mogadishio. SCHET SCHUTT Excluded from automatic <loc_890>SCHOTT SCHOTT SCHTET SCHOPT

Summary:  
The document details a CIA report to the FBI regarding a rumor that Robert F. Kennedy was shot in May 1968. The rumor originated from a United States citizen named Mr. Kimney (likely Kinney), who reported hearing the claim during a conversation with another individual, Mr. Strong, at a bar in Beirut on 18 May 1968. Kimney stated he learned of the rumor from an unidentified man before arriving at the bar. Both men believed the information would appear in newspapers the following day but noted it did not. Kimney later traveled to Jidda, Saudi Arabia, for business and mentioned the rumor again, though colleagues denied hearing it. The CIA sought clarification on Kimney’s background, noting he was employed as a consultant by the Middle West Service Company and USAID in Mogadishu. The report also references a Joseph Addington Strong, potentially linked to Raytheon, with conflicting details about his employment history and birthdate. A 1964 FBI background check on Strong included reviews from the Office of Naval Intelligence, State Department, and House Committee on Un-American Activities.  

Key People:  
- Mr. Kimney (Kinney) – U.S. citizen who reported hearing a rumor about RFK’s assassination.  
- Mr. Strong – Individual with whom Kimney discussed the rumor; possibly linked to Raytheon.  
- Joseph Addington Strong – Name potentially conflated with another individual, with conflicting employment and birthdate details.  
- J. Christian Kinney – CIA reference to an individual employed by USAID in Mogadishu.  

Key Locations:  
- Beirut (Lebanon) – Site of the bar where Kimney and Strong discussed the rumor.  
- Mogadishu (Somalia) – Location of USAID operations involving Kinney.  
- Jidda, Saudi Arabia – Destination for Kimney’s business trip.  
- Chicago – Address associated with Middle West Service Company.  

Key Events:  
- Rumor about RFK’s assassination circulated in May 1968, reported by Kimney to the CIA.  
- CIA and FBI collaboration to investigate the rumor and verify details.  
- Security checks on Kinney for access to classified USAID information.  
- Conflicting employment and personal details of Joseph Addington Strong.  

Key Organizations:  
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – Issued the report to the FBI.  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – Recipient of the CIA report; conducted background checks.  
- United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – Employed Kinney in Mogadishu.  
- Raytheon – Possibly linked to Joseph Addington Strong via employment records.

RFK Declassified Files

07169709_ddp_to_fbi_subj_report_on_rumor_about_robert_kennedy_being_shot_7_aug_1968.pdf

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