</s>CLASSIFICATION Volume Number Serials 105-WF-101864 - - BUREAU ATION it if Justifier FROM ADDED TO THIS FILED FBI - CENTRAL RECORDS CENTER WF - WASHINGTON DC WF - WASHINGTON RECOROS CENTER Class: Case # Sub Vol. Serial # 0105 101864 LOTE 1 1 1 1 OPEN 2/1/3/13/34997 OPEN RRP050576 See also No. ID:45-F-10184-LOTTE 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail U.S. government actions regarding Adel Bishara Stirhan (brother of Sirhan Sirhan, convicted assassin of Senator Robert F. Kennedy) and his associates in 1970. Luke McKissick, identified as Stirhan’s attorney, sought to renew Stirhan’s passport for travel to Greece via TWA Flight 800 but was denied by the Passport Office. U.S. immigration authorities revoked Stirhan’s, McCowan’s, and McKissick’s passports, citing regulatory violations, and instructed TWA not to transport them abroad. Press conferences were held in New York, where McKissick and family members claimed their travel aimed to secure the release of hostages held by Arab guerrillas. The FBI and State Department monitored the situation, raising concerns about potential ties to terrorism or assassination plots. Legal challenges emerged as McKissick sought judicial review of travel restrictions, with pending court cases involving Judge Francis F.X. McGoghey. Communications between McKissick and Lebanese officials, including George Shidley in Beirut, were noted, alongside references to Arab guerrilla demands for the release of hijacked aircraft passengers and Sirhan himself.  

Key People  
- **Sirhan Sirhan**: Convicted assassin of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1968).  
- **Adel Bishara Stirhan**: Brother of Sirhan Sirhan; subject of passport revocation and travel restrictions.  
- **Luke McKissick**: Identified as attorney for Stirhan; involved in legal challenges to travel bans and communications with Lebanese officials.  
- **Michael McCowan**: Private investigator and associate of Stirhan; details about his passport application provided.  
- **Mary Bishara Salameh Sirhan**: Wife of Adel Stirhan; participated in press conferences.  
- **George Shidley**: Lebanese attorney who contacted McKissick regarding Arab guerrilla demands.  
- **Dr. Mohamed T. Mehdhi**: Hosted the SIRHANS in New York during legal proceedings.  
- **Mel Wulf, Barry Segar**: ACLU attorneys involved in legal challenges to travel restrictions.  

Key Locations  
- **Los Angeles, California**: Departure point for the group’s travel plans; site of passport agency records and bench warrant issuance.  
- **John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York**: Location of passport revocation actions and press conferences.  
- **San Francisco, California**: Destination of TWA Flight 153; Fairmount Hotel mentioned as the group’s stay.  
- **Beirut, Lebanon**: Site of communications between McKissick and George Shidley regarding hostage negotiations.  
- **Athens, Greece**: Originally planned destination for TWA Flight 800, which was canceled due to U.S. government intervention.  

Key Events  
- **September 8–9, 1970**: Passport Office denied Stirhan’s renewal request; U.S. immigration authorities revoked passports for Stirhan, McCowan, and McKissick.  
- **Press conferences in New York**: Organized by McKissick to publicize the group’s claim of seeking hostage releases from Arab guerrillas.  
- **Legal challenges**: Pending judicial review by Judge Francis F.X. McGoghey regarding travel restrictions on Adel Stirhan and Mary Sirhan.  
- **Bench warrant**: Issued in Los Angeles against McKissick for failing to appear at Elmer Pratt’s trial.  
- **Arab guerrilla contacts**: References to demands for the release of hijacked aircraft passengers and Sirhan himself, with involvement from Lebanese officials like George Shidley.  

Key Organizations  
- **U.S. Department of State (Passport Office)**: Handled passport inquiries and revocation decisions; coordinated with immigration authorities.  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)**: Monitored the situation, including potential ties to terrorism or assassination plots.  
- **Trans World Airlines (TWA)**: Transported the group; instructed not to allow departure from U.S. territory.  
- **U.S. Immigration and Customs Service**: Revoked passports for Stirhan, McCowan, and McKissick under immigration regulations.  
- **American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)**: Involved in legal proceedings to challenge travel restrictions on the SIRHANS.

RFK Declassified Files

105-wf-101864_sec_001_ser_1--part_1_of_2.pdf

Document Summary

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