</s>1662-12C-1 January 14, 1975 Honorable Alan Cranston United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Cranston: Yourreepence of January 13, 1975, has been received by the Office of Legislative Affairs. This Inquiry pertains to the letter of Jerome O'Brien. Because of its specific nature, I have referred your request to J. Stanley Pottinger, Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division, Department of Justice, Washington, D ., C ., and asked that office to reply directly to you. If I can be of additional assistance in this matter, please call upon me. Sincerely, W. Vincent Rakestraw Assistant Attorney General WVR: Im: Jmg

Summary  
The documents include correspondence and administrative records related to inquiries about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) and associated investigations. U.S. Senators and constituents repeatedly requested reinvestigations or clarifications regarding RFK’s death, with responses from the Department of Justice (DOJ) directing inquiries to California authorities, who handled the case. Sirhan Sirhan was tried, convicted, and sentenced to death in a California state court. The DOJ concluded in 1973 that no new evidence warranted congressional hearings on the assassination. Some communications contained speculative claims about forensic details, such as bullet counts or gun distances, but these were not official findings. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reviewed electronic surveillance records related to Sirhan and his associates but found none. A prison inmate alleged in 1973 that Sirhan implicated two individuals connected to President Richard Nixon, though the names were unspecified. Additional documents include form letters, administrative notes, and unrelated legal filings, such as a 1959 Federal Register entry on voting rights and references to electronic surveillance protocols.  

Key People  
- Robert F. Kennedy (assassinated in 1968)  
- Sirhan Sirhan (convicted of RFK’s murder)  
- J. Stanley Pottinger (Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division)  
- W. Vincent Rakestraw (Assistant Attorney General, Legislative Affairs)  
- Henry E. Peterson (Assistant Attorney General, DOJ)  
- Richard Nixon (U.S. President, referenced in inmate’s claim)  
- Jerome O’Brien (inquirer seeking reinvestigation)  
- Alan Cranston, Birch Bayh, Clifford P. Case, Mark Hatfield (U.S. Senators)  
- Bill Patton (inquirer about Sirhan Sirhan)  
- Virginia Ralaozdy (prison inmate alleging connections to Nixon)  

Key Locations  
- California (state authorities handled RFK investigation; Santa Rosa, Portland, Oregon for inquirers)  
- Washington, D.C. (U.S. Senate and DOJ offices)  
- Los Angeles, California (RFK assassination site)  
- San Quentin State Prison, California (where Virginia Ralaozdy was incarcerated)  

Key Events  
- 1968 assassination of RFK by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles  
- 1973 DOJ determination that no new evidence existed regarding the assassination  
- 1973 IRS review of electronic surveillance records related to Sirhan  
- Speculative claims about forensic discrepancies (e.g., bullet trajectories, gun markings) raised in personal correspondence  
- Inmate’s claim (1973) that Sirhan implicated two individuals linked to Nixon in a conspiracy  

Key Organizations  
- U.S. Senate (various committees and offices)  
- Department of Justice (Civil Rights Division, Legislative Affairs)  
- California state courts (handled RFK assassination investigation)  
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)  
- Civil Service Commission (legal filings referenced)  
- Federal Register (1959 entry on voting rights)

RFK Declassified Files

166-12c-1_section_9-part_5_of_6.pdf

Document Summary

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