</s>FD-302 (Rev. 4-15-64) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 1 Date: 6/12/68 ROBERT THOMAS JAMES, Counterman, Coffee Shop, Ambassador Hotel, 3400 Walshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, was interviewed at his place of employment and advised that was interviewed on the day of his employment. P.m. June 4, 1968, until 12-4 a.m ., June 6, 1968. after which time he departed for home. While on duty, he remained in the coffee shop the entire time, time, no breaks, and never went upstairs near the Embassy Room. A photograph of SIRHAN BISHARA STIRHANI was displayed to JAMES but he was unable to state that he had seen this individual in or about the hotel on June 4, 1966, or June 5, 1998. 4. On 6/10/68 at Los Angeles. California File # Los Angeles 56-156 - 46 - by SA EARL E. BOYD/alm Date dictated 6/11/68 This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency.

Summary  
The documents detail FBI FD-302 interview reports from June 1968 involving employees and visitors of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, conducted as part of the investigation into Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination on June 5, 1968. Interviews with hotel staff and witnesses included descriptions of hotel layouts, Kennedy’s movements during his visit, security personnel (e.g., Bill Barry, Frank Dutton), and events surrounding the assassination. Witnesses such as Walter Kopec, Alfred Todd Jones, and others were shown a photograph of Sirhan Bishara Stirhani but did not recognize him. The reports also include accounts of the shooting location near the kitchen area, descriptions of the suspect’s actions, and post-assassination security measures. A separate entry mentions an observation of a "Negro male over six feet tall" in the hotel on June 3, 1968, which is noted as possibly unrelated to the assassination.  

GRIER described disarming Sirhan Bishara Stirhani during the shooting, noting Kennedy had blood on his head and appeared wounded behind the ear. A second man was found lying with bleeding from the left side of his head. GRIER identified the suspect as Sirhan Bishara Sirian and confirmed he was seen in the kitchen area near Kennedy’s location. TOIGO, a staff member of State Senator Anthony C. Bellison, reported hearing two noises resembling firecrackers and later saw a man lying on the floor with injuries. Mrs. BELLENSON described observing a man of short stature, dark complexion, holding a gun at waist level during the speech. BURNS recounted witnessing the shooting from behind the podium, participating in subduing the suspect, and placing him on a serving table before police arrived. CESAR, a security guard, managed crowd control during the event and moved to the kitchen area post-speech, noting difficulties with access due to false press credentials.  

CESAR also described escorting Kennedy through the crowd, noting he pulled a steam table loose from his grasp before shaking hands with a busboy. He observed a hand holding a gun in the crowd, estimated being four feet from the weapon and two feet from Kennedy when it fired, and reported several men attempting to retrieve the gun from the assassin. CESAR noted approximately 50 people in the kitchen area during the incident but saw no one fleeing or a woman in a white dress with black polka dots. EIMER M. BOOMHOWER, a security guard, stated he was stationed outside Kennedy’s suite and heard about the shooting via television. HAROLD L. BURRA, a fire department employee, described observing a man with a rolled poster (estimated to be 2 feet long) in the crowd. CAESAR CHAVEZ, director of the United Farm Workers, claimed he last saw Kennedy in 1963 and did not recognize Sirhan Sirhan. Larry J. Beck, a campaign worker, described Steve, a cleaning crew member at Kennedy’s headquarters, who resembled Sirhan Sirhan. George William Fulton, a stage manager, noted a man attempting to exit the Embassy Room with a dark suit and mustache but did not connect him to the shooting.  

Timothy Paul Rich and Walter George Rich provided accounts of their activities at the Ambassador Hotel on June 4, 1968, during Kennedy’s speech. Timothy Rich described interactions with a "Kennedy Girl," observations of the stage area, and an attempt to deliver photographs to Kennedy via a passageway behind the stage. He noted hearing three gunshots, witnessing Paul Schrade fall, and observing blood near Kennedy’s head. Walter Rich corroborated details about their presence at the hotel, the layout of the Embassy Room, and the passageway leading to the kitchen area. The text also includes a separate entry from June 1963 involving Walter Rich and his cousin Timothy, detailing an earlier event at the Ambassador Hotel during a Kennedy campaign visit, though this appears unrelated to the 1968 assassination.  

Key People  
- **Robert F. Kennedy** (assassinated on June 5, 1968)  
- **Sirhan Bishara Stirhani** (suspect; identified by GRIER and others)  
- **Walter Kopec**, coffee shop counter employee  
- **Alfred Todd Jones**, coffee shop counter manager  
- **Manuel Mora**, laundry room employee  
- **Vera Pattern**, switchboard operator  
- **Katherine Robertson**, switchboard operator  
- **Alfred Vigil Roybal**, parking lot attendant  
- **Mrs. Gladys Sharrett**, waitress  
- **Ruby Trum**, waitress  
- **Frances Tunison**, laundry room employee  
- **Irene Wishnuck**, laundry room employee  
- **Roosevelt Grier**, hotel visitor and witness  
- **Frank J. Burns, Jr.** (witness who participated in subduing the suspect)  
- **Anthony C. Bellison** (State Senator accompanying RFK)  
- **Mrs. Bellison** (spouse of Bellison, reported observing the gunman)  
- **Thane Eugene Cesar** (security guard at the Ambassador Hotel)  
- **EIMER M. BOOMHOWER** (security guard at the hotel)  
- **HAROLD L. BURRA** (Los Angeles Fire Department employee)  
- **CAESAR CHAVEZ** (United Farm Workers director)  
- **LARRY J. BECK** (campaign worker)  
- **STEVE** (cleaning crew member, possibly linked to Sirhan Sirhan)  
- **GEORGE WILLIAM FULTON** (NBC stage manager)  
- **Paul Schrade** (individual observed falling after the shooting)  

Key Locations  
- **Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California** (specifically the coffee shop, laundry rooms, Embassy Room, press room, kitchen area, freight elevator, Colonial Room, Gold Room)  
- **3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles** (hotel address)  
- **Eighth Street Parking Lot** (Roybal’s workplace)  
- **Embassy Ballroom** (area where RFK delivered his speech)  
- **Kitchen area** (where some witnesses observed events post-shooting)  
- **Passageway behind the stage** (used by Rich and his cousin to access the event)  

Key Events  
- **June 5, 1968**: RFK was shot during a victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel.  
- **GRIER disarmed Sirhan Bishara Stirhani** and held him until police arrived.  
- **TOIGO and Mrs. Bellison reported seeing the gunman** before and during the shooting.  
- **BURNS witnessed the shooting from behind the podium**, participated in subduing the suspect, and aided in securing the assassin.  
- **CESAR managed crowd control** and moved to the kitchen area after the speech.  
- **CESAR observed a hand holding a gun** in the crowd and estimated being four feet from the weapon when it fired.  
- **Witness accounts of individuals in the crowd**, including a man with a rolled poster (estimated to be 2 feet long).  
- **Security guard reports and descriptions of potential suspects** (Sirhan Sirhan, Steve).  
- **Post-shooting movements of crowds and security personnel**.  
- **June 4, 1968**: RFK’s speech at the Ambassador Hotel, during which he was shot.  
- **Observation of Paul Schrade falling after gunshots were fired**.  
- **Separate event on June 1963 (likely a typographical error)** involving Walter Rich’s presence at the Ambassador Hotel during a Kennedy campaign visit.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** (conducting interviews and investigations)  
- **Ambassador Hotel staff** (employees and visitors interviewed as witnesses)  
- **Kennedy campaign staff** (including Bellison and his wife, present at the hotel)  
- **United Farm Workers Organizing Committee**  
- **Los Angeles Fire Department**  
- **National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC)**  
- **"Whittier Daily News"** (newspaper for which Timothy Rich worked as a reporter and photographer)

RFK Declassified Files

166-12c-1_serial_1_section_1_56-la-156_la_report_6.15.68-part_2_of_7.pdf

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