</s>LA 56-156 PAGE TWO THAT WERE IN ARABIC AND DEFENSE ADVISOR ISSA MAKLEH TRANS- LATED THESE MESSAGES. DEFENSE ATTORNEY READ TO THE COURT ARTICLE APPEARING IN ROSICRICIAN DIGEST OF MAY MINETEEN, SIXTY EIGHT, ENTITLED "PUT IT IN WRITING" BY ARTHUR FETTING. AFTER NOON RECESSES, DEFENSE DEVELOPED FURTHER INFOR- MATION FROM SIRIAN REGARDING HIS READING CONCERNING THE ROSICRICAN AND VARIOUS MENTAL EXPERIMENTS THAT HE LEARNED IN THIS STUDY. FOLLOWING THIS DEFENSE DEVELOPED THROUGH QUESTIONING SIRIAN'S PURCHASE OF THE GUN USED IN MURDER OF KENNEDY AND HIS ACTIVITIES ON THE IMMEDIATE DAYS PRECEDING THE NIGHT OF JUNE FOUR WHEN SIRIHAN WENT TO THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL, SIRHAN TESTIFIED TO HIS ATTENDANCE AT ROSICRUCIAN MEETING NIGHT OF MAY TWENTY EIGHT , SIXTHY EIGHY, HIS FIRING PISTOL AT CORONA PD RANGE ON JUNE ONE, Sixty EIGHT), HIS ATTENANCE AT RALLY FOR SENATOR KENNENDY AT AMBASADOR HOTEL ON JUNE TWO, SIZTY EIGHT, AND HIS ACTIONS ON JUNE FOUR, SINTY EIGH. - 2 - 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail legal proceedings and psychological evaluations during Sirhan Sirhan’s trial for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. Testimony from Sirhan included his attendance at a Rosicrucian meeting on May 28, 1968, practice firing a pistol on June 1, 1968, and presence at the Ambassador Hotel on June 2, 1968. He claimed no memory of shooting Kennedy until an ACLU attorney visited him on the morning of June 5, 1968. The defense presented psychological evaluations by Dr. Martin M. Schorr, which indicated paranoid personality traits via Rorschach and Bender Gestalt tests. Prosecution cross-examined Sirhan’s credibility, including alleged threats against family members and inconsistencies in his testimony. Court sessions debated the admissibility of psychological evidence, with interrogation tapes played for the jury. Later trial sessions from March 18–25, 1969, involved rulings on evidence admission, including exclusion of certain book pages. Psychological testimony by Dr. O. Roderick Richardson, Dr. Eric Marcus, and Dr. Bernard L. Diamond described Sirhan’s mental state as paranoid schizophrenia or dissociative psychosis, with claims he acted in a trance-like state during the shooting. Defense witnesses included clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, while prosecutors cross-examined them on testing conditions and background data. The trial featured discussions of Sirhan’s writings, hypnosis sessions, and alleged political influences. Issa Nakhesh, representing Sirhan, held a press conference criticizing Zionist influence on the trial.  

Key People  
- Sirhan Sirhan (defendant)  
- Dr. Martin M. Schorr (clinical psychologist, defense witness)  
- Dr. O. Roderick Richardson (clinical psychologist)  
- Dr. Eric Marcus (court-appointed psychiatrist)  
- Dr. Bernard L. Diamond (psychiatrist, defense witness)  
- Arthur Fetting (author of "Put It in Writing," referenced in court)  
- John Howard (prosecution attorney, cross-examined Schorr)  
- Emile Zola Berman (defense attorney)  
- Sharif Sirhan (Sirhan’s older brother, allegedly threatened family members)  
- Issa Nakhesh (Palestine Arab delegation representative, defense advisor)  

Key Locations  
- Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles, site of Kennedy’s assassination and Sirhan’s activities)  
- Rafferty Headquarters (Los Angeles, where Sirhan was seen prior to the shooting)  
- Cranston Headquarters (Ambassador Hotel, mentioned in Sirhan’s testimony)  
- Rosicrucian Chapter at Pasadena (meeting attended by Sirhan on May 28, 1968)  
- Los Angeles Superior Court  
- Hilton-Statler Hotel (press conference location)  

Key Events  
- Testimony about Sirhan’s activities leading up to June 5, 1968, including his attendance at a Rosicrucian meeting and gun range practice.  
- Cross-examination of Sirhan regarding his mental state and alleged threats against family members.  
- Psychological evaluation by Dr. Schorr, including Rorschach and Bender Gestalt tests, indicating paranoid personality traits.  
- Court debates over admissibility of psychological evidence and playback of interrogation tapes.  
- Defense arguments about Sirhan’s capacity to govern his actions during the assassination.  
- March 18–25, 1969: Trial proceedings, including evidence rulings and psychological testimony.  
- Hypnosis sessions with Sirhan by Dr. Diamond, leading to claims of dissociative state.  
- Cross-examinations of defense witnesses by prosecutors.  
- Press conference by Issa Nakhesh criticizing Zionist influence on the trial.  

Key Organizations  
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (involved in investigation and documentation)  
- American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) (mentioned in Sirhan’s testimony regarding an attorney visit)  
- Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) (implied via SAC/IOS reference)  
- University of California, Berkeley (Dr. Diamond’s affiliation)

RFK Declassified Files

56-la-156-t_sec_001_ser_1--part_3_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

Try AI Search