</s>.FD-302(Rev. 4:15-84) FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION Date 7/1/68 1 HOWARD W. WYNN, Correctional Officer, U. S. Pen- Ientitary, advised that he is well acquainted with JAMES HOFFA inasmuch as HOFFA worked under his supervision for about nine months and he has continually been alert to Hoffa nine months as he has continuously been alerted to HoffA's name and the institution he has been identified as the name of (FNU) DE JOSEPH at the institution. He advised HOFA's regular dinner companions are SAMUEL DESIST and ANTHONY PROVENZANO. He said, however, there are always a number of individuals following after HOFFa and seeking to gain his favor. 339 On 6/24/68 at Lewisburg, Pa. File # Philadelphia.62-4929- by SA DELMAR H. MAYFIELD, JR./ cad Date dictated ... 6/25/68 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. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

Summary  
The documents detail FBI investigations into rumors of Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968, including testimonies about the spread of false information across Israel, Europe, and Iraq. Rumors originated during a Holy Land tour in mid-May 1968, attributed to an Israeli guide named Jacob Henignich or similar variations. The FBI interviewed tour members, including Mrs. Hubert Ritche of Georgia and Reverend W. M. C. Cracken of Ohio, who reported hearing the rumor at rest stops or via radio broadcasts. Some participants later confirmed the rumor was false. In June 1968, the FBI expanded its inquiry to Czechoslovakia, where Paul Kuka’s cousin claimed RFK was shot on May 16, 1968, and linked the rumor to prior political tensions. Soviet inquiries about RFK’s assassination before an international rifle competition in Prague raised suspicions of GRU involvement. Additional reports noted discussions at philosophy classes in California linking Middle Eastern conflicts to Zionists and references to Sirian Bishara, later identified as the assassin, observed at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The FBI also investigated a Rambler automobile with license plate FOB 091, traced through multiple intermediaries, including Ruth Holbert of Los Angeles, who denied being present at the hotel on June 5, 1968.  

Key People  
- **Jacob Henignich** (Israeli tour guide) – Alleged source of rumors about RFK’s shooting during a Holy Land tour.  
- **Mrs. Hubert Ritche** (Georgia) – Reported hearing the rumor from the guide during a Holy Land tour.  
- **Reverend W. M. C. Cracken** (Ohio) – Tour participant who claimed the guide mentioned news about RFK via radio broadcasts.  
- **Paul Kuka** (Burbank, California; cousin in Czechoslovakia) – Received a letter claiming RFK was shot on May 16, 1968.  
- **Charles Gordon** (Joint Distribution Committee official killed in Prague) – Linked to potential RFK assassination plots via Czechoslovakian contacts.  
- **Sirian Bishara** – Identified by multiple witnesses as the individual seen at the Ambassador Hotel during RFK’s events; later confirmed as the assassin.  
- **Samuel Tolch** – Reported seeing a man resembling Sirian Bishara at the Ambassador Hotel in May 1963.  
- **Harriet Lessner** (New Jersey) – Described a white male at the hotel during an RFK rally in mid-May 1968.  
- **Miriam Neville Davis** – Observed a man in the kitchen area of the hotel on June 2, 1968, later recognized as Sirian Bishara.  
- **Ruth Holbert** (Los Angeles) – Owned a Rambler automobile linked to an anonymous tip about its presence near the Ambassador Hotel.  
- **Florence N. Summers** (Blythe, California) – Original registrant of license plate FOB 091; traded in her car in May 1968.  

Key Locations  
- **Israel** (Holy Land, Caesarea, Tel Aviv) – Sites of the tour where rumors originated.  
- **Georgia** (Atlanta, Cornelia) – Home locations of individuals involved in reporting the rumor.  
- **Czechoslovakia** (Prague) – Site of Soviet inquiries and discussions about RFK’s assassination.  
- **Los Angeles, California** – Central location for RFK’s events and the Ambassador Hotel.  
- **Pasadena City College (PCC)** – Where Sirian Bishara was reportedly a student.  
- **John Wesley County Hospital, Los Angeles** – Hospital where RFK was hospitalized after his assassination.  

Key Events  
- **Mid-May 1968**: Rumor spread that RFK was shot during a Holy Land tour, attributed to an Israeli guide.  
- **June 1968**: FBI investigations into the rumor’s origin, including interviews with tour members and verification of its falsity.  
- **Czechoslovakia (May–June 1968)**: Rumors of RFK’s assassination linked to prior political tensions; Soviet inquiries raised GRU involvement suspicions.  
- **Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles**: Witnesses identified Sirian Bishara as the individual seen during RFK’s events.  
- **Vehicle investigation**: Chain of ownership for a Rambler with license plate FOB 091 traced through multiple intermediaries.  

Key Organizations  
- **Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)** – Conducted investigations into rumors, witness accounts, and vehicle ownership.  
- **Joint Distribution Committee** – Affiliation of Charles Gordon, whose killing in Prague was linked to potential RFK assassination plots.  
- **Organization of Arab Students (OAS)** – Investigated for possible ties to Sirian Bishara; Bassam F. Houalia denied affiliations.  
- **United Arab Airlines, United Airlines** – Mentioned as carriers for individuals who reported rumors during flights to Cairo and Beirut.

RFK Declassified Files

56-la-156-x-5_sec_002_ser_295--part_2_of_4.pdf

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