</s>"We simply cannot conclude, either on the basis of the record now before us or as a matter of judicial notice, that the ex- clustion of jurors opposed to capital punish- ment results in an unrepresentative jury on the issue of guilt or substantially in- creases the risk of conviction. Id ., 517-18. The court did, however, leave open the possibility that such a showing might be made in some future case. Id ., 520(n.18). This Court, subsequent to Witherspoon and several months prior to appellant's trial, denied the petitioners' motion for an evidentiary hearing regard- ing the foregoing claim in In re Anderson, supra, 69 Cal. 2d 613, noting that the pending studies were of a "sociological or psychological nature" and that therefore the "prospect is remote" that pending studies "will yield views of human behavior of such incontestable, eternal truth that existing constitu- tional doctrines will have to retreat before them. Such studies hold too little promise to warrant what would amount to an indeterminate stay of the judicial process in a critical area." Id . , 621. 279. 2025 RELEASE UNDER E.O. 14176

**Key Individuals:**

* Sirhan Bishara Sirhan: convicted assassin of Robert F. Kennedy, mentioned in conversation with Shermont Banks
* Shermont Banks: former member of the Black Panther Party (BPP), interviewed by FBI representatives on August 13, 1968
* Ron Karenga: leader of the black Nationalist organization US
* Huey Newton: leader of the BPP, arrested in Oakland, California

**Dates and Locations:**

* June 5, 1968: date of Robert F. Kennedy's assassination
* February 18, 1968: date of Black Power rally sponsored by the BC at the Los Angeles Sports Arena
* February 26, 1968: date of armed confrontation between BPP and US members at the BPP office
* July 1968: month in which the BPP officially moved into a building at 4115 South Central Avenue
* August 13, 1968: date on which Shermont Banks was interviewed by FBI representatives

**Significant Events or Activities:**

* Meeting at BC Hall involving the BPP and US members
* Armed confrontation between BPP and US members on February 26, 1968
* Black Power rally sponsored by the BC on February 18, 1968
* Shermont Banks' employment with American Airlines and his interview with FBI representatives

**Evidence, Testimony, or Findings:**

* Photographs of Sirhan Sirhan exhibited to Shermont Banks
* Testimony from Shermont Banks during interview with FBI representatives
* Reports from racial informants on Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office regarding Black Panther meetings at BC office

RFK Declassified Files

62-hq-587_sec_047_ser_1279_only-part_7_of_7.pdf

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