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Gregory Freeman Stone collection on the Robert F. Kennedy assassination

 Collection
Identifier: 0241

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Scope and Content

The collection includes the materials that were accumulated and studied by Gregory Freeman Stone over the course of his investigation into Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination. Included are excerpts from the FBI and LAPD's investigative files regarding the Kennedy case, full transcripts of the Sirhan trial and subsequent appeal, VHS recordings of evidence and media coverage of the case, correspondence exchanged between Stone and other second-gunman theorists, transcripts of interviews conducted with witnesses in the case, photographs and diagrams of the crime scene, Stone's personal notes and conclusions, and indexes and lists providing direction for further research. The collection also includes a comprehensive survey of media coverage of the Kennedy case, including newspaper and periodical clippings, journal articles, excerpts from books, and news and video broadcasts.

Dates

  • Creation: 1944 - 1992

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE. Advance notice required for access.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manuscripts Librarian. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Historical note

On June 5, 1968, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot and killed in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Kennedy had just won the California primary election for the Democratic nomination for President earlier that night. While Kennedy was passing through the hotel's kitchen, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a 24-year old Palestinian immigrant, shot and killed the presidential hopeful. Sirhan subsequently confessed to the crime, was convicted of first-degree murder on April 17, 1969, and is currently serving a life sentence for Kennedy's assassination.



Despite Sirhan's confession and conviction, many believed that Kennedy's assassination was not so cut and dry. Gregory Freeman Stone, a former political science doctoral candidate at the University of Wisconsin, was one such individual. From his research, Stone came to believe that Sirhan did not act alone but was assisted by a second gunman, who was responsible for firing the bullet that ultimately killed the Senator. Stone devoted his life to searching for evidence to support this theory.



In 1985, Stone dropped out of his doctoral studies program in order to spend more time on the case. He subsequently moved to Los Angeles to continue his research and the small duplex in which he lived served as the main location for his collection of materials related to the assassination. In 1988, the Los Angeles Police Department released their files regarding the investigation and credit Stone as being instrumental in making this happen. These files are currently housed in the California State Archives.



Stone and his colleagues were confident that their research would finally launch a reinvestigation into the murder. On May 13, 1990, the Washington Post published an article by Dan Moldea in which the author stated that more bullets were fired than could be accounted for in Sirhan's revolver, nine to twelve in total. Stone's research was vital to Moldea's conclusion. The following week Stone and his colleagues held a press conference to present their findings on the second gunman. The findings received national attention but did not lead to the reinvestigation into the murder the group hoped for. Stone was deeply upset by the outcome and developed depression. In 1991, he committed suicide.

Extent

160.67 Linear Feet (108 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The collection includes files accumulated by Gregory Freemen Stone during his investigation into the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in four series: 1. Trial Transcripts and Legal Documents; 2. LAPD and FBI Investigative Files; 3. Subject Files; 4. Media Coverage. For the most part, the collection was kept in original order and original folder titles were used to describe the folder contents.

Acquisition

The collection was given to the University of Southern California by Philip H. Melanson on August 25, 1991.

Related Archival Materials

Inventory of the Los Angeles Police Department Records of the Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation, circa 1968-1978 at the California State Archives.

The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Archive Collection. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Archives and Special Collections University Library. MC 1/RFKAA.

Processsing Information

The processing of this collection was assisted by Ye Fu and Tiffany Chu.

Title
Gregory Freeman Stone collection on the Robert F. Kennedy assassination
Status
Completed
Author
Katie Richardson, Andrew Goodrich, and Vivian Yan
Date
2011 April
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
The processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid was funded by the generous support of the Council on Library and Information Resources.

Repository Details

Part of the USC Libraries Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Doheny Memorial Library 206
3550 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles California 90089-0189 United States