Item 059.Pdf

to the main points of his original story, sometimes ducking tough questions by referring the reporters to his inconclu- sive testimony at the official inquest. He did admit, however, that he had erred in telling the court that he had never been on Chappaquiddick before the day of the accident, and that he had fixed the time of his return to the cottage after the accident by the dashboard clock Back t quiddick of a Valiant driven by his cousin and sometime factotum, Joseph Gargan. What ned that night on TIME recently disclosed that Ken- Chappaquiddick five years ago, when nedy had visited the island at least once Mary Jo Kopechne drowned and Ed- before and that the 1968 Valiant was ward Kennedy's career nearly perished? not equipped with a clock (TIME, Oct. To this day the full truth is obscure. The 7). Kennedy has always insisted that he official investigation was sluggish, Ken- and Kopechne left the party at about nedy and other witnesses evasive, and 11:15 p.m. to return to Martha's Vine- journalists lost interest after a few yard aboard a ferry. The question of time months. This year, however, a number is important because the ferry stopped of publications, anticipating Kennedy's regular operations at midnight; if Ken- presidential candidacy in 1976, started nedy wanted service later, he would new inquiries. Last week the Boston have had to request it. A crucial point Globe published the results of the most in Kennedy's version is that he mistak- exhaustive of the current investigations. enly turned right onto Dike Road lead- The densely packed five-part series fur- ing to the bridge, rather than left to- ther undermined Kennedy's sworn ver- Globe's findings sion of the events before and after his ward the ferry. The black 1967 Oldsmobile hurtled off Dike challenge parts of this account. Items: Bridge into Poucha Pond. • According to one unnamed The two-month examination by source, Kennedy told someone at the party that he was leaving with Mary Jo three Globe staffers, begun before Ken- nedy withdrew from the 1976 race, was to take a walk on the beach beyond the not a hatchet job. The liberal paper has bridge, where both had swum earlier in always been sympathetic to Kennedy, the day. Kennedy denies the report. yet felt that it had to go ahead with the 10 Another unnamed informant story despite the Senator's decision to claimed that Gargan indeed agreed to bow out as a national candidate. Said take responsibility for the accident, but Editor Thomas Winship: "We are not that Kennedy decided the next morn- out to drive Ted Kennedy from office. ing that "the alibi either couldn't work We are trying to get more details on an or he couldn't live with it." The Senator important story affecting a public fig- also denies this report. ure who will continue to be important," • A scientific study determined that The biggest obstacle in obtaining those if the accident occurred at about 11:30 details was the continued silence of most p.m., as Kennedy's time frame indicates, of the ten men and women guests at the the tide at the bridge would have been party thrown by Kennedy that night at slightly less than one knot, far weaker a Chappaquiddick cottage. than the torrent that Kennedy claimed swept him away from the car. Had the Kennedy himself was reluctant to accident taken place an hour later, as in- talk to the Globe and initially requested dicated by a deputy sheriff who saw a that questions be submitted in advance. car like Kennedy's on Dike Road at He also wanted a one-hour limit. After 12:45 a.m., the tide would have been five weeks of bargaining, it was agreed that the three reporters would provide about 1.3 knots. 11. Soon after the accident, Stephen general subjects in advance and that Smith, Kennedy's brother-in-law, hired they would be able to ask follow-up ques- lawyers for some who had attended the tions. The conversation lasted two hours party. The same two lawyers represent- —the first lengthy interview Kennedy has granted on the incident. Rather ed eight of the inquest witnesses. Said plaintively, he acknowledged that his Ray LaRosa: "The lawyers coached us behavior after the accident had been "ir- pretty good. We knew what to expect." rational and indefensible and inexcus- In all, the Globe discovered more able and inexplicable." Kennedy stuck than 100 discrepancies in the testimony of key witnesses. But the paper blunted 101 the impact of its report by running the full text of the interview before publish- ing its own findings and by burying some of its disclosures in 51 columns of copy. Despite these quirks, the series was well-reasoned and well-researched. If it did not break open the Chappaquiddick case, it did demonstrate the frailties of the original inquiry. It also raised enough new questions to encourage still deeper investigation by others. TIME, NOVEMBER 11, 1974 .

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