A piece by Norman Francis Sykes about Ken O'Donnell is very good. And I agree totally with Norman that there is no way that O'Donnell had foreknowledge of the assassination. Having been part of Kennedy's "Irish Mafia" at the White House, and having been Robert Kennedy's roommate at Harvard, there is no way that anybody tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Psst. We're killing Kennedy on Friday."
But, immediately following the assassination, O'Donnell started doing LBJ's bidding, starting with stealing JFK's body and swifting it off to Washington, in violation of Texas state law. So, why did O'Donnell do that? He did it because, instantly, LBJ had become the man to please. There was instantly a new political landscape, and doing well in that landscape meant pleasing the new ruler, LBJ.
Spurred by Norman, I went back and read O'Donnell's WC testimony. And it is quite amazing that Kennnedy's Appointment Secretary (that's all he was) would start exerting such authority as to take possession of JFK's body in defiance of Texas law, and essentially telling the doctors who were trying to stop him to go fuck themselves. Where did he get the nerve to do that? He got it from LBJ. He was acting as a surrogate for LBJ. He was empowered by LBJ. Immediately following the assassination, he, like many others, did a rapid-fire calculation that pleasing LBJ was in their self-interest. I find it very interesting and significant that in his testimony, in recalling exactly what happened, and relating what he was thinking, that he referred to LBJ as "the President" even in that immediate timeframe. LBJ wasn't even sworn in yet, and you would think that, psychologically, it would have taken a bit longer to think of him as President. But, this was a case of hailing Caesar instantly out of self-interest. So, the redirecting of loyalty from JFK to LBJ took place instantly in people like O'Donnell, and it was true of many.
But, it was different for Robert Kennedy. It's true what Norman said, that RFK did nothing to stand up for his brother. The story goes that he was swimming laps at his pool in McLean, Virginia when JFK was shot. Right away, Hoover called him and informed him, and they talked for 20 minutes. I think Hoover must have communicated, tacitly, that RFK had better go along with the story they were telling-if he knew what was good for him.
I suspect there wasn't an ounce of sympathy in Hoover's voice. It was more like, "Your brother is dead. Now here's what's going to happen." He must have communicated to RFK that there would be no tolerance of dissent, that what was needed now, more than anything, was solidarity. And RFK got the message.
But, he wasn't stupid. He must have known that his brother's enemies finally got to him. RFK must have realized that to do anything but support Officialdom would have meant instant radicalization and alienation- of himself. And he didn't want that. So, abandoning his brother was a very selfish act, but he may have reasoned, either consciously or subconsciously, that his brother was dead, and there was no bringing him back to life. Hoover must have intimated to him that the preservation of his brother's reputation required him, RFK, to play ball. Otherwise, the dirt about his affairs and his ill-health, etc. would come out- which it did anyway. But, RFK probably reasoned that his brother's reputation and legacy were all he had left.
I don't say it was an easy decision for him. Maybe he did consider going rogue by denouncing the official story. But, if did consider it, it wasn't for long. Robert Kennedy laid down his weapon to his brother's slayers.
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