A Lot On His Mind

[Original version(s) posted at my blog "disposable property" on 6 October 2013, 26 January and 19 May 2014]

When the attack on U. S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy occurred, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was 24 years old. For such a young man, he had many religious and philosophical influences, including "pseudo" varieties of these. Greg Parker has posted examples of the occult and Rosicrucianism at his Reopen Kennedy Case Forum. There's also evidence of influence from something called "Religious Science" (also known as "Science of Mind"). In the transcripts of Sirhan's trial testimony, there was evidence that he'd written in one of his notebooks, "I shall begin realizing the sum of $100 as per the instructions of the Bible and Thomas Troward within the next five days or before the termination of this month."

(Click on image or open in new tab or window to view full-size)

Thomas Troward had been particularly influential in the origins of Religious Science. I had stumbled upon this connection while doing an internet search for the "Write It Down" article that appeared in the Rosicrucian Digest, which supposedly influenced Sirhan's automatic writing exercises. I failed to bookmark or copy the link and was unable to find it a couple of months later. But I recalled that the article's author was a member of Religious Science rather than a Rosicrucian as such.

Other personalities involved in Religious Science who seemed of interest:

Ernest Holmes

Charles Haanel

Donald Curtis

Also, official investigators seem to have sought help to distinguish between Rosicrucian thought and Theosophy early in 1969, according to a note of an interview in the Los Angeles Police Department's "Special Unit Senator" (SUS) report, "Appendix E: Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Records Audio Tapes." For students of the case, that appendix is interesting reading all on its own. In all following excerpts from it, the interview tapes are identified by name of the witness and their identification number, tape number, date of interview, and a brief description of the witness and the account they gave.

James Long (I-4637); J.G. Crabbendam (I-4639); (CSA-168 [A-B], CSA-169; January 17, 1969): "President of a L.A. area Theosophical Society, and a guest; joint interview. Long explains the principles of Theosophy, differences between different Theosophical groups, and the difference between Theosophy and Rosecrucianism [sic-dwd]."

The Seventh-day Adventist Church was also of interest to Sirhan Sirhan, again according to the SUS Appendix E.

John Weidner (CSA-K112; I-1038; July 1, 1968): "Seventh-Day Adventist and health food store owner who formerly employed Sirhan. Discusses Sirhan's temperament, character, background, and performance as an employee. [Original recorded at extremely low volume.]"

Charles W. Mitchell (CSA-K101; I-2109; August 8, 1968): "Seventh-Day Adventist minister who supervised two church workers who made contacts with Sirhan. Discusses the nature of those contacts, and that Sirhan chose to discontinue the meetings."

Margaret Heacock (CSA-K101; I-2110; August 8, 1968): "Seventh-Day Adventist who had Bible studies with Sirhan. Discusses taking over the assignment, nature of the contacts, and Sirhan's comments regarding his former boss, Mr. Weidner. [Poor quality original. Much background noise.]"

(CSA-K157; Mary Sirhan, I-1027; Adel Sirhan, I-321; August 8, 1968): "Adel and Mary Sirhan reiterate that Mr. Peters, a Seventh-Day Adventist, met regularly with Sirhan for religious discussions."

Henry Peters (CSA-K160 [A-B]; I-2888; August 28, 1968): "Seventh-Day Adventist who conducted Bible studies with Sirhan. Relates the nature and topics of their discussions. [Recorder is left on after the interview is over. Police discuss privately that Peters' interview was worth the trip, and details regarding the {Sandra-dwd} Serrano interview. Extreme interference makes understanding conversation very difficult.]"

In Shane O'Sullivan's Who Killed Bobby? (p.98) Henry Peters was John Weidner's nephew, "a minister visiting from Wisconsin," asked by Sirhan "to come to the house and give him Bible lessons. On Tuesday nights, they sat with Mrs. [Mary] Sirhan in the dining room and covered topics like 'God's Forgotten Riches' and 'The Problems of Sin.'"

There once was evidence of some Federal Bureau of Investigation follow-ups on Mr. Peters at a source no longer available on the internets. (Odd how that stuff keeps happening.) From an FBI Memorandum dated "8/9/68" from "SA [DELETED] to SAC, LOS ANGELES (56-156), Subject: KENSALT" [that is, from a Special Agent with name blacked out to the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI LA Office (56-156) regarding the FBI's investigation of the Robert Kennedy assassination]:

On 8/8/68, a conference was held at the LAPD regarding captioned matter [i.e., KENSALT]. Present at the conference and participating therein were the following individuals:

Deputy Chief, ROBERT HOUGHTON, LAPD

Lieutenant MANUEL PENA, LAPD

[DELETED] LAPD

DAVID FITTS, Deputy, Los Angeles County District Attorney

GEORGE STONER, Chief, Bureau of Investigations, Los Angeles County District Attorney

Lieutenant ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ, LAPD

SA [DELETED] FBI, Los Angeles

....The purpose of the conference was to discuss the progress made to date in the investigation of the assassination of former Senator ROBERT F. KENNEDY. In the opinion of Lieutenant PENA, who is in charge of the Case Preparation Team, the work of that unit would probably be completed within the next six weeks.......

[p. 2]
....With respect to the "medical aspect" of this investigation, it is the intention of Deputy District Attorney JOHN MINER to journey to the States of Michigan and Wisconsin accompanied by Lieutenant ENRIQUE HERNANDEZ of the LAPD (a polygraph operator) and [DELETED] (a prosecution psychiatrist). The trip will be made for the purpose of interviewing TERRY WELCH, currently residing in Michigan, and HENRY PETERS, currently residing in the Jamesville, Wisconsin area. It is anticipated this trip will be undertaken on or about 8/20/68, when Mr. MINER has other commitments in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

The subsequent FBI Airtel (56-156-1610) dated "8/9/68" from "SAC, LOS ANGELES (56-156) to SAC, MILWAUKEE, RE: KENSALT, RE: HENRY PETERS and TERRY MICKEY WELCH," reads:

As a result of continuing investigation being conducted by the LAPD a decision has been made by the Los Angeles County DA's Office to have personnel from the LAPD and the DA's Office proceed to Wisconsin and Michigan to conduct additional interview of HENRY PETERS and TERRY MICKEY WELCH about whom previous information has been furnished to Los Angeles by Milwaukee and Detroit.

[Three paragraphs about 4-5 lines each blacked out leading on to page 2-dwd]

SUGGESTED LEADS, MILWAUKEE [DELETED] AT [DELETED] WISCONSIN: Will ascertain current whereabouts and residences of HENRY PETERS [two lines blacked out]

(2) Will submit request for FBI Identification Record [DELETED] to FBI Laboratory and request that results thereof be expeditiously made available to Los Angeles.

Regarding Terry Welch, there had been an extremely redacted AIRTEL dated "8/5/68" stating that "information was received from the Detroit [FBI] Office that Terry Welch, who had been employed with Sirhan at a ranch in Norco, California, advised that SIRHAN was friendly with a FRANK DONNARUMA who was employed as a trainer at the Granja Vista Del Rio Farms."

Finally, the Appendix E source briefly mentions what might be a tenuous connection but one with potentially significant implications due to the reverend's involvement in Far Right circles.

Rev. Jonathan Perkins (CSA-K173; No.1; February 11, 1969): "Friend of Jerry Owen. Vouches for Owen's accountability."

In my original search on any Reverend Jonathan Perkins, I found a couple of sources that seemed of interest, although the first link no longer works:

listserv.shamash.org....

2. Perkins, Rev. Jonathan. THE JEWS HAVE GOT THE ATOM BOMB! Better than Very Good Condition, Anti-semitica. Rev. Jonathan Perkins Tulsa. No date (early 50s). Presume 1st Ed, Pamphlet 16mo, Single fold. Perkins worked for Gerald L.K. Smith before heading out on his own. "..a little handful of Jewish plotters are attempting to seize control of the entire globe." Ralph Lord Roy describes this pamphlet as "a fable that David Lillienthal is an agent of Political Zionism in its effort to establish a world government centered in Jerusalem." (Roy. APOSTLES OF DISCORD). (000484) $35.00.

[See here for a more recent offering of the pamphlet. Self-published at Delavan, Wisconsin, late 1940s.]

A possible daughter, Leatha Lorraine Perkins Dahlgren:

DAHLGREN-Leatha Lorraine Perkins Dahlgren, age 92, of Hemet, CA passed away March 1, 2008 at Loma Linda Hospital. Leatha was born on January 30, 1916 in Wichita, KA and was the middle daughter of Rev. Jonathan Perkins and Leota Perkins. After graduating from Belmont High School, Los Angeles, CA in 1934, she lived and worked in La Habra, CA from 1945 to 1988 before moving to Hemet, CA. She was active in the La Habra United Method Church, The Women's Society of Christian Service, the YWCA, and the Hemet United Methodist Church in many leadership and outreach capacities. She received the Hemet United Methodist Church's "Woman of the Year" award in 2000.

More information on the Rev. Jonathan Ellsworth Perkins of Far Right fame, from my original investigations years ago:

1. Rev. Jonathan Perkins at Gerald L. K. Smith speaking engagement, Milwaukee, 1947: naturally, link no longer works; my recollection is it was from a Milwaukee newspaper.

2. Gerald L. K. Smith entry on Metapedia.

3. The now no longer helpful Jonathan Perkins entry on Metapedia.

4. Rev. Jonathan Perkins of San Francisco (and Tulsa, Oklahoma, or is it Beaver City, Oklahoma.....look, he got around) received a telegram from US Senator Robert R. Reynolds. The original link has moved somewhere, but the information is in another source (for however long this one lasts).

5. El Paso Herald Post article, 20 July 1945: now requires becoming a member to read full-size (openly available, originally, whatever it was).

6. From Michael Barkun's Religion and the Racist Right: The Origins of the Christian Identity Movement.

7. From something called the "Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center." Likewise removed, naturally.

8. Also of interest, from whatever the Universal World Church may be.

The LAPD "Special Unit Senator" files posted below describe Perkins as Jerry Owen's "long time friend and jackleg preacher" and "an 80-year-old retired preacher and friend of Owen." These files are also of general interest, particularly in revealing the assessment of John Christian and William Turner by the LAPD; their eventual book on the case was infamously treated with extreme prejudice.

(Click on images for slide-show or open in new tab or window to view full-size)

Finally, in a transcript of a polygraph interview conducted by Lieutenant Enrique Hernandez, LAPD, there is confirmation from Jerry Owen himself that the Far Right Reverend Jonathan Ellsworth Perkins was "a close friend of mine." In the documents posted below, the first is the initial identifying page of the transcript. The second is page 51, where Owen advises Hernandez that Perkins "said he's been in a hundred riots with this Smith, you know, this Gerald K. [sic] Smith -- he was one of his right-hand men." (Incidentally, Hernandez advised Owen [p. 46] that he'd talked to "twenty-three people that say they saw a girl in the polka dot dress. They are all -- they're all fibbing." And Hernandez would know -- since he was in charge of determining who all the fibbers were.)

(Click on images for slide-show or open in new tab or window to view full-size)

Return to Table of Contents