kilgallen
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| Would you like me to also give you a summary of what other friends and colleagues (besides her hairdresser) remembered her saying in those last days? | Would you like me to also give you a summary of what other friends and colleagues (besides her hairdresser) remembered her saying in those last days? | ||
| + | |||
| + | Alright — here’s what other people close to Dorothy Kilgallen reported about her last days, in addition to what she told her hairdresser: | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | === 📝 Colleagues and friends’ recollections === | ||
| + | |||
| + | == 1. **James Kiernan (fellow journalist, friend)** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * He later said Dorothy had told him she was on the verge of *“the biggest scoop of her life.”* | ||
| + | * She said she had “cracked the case wide open” regarding President Kennedy’s assassination. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == 2. **Her husband, Richard Kollmar** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * He told acquaintances that Dorothy had been unusually excited about her work in the days before she died. | ||
| + | * He said she often stayed up late, writing notes and keeping files about her investigation. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == 3. **Friends in her social circle** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Several friends remembered her saying that she had *just met with a key source in New Orleans.* | ||
| + | * She implied she was preparing to reveal new information about Jack Ruby and possible connections beyond what the Warren Commission reported. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == 4. **Close assistants and secretaries == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * One of her assistants recalled that Dorothy kept a *manila folder labeled “JFK”* with her notes. | ||
| + | * This folder was reportedly missing after her death, adding to the speculation. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == ⚠️ The common thread == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Multiple people — hairdresser, | ||
| + | * She also expressed **fear**: that if the “wrong people” knew what she knew, she could be killed. | ||
| + | * After her death, some of her notes and manuscript material on the assassination reportedly vanished, which intensified suspicions. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | ✅ **In short:** Dorothy Kilgallen told *several* people — not just her hairdresser — that she was about to publish a story that would shake the country, centered on the JFK assassination. She seemed both excited and fearful. Her sudden death left those remarks hanging as an unsettling clue. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | Would you like me to outline the **different theories** people have proposed about *what exactly she might have discovered* before she died? | ||
| + | |||
| + | Okay — here’s a structured overview of the **main theories about what Dorothy Kilgallen might have discovered** (or believed she had discovered) before her sudden death in 1965: | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | === 1. **Jack Ruby and Oswald connection theory === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Dorothy was one of the very few journalists to privately interview **Jack Ruby** (the man who shot Lee Harvey Oswald). | ||
| + | * She hinted in her columns that Ruby had deeper ties — possibly to organized crime or intelligence circles — that the **Warren Commission** had overlooked or downplayed. | ||
| + | * Theory: She uncovered evidence that Ruby and Oswald were *not* “two lone nuts,” but part of a larger network. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | === 2. **Organized crime angle === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Kilgallen had covered organized crime extensively earlier in her career. | ||
| + | * Some believe she learned that **mob figures** (particularly in New Orleans and Chicago) had roles in the assassination or its cover-up. | ||
| + | * New Orleans mob boss **Carlos Marcello** and his network are often suggested as her investigative target. | ||
| + | * Supporting detail: She had reportedly traveled to New Orleans shortly before her death, supposedly to meet a “key witness.” | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | === 3. **CIA involvement theory === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * In the 1960s, suspicions of CIA involvement in Kennedy’s death were already circulating. | ||
| + | * Dorothy may have been chasing leads suggesting that Oswald’s movements in Mexico City (and other intelligence connections) had been misrepresented. | ||
| + | * Theory: She had obtained inside information implicating elements of the CIA in either foreknowledge or suppression of evidence. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | === 4. **Suppressed witness testimony === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Some accounts suggest Dorothy had tracked down a **witness whose testimony was omitted or ignored** by the Warren Report. | ||
| + | * She allegedly told friends this source confirmed aspects of a conspiracy. | ||
| + | * Her comment to her hairdresser — “If the wrong people knew what I know, it would cost me my life” — is often tied to this theory. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | === 5. **The missing manuscript theory === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Dorothy was under contract to write a book about the Kennedy assassination. | ||
| + | * After her death, the **draft manuscript and key notes disappeared** from her townhouse. | ||
| + | * Theory: She had already put sensitive findings on paper, and those documents were deliberately removed before the public could see them. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | === 🧩 Common threads across theories === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * All focus on her belief that the **official “lone gunman” story was false or incomplete**. | ||
| + | * Most involve **either mob ties or government/ | ||
| + | * Her death — ruled a mix of alcohol and barbiturates — seemed suspicious because she was not known as a heavy drinker or drug user, and because her files went missing immediately afterward. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | ✅ **Bottom line:** | ||
| + | While we don’t know exactly what Dorothy Kilgallen discovered, the theories cluster around: | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Ruby’s deeper connections, | ||
| + | * Mob involvement (especially New Orleans), | ||
| + | * Possible CIA links, and | ||
| + | * Suppressed evidence or testimony. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Her remarks in those final days suggest she believed she had explosive, potentially dangerous information — but her sudden death left only speculation and missing papers. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | Would you like me to also give you a **timeline of her last week** — who she met, what she said, and what happened the night she died? | ||
| + | |||
| + | Here’s a **timeline of Dorothy Kilgallen’s last week in November 1965**, pieced together from biographies, | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | === 📅 **Timeline: Dorothy Kilgallen’s Final Days** === | ||
| + | |||
| + | == **Early November 1965** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Dorothy is actively investigating the JFK assassination. | ||
| + | * She travels to **New Orleans**, reportedly to meet a “key witness” connected to the case (possibly with mob ties). | ||
| + | * Returns to New York with renewed urgency, telling friends she has the *“scoop of a lifetime.”* | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | == **Thursday, November 4** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * At the TV studio for *What’s My Line?* rehearsals, she tells her hairdresser, | ||
| + | *“If the wrong people knew what I know, it would cost me my life.”* | ||
| + | * She mentions having notes for her upcoming JFK book and suggests she’s uncovered a connection others missed. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == **Friday, November 5** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * She lunches with friends and again mentions she’s on to something big. | ||
| + | * She says she’ll be writing late into the night over the weekend. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | == **Saturday, November 6** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Seen socially at the Regency Hotel with a male acquaintance. | ||
| + | * Friends recall she seemed “buoyant, excited, and secretive” — saying she couldn’t yet share details but would “soon.” | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == **Sunday, November 7** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Appears live on *What’s My Line?* looking cheerful and in good form. | ||
| + | * Afterward, she goes to the Regency Hotel for drinks with a friend, then returns home around 1 a.m. | ||
| + | * She reportedly goes upstairs to her private writing room (she called it the “den”), where she often worked late into the night on her columns and JFK notes. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | == **Monday, November 8** == | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Around noon, her maid and hairdresser find her body in a bedroom she *rarely used* (not her usual bedroom). | ||
| + | * She is sitting up in bed, still in makeup and false eyelashes, with notes and papers nearby. | ||
| + | * The official cause: **acute ethanol and barbiturate intoxication** (alcohol + Seconal). | ||
| + | * The death is ruled “accidental, | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | === ⚠️ **Odd circumstances** === | ||
| + | |||
| + | * Dorothy was not known as a heavy drinker or reckless pill user. | ||
| + | * The bedroom where she was found was not her normal one. | ||
| + | * Her **JFK research file** (manila folder and notes for her book manuscript) was missing from her townhouse and never recovered. | ||
| + | * Multiple friends recalled she had been optimistic, energetic, and forward-looking — not suicidal — in those final days. | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | ✅ **Summary: | ||
| + | In her last week, Kilgallen repeatedly told friends, colleagues, and her hairdresser that she had uncovered explosive information on the JFK assassination, | ||
| + | |||
| + | --- | ||
| + | |||
| + | Would you like me to also summarize the **main theories about what happened the night she died** (accident, suicide, or murder)? | ||
| + | |||
kilgallen.1758737153.txt.gz · Last modified: by admin
