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FBI File Claims Ted Kennedy Tried To Rent Brothel For A Night

BOSTON (CBS) – Did Ted Kennedy try to rent out a brothel for a night back in 1961, before he became a U.S. Senator?

The public interest group Judicial Watch announced Monday it has obtained previously-redacted material from FBI files on Kennedy.

Read: The File (.pdf)

One document includes a December 28, 1961 State Department memo that claims Kennedy made arrangements to rent a brothel for an entire night while on a trip to Santiago, Chile.

"Kennedy allegedly invited one of the Embassy chauffeurs to participate in the night's activities," the memo states.

So why is this coming out nearly 50 years later?

WBZ-TV's Kate Merrill reports.

"Ted Kennedy was a controversial, scandalous figure (with) many allegations of corruption concerning his activities and we want a complete historical record about that", Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

"In this instance he was an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County and, certainly if this type of activity was known, he wouldn't have been a senator."

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Diane Stern talks to Fitton

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Kennedy was elected to fill his brother John's Senate seat in November 1962.

"I think it's also important to note in these FBI documents that he was seemingly obsessed with meeting with communists while he was travelling down there," Fitton said.

"Certainly something that ought to be controversial now would have been extremely controversial then."

Fitton claims the FBI's decision to redact these documents was "political" and "not based on law."

"I think it will further cement Ted Kennedy's reputation in a negative light," he said.

"This was the Kennedy FBI that did this, that knew about this, and it was covered up."

Judicial Watch, which originally sued to get the file last year, says it also forced the FBI to start releasing its file on the late Ted Stevens, the longtime Republican Senator from Alaska.

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