05/21/2026
A few days ago, I mentioned there was one handwritten entry inside one of Marilyn Monroe’s personal 1962 phone books that I had never publicly shared.
This is that entry. ✍🏻
I own two of Marilyn Monroe’s personal 1962 phone books. Inside one of them appears Marilyn’s handwritten entry for one of the two Kennedy brothers. Which one?
First… For decades, conspiracy theories have claimed that Marilyn Monroe’s death involved foul play connected to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
But what’s really true about where and when this story began?
Not long after Marilyn’s death, right wing extremist Frank Capell, publisher of The Herald of Freedom newsletter, together with FBI informant Maurice Reece and LAPD officer Jack Clemmons, helped spread rumors that RFK had been romantically involved with Marilyn and later took part in her death.
There was absolutely no evidence to support the claim.
In reality, RFK was in Northern California the weekend Marilyn died, not Los Angeles. It's documented.
Capell’s political hatred of the Kennedys, liberalism, and what he viewed as Communist influence became central to the creation and spread of the murder theory. He turned to nationally syndicated columnist Walter Winchell to help amplify the rumors, insinuating that Marilyn’s death involved more than an overdose of pills.
In 1964, Capell published a pamphlet titled The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe, helping launch what would become decades of Marilyn murder conspiracy theories.
Soon afterward, an uncredited and unsourced memo was submitted to the FBI claiming RFK had promised to divorce his wife to marry Marilyn and had secretly been in Los Angeles the night she died, supposedly registered at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The problem? RFK was not in Los Angeles that weekend. He was in Northern California.
Today, the memo is widely believed to have originated with Maurice Reece himself. Ironically, the memo cited Walter Winchell as a source, despite the fact that Capell and Reece had been among those helping feed the rumors to Winchell in the first place.
This is where the conspiracy theory began.
That same period, Capell and Clemmons were also involved in another fabricated political smear campaign targeting Republican Senator Thomas Kuchel because they believed he was not conservative enough due to his support of civil rights legislation.
In February 1965, Capell and Clemmons were indicted for conspiracy to commit libel in connection with that political smear campaign. Clemmons ultimately resigned from the LAPD.
So which Kennedy brother appears in Marilyn’s phone book?
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
On the reverse of the first page, Marilyn wrote the handwritten notation: “BK Home” and “EL 6713,” which I’ve confirmed was RFK’s home telephone number.
This information has never been shared publicly.
I discovered the entry years ago, not long after acquiring the phone books. I’ve been hesitant to share it out of concern that people would attempt to misuse it as evidence supporting a conspiracy theory.
But what does the RFK phone book entry actually prove?
Nothing beyond what we already knew: Marilyn knew Bobby Kennedy.
She also knew actors, politicians, journalists, writers, and countless other public figures. Her phone books are filled with names and numbers from every corner of American public life. RFK was one of them.
Which Kennedy brother does NOT appear anywhere in either phone book?
President John F. Kennedy.
History matters. Documents matter. And sometimes the real story behind a conspiracy theory is more revealing than the conspiracy itself.
