Judith Campbell Exner – JFK, Sam Giancana and John Roselli Associate FBI Files

Description

Kennedy, the Mob, and Judith Campbell Exner

Detailed Timeline:

Late 1950s:

• Sam Giancana becomes the boss of the Chicago Outfit, a major criminal organization.
• John Roselli is an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit, involved in controlling Hollywood and Las Vegas.

Winter 1960:

• Judith Campbell Exner is introduced to John F. Kennedy by Frank Sinatra during Kennedy’s presidential primary campaign.
• Judith Campbell Exner claims to begin an affair with John F. Kennedy.

Early 1960s:

• John Roselli is recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to participate in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Winter 1960 – March 1962:

• Judith Campbell Exner claims her relationship with John F. Kennedy lasts during this period. She also claims to have acted as a link between President Kennedy and Mafia members Sam Giancana and John Roselli.

1960:

• John F. Kennedy is elected President of the United States.

1957 – 1966:

• Sam Giancana serves as the boss of the Chicago Outfit.

1966:

• Sam Giancana is no longer the boss of the Chicago Outfit.

1975:

• Judith Campbell Exner gains national media attention when she testifies before the Church Committee, which is investigating CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro.

1976 – 1997:

• Judith Campbell Exner files numerous lawsuits against the FBI seeking access to all information the FBI held on her.

September 24, 1999:

• Judith Campbell Exner dies.

November 2017:

• Some FBI files related to Judith Campbell Exner are released.

Cast of Characters:

• Judith Campbell Exner (January 11, 1934 – September 24, 1999): Also known as Judith Exner and Judith Campbell. She claimed to be the mistress of U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Mafia leaders Sam Giancana and John Roselli. She testified before the Church Committee in 1975 regarding CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro and later filed numerous lawsuits against the FBI seeking information about herself.
• John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963): The 35th President of the United States. Judith Campbell Exner claimed to have had an affair with him from the winter of 1960 until March 1962 and alleged she served as a link between him and Mafia figures.
• Sam Giancana (May 24, 1908 – June 19, 1975): A Sicilian American mobster who was the boss of the criminal Chicago Outfit from 1957 to 1966. Judith Campbell Exner claimed to have been his mistress and a link between him and President Kennedy.
• John “Handsome Johnny” Roselli (July 4, 1905 – August 9, 1976): An influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped the organization control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. In the early 1960s, he was recruited by the CIA in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Judith Campbell Exner claimed to have been his mistress and a link between him and President Kennedy.
• Frank Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998): A famous American singer and actor. He is mentioned as the person who introduced Judith Campbell Exner to John F. Kennedy.
• Michael O’Brien: Author of “John F. Kennedy: A Biography.” His quote reflects on the uncertainty and varying nature of Judith Campbell Exner’s claims regarding her relationships and involvement with Kennedy and the Mafia.

Judith Campbell Exner – JFK, Sam Giancana and John Roselli Associate FBI Files

642 pages of FBI files related to Judith Campbell Exner. Some material was not released until November 2017.

Judith Campbell Exner (January 11, 1934 – September 24, 1999), also known as Judith Exner and Judith Campbell, claimed to be the mistress of U.S. president John F. Kennedy and Mafia leaders Sam Giancana and John Roselli.

Sam Giancana was a Sicilian American mobster, known for being the boss of the criminal Chicago Outfit from 1957 to 1966.

John “Handsome Johnny” Roselli, sometimes spelled Rosselli, was an influential mobster for the Chicago Outfit who helped that organization control Hollywood and the Las Vegas Strip. In the early 1960s, Roselli was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in a plot to assassinate Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

Michael O’Brien, author of John F. Kennedy: A Biography, has written, “Of all the Kennedy sex scandals, the Exner story may be the one that troubles his admirers most. It is also a tale that remains clouded with uncertainty. Exner changed it several times, amplifying her original confession of an affair into bizarre claims about her role in a conspiracy involving Kennedy and the Mafia. The first accusations were bad enough; the later ones would seriously injure Kennedy’s reputation as president, if true. For that reason, it’s important to be clear about which of Exner’s claims we should believe, and which appear to be fantasy. “

Judith Campbell Exner claimed to have been a link between President Kennedy and Mafia members Sam Giancana and Johnny Roselli. Introduced to John Kennedy by Frank Sinatra during Kennedy’s 1960 presidential primary campaign, she claimed to have had a relationship with John Kennedy that lasted from the winter of 1960 until March of 1962. In 1975, Ms. Exner gained national media attention when she testified before the Church Committee in its investigation of the CIA plots to assassinate Fidel Castro. Between 1976 and 1997, Ms. Exner filed numerous lawsuits against the FBI seeking access to all information the FBI held on her.