Eldon Dean Rudd was born
in Yavapai County, Arizona, on 15th July, 1920. After graduating from
the University of Arizona he joined the United
States Marines Corps (1942-1946). He worked as a lawyer before
becoming a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
As a FBI agent he took part in the investigation of the assassination
of John
F. Kennedy.
A member of the Republican
Party, Rudd was elected to the 95th Congress and took his seat
in January, 1977. At this time Thomas
N. Downing began campaigning for a new investigation into the
assassination of John
F. Kennedy.
Downing said he was certain that Kennedy had been killed as a result
of a conspiracy. He believed that the recent deaths of Sam
Giancana and
Johnny
Roselli were
highly significant. He also believed that the Central
Intelligence Agency and
the Federal
Bureau of Investigation had
withheld important information from the Warren
Commission.
Downing was not alone in taking this view. In 1976, a Detroit
News poll indicated that 87% of the American population
did not believe that Lee Harvey Oswald
was the lone gunman who killed Kennedy.
Thomas
N. Downing named Richard
Sprague as chief counsel of the House
Select Committee on Assassinations.
Gaeton
Fonzi was
to later say: "Sprague was known
as tough, tenacious and independent. There was absolutely no doubt
in my mind when I heard of Sprague's appointment that the Kennedy
assassination would finally get what it needed: a no-holds-barred,
honest investigation. Which just goes to show how ignorant of the
ways of Washington both Sprague and I were".
Sprague
quickly assembled a staff of 170 lawyers, investigators and researchers.
On 8th December, 1976, Sprague submitted a 1977 budget of $6.5 million.
Frank Thompson, Chairman of the House Administration Committee made
it clear he opposed the idea of so much money being spent on the investigation.
Smear
stories against Sprague began appearing in the press. David B. Burnham
of The New York Times reported
that Sprague had mishandled a homicide case involving the son of a
friend. Members of Congress joined in the attacks and Robert E. Bauman
of Maryland claimed that Sprague had a "checkered career"
and was not to be trusted. Richard Kelly of Florida called the House
Select Committee on Assassinations a "multimillion-dollar
fishing expedition for the benefit of a bunch of publicity seekers."
Rudd was also opposed to
the investigation. He declared the Committee had "already fanned
the flames of rumour, distortion and unwanted distrust of law inforcement
agencies." However, Walter E. Fauntroy
defended the work of Sprague: "threshold inquiries by a thoroughly
professional staff... in the last three months have produced literally
a thousand questions unanswered by the investigations of record."
On 2nd February, 1978,
Henry
Gonzalez replaced
Thomas
N. Downing as
chairman of the House Select Committee
on Assassinations. Gonzalez immediately sacked Richard
Sprague as
chief counsel.
Sprague claimed that only the fill committee had the power to dismiss
him. Walter
E. Fauntroy agreed with Sprague and launched a campaign to keep
him as chief counsel. On 1st March, Gonzalez resigned describing Sprague
as "an unconscionable scoundrel"
Rudd retired from Congress
in January, 1987.
Eldon Dean Rudd died in
Scottsdale, Arizona, on 8th February, 2002.
House
Select Committee on Assassinations
Open
Debate on the Kennedy Assassination
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