Portions of Ted Kennedy's FBI File May Stay Family Secret

(April 12) -- What secrets still remain about one of America's most famous public figures?

Before the FBI releases 3,000 pages of its file on Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy, the family of the late political icon will have a chance to review them and make its case to keep some portions from being made public.

The release of this first installment of Kennedy's file comes in response to several Freedom of Information Act requests made following the senator's death from brain cancer in 2009 at the age of 77.

Sen. Ted Kennedy in the East Room of the White House, 2009 in Washington, DC.

Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Ted Kennedy's family will have the opportunity to review the late Massachusetts senator's FBI file before it is released to the public.

According to The Boston Globe, the Kennedy family's review of the documents is an "uncommon" privilege and is meant to ensure that the privacy of living people mentioned in the file is not violated.

While neither the FBI nor the Kennedy family has publicly commented on its contents, it's possible the file could shed new light on such events as the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne, the passenger who drowned when Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, Mass.

"It's impossible for me to say what is in the file," Robert Dallek, an author and former Boston University professor, told the Globe, "though one can speculate that it will contain material about Sen. Kennedy's private life, including Chappaquiddick."

It is also likely the FBI file contains information regarding threats against the former senator, whose two brothers -- John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy -- were assassinated.

While family members such as Kennedy's widow, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, and his son Patrick Kennedy will not be able to prohibit the FBI from releasing anything within the 3,000 pages, their objections could cause the bureau to rethink which portions it ultimately makes public.

Already released government documents show that under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI, in conjunction with the Nixon White House, illegally attempted to gather information to discredit Kennedy, the Globe said.

As yet, no date has been set for the release of this installment of Kennedy's file.