CRYPT 33
The Saga of Marilyn Monroe—The Final Word
Adela Gregory
and
Milo Speriglio
CITADEL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
FRONT COVER:
CRYPT 33
The Saga of Marilyn Monroe—The Final Word
“Riveting...makes the hardest case yet that Marilyn was the victim of foul play.”
—Kirkus Reviews
Adela Gregory and Milo Speriglio
BACK COVER:
The Shocking Truth Behind Marilyn’s Death—Revealed at Last
She was an icon, a sex symbol, and a living legend. But when she was found naked and dead on the morning of August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe became the subject of a mystery that has fascinated and perplexed the world for generations. Was her death an accident? Suicide? Or murder? In this riveting account, private investigators Gregory and Speriglio uncover startling evidence that may solve the case once and for all. Crypt 33 reveals:
• The truth about Marilyn’s affairs with JFK and Robert Kennedy
• The top-level government secrets that endangered Marilyn’s life
• How Marilyn pulled strings as a political power player
• The identity of the friend who knowingly opened the door to Marilyn’s killers
• The startling connection between JFK’s father and mobster Sam Giancana
• Evidence of the deadly drugs and how they were administered to Marilyn
• The rumors of an assassination plot masterminded by the Cosa Nostra and and high-ranked government officials
• What happened to the audio tape recording of Marilyn’s murder
• The tangled web of wiretaps in Marilyn’s home
• Why Joe DiMaggio sent flowers to Marilyn’s grave for years
Half a century after her death, Marilyn Monroe still lives in our hearts. Now, at last, the truth can be told.
“Spiriglio and Gregory are fluent, convincing writers.”
—Publishers Weekly
“The best autopsy of Marilyn Monroe.”
—Cyril H. Wecht, M.D., J.D., author of From Crime Scene to Courtroom
Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com
INSIDE BACK:
Known as “investigator to the Hollywood stars,” the late Milo Speriglio spent over thirty years investigating the conflicting details surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death. He appeared on numerous television and radio programs and was noted in Who’s Who in Law Enforcement
Adela Gregory became fascinated with Marilyn Monroe’s death as a pre-med student, preparing to become a psychiatrist, when her brother, an attorney, gave her a copy of Marilyn’s autopsy. She studied countless medical, forensic, and psychology books to collect data that would lead her to extraordinary insights into the life and death of the actress. When she met Milo Speriglio, who was acclaimed for his investigative work into Marilyn’s death, he was so impressed with her knowledge of the subject that he invited her to partner with him to complete the investigation. Their extraordinary collaboration led to the unprecedented revelations found in this book. She lives in Los Angeles. Visit her at adelagregory.com.
To the memory of my father,
the Reverend Jacob Gregory,
whose influence inspired
me to write philosophical truths,
and to my daughter,
Adona
—Adela Gregory
To my daughters, Holly and Janelle, who grew into adults while I, as a private investigator, spent hours, days, months, and years probing into the life and death of Marilyn Monroe, and to my wife, Patricia, steadfast during my relentless search for the facts.
And to the millions of Marilyn’s admirers and fans, many of them born after her death. And especially to the two groups that bind Monroe devotees from all corners of the globe: the fan clubs All About Marilyn, and its directors, Michelle Justice and Roman Hryniszak, and Marilyn Remembered, Greg Schreiner, president and cofounder.
—Milo Speriglio
Table of Contents
Title Page
INSIDE BACK:
Dedication
Foreword
Acknowledgment
ELEGY IX. The Autumnal
1 - The Waif
2 - The Overdose of 1,1,1-Trichloralethane
3 - Puberty
4 - Teenage Bride’s First Break
5 - The Blonde Strikes a Deal
6 - Johnny Hyde
7 - On Her Own
8 - The Actress and the Yankee Clipper
9 - The Valley Girl and the Big Apple
10 - The Fruitless Marriage
11 - The Fantasy Diversion
12 - The Misfits—Misfitted
13 - The Alkali Man
14 - The Pinch-Hit Hitters
15 - Bahia de Cochinos
16 - Ol’ Blue Eyes
17 - Clash of the Titans
18 - The “Coming Out” Party
19 - Fall From Grace
20 - The Fatal Decision
21 - The Assassination
22 - Cyanosis
23 - The Final Autopsy
24 - Her Hero’s Good-Bye
25 - The Hit Men
26 - The Code of Omertà
27 - The Cover-up
28 - The Cover-up Continues
Chronology
Epilogue
Authors’ Note
Bibliography
Copyright Page
Notes
Foreword
The plot is one few writers would have the nerve to concoct: a President of the United States, with an elegant and publicly adored wife, takes a shine to Hollywood’s most glamorous and publicly adored star and has his brother-in-law, himself a famous actor, play the role of go-between. After the President’s passion is spent, he dumps the star and avoids taking her pesky calls to the White House. Then the President’s brother, who happens to be the attorney general of the United States, takes up with the star until his passion is spent and he too avoids her pesky calls. Adding to her sense of epic rejection is her relationship with her studio, which has fired her because of her extreme tardiness in the making of a movie prophetically titled Something’s Got to Give.
Next in this improbable tale, the star is found dead, presumably the victim of an overdose of barbiturates, to which she has long been chronically addicted. Not much more than a year later the President is assassinated. Five years later the attorney general suffers a similar fate, and the poor brother-in-law slowly stumbles toward a boozy death, seemingly taking his secrets with him.
The writer of such an unlikely story would severely strain credulity if he or she suggested that most of the findings from the star’s autopsy would disappear within days and that her studio, hovering on the brink of bankruptey, would dump some six hours of accumulated takes in their vaults rather than try to assemble them into a film. The writer would have to imply conspiracy—but in what? If he then went on to claim that the media failed to sniff out any of this amorous and lethal intrigue on such a high level, the writer might be accused of an overheated and ludicrous imagination.
The cast of characters: Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Peter Lawford. Strangely, despite the historical importance of the Kennedys, it is Marilyn who is most written about. No Hollywood figure has been the subject of more books, many of them questioning the facts of her demise as given at the time, with the more recent ones probing the possibility of Kennedy involvement in her death. If true, it is a shattering indictment of two men of vast popularity and importance, and a wickedly unfair ending for an adored actress. But how true is any of this biza
rre speculation?
And why this endless interest in Marilyn Monroe? This was a woman of rare talent, but Hollywood’s history is packed with actresses who were as beautiful and as capable, and certainly easier to work with. In terms of her being late for work, hours late, days late, Marilyn’s record may never be equaled. Even as the guest of honor at Jack Kennedy’s birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden on May 19, 1962, host Peter Lawford had to introduce her as “the late Marilyn Monroe.” Even the President had to wait. Was it ill manners or arrogance? Probably not, not so much as insecurity and fear, doubt and confusion. This was a woman whose life pattern had been chaotic.
George Sanders, who acted with her in All about Eve, said that he was sure she would eventually succeed because “she so obviously needed to be a star.” She certainly needed to be something. Brought up in foster homes, she claimed to have been sexually abused as a child, and she married at sixteen. What might have crushed others did not crush this girl, then named Norma Jeane Baker. She wanted to be someone and worked hard to that end. Nothing about it was easy. Marilyn was no overnight success. With her own tenacity and with help from a few who believed in her, she struggled from model to bit player to starlet to star. And the girl from a depressed level of American society became more successful than anything she could have imagined. Unloved as a child, she was, and still is, admired and adored by millions. Marilyn had magic. She was one of those for whom the motion picture camera has an indefinable rapport. The camera loved her, and the image captured by the camera went on to be loved by almost all who saw that image.
Could teenage Norma Jeane have imagined herself a Hollywood legend? Could she have believed that among her husbands would be baseball star Joe DiMaggio and celebrated playwright Arthur Miller, and that among her lovers would be a United States President? And could she have imagined that fame would be a burden, that it would from time to time be painful, confusing, and demanding? That she would be used and taken advantage of? How confusing it must have been for her to be idolized and yet not be able to find simple contentment and happiness, to be worshiped by men but not enjoy a fulfilling relationship with any one man.
I came face to face with her only once. Early in 1961, when I was producing radio programs about Hollywood for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, I spent a day at 20th Century-Fox on the set of Let’s Make Love. My friends in studio publicity advised me there was no hope of getting an interview with Marilyn but I could try for some of the other actors. The picture was already weeks behind schedule. Marilyn never arrived much before midday and sometimes not at all. Most of the cast and crew were bored with doing nothing very much and looking forward to getting out. When interviewed for broadcast, actors tend to be cautious about what they say about the project on which they are working. They were all very cautious about this one, although hints and a few caustic comments made it obvious that all was far from well.
Rumor had it that Marilyn was having an affair with costar Yves Montand, despite the presence of his wife, Simone Signoret, and that director George Cukor, famed as a man who could draw wonderful performances from actresses, was not getting much from Marilyn. The fussy, temperamental Cukor swore he would never work with her again. But he did, much to his anger. When Something’s Got to Give went into production, Fox assigned Cukor, claiming he owed them a film and this was the only one they had in production at the time. Cukor did the job but hated it, which might have been one of the reasons Marilyn turned up less than half the time she was needed. The atmosphere on the set of Let’s Make Love was strained. With Something’s Got to Give it was brittle.
During the lunch break on the day I was on the set, Marilyn came onto the soundstage to talk to someone. I watched her from a distance and then set myself up at the point she would have to walk by on the way out. I remember my impression vividly, mostly I suppose because it was one of disappointment. I had to remind myself, as on many occasions before and since, that the image on the screen and the actor in person are two separate beings. With Marilyn the discrepancy seemed more acute. And tragic. Why could this woman who had thrilled and pleased so many people not find happiness in her own life? Why did she have to suffer so much illness and confusion? And why did her life have to end the way it did?
Marilyn and the Kennedys. The evidence mounts. Was there a connection beyond the merely sexual? Whether it can be proven or not, it remains a searing tragedy, one that haunts the American conscience. Their lives were the stuff that dreams are made of, certainly the stuff from which legends are formed. But what were they really like as people? Celebrities, whether entertainers or politicians, are like icebergs. Only a small part is visible, and that small part may not be much like the rest. Charming Jack and enchanting Marilyn were other things as well, like ambitious, calculating, and complicated. They personified the old belief that beauty is as beauty does. They played by their own rules. They courted danger—and danger had the final say.
—Tony Thomas
Acknowledgment
ADELA GREGORY
Special thanks to my husband, John Ohanesian for his sustained love and support; to my mother, Ruth Gregory Greulach, for her courage and personal integrity; to my oldest brother, Jake Gregory, Esq., who inspired my medical and investigation talents and without whose guidance this book would never have germinated; to Milo Speriglio, for his vast knowledge and his belief in my ability as an investigator; to my brother Dr. Andrew Gregory, for his unrelenting patience with regard to pharmacology and his spur to accuracy; to my sister Eunice Gregory deLeuw, for her love and critiques and her constant help; to my brother-in-law Jim deLeuw, who introduced me to film editing; to my sister Christine Gregory, whose love and encouragement kept me from quitting; to my sister Priscilla Gregory Agnew, Ph. D., for challenging my thinking process and for love and understanding; to Phoebe Gregory Heywood, for her love and the theater; to Calvin Gregory, who taught me perseverance; to my agent, Frank Weimann, for his dogged enthusiasm and his knowledge; to my kind, patient, knowledgeable editor Allan Wilson, who paced the writing of this book (without him it would never have finished); to the most wonderful, kind, and talented Allen “Whitey” Snyder, who understood my motivation and gave enduring love and patience in the discovery process and led me to understand why he was Marilyn’s most precious friend, and to his gracious and talented wife, Majorie Plecher Snyder, who supported my quest unrelentingly; to Rudy DeLuca, who saved me so many times with his compassion and love and his ability to keep me laughing; to Joachim Hagopian, whose skills in psychology and ability to encourage me to tell the story, and for his consistency and patience in keeping me sane during the grueling process.
Additional thanks go to Louis A. Gottschalk, M.D., Ph. D; Robert H. Cravey; Cyril Wecht, M.D.; Leigh Weiner; George Barris; Elton Noels, Retired Sgt. Jack Clemmons; Joseph Mato; Joseph Davis, M.D.; Melvin Wulf, Esq.; Fanya Carter, Ph.D.; Steve Brodie; Irving Kushner, Ph.D.; Harvey Vernon; Kathy Shorkey; Dick Delson; Richard Sarafian; Sandra Harmon; Bill Fox; Leigh Weiner; Buddy Monasch, Esq.; Bernard “Bernie” Williams; Tom Tubman; Sue Solomon; Cecilia Korsen, Ph.D.; Hugh York; Catrine Pollette; Van Ditmars; Tracey Roberts; Joseph Vaynor; Nancy Giannos; Winnie Sharp for his wisdom and kindness; Reba Merrill; San Makhanian; Al Makhanian; Barbara Maron; Lisa Larson Levy; Harold Igdaloff; John Garbar; Milton Goldstein; Georgia Ferris; Sid Ceaser; Joey Averbach; Marian Noon; Irene Tedrow Kent; and Armen Markarian.
Special thanks in memory of Bob Kelljan, who opened my heart and whose belief in me inspired me to excellence and who taught me to how to cook; Paul Olsen, whose encouragement, love and understanding I will never forget; Lucille Bensen; Cheryl Clark; Dick Shawn, who kept me laughing; Eugene Tunick; Michael Schneider; and Elvis Presley, who was gracious and introduced me to superstardom.
And thank you, Marilyn.
MILO SPERIGLIO
For twenty years Nick Harris Detectives, Inc., in Van Nuys, California, conducted an investigation into the death of Marilyn Monroe, the longest running case in the f
irm’s eighty-seven-year history and just one among more than one million successful assignments. As director and chief of this private investigation bureau, I was assisted by more than 130 investigators. Many were graduates of our division, Nick Harris Detective Academy, the world’s oldest private-eye school.
For their parts in this work, very special thanks go to the academy’s assistant director, C. J. Mastro; chief instructor and investigative specialist, Marc Laikind; the bureau’s assistant director and chief, Marcus K. Joseph; and chief special agent Dale Upton; Lesli Poncher, who screened many calls from informants; and veteran private investigator Liz McVey, 1990 recipient of the National Female Investigator of the Decade Award.
Investigative reporter Al Stump, then with the Los Angeles Herald Examiner (now defunct), brought me into the Monroe case. He introduced me to Bob Slatzer, who had begun his own private inquiry into Marilyn’s death. Bob turned his entire file on the case over to Nick Harris Detectives.
By 1982, ten years into the case, I was prepared to say that Marilyn Monroe had definitely been murdered, but the allegations of murder were made from a theoretical construct. The hard evidence would come later.
It was at this time that Theresa Seeger, cofounder of Marilyn Remembered, as association dedicated to preserving Monroe’s integrity, first came to me. At the time, the nation was divided on how they perceived the actress’s death. Theresa’s first words to me were “Milo, I believe as you do, Marilyn was murdered.” She, too, had begun her private investigation, but years before I entered the case. The video producer interviewed me, using my first book about Monroe as a reference, and, after intense drudgery, pieced together The Monroe Mystic: Magnificent Life and Mysterious Death.
Crypt 33 Page 1