Robert J. Groden (born November 22, 1945) is an American author who has written extensively about conspiracy theories regarding the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
After Groden returned from his Army tour in 1967, he became a photo technician working in a New York City motion picture processing lab; he had special expertise blowing up 8mm film for theatrical distribution.
Groden worked on that project and made an additional unauthorized copy of the film, which he then kept hidden for several years, fearing not only the legal ramifications but also for his own life.
[3] In 1973, Groden showed the film to a symposium of assassination researchers at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.[3] In February 1975, Groden and Stephen Jaffe, an investigator for New Orleans District Attorney, Jim Garrison, testified before the Rockefeller Commission, chaired by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, CIA activities related to the assassination of President Kennedy.
[13] As of September 2016[update] the city of Dallas had charged Groden with illegal activity 82 times related to his sharing information near the place of the Kennedy assassination.
[14] Groden was arrested in Dealey Plaza on June 13, 2010, and initially charged with selling magazines under a city ordinance that permits it.
[3] Groden, whose lawyers said that he was arrested without probable cause and that his right to free speech was violated in the process, sued the City of Dallas for $900,000 in "mental anguish," $100,000 for damages to his reputation, and $1,000 for merchandise that was confiscated.
[17] On June 12, 2014, jurors deliberated for an hour and returned with a verdict stating that the arresting officer's actions did not violate Groden's constitutional rights.