7. After Failing to Save Kopechne, the Men Left Without Alerting Anyone
Joe Gargan, Senator Kennedy’s cousin, and Paul F. Markham, a school friend and prominent attorney, encouraged Kennedy to alert the authorities immediately. Kennedy stated he would and directed the two men to return to the party to get the women off the island. He asked that Kopechne’s friends not be informed of her death, as he reportedly feared that they would attempt to run to the scene and try to rescue her, which could lead to further tragedy. Gargan and Markham agreed to this, while still encouraging Kennedy to alert the authorities.
Ted Kennedy reportedly agreed to alert authorities before diving into the water to swim back to his hotel in Edgartown. Both men reported that Kennedy was sobbing and borderline crazed before he jumped into the water. The men both later stated to authorities that they believed Kennedy would alert the authorities and assumed he had done so once he returned to his hotel, so neither contacted the authorities themselves. When Gargan and Markham returned to the party around 2 a.m. in their rental car, they told the partygoers that Kennedy had returned to his hotel and that Kopechne was probably at her hotel, despite their knowledge of the truth.