The CIA 'set up the King of Jordan with actress Susan Cabot - and the relationship went on to bear the love child son who beat her to death 27 years later', JFK assassination files reveal

• e-mail

The CIA lined up actress Susan Cabot (pictured, in the 1950s) for a date with Jordan's King Hussein during his state visit to the United States in 1959, a CIA memo reveals

The CIA organized the first date between Susan Cabot and the King of Jordan in 1959 that led to their relationship, declassified documents show.

The documents – from the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy – show the CIA, in a bid to strengthen relations with Jordan, got an ex-FBI agent to arrange the meeting between King Hussein and Cabot, USA Today reports.

The pair hit it off at a dinner party in LA arranged by Robert Maheu, who would go on to become a powerful aide to tycoon Howard Hughes.    

Agents then rented a Long Island beach house for King Hussein as he continued his State visit, and arranged for Cabot to stay at a nearby hotel in New York.

Rumors say the relationship went on for a number of years and Cabot gave birth to a son Timothy in 1964, who it is thought Hussein fathered. If he did, indeed, father Timothy, it would have been during Hussein's marriage to his second wife Antoinette Gardiner, who he was married to from 1961 to 1971.

Timothy beat Cabot to death with a weightlifting bar in 1986, when she was 59, and during his trial it was shown that Cabot was still receiving $1,500 a month from Hussein.

The new information has come to light because the CIA man Maheu was also linked to Castro assassination attempts.

He was investigated as part of the FBI's probe into JFK's death, and the notes of that investigation were released late last year after President Trump ordered their declassification. 

Susan Cabot was a major movie star in the 1950s and starred in films including Gunsmoke, The Wasp Woman, Tomahawk and Machine-Gun Kelly. She starred alongside Humphrey Bogart in The Enforcer. 

She was dragged into the CIA operation when former FBI agent Maheu - who was a 'cleared [CIA] Office of Security contact' - was asked to find 'female companionship' during the 'official State visit of a foreign Head of State' in April 1959, according to the CIA memo. 

The CIA memo showed King Hussein (above, with President Eisenhower in 1959) wanted 'female companionship' during his visit. It was during this trip that the CIA set up the meeting

The recently-declassified memo reveals that ex-FBI agent Robert Maheu arranged for Cabot to meet Hussein at a dinner party in Los Angeles. It then flew Cabot to the East Coast to continue to be with Hussein

Susan Cabot was a major movie star in the 1950s and starred in films including Gunsmoke, The Wasp Woman, Tomahawk and Machine-Gun Kelly (left) She is pictured in Ride Clear of Diablo (right)

HOW SUSAN CABOT WAS BEATEN TO DEATH BY SON 'FATHERED BY KING HUSSEIN' - WHO THEN BLAMED HIS DWARFISM DRUGS

 Susan Cabot was bludgeoned to death with a weightlifting bar by her then 25-year-old son Timothy Scott Roman on December 10, 1986.

Born a dwarf, Timothy had been taking drugs to counteract his dwarfism and pituitary gland problems - which brought him to his height of 5ft 4 ins.

Timothy claimed he had hit his 59-year-old mother in self-defense after she attacked him with a bar, but his repeated clubbing caused her death.

Exactly who was Timothy's father is unclear but it was rumored to be Hussein. He took Cabot's husband's name after she married in 1969.  

His defense attorneys said his overly aggressive reaction was due to the drugs  - thrice-weekly injections of ‘a hormone derived from the pituitary glands of cadavers,’ the Los Angeles Times reported in 1989.

Cabot was beaten to death in her Los Angeles home in December 1986 and her son Timothy Scott Roman (above, at his 1987 arraignment) was charged with murder

 A former attorney once called him a ‘’failed human experiment”,’ the report added. 

Roman told initially police that his mother had been murdered by a burglar, who he described as a tall Latino man with curly hair, dressed in the robes of a "Japanese Ninja" warrior, who had fled with $70,000, the LA Times reported, but the true story emerged later.

During his trial, Roman testified that his mother - whose mental health had deteriorated considerably in her final years - had awakened him with her screams and didn’t recognize him.

He claimed that when he’d tried to call for help, she had attacked him with the bar and a scalpel – and in a bid to defend himself, he’d grabbed the bar from her and clubbed her repeatedly on the head.  

Roman was charged with her murder, the charge was later changed to voluntary manslaughter. However, after deliberating for 10 minutes, the judge convicted him of involuntary manslaughter.

Roman – who had already spent more than two years behind bars – was sentenced to three years’ probation in November 1989.

She had been suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts in the final years of her life and was unable to care for herself.

During the trial, Roman's defense attorney also produced evidence that showed his mother received $1,500 a month from the King of Jordan.   

'There is written indication in the handwriting of Susan Roman this money is from a trust... For better or worse, it looks like child support,' the lawyer wrote.

But the Jordanian government, the Times reported, declined to comment on the claims about Roman's paternity.

Advertisement

The document redacts King Hussein's name, but the memo's timeline coincides with times the 23-year-old monarch was in the country. 

Hussein's first wife Dina bint Abdul-Hamid had died in 1957 and he didn't remarry until 1961.

The agency tasked Maheu with this job – who then contacted a 'prominent Los Angeles attorney and Hollywood figure' whose name is redacted.

Mr Maheu was asked to arrange a party for King Hussein on April 3, 1959, the report states – and it was during this party that he was introduced to a woman.

A story published in the Los Angeles Times a few days later said King Hussein and Cabot met at a party at California oilman Edwin Pauley's house.

The pair became 'intimate friends' after meeting in Los Angeles, the memo states, and the King was so enamored with her that he 'wished to meet with her during his stay in New York' between April 14 and 18, 1959.

Actress Susan Cabot (pictured in Duel At Silver Creek) was beaten to death by her son Timothy

King Hussein was so enamored with Susan Cabot (above, in 1953's Gunsmoke) that he wanted her to meet with him in New York after he left Los Angeles

King Hussein is pictured with his third wife Alia Baha ad-Din Touqan, circa 1972. She was killed in a helicopter crash in 1977

The CIA then rented a house in Long Beach on Long Island for the time King Hussein was in New York while Cabot stayed at the Hotel Barclay in Manhattan under 'an assumed name,' the memo adds.

During her stay in Long Beach, Cabot spoke of the publicity surrounding her relationship with King Hussein, the memo says.

She 'discussed the publicity in the case at some length with the Security representatives,' the memo said.

King Hussein and his fourth wife Queen Noor are pictured together on March 28, 1984

Press reports had discussed whether her Jewish background – she was born Harriet Shapiro – would be a concern for the Muslim monarch.

'She speculated about the possible sources of certain personal information that she felt had been leaked to the press,' the memo said.

'Additionally, she spoke of her deep feeling for the foreign official.'

She also mentioned that she had been unclear about the role she had to play when asked to attend the party, but had been told: 'We want you to go to bed with him.'

Cabot said she had rejected the proposal, but had decided to go to the party and ended up being 'quite taken' with the kind, who she described as 'most charming.'

King Hussein ruled Jordan until his death in 1999 from cancer.

He married four times, with his son Abdullah – from his second marriage – succeeding him to the throne.

Susan Cabot was born Harriet Pearl Shapiro to a Russian Jewish family in Boston in 1927 - but was raised in eight different foster homes.

It was at high school in Manhattan that she discovered her love for acting.

While trying to choose between a career in music and art, she worked as a childrens’ book illustrator by day and sang at Manhattan’s Village Barn at night.

Susan Cabot in 1954's Ride Clear of Diablo! By 1960 during her relationship with Hussein she had stopped working in films and appeared on television and in plays

Cabot once described King Hussein as the ‘most charming man I have ever met'

Around this time, she made her film debut in 1947's Kiss of Death in an uncredited role before going on to star in a series of films throughout the 1950s.

She landed her first role as a leading lady in 1950’s On the Isle of Samoa after a casting director for Columbia Pictures spotted her at the Village Barn.

She went on to starring roles in a number of other low-budget films, including Tomahawk, The Enforcer, Machine Gun Kelly and Gunsmoke.

Cabot married to her first husband, Martin Sacker, from 1944 but the pair separated in 1951.

Her relationship with King Hussein – who she met at a party in Los Angeles in 1959 – provided fodder for many gossip columnists at the time.

She described him as the ‘most charming man I have ever met’ and the pair dated often after their initial meeting, a Los Angeles Times report in 1989 said.

King Hussein (pictured during a visit to Sandhurst in 1952) ruled Jordan until his death in 1999

King Hussein (pictured in 1995) ruled Jordan until his death in 1999 from cancer. His son Abdullah succeeded him to the throne

By 1960, Cabot had stopped working in film and instead split her time between roles on television and in stage plays.

Her only child, Timothy Scott Roman, was born on January 27, 1964, and his question of his paternity remains unclear.

Cabot reportedly told friends that he was the son of an English diplomat she was married to for a short time – in a bid to cover the fact he was illegitimate.

King Hussein was rumored to be Timothy’s father. Another possibility is actor Christopher Jones, who has claimed paternity.

However, Timothy bears the surname of businessman Michael Roman.

Cabot married him in 1968 and he later adopted Timothy. She didn't remarry after his death in 1983.

THE STRANGE LIFE OF SUSAN CABOT: SCREEN SIREN KILLED BY HER ONLY SON 

 Susan Cabot was born Harriet Pearl Shapiro to a Russian Jewish family in Boston in 1927 - but was raised in eight different foster homes.

It was at high school in Manhattan that she discovered her love for acting.

While trying to choose between a career in music and art, she worked as a childrens’ book illustrator by day and sang at Manhattan’s Village Barn at night.

Around this time, she made her film debut in 1947's Kiss of Death in an uncredited role before going on to star in a series of films throughout the 1950s.

Susan Cabot starred in a series of films in the 1950s, but in her final years, her mental health had deteriorated to the extent that she was unable to care for herself 

 She landed her first role as a leading lady in 1950’s On the Isle of Samoa after a casting director for Columbia Pictures spotted her at the Village Barn.

She went on to starring roles in a number of other low-budget films, including Tomahawk, The Enforcer, Machine Gun Kelly and Gunsmoke.

Cabot married to her first husband, Martin Sacker, from 1944 but the pair separated in 1951.

Her relationship with King Hussein – who she met at a party in Los Angeles in 1959 – provided fodder for many gossip columnists at the time.

She described him as the ‘most charming man I have ever met’ and the pair dated often after their initial meeting, a Los Angeles Times report in 1989 said.

By 1960, Cabot had stopped working in film and instead split her time between roles on television and in stage plays.

Her only child, Timothy Scott Roman, was born on January 27, 1964, and his question of his paternity remains unclear.

Cabot reportedly told friends that he was the son of an English diplomat she was married to for a short time – in a bid to cover the fact he was illegitimate.

King Hussein was rumored to be Timothy’s father. Another possibility is actor Christopher Jones, who has claimed paternity.

However, Timothy bears the surname of businessman Michael Roman.

Cabot married him in 1968 and he later adopted Timothy. She didn't remarry after his death in 1983.

In the years before her death, her mental health had deteriorated to the extent that she and her son lived in filthy conditions - surrounded by newspapers that were years old and spoiled food.

She was reportedly plagued with suicidal thoughts and suffering from depressing and unable to care for herself.

Cabot was found dead in a blood-soaked nightgown, lying across the bed in her ranch-style home in Encino, California, on December 10, 1986.

Her son, then 22, initially told police that a burglar had killed his mother, but later revealed he had beaten her with a weightlifting bar after she attacked him a rage.

Timothy was initially charged with her murder, but the charge was later changed to voluntary manslaughter. Ultimately, he was convicted of involuntary murder.

His 1989 trial also heard that his mother had been receiving $1,500 a month from the Keeper of the King's Purse in Jordan – described by Timothy’s defense attorneys as appearing to be child support.

Advertisement

In the years before her death, her mental health had deteriorated to the extent that she and her son lived in filthy conditions - surrounded by newspapers that were years old and spoiled food.

She was reportedly plagued with suicidal thoughts and suffering from depressing and unable to care for herself.

Cabot was found dead in a blood-soaked nightgown, lying across the bed in her ranch-style home in Encino, California, on December 10, 1986.

Her son, then 22, initially told police that a burglar had killed his mother, but later revealed he had beaten her with a weightlifting bar after she attacked him a rage.

Timothy was initially charged with her murder, but the charge was later changed to voluntary manslaughter. Ultimately, he was convicted of involuntary murder.

His 1989 trial also heard that his mother had been receiving $1,500 a month from the Keeper of the King's Purse in Jordan – described by Timothy’s defense attorneys as appearing to be child support.