What happened to Congressman Boggs?
The disappearance of Louisiana Congressman Hale Boggs in 1972 is a perplexing mystery no one has solved, a narrative buried in the threads of political intrigue, the wilderness of Alaska, and the shadows of a nation’s doubts.
Thomas Hale Boggs Sr., commonly known as Hale Boggs, was a significant figure in American politics. A Democratic U.S. House of Representatives member, he represented Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district and served as House Majority Leader. His influence extended beyond his legislative prowess; he was also a member of the Warren Commission, the special task force appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
The story of his disappearance begins on a cold, clear day in Alaska. On October 16, 1972, Boggs boarded a twin-engine Cessna 310 aircraft, accompanied by fellow Congressman Nick Begich of Alaska, Begich’s aide Russell Brown, and the pilot, Don Jonz. They were bound for Juneau from Anchorage. It was a routine flight, one of many in the campaign season, but it would become anything but ordinary.
The aircraft never arrived at its destination. Despite an extensive search—the largest in the history of the United States at that time, spanning over 39 days, covering 325,000 square miles, and involving over 400 aircraft—officially, searchers found no trace of the plane or the men inside.
Let’s recap those events:
October 16, 1972—The Cessna took off at 9:00 AM from Anchorage, heading for a campaign fundraiser in Juneau. The weather was reportedly clear, but the conditions can change rapidly in Alaska, giving rise to the first theory: the plane came down due to unexpected weather.
October 17, 1972—By the next day, when the plane failed to arrive, the government launched a massive search operation. The FBI, the Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and hundreds of private citizens joined forces. The wilderness of Alaska, vast and untamed, was scoured by planes, boats, and on foot, but as days turned into weeks, hope began to wane.
October 18 through November 24, 1972—The search continued, with the families of the missing men holding onto hope. As the days passed, the lack of any distress signal, any wreckage, or any sign of the men led to a proliferation of theories. Some said they had staged their disappearance; others speculated about a possible Soviet abduction during the height of the Cold War.
From 1972 through today—After the official search ended, private efforts continued for years. The mystery of what happened to Hale Boggs, Nick Begich, Russell Brown, and Don Jonz remained, festering with suspicions and conjectures. The disappearance occurred during political turmoil, with Watergate unfolding and distrust in government institutions growing. This context fueled another set of theories: A group of individuals silenced Boggs due to his involvement with the Warren Commission and outspoken criticism of the FBI.
Like other infamous conspiracies, speculations as to who that group might have been is an extensive list:
Some conspiracy theorists believe the Mafia, disgruntled with Boggs’ anti-crime initiatives, caused his disappearance. This theory suggests a planned sabotage of the aircraft.
Another theory, primarily dismissed by experts, speculates that, at the height of the Cold War, Soviet forces intercepted the plane and abducted the passengers.
Officially, though, our government insists the most plausible and widely accepted explanation is that the plane crashed due to pilot error or mechanical failure, and due to the harsh and remote terrain, the wreckage remains lost.
Boggs had made powerful enemies, including FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. His criticisms of the FBI and his powerful position in the government led to speculations that the intelligence community might have had a hand in his vanishing.
Hale Boggs’ interactions with J. Edgar Hoover, the long-time FBI, became notably tense and public during the later years of Boggs’ career, particularly around the time of the Watergate scandal.
Boggs, a member of the Warren Commission established to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, had initially supported the Commission’s findings, which included the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination. However, as time passed, Boggs reportedly began to express doubts about the thoroughness of the investigation and the FBI’s role in it.
In 1971, Boggs made headlines publicly criticizing Hoover and the FBI. Considering Hoover’s power and the fear he instilled in many politicians and public figures, this was a bold move. Boggs accused the FBI of tapping the phones of members of Congress, as well as using tactics that violated the American principles of justice. He also criticized Hoover’s unchecked power over the organization. He suggested that the FBI exercised too much influence over internal Congressional affairs.
Boggs’ criticism of Hoover came at a time when Hoover’s reputation was beginning to tarnish. After decades of being seen as a champion against crime, public perception was shifting, and accusations of abuse of power, illegal surveillance, and overreach were becoming more frequent.
Despite his critical stance, Boggs did not publicly link his criticism of Hoover and the FBI to his work on the Warren Commission. However, the tension between Boggs and Hoover, set against the backdrop of the political landscape of the early 1970s, has led some to speculate that his disappearance resulted from his outspoken views.
The disappearance of Congressman Hale Boggs remains, to this day, an unresolved chapter in American history, a story without an ending. Hale Boggs, the father of newscaster Cokie Roberts, was declared dead in absentia on January 3, 1973. His wife, Lindy Boggs, replaced him in Congress, serving for over 17 years.
In 1981, I filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the FBI, requesting copies of their files on Thomas Hale Boggs. The last two reports in the file recounted the Coast Guard’s search for the lost plane. They described an emergency beacon and light from a possible crash site in a remote area. The final page in the FBI file is a telegram from President Richard M. Nixon on November 24, 1972, minutes after investigators pinpointed the emergency beacon’s location. The telegram officially canceled the search and ordered all Coast Guard and military personnel home.