Published February 28, 2011

When the FBI released the Edward M. Kennedy files in June 2010, about 10 months after his death, a 1961 State Department memo about his visit to South America was heavily redacted. Now we know why.

A less-redacted version of the memo reveals that a young Kennedy arranged to “rent” a brothel in Santiago, Chile, in December 1961. The memo also says Kennedy insisted on meeting with “communists and others who had left-wing views,” whom he called “the angry young men” of the country.

A conservative Washington-based advocacy group called Judicial Watch fought to un-redact Kennedy files under the Freedom of Information Act. After battling with the FBI for months in litigation, Judicial Watch got its way.

“Our tough fight with the Obama administration shows that it was not keen on letting the American people know that Ted Kennedy, one of Obama’s leftist politician heroes, liked to hang out with communists and prostitutes,” the group said in a statement.

Judicial Watch says it uses FOIA laws to unseal corruption and unbecoming behavior.

Update: And now the FBI’s official page for the Kennedy files is 404’d.