In Memory of Susan Denise Atkins-Whitehouse
Dragged Back, Again
Susan granted another interview during the 1980's.
Here we have only shown some of Susan's responses
to the interviewer's questions.
We have omitted the questions;
Susan granted another interview during the 1980's.
Here we have only shown some of Susan's responses
to the interviewer's questions.
We have omitted the questions;
"Every night when I go to sleep,
I know, there's no pretending.
There's no, uh, there's no undoing.
There's no wiping it out.
There's no white washing it.
It's there.
It's a fact.
It happened.
And I was a part of it..."
"...I feel that there are eight lives,
that had I not been involved,
they may still be alive today.
Eight worthwhile human beings who had the right to live
and they're no longer alive.
And it's something that I live with every day..."
I know, there's no pretending.
There's no, uh, there's no undoing.
There's no wiping it out.
There's no white washing it.
It's there.
It's a fact.
It happened.
And I was a part of it..."
"...I feel that there are eight lives,
that had I not been involved,
they may still be alive today.
Eight worthwhile human beings who had the right to live
and they're no longer alive.
And it's something that I live with every day..."
Here in the film clip,
we hear the interviewer making comments
as we see Susan about in the prison.
The interview continues;
"I've spoken the truth as I've talked to you.
And the truth is I never killed anybody.
I lied at the Grand Jury.
I lied at the trial,
and said that I killed people that I in fact did not.
I live with that knowledge.
I live with the fact that people think that
I killed a pregnant woman 8 1/2 months pregnant..."
we hear the interviewer making comments
as we see Susan about in the prison.
The interview continues;
"I've spoken the truth as I've talked to you.
And the truth is I never killed anybody.
I lied at the Grand Jury.
I lied at the trial,
and said that I killed people that I in fact did not.
I live with that knowledge.
I live with the fact that people think that
I killed a pregnant woman 8 1/2 months pregnant..."
The interviewer overdubs his own interview with Susan.
He is talking to us,
and at the same time we hear him speaking to Susan
beneath the overdub.
The camera is on Susan.
Depending on which you to listen to,
you can hear either one clearly,
though the overdub is louder
than the underlying interview.
Susan leans forward toward her interviewer
in response to a question
in the underlying interview.
With great intensity in her face,
Susan tells her interviewer,
"I was involved. I was involved",
as Susan leans back in her chair.
The intensity in Susan's face has dissipated slightly.
And Susan continues;
"I was there. I participated."
He is talking to us,
and at the same time we hear him speaking to Susan
beneath the overdub.
The camera is on Susan.
Depending on which you to listen to,
you can hear either one clearly,
though the overdub is louder
than the underlying interview.
Susan leans forward toward her interviewer
in response to a question
in the underlying interview.
With great intensity in her face,
Susan tells her interviewer,
"I was involved. I was involved",
as Susan leans back in her chair.
The intensity in Susan's face has dissipated slightly.
And Susan continues;
"I was there. I participated."
The interviewer then compares Susan in this interview
to a time in Susan's past when she sang in the Hall of Justice
in Los Angeles, California,
along with her former associates.
A film clip is shown of Susan and her former associates.
The interview continues as Susan responds;
"...Mercilessly,
coldly, and brutally.
Terrorizing people..."
It is easy to see Susan is upset
with the questions she is answering,
as Susan has been dragged back to her past, again.
to a time in Susan's past when she sang in the Hall of Justice
in Los Angeles, California,
along with her former associates.
A film clip is shown of Susan and her former associates.
The interview continues as Susan responds;
"...Mercilessly,
coldly, and brutally.
Terrorizing people..."
It is easy to see Susan is upset
with the questions she is answering,
as Susan has been dragged back to her past, again.
The interviewer then brings Susan to present day
as Susan responds to more questions;
"...But I understand what you're saying,
that people cannot understand.
They look at me and they see, this,
they see me as I sit here today.
I look in the mirror and I find it difficult to believe
that I was ever involved in something like that..."
"...Yeah, and I'm not. I'm not.
I'm a human being.
I'm a human being that got caught up in drugs,
I'm a human being that got caught up
into listening to a maniac,
and I followed him,
and I hurt and destroyed a lot of lives.
But I'm still...a human......being..."
as Susan responds to more questions;
"...But I understand what you're saying,
that people cannot understand.
They look at me and they see, this,
they see me as I sit here today.
I look in the mirror and I find it difficult to believe
that I was ever involved in something like that..."
"...Yeah, and I'm not. I'm not.
I'm a human being.
I'm a human being that got caught up in drugs,
I'm a human being that got caught up
into listening to a maniac,
and I followed him,
and I hurt and destroyed a lot of lives.
But I'm still...a human......being..."
Later, the interview turns to when Susan left home,
and her drug use.
Susan discusses;
"...My brain was fried.
I probably had over 350 LSD experiences.
Separate, individual experiences
in less than a year and a half.
I smoked marijuana on a daily basis..."
In answer to further questions,
Susan responded;
"...The women in the Manson Family...
at that point in time were expected to back the men.
And for some reason I felt it necessary
to take blame upon myself..."
and her drug use.
Susan discusses;
"...My brain was fried.
I probably had over 350 LSD experiences.
Separate, individual experiences
in less than a year and a half.
I smoked marijuana on a daily basis..."
In answer to further questions,
Susan responded;
"...The women in the Manson Family...
at that point in time were expected to back the men.
And for some reason I felt it necessary
to take blame upon myself..."
As the interview draws to a conclusion,
Susan responds to a question;
"I think that I went along with the program
that was laid out..."
Susan then responds to the interviewer's final question;
"I don't know that it's important
for me to convince anybody.
I know that I live with the truth.
Daily.
Whether I killed somebody
or I didn't kill somebody
I was there while eight people died.
Needlessly.
And I didn't do anything to stop it.
That's what I live with.
That I didn't do anything to stop it"
Provided for informational purpose.
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Susan responds to a question;
"I think that I went along with the program
that was laid out..."
Susan then responds to the interviewer's final question;
"I don't know that it's important
for me to convince anybody.
I know that I live with the truth.
Daily.
Whether I killed somebody
or I didn't kill somebody
I was there while eight people died.
Needlessly.
And I didn't do anything to stop it.
That's what I live with.
That I didn't do anything to stop it"
Provided for informational purpose.
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