see all the ducks go in a row. 
So Clark "reveals" that Shaw was Bertrand; "they" (them again) then had to scramble to cover that up: and you conclude from this that they had "all the ducks in a row"?
I would think if they had their ducks lined up that Clark wouldn't have revealed this in the first place. Some ducks, some row. There I go with that crazy lone nutter logic again. The world where 1+1 = 2 and not conspiracy world where it's whatever one wants it to be.
I know I shouldn't but how did they get Clark to retract the statement? And then keep it quiet the remainder of his life? This is Ramsey Clark, someone known for taking on the government. Did they threaten him with the secret death squads going around silencing witnesses?