Have you ever wondered what happened on this day in history? Well, me too, from now on I will write regularly about topics in history from a specific day. Today we address the murder of Robert F. Kennedy on the 5th of June 1968.
The assassination of US Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-New York), brother of and former U.S. Attorney General under President John F. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts), was committed on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
Who Was Robert F. Kennedy?
Robert Francis Kennedy was an American politician of the Democratic Party. A lawyer, author, and activist by profession.
He was the seventh of nine children of Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and a brother of United States President John F. Kennedy.
In January 1961, he elevated him to the position of justice minister in his government, which put up severe measures against the American mafia. Working closely with his brother throughout the Bay of Pigs Invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, he contributed significantly to both crises.
As a close adviser, Robert Kennedy proved to be a powerful and loyal politician in several of his brother’s campaigns.
The Democratic Primaries
The California presidential primary took place on June 4, 1968. This outcome awarded Kennedy 46% and U.S. Senator McCarthy (D-Minnesota) 42%. Kennedy announced that he had won the California Democratic primary four hours after votes closed.
US Senator George McGovern (D-South Dakota) talked to him on the phone. At 12:10 a.m. on June 5, he addressed his campaign supporters at the Ambassador Hotel’s Embassy Room in the Mid-Wilshire section of Los Angeles.
The Secret Service protected incumbent presidents in that era, but contenders were not. Barry was Kennedy’s sole security for the campaign, with the assistance of decathlon gold champion Rafer Johnson and NFL star Rosey Grier.
People were always anxious to touch Kennedy throughout the campaign, and he relished the contact.
The Assassination Of Kennedy
Kennedy had just won Democratic primaries in California and South Dakota in the run-up to the 1968 US presidential election. At approximately 12:10 a.m. local time, he addressed a group of supporters in the Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.
The security forces comprised of only one FBI agent and two additional security staff. For the time being, the Secret Service was not tasked with protecting contenders for the presidency and senators.
Although the intention was to address another group of supporters first, it was decided to hold a press conference first due to the journalists' deadline.
Time was running out, and the FBI agent pointed out a way through the kitchen that would get them to the reporters faster. Robert Kennedy and his security men walked through the crowd while Kennedy shook hands continuously.
A man broke away from the crowd at an ice machine ahead. He fired several rounds at Kennedy, who collapsed.
The man, named Sirhan Sirhan, aimed his pistol to fire another bullet at Kennedy, only to find that the gun was already empty. Security guards, aided by writer George Plimpton, athlete Rafer Johnson, and American football player Rosey Grier, managed to overpower Sirhan.
The FBI agent rolled up his coat and placed it under Kennedy’s head. His wife Ethel was quick to catch hold of her husband’s head, who was in serious condition.
After about thirty minutes, Kennedy was taken to the nearest hospital, where he underwent surgery. After ten hours and thirty minutes, the hospital said Kennedy was in critical condition. Kennedy died at 1:44 a.m., 26 hours after the shooting.
Conspiracy Theories
As was the case with the assassination of President Kennedy, many conspiracy theories arose among the American people, partly due to the emergence of material showing CIA agents previously involved in the Bay of Pigs fiasco. When the Bay of Pigs fiasco happened, Robert Kennedy was Attorney General under President Kennedy and Johnson Vice President. The reason for their presence was not clear.
Furthermore, Sirhan’s position in the ballroom did not match the impact of the deadly shot to the back of Kennedy’s head. Another theory raises the question of how eleven bullets could come out of a pistol with a magazine for up to eight rounds, which, moreover, would have been filled with only six rounds. However, there is an audio recording where eight shots can be heard clearly.
Jim Braden was also present at the Ambassador Hotel. Shortly after President Kennedy’s assassination, Braden was arrested in an office building opposite the schoolbook warehouse on Dealey Plaza. He was released after making a statement.
Later, Braden was previously known as Eugene Hale Brading, a convicted career criminal who worked for organized crime.
He had officially changed his name a few weeks before President Kennedy’s assassination. He was not arrested during the investigation into the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
A theory about the presence of a second gunman, a so-called second gunman theory, is based on the doubt whether Sirhan was close enough to the presidential candidate that he could have inflicted his exact gunshot wounds.
Several witnesses also reported hearing more shots in total than the maximum that Sirhan could have fired, some of which also came from different directions. In 2012, this story was confirmed by Nina Rhodes-Hughes in an interview with CNN.
She also indicated that she had already stated this to the FBI at the time. To date, the Justice Department has not investigated this.
References
- https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moord_op_Robert_F._Kennedy
- Levine, A. (2018, June 5). Remembering RFK, half a century later. Winnipeg Free Press, A7.
- https://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/28/justice/california-rfk-second-gun
- https://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/26/justice/california-sirhan-rfk/
- https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/390533-robert-kennedys-fateful-day-in-los-angeles-and-the-distrust-of-the
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968_Democratic_Party_presidential_primaries
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy
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