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{{Short description|1968 murder in Los Angeles, California}}
{{For|the assassination of Robert's brother, John|Assassination of John F. Kennedy}}
{{pp-move-indef}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox civilian attack {{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Assassination of {{nowr|Robert F. Kennedy}} | title = Assassination of {{nowrap|Robert F. Kennedy}}
| image = Rfk assassination.jpg | image = Rfk assassination.jpg
| alt = Refer to the caption
| image_size = 250
| caption = Robert F. Kennedy lies mortally wounded on the floor immediately after the shooting. Kneeling beside him is 17-year-old busboy Juan Romero, who was shaking Kennedy's hand when Sirhan Sirhan fired the shots.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-kennedy-busboy-pictures,0,6255178.photogallery|work=Los Angeles Times|title=A busboy kneels again next to RFK}}</ref><ref>Jud Etsy-Kendall, Emma Bowman, , "NPR Storycorps", June 1, 2018</ref> | caption = ] lies mortally wounded on the floor immediately after the shooting. Kneeling beside him is 17-year-old busboy Juan Romero, who was shaking Kennedy's hand when ] fired the shots.{{Sfn|Esty-Kendall|2018}}
| location = ], ] | location = ], Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| coordinates= {{Coord|34.0597|N|118.2971|W|region:US-CA_type:event_scale:50000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | coordinates = {{Coord|34.0597|N|118.2971|W|region:US-CA_type:event_scale:50000|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| date = {{start date and age|1968|06|05}} | date = {{start date and age|1968|06|05}}
| time = 12:15&nbsp;a.m. | time = 12:15 a.m.
| timezone = ] | timezone = ]
| target = ] | target = ]
| fatalities = 1 (Kennedy died on June 6, 1968, from his injuries)
| type = Political assassination
| type = Political assassination, ]
| injuries = Paul Schrade, William Weisel, Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein, Irwin Stroll
| injuries = 5{{efn|Paul Schrade, William Weisel, Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein, Irwin Stroll}}
| perp = ]
| weapons = ] .22&nbsp;revolver | perp = ]
| weapons = ] ] revolver
| verdict = ]
| convictions = ], ] (5 counts){{Sfn|State of California|2022}}{{Infobox event
| title =
| child = yes
| sentence = ] in 1969; commuted ] to ] with the possibility of parole
}} }}
}}
{{Robert F. Kennedy series}}
On June 5, 1968, ] was shot by ] at the ] in Los Angeles, California, and pronounced dead the following day.


Kennedy, a ] and candidate in the ], won the California and South Dakota primaries on June 4. He addressed his campaign supporters in the Ambassador Hotel's Embassy Ballroom. After leaving the podium, and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was mortally wounded by multiple shots fired by Sirhan. Kennedy died at ] nearly 25 hours later. His body was buried at ].
On June 5, 1968, presidential candidate ] was mortally wounded shortly after midnight at the ] in ]. Earlier that evening, the 42-year-old junior senator from ] was declared the winner in the ] and ] in the ]. He was pronounced dead at 1:44&nbsp;a.m. ] on June&nbsp;6, about 26&nbsp;hours after he had been shot.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Evan|title=Robert Kennedy: His Life|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bRNCz4Ajbs8C|year=2002|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-0-7432-0329-6|page=}}</ref> Sirhan Sirhan has a very small weiner.


Sirhan, a Palestinian who held strong ] and ] beliefs, testified in 1969 that he killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought"; he was convicted and sentenced to death. Due to '']'', his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 with a possibility of parole. His parole request has been denied numerous times. Kennedy's assassination prompted ] to protect presidential candidates. Additionally, it led to ].
The shooting was a conspiracy planned by the United States government, specifically the CIA, and included multiple shooters to murder that man. Investigate it and you will see.


The assassination was one of four major assassinations of the ], coming several years after the ] in 1963 and the ] in 1965, and two months after the ] in 1968.
Following dual victories in the California and South Dakota primary elections for the ] nomination for ], Senator Kennedy spoke to journalists and campaign workers at a live televised celebration from the stage of his headquarters at the Ambassador Hotel. Shortly after leaving the podium and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was mortally wounded by multiple shots fired from a handgun. Kennedy died in the ] 26&nbsp;hours later. The shooter was 24-year-old ]. In 1969, Sirhan was convicted of murdering the senator and sentenced to death. His sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972. A freelance newspaper reporter recorded the shooting on audio tape, and the aftermath was captured on film.<ref name=cnnMartinez>{{cite news|last=Martinez|first=Michael|title=RFK assassination witness tells CNN: There was a second shooter|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/28/justice/california-rfk-second-gun|publisher=CNN|date=April 30, 2012}}</ref>


== Background ==
Kennedy's remains were taken to ] for two days of public viewing before a funeral Mass was held on June 8. His funeral train traveled from New York to Washington, D.C., and throngs of spectators lined the route to view the journey.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kxpob_Jwauk|title=Robert Kennedy Funeral (1969)|first=|last=British Pathé|accessdate=December 16, 2018|publisher=]}}</ref> His body was interred at night in ] near his brother ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggHkAN3y72A&t=71s|title=Funeral Of Robert Kennedy (1969)|first=|last=British Pathé|publisher=]}}</ref> His death prompted the ] to protect presidential candidates. Vice President ] was also a presidential candidate; he went on to win the Democratic nomination but ultimately lost the election to ] candidate ].
] was born in ], in 1925.{{Sfn|O'Neill|2000}} In 1948, ] and wrote six dispatches for '']''.{{Sfn|Bass|2003|p=50}}{{Sfn|Heymann|1998|p=45}} He dismissed the possibility of the Jewish state becoming ] as "fantastically absurd",{{Sfn|Bass|2003|p=51}} and called it the "only stabilizing factor remaining in the near and middle East".{{Sfn|Davis|1992|p=650}} In 1960, ], Robert's elder brother, was elected the president of the United States{{Sfn|Heymann|1998|pp=182–183}} and appointed Robert as ]. During his tenure, Robert served as John's close advisor{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|p=4}} and was associated with various decisions during the ].{{Sfn|O'Neill|2000}} According to author Matthew A. Hayes, during the ], Robert acted as a "de-facto Chief of Staff, Presidential Agent and Intermediary for his brother" and was an "indispensable partner" in its successful resolution.{{Sfn|Hayes|2019|pp=1–3}} In November 1963, ],{{Sfn|Kurtz|1982|p=1}} and Robert was deeply affected by it.{{Sfn|Thomas|2002|p=21}}{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=19}} Vice President ] assumed the presidency{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|p=5}} and retained almost all prominent Kennedy advisors, including Robert as attorney general.{{Sfn|O'Neill|2000}}{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|p=5}}


]
The assassination of Robert Kennedy has been exploited for the purpose of spreading unfounded ]; to date, no credible evidence has emerged that Sirhan was not the shooter, or that he didn't act alone. Kennedy and ] of ] (in 1935) are the only two sitting ].


In 1964, polls showed that various Democrats wanted Kennedy to be Johnson's running mate in ].{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|pp=5–6}} Kennedy instead organized his ],{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|p=6}} challenging ], an incumbent Republican senator.{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=43}} During a campaign speech, Kennedy declared his support for Israel, stating that in the event of an attack, "we will stand by Israel and come to her assistance".{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=x}} He won the election; during his congressional career, he supported ] and opposed Johnson's policies regarding the ].{{Sfn|O'Neill|2000}}
==Life==
])]]


The ] has been referred to as one of the most volatile campaigns in American history.{{Sfn|Sieg|1996|p=1062}} There was strong opposition to the ongoing Vietnam War; and it was a period of social unrest, with riots in major cities.{{Sfn|Thomas|2002|p=22}} ], a Democratic politician, organized a "]" movement to prevent Johnson's nomination as the presidential candidate,{{Sfn|Hoogenboom|2000}} and asked Kennedy to run instead. Kennedy refused, asserting that he did not want to split the Democratic Party.{{Sfn|O'Neill|2000}} ], a U.S. senator from Minnesota, then emerged as the leader of the "Dump Johnson" movement and entered several state presidential primaries.{{Sfn|Keene|2013}} In late January 1968, the ], in the view of historian ], "shattered hopes that the war could be won within a reasonable period of time—if ever—and broke open the cracks in the Democratic coalition".{{Sfn|Gardner|2000}}
Kennedy was 22 years old in 1948 when he ] and wrote dispatches for '']'' about the trip and its effect on him.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael R. |last=Fischbach |work=Los Angeles Times |title=First Shot in Terror War Killed RFK |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2003/jun/02/opinion/oe-fischbach2 |date=June 2, 2003 |accessdate=March 12, 2010}}</ref> During his stay, he wrote that he grew to admire the Jewish inhabitants of the area, and he became a strong supporter and advocate for Israel when he became a Senator.<ref>{{cite news |first=Lenny |last=Ben-David |title=This Kennedy was our friend |work=Jerusalem Post |url=http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=103425 |date=April 4, 2008 |accessdate=March 9, 2010}}</ref> Appointed ] in December 1960 by his brother, President ], he served in that post from January 1961 until his resignation on September 3, 1964, in order to run for election to the ]. Opposing incumbent Republican ], his first attempt at elective office scored a tight race win in an otherwise landslide ] year. He took office as Senator from New York on January 3, 1965.<ref name=congressbio>{{cite web| url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=k000114 |title= Kennedy, Robert Francis&nbsp;— Biographical information|publisher=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|accessdate=July 26, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080730211558/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000114| archivedate=July 30, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref>


On March 12, 1968, in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, McCarthy nearly defeated Johnson{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=19}} with 42 percent to Johnson's 49 percent of the votes.{{Sfn|Keene|2013}} Four days later, Kennedy announced his presidential campaign.{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=1}} On March 31, Johnson announced that he would not seek the presidency.{{Sfn|Goldzwig|2003|p=51}} Four days later, civil rights activist ], leading to ] in several cities.{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|pp=ix, 1, 92}} The same day, Kennedy gave a ] in Indianapolis,{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|pp=ix, 94}} saying:
The run-up to the ] under President ] was a period of great social unrest. There were riots in major cities amid Johnson's attempts to introduce anti-poverty and anti-discrimination legislation, and there was significant opposition to the ongoing ].<ref name=BBCJohnson>{{cite news| title = 1964: Election triumph for Lyndon B Johnson| work = On this Day: 3 November| publisher = BBC|year= 2005 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/3/newsid_3641000/3641464.stm | accessdate = April 24, 2008 | archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080408083322/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/3/newsid_3641000/3641464.stm| archivedate=April 8, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/lj36.html |title=Biography of Lyndon B. Johnson |publisher=White House |accessdate=April 24, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409134546/http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/lj36.html |archivedate=April 9, 2008 |deadurl=no |df=mdy }}</ref>


<blockquote>What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.&nbsp;... let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=96}}</blockquote>
The ] on April 4, 1968, led to ] in several cities.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news | title = 1968: Martin Luther King shot dead| work = On this Day: 4 April | publisher = BBC |year=2006| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/4/newsid_2453000/2453987.stm | accessdate = September 17, 2006 }}</ref> Kennedy entered the race for the Democratic Party's nomination for president on March 16, four days after Senator ] received a large percentage of the vote in the ] primary against the incumbent President (42&nbsp;percent to Johnson's 49&nbsp;percent).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/06/15_newsroom_mccarthytimeline/|title=A timeline of Sen. Eugene McCarthy's life and political career|publisher=Minnesota Public Radio|date=December 10, 2005|accessdate=July 25, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080907041518/http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/06/15_newsroom_mccarthytimeline/| archivedate=September 7, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref> Two weeks later, President Johnson announced that he was no longer seeking re-election, and Vice President ] announced that he would seek the presidency a month later. Humphrey did not participate in any primaries, but he did obtain the support of many Democratic Party delegates. Following the California primary, Kennedy was in second place with 393 delegates compared to Humphrey's 561 and McCarthy's 258.<ref>{{harvnb|Moldea|1995|page=26n}}</ref>


In April, Vice President ] announced ]. He mostly avoided primaries and focused on states which held caucuses. Contrary to Kennedy, Humphrey did not publicly oppose the Vietnam War.{{Sfn|Curtin|2000}}
==Assassination==
The 1968 California presidential primary elections were held on Tuesday, June&nbsp;4. The statewide results gave Kennedy 46&nbsp;percent and McCarthy 42&nbsp;percent. Four hours after the polls closed in California, Kennedy claimed victory in the state's Democratic presidential primary. He spoke by phone with South Dakota Senator ]. At approximately 12:10&nbsp;a.m. ] on June&nbsp;5, he addressed his campaign supporters in the ]'s Embassy Room ballroom in the ] district of ].<ref name=LAFiles>{{cite web|url=http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?absPageId=1109722|title=RFK LAPD Microfilm, Volume 75 (SUS Final Report)|publisher=Mary Ferrell Foundation|access-date=July 25, 2008}}</ref> At the time, the government provided ] protection for an incumbent president, but not for presidential candidates. Kennedy's only security was provided by former ] agent William Barry and two unofficial bodyguards: Olympic decathlon gold medalist ] and former football player ].<ref>{{harvnb|Moldea|1995|pages=24–25}}</ref> Kennedy had welcomed contact with the public during the campaign, and people had often tried to touch him in their excitement.<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|pages=113–114}}</ref>


== Assassination ==
Kennedy planned to walk through the ballroom when he had finished speaking. He ended the speech by stating: "My thanks to all of you; and now it's on to Chicago, and let's win there!"<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/45-years-after-death-recalling-robert-kennedys-funeral-train/2013/06/06/5b058d60-ca03-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525132703/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/45-years-after-death-recalling-robert-kennedys-funeral-train/2013/06/06/5b058d60-ca03-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |dead-url=yes |df=mdy-all }}</ref> He was on his way to another gathering of supporters elsewhere in the hotel.<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=264}}</ref> Reporters wanted a press conference, and campaign aide ] decided that Kennedy would forgo the second gathering and instead go through the hotel's kitchen and pantry area behind the ballroom to the press area. Kennedy finished speaking and started to exit when William Barry stopped him and said, "No, it's been changed. We're going this way."<ref name="w2645"/> Barry and Dutton began clearing a way for Kennedy to go left through swinging doors to the kitchen corridor, but Kennedy was hemmed in by the crowd and followed ''maître d'hôtel'' Karl Uecker through a back exit.<ref name="w2645">{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|pages=264–265}}</ref>
=== California primary and shooting ===
]


The California presidential primary elections were held on June 4, 1968. Polls by ] showed Kennedy leading by 7 percent.{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=265}} The statewide results gave Kennedy 46 percent to McCarthy's 42 percent.{{Sfn|''Guide to U.S. Elections''|2010|p=410}} Kennedy also won the South Dakota primary, winning approximately 50 percent of the vote.{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=266}} Author ] referred to the victory as Kennedy's "greatest". He was now in second place with {{Fraction|393|1|2}} total delegates, against Humphrey's {{Fraction|561|1|2}} delegates.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=26n}}{{Sfn|Palermo|2001|p=245}}
Uecker led Kennedy through the kitchen area, holding his right wrist, but frequently releasing it as Kennedy shook hands with people whom he encountered.<ref name=moldeaexcerpt>{{harvnb|Moldea|1995|loc=§1}}</ref> Uecker and Kennedy started down a passageway narrowed by an ice machine against the right wall and a steam table to the left.<ref name=moldeaexcerpt /> Kennedy turned to his left and shook hands with busboy Juan Romero,<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/654282422/juan-romero-busboy-who-cradled-dying-rfk-dies-at-68 | title=Juan Romero, Busboy Who Cradled Dying RFK, Dies At 68 | work=] | date=2018-10-04 | first=Laurel | last=Wamsley | accessdate=2018-10-05 }}</ref> just as ] stepped down from a low tray-stacker beside the ice machine, rushed past Uecker, and repeatedly fired an eight-shot ] caliber ].<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=266}}</ref>


At approximately 12:02&nbsp;a.m. ]{{Sfn|O'Sullivan|2008|p=495}} the next day, Kennedy addressed his campaign supporters in the Embassy Ballroom of the ], in the ].{{Sfn|Thomas|2002|p=387}} At the time, the government did not provide ] protection for presidential candidates.{{Sfn|O'Sullivan|2008|p=159}} Kennedy's only security personnel were former ] agent William Barry and two unofficial bodyguards: Olympic decathlon gold medalist ]{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|pp=8, 119}} and former football player ].{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=46}} At approximately 12:10&nbsp;am, concluding his victory speech, Kennedy said: "So my thanks to all of you and on to Chicago and let's win there."{{Sfn|''The New York Times''|1968}}{{Sfn|''Los Angeles Times''|1986}} Kennedy planned to walk through the ballroom after speaking on his way to another gathering of supporters, but reporters wanted a press conference. Campaign aide ] decided that Kennedy would forgo the second gathering and instead go through the hotel's kitchen and pantry area behind the ballroom to the press area.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=264–265}} Kennedy had welcomed contact with the public during the campaign, and people had often tried to touch him in excitement.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=113–114}} Soon after Kennedy concluded the speech, he started to exit through the ballroom when Barry stopped him and said, "No, it's been changed. We're going this way."{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=264–265}} Barry and Dutton began clearing a way for Kennedy to go left, through swinging doors, to the kitchen corridor, but he was hemmed in by the crowd and followed '']'' Karl Uecker through a back exit.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=264–265}} Uecker led Kennedy through the kitchen area, holding his right wrist, but frequently releasing it as Kennedy shook hands with people whom he encountered.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=33}} Uecker and Kennedy started down a passageway narrowed by an ice machine and a steam table to the north.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=33}}
Kennedy fell to the floor, and bodyguard William Barry hit Sirhan twice in the face while others, including writer ], forced him against the steam table and disarmed him, as he continued firing his gun in random directions.<ref name=EventAccount>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900110-3,00.html |title=A Life On The Way To Death |work=TIME |date=June 14, 1968 |access-date=April 27, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501101804/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C900110-3%2C00.html |archivedate=May 1, 2008 |deadurl=no |df= }}</ref> Five other people were wounded in addition to Kennedy: William Weisel of ], Paul Schrade of the ] union, Democratic Party activist Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein of the Continental News Service, and Kennedy campaign volunteer Irwin Stroll.<ref name=EventAccount />


Kennedy turned to his left and shook hands with Juan Romero,{{Sfn|Melanson|1994|p=18}}{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=96}} just as ] stepped down from a low tray-stacker beside the ice machine, rushed past Uecker, and repeatedly fired an eight-shot ] caliber ]{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=266, 269}} at point-blank range.{{Sfn|Hodak|2012|p=72}} Kennedy fell to the floor; others, including writer ] and Grier, tried to disarm Sirhan, as he continued firing his gun in random directions. Five other people were wounded: William Weisel of ], ] of the ] union, Democratic Party activist Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein of the Continental News Service, and Kennedy campaign volunteer Irwin Stroll.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=85}}{{Sfn|''Time'' (a)|1968}}{{Sfn|''Los Angeles Times''|1995}} A minute later, Sirhan wrestled free and grabbed the revolver again, but others grabbed him.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|p=269}} Barry went to Kennedy and placed his jacket under Kennedy's head.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|p=269}} As Kennedy lay wounded, Romero cradled his head and placed a rosary in his hand.{{Sfn|''Time''|1998}} Kennedy asked Romero, "Is everybody OK?"; Romero responded, "Yes, everybody's OK." Kennedy then turned away and said, "Everything's going to be OK."{{Sfn|Allen|2015}} The moment was captured by Boris Yaro of the '']'' and became the iconic image of the assassination.{{Sfn|Reynolds|2007}}
After a minute, Sirhan wrestled free and grabbed the revolver again, but he had already fired all the bullets and was subdued.<ref name="w269"/> Barry went to Kennedy and placed his jacket under the candidate's head, later recalling: "I knew immediately it was a .22, a small caliber, so I hoped it wouldn't be so bad, but then I saw the hole in the Senator's head, and I knew".<ref name="w269">{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=269}}</ref> Reporters and photographers rushed into the area from both directions, contributing to the confusion and chaos. As Kennedy lay wounded, Juan Romero cradled his head and placed a rosary in his hand.<ref>{{cite news|first=Steve |last=Lopez |date=June 8, 1998 |title=Guarding the Dream |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988470,00.html |work=TIME |access-date=August 16, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930102141/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0%2C9171%2C988470%2C00.html |archivedate=September 30, 2007 |deadurl=no |df= }}</ref> Kennedy asked Romero, "Is everybody OK?" and Romero responded, "Yes, everybody's OK." Kennedy then turned away and said, "Everything's going to be OK."<ref name="nw29-30">{{cite journal|title=Bobby's Last, Longest Day|journal=Newsweek|date=June 17, 1968|pages=29–30|url = http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/K%20Disk/Kennedy%20Robert%20F%20Assassination%20Clips/Item%20054.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=The busboy who cradled a dying RFK has finally stepped out of the past|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0830-lopez-romero-20150829-column.html | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824121507/http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0830-lopez-romero-20150829-column.html | archivedate=August 24, 2016}}</ref> This moment was captured by ''Life'' photographer ] and Boris Yaro of the ''Los Angeles Times'' and became the iconic image of the assassination.<ref name="Picture">{{cite web |year=2007 |url= http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/zoomify.asp?id=1746&type=g&width=640&height=480&hideAlt=1|title = Assassination of presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy|format = Picture|publisher = ]| access-date = May 14, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080608022029/http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/exhibition/zoomify.asp?id=1746&type=g&width=640&height=480&hideAlt=1| archivedate=June 8, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=154486&TICK=NIKC&STORY=/www/story/02-04-2004/0002103183&EDATE=Feb+4,+2004 |title=NikonNet and 'Legends Behind the Lens' Honor the Iconic Works of Photojournalist Bill Eppridge |publisher=NikonUSA |date=February 4, 2004 |access-date=March 29, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040325192419/http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro_stories.pl?ACCT=154486&TICK=NIKC&STORY=%2Fwww%2Fstory%2F02-04-2004%2F0002103183&EDATE=Feb%2B4%2C%2B2004 |archivedate=March 25, 2004 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref><ref name="Yaro">{{cite news |url = http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jan/05/entertainment/et-artphotos5|title = Double exposure of history and art, in a shutter's click|newspaper = Los Angeles Times| access-date = August 1, 2008 | first=Christopher | last=Reynolds | date=January 5, 2007}}</ref> There was some initial confusion concerning who was shot, one witness believing that the primary victim was Kennedy's campaign manager and brother-in-law ]. Another witness stated that a female in a polka-dot dress had exclaimed repeatedly, "We killed him," before running away. Video footage of her testimony can be seen in the Netflix series "Bobby Kennedy for President".


=== Immediate aftermath and death ===
Kennedy's wife ] was three months pregnant; she stood outside the crush of people at the scene seeking help.<ref name="nw29-30"/> She was soon led to her husband and knelt beside him. He turned his head and seemed to recognize her.<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=272}}</ref> Smith promptly appeared on television and calmly asked for a doctor.<ref name= newfield3>{{cite book |last=Newfield |first=Jack |title=Robert Kennedy: A Memoir |publisher=Penguin Group |edition=reprint |date=1988 |location=New York |pages=299–300 |isbn=0-452-26064-7}}</ref> Friend and journalist Pete Hamill recalled that Kennedy had "a kind of sweet accepting smile on his face, as if he knew it would all end this way".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nymag.com/news/politics/47041/index5.html|title=June 5, 1968: The Last Hours of RFK|website=NYMag.com|access-date=June 17, 2017|last = Hamill|first = Pete|date = May 18, 2008}}</ref> After several minutes, medical attendants arrived and lifted Kennedy onto a stretcher, prompting him to whisper, "Don't lift me", which were his last words,<ref>{{cite book|title=RFK: a candid biography of Robert F. Kennedy|last=Heymann|first=C. David|location=New York|publisher=Dutton|year=1998|page=500}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Clarke|2008|page=275}}</ref> as he lost consciousness shortly after.<ref name="w273">{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=273}}</ref> He was taken a mile away to Central Receiving Hospital, where he arrived near death. One doctor slapped his face, calling, "Bob, Bob", while another doctor manually massaged his heart.<ref name = everything>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900131,00.html |title=Everything Was Not Enough|date=June 14, 1968|work=TIME |access-date=April 27, 2008}}</ref> After obtaining a good heartbeat, doctors handed a stethoscope to Ethel so that she could hear his heart beating.<ref name="nw29-30"/>
As the shooting took place, ABC News was signing off from its election-night broadcast, while the CBS coverage had been concluded. CBS went back on the air with coverage of the shooting 21 minutes after it had taken place. ABC's associate news director Weisel, who had been wounded during the shooting, reported from his stretcher.{{Sfn|''Time'' (c)|1968}} ABC was able to show scant live footage from the kitchen after Kennedy had been transported, but all of ABC's coverage from the hotel was in black-and-white.{{Sfn|ABC}} Approximately three hours after the incident, television networks began their morning broadcast schedule. About six million Western American households viewed the live reporting.{{Sfn|''Time'' (c)|1968}}


After about 30&nbsp;minutes, Kennedy was transferred several blocks to ] to undergo surgery. A gymnasium near the hospital was set up as temporary headquarters for the press and news media to receive updates on his condition. Surgery began at 3:12&nbsp;a.m. and lasted three hours and 40 minutes.<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|pages=281–282}}</ref> At 5:30&nbsp;p.m. on Wednesday, spokesman ] announced that Kennedy's doctors were "concerned over his continuing failure to show improvement"; his condition remained "extremely critical as to life".<ref>{{harvnb|Witcover|1969|page=289}}</ref> Kennedy's wife, ], who was three months pregnant,{{Sfn|Segalov|2018}} had been away from the shooting scene.{{Sfn|''Newsweek''|1968|p=29}} She was soon led to Kennedy and knelt beside him. Kennedy turned his head seeming to recognize her.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|p=272}} Kennedy's campaign manager, his brother-in-law ], promptly appeared on television and asked for a doctor.{{Sfn|Newfield|1988|pp=299–300}} After several minutes, medical attendants arrived and lifted Kennedy onto a stretcher, prompting him to whisper, "Don't lift me", which were his last words;{{Sfn|Heymann|1998|p=500}}{{Sfn|Clarke|2008|p=275}} he lost consciousness shortly after.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|p=273}} He was taken to Central Receiving Hospital. A doctor slapped his face, calling, "Bob! Bob! Bob!" while another doctor massaged his heart.{{Sfn|''Time'' (b)|1968}} After obtaining a good heartbeat, doctors handed a stethoscope to Ethel so that she could hear Kennedy's heart beating.{{Sfn|''Newsweek''|1968|p=30}} After about 30&nbsp;minutes, Kennedy was transferred several blocks to the ] to undergo surgery. A gymnasium near the hospital was set up as temporary headquarters for the press and news media to receive updates on his condition. Surgery began at 3:12&nbsp;a.m. and lasted approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|pp=281–282, 286}} At 5:30&nbsp;p.m. on Wednesday, spokesman ] announced that Kennedy's doctors were "concerned over his continuing failure to show improvement"; his condition was critical.{{Sfn|Witcover|1988|p=289}}


Kennedy had been shot three times. One bullet was fired at a range of perhaps {{convert|1|in|cm|0}} and entered behind his right ear, dispersing fragments throughout his brain.<ref>{{cite journal| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838974,00.html |title=The Man Who Loved Kennedy|journal=TIME|date=February 21, 1969|access-date=April 27, 2008}}</ref> The other two entered at the rear of his right armpit; one exited from his chest and the other lodged in the back of his neck.<ref>{{harvnb|Moldea|1995|page=85}}</ref> Despite extensive neurosurgery to remove the bullet and bone fragments from his brain, he was pronounced dead at 1:44&nbsp;a.m. on June&nbsp;6, nearly 26&nbsp;hours after the shooting.<ref name = everything /> Kennedy had been shot multiple times.{{Sfn|''Time'' (b)|1968}} The fatal shot was fired at a range of {{convert|1|in|cm|0}},{{Sfn|''Time'' (a)|1969}} entering behind his right ear.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=85}} The other two shots entered at the rear of his right armpit; one exited from his chest and the other lodged in the back of his neck.{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=85}} Despite extensive neurosurgery to remove the bullet and bone fragments from his brain, he was pronounced dead at 1:44&nbsp;a.m. on June&nbsp;6, nearly 25&nbsp;hours after the shooting.{{Sfn|''Time'' (b)|1968}} Mankiewicz left the hospital and walked to the gymnasium where the press and news media were set up for continuous updates on the situation. At 2&nbsp;a.m. on June&nbsp;6, Mankiewicz announced Kennedy's death.{{Sfn|Gabler|2020|pp=383–384}} The following week, NBC devoted 55&nbsp;hours to the shooting and its aftermath, ABC&nbsp;43 hours, and CBS&nbsp;42 hours, with all three networks initially pre-empting their regular coverage and advertisements to cover the story.{{Sfn|''Time'' (c)|1968}}


=== Funeral and aftermath ===
Frank Mankiewicz left the hospital and walked to the gymnasium where the press and news media were set up for continuous updates on the situation. At 2&nbsp;a.m. on June&nbsp;6, Mankiewicz approached the podium, took a few moments to compose himself, and made the official announcement:
]|alt=Grave of Robert F. Kennedy. A cross with few flowers can be seen.]]
{{Quote | style=font-size: 100%; | "I have a short announcement to read, which I will read at this time. Senator Robert Francis Kennedy died at 1:44 a.m., June 6, 1968. With Senator Kennedy at the time of his death were his wife Ethel, his sisters Mrs. Stephen Smith, Mrs. Patricia Lawford, his brother-in-law Mr. Stephen Smith and his sister-in-law Mrs. John F. Kennedy. He was 42 years old. Thank you."<ref name="NBC June 6, 1968">{{cite news| url=https://archives.nbclearn.com/portal/site/k-12/browse/?cuecard=32657| title=The Death of Robert F. Kennedy| last=Huntley| first=Chet| date=June 6, 1968| work=NBC Nightly News| publisher=NBC Learn, NBC News Archives, NBCUniversal Media, LLC| access-date=July 3, 2012}}</ref>|sign=|source=}}


Senator Kennedy's casket was taken, via a jet emblazoned with "United States of America" and sent by President Lyndon B. Johnson,{{Sfn|Shapell|Willen|2018}} to New York City, where his casket was viewed by thousands ].{{Sfn|''The Independent''|2007}} The funeral mass was held on the morning of June 8.{{Sfn|Mossman|Stark|1972|p=332}} Kennedy's younger brother, Senator ], delivered the eulogy, saying:
==Perpetrator==
{{Main|Sirhan Sirhan}}
Sirhan Sirhan (born March 19, 1944) is a Palestinian Arab with Jordanian citizenship, born in Jerusalem, who held strongly anti-] beliefs.<ref name=BST>{{cite journal |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,838860,00.html|title=Behind Steel Doors|journal=Time|date=January 17, 1969|accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841578,00.html |title=Selectivity In Los Angeles|journal=Time|date=January 31, 1969|accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> A diary was found during a search of his home, and he wrote on May&nbsp;19: "My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more and more of an unshakable obsession. RFK must die. RFK must be killed. Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated.... Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated before 5 June 68."<ref>], ''America: A History in Verse, Volume 3 1962–1970'', page 267 (Black Sparrow Books, 2004) {{ISBN|1-57423-189-8}}</ref> It has been suggested that the date of the assassination is significant because it was the first anniversary of the start of the ] between Israel and its Arab neighbors.<ref>{{cite book|last=Coleman|first=Loren|title=The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem in Tomorrow's Headlines|location=New York|publisher=Paraview Pocket|year=2004|isbn=978-0-7434-8223-3}}</ref> When Sirhan was booked by police, they found a newspaper article in his pocket that discussed Kennedy's ]; Sirhan testified at his trial that he began to hate Kennedy after learning of this support.<ref>{{harvnb|Moldea|1995|page=52n}}</ref><ref>{{citation |url=http://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=99533&relPageId=221 |title=Trial of Sirhan Bishara Sirhan transcript|volume=18|page=5244 |publisher=Mary Ferrell Foundation|accessdate=July 26, 2008|date=March 1969}}</ref> In 1989, he told ] in prison: "My only connection with Robert Kennedy was his sole support of Israel and his deliberate attempt to send those 50 bombers to Israel to obviously do harm to the Palestinians".<ref>{{Cite news|title=Sirhan Felt Betrayed by Kennedy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/20/us/sirhan-felt-betrayed-by-kennedy.html|date=February 20, 1989|work=] |agency=Associated Press|accessdate=October 20, 2013}}</ref> Some scholars view the assassination as one of the first major incidents of political violence in the United States stemming from the Arab–Israeli conflict in the Middle East.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080608/news_1n8rfk.html |work=San Diego Union Tribune (Boston Globe) |title=RFK's death now viewed as first case of Mideast violence exported to U.S. |date=June 8, 2008}}</ref>


<blockquote>My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it&nbsp;... As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not."{{Sfn|Wells|2018|p=5}}</blockquote>
The interpretation that Sirhan was motivated by Middle Eastern politics has been criticized as an oversimplification which ignores his psychological problems.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Clarke |first=James W. |date=January 1981 |title=American Assassins: An Alternative Typology |journal=British Journal of Political Science |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=81–104 |jstor=193462|ref=harv |doi=10.1017/s0007123400002465}}</ref> Sirhan's lawyers attempted to use a defense of diminished responsibility during the trial,<ref name=BST /> while Sirhan himself tried to confess to the crime and change his plea to guilty on several occasions.<ref name=ADI>{{cite journal|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,839767-2,00.html|title=A Deadly Iteration|journal=TIME|date=March 7, 1969|accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> He testified that he had killed Kennedy "with 20&nbsp;years of malice aforethought". The judge did not accept this confession and it was later withdrawn.<ref name=ADI /><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20030306-2018-ca-sirhanparole.html |title=Sirhan Sirhan denied parole for 12th time|agency=]|publisher=www.signonsandiego.com|accessdate=April 26, 2008|date=March 6, 2003|last=Skoloff|first=Brian}}</ref>


Kennedy's body was transported via train to Washington, D.C.; many mourners lined the route, paying their respects.{{Sfn|ANC}} On the way to the cemetery, the funeral procession passed through ], a shantytown protest site.{{Sfn|Kotz|2005|p=422}} The procession stopped in front of the ], where residents of Resurrection City joined the group, and the "]" was sung.{{Sfn|Mossman|Stark|1972|pp=335–336}} ] near his older brother John in ]. This was the first burial to have ever taken place there at night.{{Sfn|''The Independent''|2007}}{{Sfn|ANC}} After the assassination, ] altered the Secret Service's mandate to include protection for major presidential and vice-presidential nominees.{{Sfn|Secret Service}}
Sirhan was convicted of the murder of Robert Kennedy on April 17, 1969, and was sentenced six days later, to death.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/03/07/national/main543105.shtml|title=Sirhan Sirhan Kept Behind Bars|publisher=CBS News|date=March 7, 2003|accessdate= |last=Murphy|first=Jarrett}}</ref> In 1972, the sentence was commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole after the ] invalidated all pending death sentences that were imposed prior to 1972, due to its ruling in '']''. Since that time, Sirhan has been denied parole 15&nbsp;times and is currently confined at the ] in southern San Diego County.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_24586904/sirhan-sirhan-moved-new-california-prison|title=Sirhan Sirhan moved to new California prison|date=November 23, 2013|work=San Jose Mercury News}}</ref> His lawyers have claimed that he was framed, and he claims to have no memory of his crime.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bullet switch proves Sirhan Sirhan innocent of Robert F Kennedy assassination, claim lawyers|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/11/30/bullet-switch-proves-sirhan-sirhan-innocent-of-robert-f-kennedy-assassination-claim-lawyers-86908-23599435/|work=Daily Record|accessdate=December 1, 2011}}</ref>


At the time of his death, Kennedy was substantially behind Humphrey in convention delegate support,{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2007}} but many believe that, following his victory in the California primary, he would have ultimately secured the nomination.{{Sfn|Newfield|1988|p=293}} Humphrey won the nomination at the convention in Chicago, at which ] occurred. He ultimately lost the general election to Republican candidate ] by a narrow popular vote margin of 0.7&nbsp;percent. Nixon won by a more decisive 301–191&nbsp;margin in ].{{Sfn|''Guide to U.S. Elections''|2010|pp=329–331}}
===Assassin's gun===
The ] ] revolver that Sirhan Sirhan used to assassinate Robert F. Kennedy originated from Albert Leslie Hertz, a resident of ] just south of ]. He originally bought the gun to protect his own business during the 1965 ], but never used it and kept it in its original wrapping paper and box. Hertz's wife decided the gun was too dangerous and gave it to her daughter, Dana Westlake. Westlake didn't use it and gave the gun to her next-door neighbor, George Erhard. Erhard later sold the gun to Sirhan Sirhan's brother, Munir Bishara Sirhan, known as "Joe", who George knew was working at Nash's department store at the corner of Arroyo and Colorado in Pasadena. At the time, Erhard was looking to seek more money from the gun sale to finance some work on his car.<ref name="GTG">{{cite book|title=The Forgotten Terrorist - Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|pages=109–110|author=Mel Ayton|date=2007|publisher=Potomac Books|isbn=1-5979-7079-4}}</ref>


== Perpetrator ==
In the interview with the ], Munir said that his brother asked him to obtain a gun because he wanted to visit a rifle range. Munir explained to them that rifle ranges rented guns, in which Sirhan replied "I don't want to get involved. I don't want a signature." Sirhan later asked him if he knew any gun owners, and Munir told investigators that "I don't know why my brother wanted it, you know, wanted anything to do with guns." This request was due to the fact Sirhan was a non-citizen which was illegal under California law for an alien to purchase firearms. Munir later approached Erhard in the parking lot of Nash's store and Ernard showed him the pistol. At this point, Munir said that he asked Ernard to bring the gun to Sirhan's house, since his brother was interested of buying it. He stated that he and Ernard went to Sirhan Sirhan's home and met him at the dining room, where the three agreed to a sale price: Munir produced $19 and Sirhan paid the $6 balance. However, the LAPD Summary Report stated that:<ref name="GTG" />
]
{{Main|Sirhan Sirhan}}


Sirhan Sirhan was born on March 19, 1944, in ], ], to an ] family.{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=49}} At the age of four, he and his father narrowly escaped a bomb explosion during the ].{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=50}} This incident, according to author ], "had a psychological effect on young Sirhan".{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=51}} He witnessed various other violent incidents during his childhood, including physical abuse by his father and the death of his older brother at the hands of a military truck that was trying to avoid sniper fire. In late 1956, Sirhan, along with his family, immigrated to the United States.{{Sfn|Meloy|2010|p=563}} He was unhappy with immigrating to the United States, later saying that "the U.S. was against the Arabs and was friendly with Israel, and a friend of my enemy is my enemy".{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=53}} Once in the United States, Sirhan received above-average grades and joined an ].{{Sfn|Meloy|2010|p=563}} During his late-teenage years, Sirhan's father abandoned the family,{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=54}} his sister died, two of his brothers were arrested, and he was expelled from ].{{Sfn|Meloy|2010|p=563}} Sirhan held strongly ] and ] beliefs.{{Sfn|Socarides|1979|p=449}}
{{quote|On June 25, 1968, a polygraph examination was administered to Munir Sirhan to determine his truthfulness regarding the gun and whether or not Ernard had ever been in the Sirhan home. Munir Sirhan's responses to questions indicated he was being untruthful. . . . Munir . . . admitted that he was lying when he said Erhard had been inside his home. . . .He corrected himself and stated he had asked Erhard if he had any guns for sale and that eventually Erhard showed him the .22-caliber revolver. He examined the gun in the parking lot of Nash's Department Store. . . . After examining the gun, he told Erhard he did not have sufficient money to purchase the gun at that time. He asked Erhard to bring the gun to the corner of El Molino and Howard Streets in Pasadena later that evening and told him that he would have the money to purchase the gun. Munir stated that he and Sirhan were together when Erhard came to deliver the gun. Munir Sirhan then stated that Sirhan Sirhan had been the one who bought the gun. Munir was again informed that the polygraph test showed that he had actually purchased the gun. Munir Sirhan refused to change his story.}}


In 1966, while pursuing a career as a jockey, Sirhan fell from a running horse,{{Sfn|Meloy|2010|p=563}} suffering minor injuries. A friend of Sirhan said that after this incident, Sirhan was "impatient, nervous, emotional and always in a hurry".{{Sfn|Socarides|1979|p=450}} A diary was found during a search of his home, where he wrote on May 18: "Robert Kennedy must be assassinated&nbsp;... My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more and more of an unshakable obsession. RFK must die. RFK must be killed."{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|p=x}}{{Sfn|Sanders|2000|p=267}}{{Sfn|Kaiser|2008|ps=§3}}
It is likely that Munir and Sirhan purchased the gun in such a clandestine manner because they were both aware that it was unlawful for aliens to own handguns. Sirhan first shot the gun in March 1968 and practiced with it about a half dozen times between March and May 1968. He said he "liked guns."' Munir said Sirhan kept the gun in the glove compartment of his De Soto. Munir often heard Sirhan playing with something that made a "click, click" sound, and he believed it was the gun." Munir had been "frightened" by the look in Sirhan's eye when his brother handled the gun. In fact Munir was so worried he made Sirhan swear on their dead sister, Aida, that he would not use the gun in a "bad" way. Sirhan had violated three California laws merely by possessing the pistol he used to kill Robert Kennedy. Thus, if Sirhan were simply an unwitting patsy involved in a conspiracy, the conspirators must have knowingly chosen a man who had been risking the whole conspiratorial venture by possessing an illegal weapon and firing it at a police range. Had Sirhan been caught with the illegal weapon, the purported conspiracy would have collapsed.<ref name="GTG" />


== Investigation and trial ==
==Media coverage==
Due to Sirhan being a non-citizen, it was illegal under California law for him to purchase firearms.{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|pp=109–110}} He violated three California laws by possessing the pistol he used to kill Kennedy.{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|pp=109–110}} ] suggested that the date of the assassination is significant because it was the first anniversary of the start of the ] between Israel and its Arab neighbors.{{Sfn|Coleman|2004|pp=27–28}}
At the time of the shooting, ] and ] were signing off from their electoral broadcasts, while the ] coverage had already concluded.<ref name=mediaaccount>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900149,00.html|title=What Was Going On?|work=TIME |date=June 14, 1968|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref> CBS coverage began 21&nbsp;minutes after the shooting with Joseph Benti, then preparing his anchoring duties for ''The ]'', from the election studio at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York; ] joined him a half hour later. ] had co-anchored the primary election coverage with Cronkite and Benti, and he appeared briefly after the shooting. CBS reporters ] and David Schumacher delivered on-camera updates and interviews from the Ambassador; colleagues ] and ] phoned in reports to New York. Later, Mudd presented on-camera updates on Kennedy's condition from Good Samaritan Hospital.


]|upright=0.8]]
At ABC, ] signed off and the closing billboard aired followed by a wide studio shot of Smith, co-anchor ], and staff with the graphic "Race to the White House: California Primary" on screen (accompanied by the ] march ] as theme music). When the theme completed, after a moment of silence and a "please stand by" announcement, a portion of the theme was played again. Announcer Carl Caruso then alerted viewers to "please stand by for a special report," with the wide shot and graphic still on air, as the theme played a third time. During the long static shot, the ABC camera captured live the panic and bewilderment in the New York studio. Two and a half minutes more passed before Smith returned to air to say, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have kept the air on because we have heard an alarming report that Robert Kennedy was shot in that ballroom at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles." Smith would clarify that word was received about the sound of gunfire a short time earlier, but they had waited to receive additional confirmation about what happened before making any announcements. Meanwhile, the ABC reporters at the Ambassador crowded into the kitchen where Kennedy had been shot and the immediate aftermath was captured only by audio recording and cameras that had no live transmission capability.<ref name=EventAccount /> ABC was able to show scant live footage from the kitchen after Kennedy had been transported, but all of ABC's coverage from the Ambassador was in black and white.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTeW-wkin6A&t=1422s|title=The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy ABC News Live Coverage|accessdate=December 16, 2018|publisher=]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video?id=3247549|title=Video: June 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy Dying|first=A. B. C.|last=News|website=ABC News|accessdate=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204162304/http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video?id=3247549|archive-date=February 4, 2011|dead-url=yes|df=mdy-all}}</ref> One of the ABC reporters at the Ambassador was ], who had also reported from Dallas on the assassination of ]. Clark and ] later reported from Good Samaritan Hospital. At about 7:00&nbsp;a.m. EST, ] joined Smith at the New York anchor desk. ] contributed reports from the ABC bureau in Washington.


When Sirhan was booked by police, they found in his pocket a newspaper article that discussed Kennedy's support for Israel;{{Sfn|Moldea|1995|p=52n}} Sirhan later said that he began to hate Kennedy after learning of this support.{{Sfn|''The New York Times''|1989}} Sirhan was convicted of Kennedy's murder in April 1969,{{Sfn|Hodak|2012|p=72}} and was sentenced to death.{{Sfn|CBS|2003}} In 1972, the sentence was commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole, after the ], in its ruling in '']'', invalidated as unconstitutional all pending death sentences that were imposed before 1972.{{Sfn|Dershowitz |1972}}{{Sfn|Lovett|2011}} In 1975, it was decided that Sirhan would be freed on parole in 1984. In 1982, however, the California Board of Prison Term rescinded the parole date, citing death threats made by Sirhan from prison.{{Sfn|Turner|1982}} In 1989, Sirhan told ] in prison that his sole connection with Kennedy was " support of Israel and his deliberate attempt to send those 50 bombers to Israel to obviously do harm to the Palestinians."{{Sfn|Ayton|2021|p=80}} Although a study published in the '']'' referred to Sirhan as a "withdrawn fanatic with multiple identity problems", the author James W. Clarke stated that Sirhan was more motivated by political issues than by his personal temperament.{{Sfn|Clarke|1981|pp=83, 99}} During the trial, Sirhan's lawyers attempted to use a defense of diminished responsibility,{{Sfn|''Time'' (b)|1969}} while Sirhan tried to confess to the crime and change his plea to guilty on several occasions.{{Sfn|''Time'' (c)|1969}} He testified that he had killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought".{{Sfn|''Time'' (c)|1969}} As of 2023, Sirhan has been denied parole 17 times.{{Sfn|Romine|Almasy|2023}} His lawyers have claimed that he was framed, and he claims to have no memory of his crime.{{Sfn|Lovett|2011}}{{Sfn|''Daily Record''|2011}}
NBC was also about to sign off in New York when anchor ] received a telephone call on camera, apparently informing him of the shooting. A visibly stunned McGee spent the next few minutes filling time until he was ready to inform viewers that Kennedy had been shot. NBC reporter ] was one of the first to report from the scene of the shooting, telling viewers, "He's lying here on the floor. Senator Kennedy has been shot. He's been shot. There's blood on the floor." Quinn and colleague Lew Allison gave updates and conducted interviews from the hotel ballroom and lobby; ] reported from a temporary studio in the hotel, interviewing eyewitnesses and others involved in events surrounding the shooting. NBC anchors ] and ] had co-anchored the primary coverage with McGee, and they returned to the Burbank anchor desk at about 4:15&nbsp;a.m. EST. ] reported for NBC from Good Samaritan Hospital.


In February 2012, Sirhan's lawyers ] and Laurie Dusek filed a court brief in District Court in Los Angeles, claiming that a second gunman fired the shots that killed Kennedy. It was the fourth in a series of federal briefs filed under ] by Pepper and Dusek, beginning in October 2010.{{Sfn|CNN|2012}} In 2015, Judge ] denied the petition.{{Sfn|Reuters|2015}} During Sirhan's 2016 parole hearing, Paul Schrade, who was shot and wounded on the assassination night, asserted that the fatal shot to Kennedy was by a different shooter. He claimed that the ] (LAPD) destroyed evidence, "hid ballistic evidence exonerating Sirhan, and covered up conclusive evidence that a second gunman fatally wounded Robert Kennedy."{{Sfn|Holley|2016}} In August 2021, the California state parole panel recommended Sirhan's parole.{{Sfn|Willon|2022}} Two of Kennedy's children, ] and ], supported the decision, while six others opposed it.{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2021}} ], the governor of California, denied the parole in January 2022, asserting that "Sirhan has not developed the accountability and insight required to support his safe release into the community."{{Sfn|Newsom|2022}}
CBS and NBC shot footage in the kitchen of the shooting's aftermath on color film, which could not be broadcast until it was developed two hours after the incident.<ref name=mediaaccount />


== Conspiracy theories ==
Mutual News was among the first to broadcast a report from the assassination location, because reporter Andrew West of ], a ] radio affiliate in ], captured on audio tape the sounds of the immediate aftermath of the shooting but not the actual shooting itself, using his reel-to-reel tape recorder and attached microphone. He had just recorded Kennedy's victory speech from the podium, and he followed Kennedy and his entourage to the kitchen pantry. West turned his recorder on again seconds after Kennedy was shot and started reporting the developments. Several seconds later, West gave an on-the-spot account of the struggle with Sirhan in the hotel kitchen pantry, shouting at Rafer Johnson to "Get the gun, Rafer, get the gun!" and telling others to "get a hold of his thumb and break it, if you have to! Get his thumb! Hold him, hold him! We don't want another ]!".<ref>{{cite web|date = June 5, 1968|url = http://jclass.umd.edu/archive/hearitnow/1968.htm|title = RFK Assassinated|format = Audio|publisher = University of Maryland/Library of American Broadcasting|accessdate = August 19, 2007|first = Andrew|last = West|deadurl = yes|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120426042140/http://jclass.umd.edu/archive/hearitnow/1968.htm|archivedate = April 26, 2012|df = mdy-all}}</ref> Reporter West finished his audio recording, went to a telephone, connected his tape recorder, and called Mutual West in San Francisco, co-located with radio stations KKHI-AM-FM. Producer John Hawkins had shut down KKHI/Mutual West operations at Midnight and was heading out the door, but answered the unexpected call. Hawkins recalls West screaming "roll a tape, Kennedy's been shot, roll a tape." Hawkins recorded as West spoke a live introduction then played his tape. Hawkins sent the complete recording to Mutual's New York headquarters over a dedicated line. Soon after, Mutual News broadcast Andrew West's dramatic report to all radio stations which were monitoring for Mutual News bulletins overnight. As additional Mutual News stations returned to the air or resumed newscasts (often at 6:00AM) West's report was widely broadcast, and picked up by other stations and networks. KKHI radio could have been the first to broadcast West's report just after Midnight, but it was already off the air until 6:00AM (KKHI-AM-FM were classical music stations).

Los Angeles ] affiliate ] interrupted its rundown of local primary returns to provide coverage of the shooting. KNX also simulcast coverage from KNXT-TV (now ]) with anchor ], which was also fed nationwide on the CBS Radio Network in the initial hours after the shooting.<ref name=mediaaccount /> Over the following week, NBC devoted 55&nbsp;hours to the shooting and aftermath, ABC&nbsp;43, and CBS&nbsp;42, with all three networks preempting their regular coverage and advertisements to cover the story.<ref name=mediaaccount />

==Conspiracy theories==
{{Main|Robert F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories}} {{Main|Robert F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories}}
As with the ], Robert Kennedy's death has been the subject of widespread analysis. Some individuals involved in the original investigation and some researchers have suggested alternative scenarios for the crime, or have argued that there are serious problems with the official case.<ref>{{cite book|first=William|last=Turner|first2=John|last2=Christian|title=The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|location=New York|publisher=Random House|year=1978}}</ref>


===CIA involvement theory=== === CIA involvement hypothesis ===
In November 2006, the ]'s '']'' program presented research by filmmaker ] alleging that several ] officers were present on the night of the assassination.<ref name=beebprog>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/6169006.stm|title=CIA role claim in Kennedy killing|publisher=BBC|date=November 21, 2006|accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> Three men who appear in films and photographs from the night of the assassination were positively identified by former colleagues and associates as former senior CIA officers who had worked together in 1963 at ], the CIA's main anti-Castro station based in Miami. They were JMWAVE Chief of Operations ], Chief of Maritime Operations Gordon Campbell and Chief of Psychological Warfare Operations ].<ref name=beebprog /><ref name="Guardian 2006">{{Cite journal |title=Did the CIA kill Bobby Kennedy? |first=Shane |last=O'Sullivan |authorlink=Shane O'Sullivan (filmmaker) |journal=] |date=November 20, 2006 |pages=10 / G2 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/20/usa.features11 }}</ref> However, several people who had known Morales, including family members, were adamant that he was not the man who O'Sullivan said was Morales.<ref name="Aaronovitch">{{cite book |last=Aaronovitch |first=David |author-link=David Aaronovitch |date=2010 |chapter=Conclusion: Bedtime Story |chapterurl=https://books.google.com/books?id=0t7lC3nmFq8C&lpg=PP1&pg=PT265#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0t7lC3nmFq8C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false |location= |publisher=Riverhead Books |page= |isbn=9781101185216 |access-date=May 31, 2015}}</ref> After O'Sullivan published his book, assassination researchers ] and ] also discovered that Campbell had died of a ] in 1962, six years prior to the assassination of Kennedy.<ref name="Aaronovitch"/> In response, O'Sullivan stated that the man on the video may have used Campbell's name as an alias.<ref name="Aaronovitch"/> He then took his identifications to the ] whose files showed the men he identified as Campbell and Joannides to be Michael Roman and Frank Owens, two ] sales managers attending the company's convention in the Ambassador.<ref name="Aaronovitch"/> O'Sullivan stood by his allegations stating that the Bulova watch company was a "well-known CIA cover".<ref name="Aaronovitch"/> In November 2006, the ]'s '']'' program presented research by filmmaker ] alleging that several ] (CIA) officers were present on the night of the assassination.{{Sfn|BBC News|2006}} The three men who appear in films and photographs from the night of the assassination were identified by former colleagues and associates as former senior CIA officers who had worked together in 1963 at ], the CIA's ] station based in Miami. They were JMWAVE Chief of Operations ], Chief of Maritime Operations Gordon Campbell, and Chief of Psychological Warfare Operations ].{{Sfn|BBC News|2006}}{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2006}} Several people who had known Morales were sure that he was not the man claimed by O'Sullivan. After O'Sullivan published his book, assassination researchers ] and ] discovered that Campbell had died of a heart attack in 1962, six years before Kennedy's assassination. In response, O'Sullivan stated that the man on the video may have used Campbell's name as an alias.{{Sfn|Aaronovitch|2009|pp=320–324}}


===Second gunman theory=== === Second gunman hypothesis ===
The location of Kennedy's wounds suggested that his assailant had stood behind him, because some witnesses assert that Sirhan faced west as Kennedy moved through the pantry facing east.<ref name=guardian>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/22/kennedy.assassination|title=New evidence challenges official picture of Kennedy shooting|date=February 22, 2008 |accessdate=April 28, 2008|newspaper=The Guardian|first=James|last=Randerson|location=London| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080418122004/http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2008/feb/22/kennedy.assassination| archivedate=April 18, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref> This has led to the suggestion that a second gunman actually fired the fatal shot, a possibility supported by Chief Medical Examiner and Coroner for the ] ] who stated that the fatal shot was behind Kennedy's right ear and had been fired at a distance of approximately one inch.<ref name="NoguchiBook">{{cite book|first=Thomas|last=Noguchi|title=Coroner|year=1985|location=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn= 978-0-671-46772-2|authorlink=Thomas Noguchi}}</ref> Other witnesses, though, said that Kennedy was turning to his left shaking hands as Sirhan approached, facing north and so exposing his right side.<ref name=FBISum1b>{{cite web|url=http://foia.fbi.gov/rfkasumm/rfksumm1b.pdf|title=Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Summary, Part 1(b)|page=35|accessdate=July 25, 2008|format=PDF|publisher=FBI}}</ref> The location of Kennedy's wounds suggested that his assailant had stood behind him, while some witnesses assert that Sirhan faced west as Kennedy moved through the pantry.{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2008}} This has led to the suggestion that a second gunman fired the fatal shot, a possibility supported by ], the Chief Medical Examiner and Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, who stated that the fatal shot was behind Kennedy's right ear and had been fired at a distance of approximately {{Convert|1|inch|cm|abbr=off|sp=us}} to {{Convert|3|inch|cm|abbr=off|sp=us}}.{{Sfn|Noguchi|1983|pp=102–103}} Other witnesses said that Kennedy was turning to his left shaking hands as Sirhan approached, from the east.{{Sfn|FBI|1977|p=35}}


In 1975, during a re-examination of the case, experts looked into the possibility of a second gunman, and concluded that there was little or no evidence to support this hypothesis.{{Sfn|FBI|1977|p=35–36}} In 2004, CNN's senior writer Brad Johnson discovered a recording of Kennedy's victory speech, recorded by the Polish journalist {{ill|Stanisław Pruszyński|pl}}. Johnson gave the tapes to the audio engineer Philip Van Praag, who analyzed and found 13&nbsp;shots fired even though Sirhan's gun held only eight rounds.{{Sfn|Jackman|2018}}{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2008}} He also stated the recording revealed at least two cases where the timing between shots was shorter than physically possible from Sirhan's gun alone.{{Sfn|''The Guardian''|2008}} Forensic audio specialists Wes Dooley and Paul Pegas of Audio Engineering Associates in Pasadena examined the findings and corroborated the presence of at least 10 shots on the tape along with an over-lapping shot. {{Sfn|O'Sullivan|2008|p=477–478}} Other acoustic experts have claimed that they could find no more than eight shots recorded on the audiotape.{{Sfn|Ayton|2007|pp=137–139}} Critics claim that Van Praag misidentified the noise impulses of the recording as gun shots.{{Sfn|Jackman|2018}}
During a re-examination of the case in 1975, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered expert examination of the possibility of a second gun having been used, and the conclusion of the experts was that there was little or no evidence to support this theory.<ref name=FBISum1b /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20 |title=Archived copy |access-date=June 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522145835/https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/ |archive-date=May 22, 2017 |dead-url=yes |df=mdy-all }}</ref> As recently as 2008, eyewitness ] asserted his belief that there must have been a second gunman.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/5/democracy_now_special_robert_f_kennedy |title=Democracy Now! Special: Robert F. Kennedy's Life and Legacy 40 Years After His Assassination |website =Democracy Now! |accessdate= |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20180318170922/https://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/5/democracy_now_special_robert_f_kennedy |archivedate=March 18, 2018 |deadurl=no |df=mdy |date = June 5, 2008}}</ref>


In 2008, eyewitness ] asserted his belief that there must have been a second gunman.{{Sfn|''Democracy Now!''|2008}}
In 2007, it was revealed that forensic expert Philip Van Praag had analyzed an audiotape of the shooting known as the Pruszynski recording in which Van Praag had discovered acoustic evidence that a second gun had been involved in the assassination. Van Praag found that 13&nbsp;shots were fired even though Sirhan's gun held only eight rounds, its maximum bullet capacity, and Sirhan had no opportunity to reload it.<ref name=guardian /><ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203161347/http://rfkmustdie.blip.tv/file/1362352/ |date=February 3, 2009 }}</ref> Van Praag states the recording also reveals at least two cases where the timing between shots was shorter than physically possible from Sirhan's gun alone. Forensic audio specialists Wes Dooley and Paul Pegas of Audio Engineering Associates in Pasadena examined Van Praag's findings and corroborated the presence of more than eight gunshots on the tape along with over-lapping shots, all of this indicating the presence of a second shooter. Similar corroboration came from forensic audio and ballistics expert Eddy B. Brixen in Copenhagen<ref>O'Sullivan, Shane (2008) ''Who Killed Bobby?: The Unsolved Murder of Robert Kennedy.'' New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 478.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.maryferrell.org/pages/RFK_Video.html|title=RFK Video|website=Maryferrell.org}}</ref> and audio specialist Phil Spencer Whitehead of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2009/06/08/bs.rfkennedy.audio.johnson.cnn?iref=videosearch |title=Archived copy |access-date=April 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910053819/http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2009/06/08/bs.rfkennedy.audio.johnson.cnn?iref=videosearch#/video/international/2009/06/08/bs.rfkennedy.audio.johnson.cnn?iref=videosearch |archive-date=September 10, 2009 |dead-url=yes |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Other acoustic experts, however, have claimed that they could find no more than eight shots recorded on the audiotape.<ref>Harrison, P. (2007) 'Analysis of "The Pruszynski Tape"' (report on recording of gunshots). In Ayton, M., ''The Forgotten Terrorist: Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.'' Washington: Potomac Books.</ref> The Pruszynski recording was uncovered in 2004 by CNN's Brad Johnson; its existence had been unknown to the general public previously.<ref>O'Sullivan, Shane (2008) ''Who Killed Bobby?: The Unsolved Murder of Robert Kennedy.'' New York: Sterling Publishing. p. 475.</ref>


In a 2023 episode of '']'', Kennedy Jr. asserted that Sirhan was not the shooter who killed his father. Kennedy Jr. named Eugene Thane Cesar{{efn|Kennedy Jr. inverted the first two names of Cesar, whose correct name was Thane Eugene Cesar.<ref name="McBride 2022"/>}}<ref name="McBride 2022">{{Cite news |last=McBride |first=Jessica |date=May 2018 |url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/05/thane-eugene-cesar/ |title=Thane Eugene Cesar: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |work=] |access-date=October 1, 2023}}</ref>{{bsn|date=November 2023}}—a security guard at the time—as the man who fired four shots from behind, one of which killed Kennedy: "Sirhan was a distractor, and the real shooter was behind my father".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rane |first=Jordan |date=June 25, 2023 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Civil {{as written|Disobediance}}, Strange Camping Trips, and Why He's Running for President |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/podcasts/club-random/robert-f-kennedy-jr |work=] |access-date=June 27, 2023}}</ref>{{bsn|date=November 2023}} Kennedy Jr. further cited the Noguchi autopsy which noted that his father suffered four contact wounds from the discharge of a gun and that all four shots came from behind him. Kennedy Jr. described his father's departure from the stage towards the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, which was a route that had not previously been cleared. According to Kennedy Jr., Cesar was holding his father's arm as they walked towards the kitchen.<ref>{{Cite video |people=Club Random Podcast |date=June 25, 2023 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Jr. |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0dQD1Z6j60 |access-date=June 27, 2023 |via=YouTube}}</ref>{{bsn|date=November 2023}}
On February 22, 2012, Sirhan's lawyers ] and Laurie Dusek filed a court brief in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles claiming that a second gunman fired the shots that killed Kennedy. It was the fourth and final in a series of federal briefs filed under the ] by Pepper and Dusek beginning in October 2010.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/04/justice/california-rfk-second-gun/index.html|first=Brad|last=Johnson|first2=Michael|last2=Martinez| title=Attorneys for RFK convicted killer Sirhan push 'second gunman' argument| publisher=CNN| date=March 4, 2012}}</ref> Judge ] denied the petition in 2015.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sirhan Sirhan loses bid for freedom over RFK death|url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-crime-sirhansirhan-rfk-idUKKBN0KF1N120150106|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|date=January 6, 2015|agency=Reuters}}</ref>


==Aftermath and legacy== == Legacy ==
{{Quote box|"It made me realize that no matter how much hope you have it can be taken away in a second."|Juan Romero{{Sfn|Allen|2015}}
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Kennedy's assassination was one of the four major ], the others being those of John F. Kennedy (1963), ] (1965), and Martin Luther King Jr. (1968).{{Sfn|Shahidullah|2008|p=64}} Some scholars view the assassination as one of the first major incidents of political violence in the United States stemming from the ] in the Middle East.{{Sfn|Issenberg|2008}}
===Memorial===
]]]


Until 1987, the LAPD retained the original files, reports, transcripts, fragments of the bullets that struck Kennedy and the four other bystanders in the kitchen pantry, the .22 caliber Iver-Johnson handgun used by Sirhan, Kennedy's blood-stained clothes, and other artifacts related to the assassination. In 1987, the LAPD donated the entire evidence collection (except for Kennedy's clothes) to the ] in Sacramento, for permanent preservation.{{Sfn|California Secretary of State}}{{Sfn|Physical Evidence|p=5}} Kennedy's blood-stained shirt, tie, and jacket are in the possession of the ].{{Sfn|Physical Evidence|p=5}} In 2010, controversy arose when Kennedy's clothing was transported to the California Homicide Investigators Association conference in Las Vegas, where they were included in a temporary public display. ] called it a "cheap bid for attention". The items and Kennedy's clothing were removed from the exhibit, with the LAPD apologizing to the Kennedy family.{{Sfn|Hayes|2010}}{{Sfn|Blankstein|2010}}
Following Kennedy's ] on June 6, his remains were taken to Manhattan, where his closed casket was viewed by thousands at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The funeral mass was held on the morning of June 8.<ref name=indy2007>{{cite news |first=Liz |last=Hoggard |title=The night Bobby Kennedy was shot|work=The Independent on Sunday |date=January 21, 2007}}</ref>


The ] of the ] contains a large collection of materials on the assassination.{{Sfn|Claire T. Carney Library}} In 2006, American filmmaker ] wrote and directed the film '']''. He attempted to recreate the scene of the assassination through a fictional account. According to the author Ron Briley, "the history in ''Bobby'' is often misleading".{{Sfn|Briley|2007|pp=1041–1042}}
{{listen|filename=EMK eulogy of RFK.ogg|description=Final 30 seconds of ]'s ] of ] at ]|title="Robert Kennedy's eulogy"|filetype=]|pos=left|image=none}}
Kennedy's younger brother, ] ], delivered the eulogy<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ekennedytributetorfk.html |title=American Rhetoric: Edward Kennedy&nbsp;— Eulogy for Robert F. Kennedy|publisher=americanrhetoric.com|accessdate=May 12, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080509162252/https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ekennedytributetorfk.html| archivedate= May 9, 2008 | deadurl= no}}</ref> with the words:


In 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife, Cheryl Hines, called for President ] to grant her husband Secret Service protection for ], citing his family's history of successful assassinations.<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 24, 2023 |title=Cheryl Hines to Pres. Biden: My Husband RFK Jr. Needs Secret Service Now ... Consider His Family History |url=https://www.tmz.com/2023/08/24/cheryl-hines-husband-rfk-jr-denied-secret-service-protection-campaign-president/ |publisher=] |access-date=August 24, 2023}}</ref>{{bsn|date=November 2023}}. Robert F. Kennedy Jr's request for Secret Service protection would not be granted until July 15, 2024; two days after former President and Republican presidential nominee ] was ] during a speech in ].<ref>{{cite web |last=Saric |first=Ivana |date=July 15, 2024 |title=RFK Jr. to get Secret Service protection after Trump rally shooting |url=https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/rfk-jr-secret-service-trump |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240715211514/https://www.axios.com/2024/07/15/rfk-jr-secret-service-trump |archive-date=July 15, 2024 |access-date=July 15, 2024 |website=Axios}}</ref>
{{quote|My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the world. As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not."}}


== See also ==
Immediately following the mass, Kennedy's body was transported by a slow-moving train to ], and thousands of mourners lined the tracks and stations, paying their respects as the train passed by.<ref name=arlington>{{cite web|url=http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/Visitor_information/Robert_F_Kennedy.html |title=Arlington National Cemetery: Visitor Information |publisher=Arlington Cemetery |accessdate=May 12, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511202012/http://arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/Robert_F_Kennedy.html |archivedate=May 11, 2008 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref>
* ]
* ]


== References ==
On the way to the cemetery, the funeral procession passed through Resurrection City, a ] protest set up as part of the ].<ref name=Kotz05>{{cite book|last=Kotz|first=Nick|title=Judgment days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King Jr., and the laws that changed America|year=2005|publisher=Houghton Mifflin|location=Boston|isbn=0-618-08825-3|page=422|chapter=Epilogue: The Legacy}}</ref> The procession stopped in front of the ], where residents of Resurrection City joined the group and sang "]".<ref name=Engler15Jan10>{{cite news|last=Engler|first=Mark|title=Dr. Martin Luther King's Economics: Through Jobs, Freedom|url=http://www.thenation.com/article/dr-martin-luther-kings-economics-through-jobs-freedom#|accessdate=July 19, 2012|newspaper=The Nation|date=January 15, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Mossman91>{{cite book|last=Mossman|first=B.C.|title=The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funerals 1921–1969|year=1991|publisher=Department of the Army|location=Washington, D.C.|url=http://www.history.army.mil/books/Last_Salute/Ch28.htm|accessdate=July 19, 2012|chapter=XXVIII: Senator Robert F. Kennedy}}</ref>
{{Reflist|18em}}


== Notes ==
] near his older brother ], in Arlington National Cemetery, in the first burial to have ever taken place there at night; the second was the burial of his younger brother Ted in 2009.<ref name=indy2007 /><ref name=arlington />
{{notelist}}


== Works cited ==
After Kennedy's assassination, Congress altered the ]'s mandate to include protection for presidential candidates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml |title=United States Secret Service History |publisher=United States Secret Service |accessdate=May 12, 2008 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513185826/http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml |archivedate=May 13, 2008 |deadurl=yes |df=mdy }}</ref> The remaining candidates were immediately protected under an executive order issued by Lyndon Johnson, putting a strain on the poorly resourced Secret Service.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec03/mears_10-29.html |title=Transcript:Online NewsHour&nbsp;— Deadlines Past |first=Terence |last=Smith |date=October 29, 2003 |publisher=PBS |accessdate=May 18, 2008 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309061013/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec03/mears_10-29.html |archivedate=March 9, 2007 }}</ref>
<!-- Ordered by (#1) author's last name. If not mentioned, then by (#2) publisher/website/media outlet, then by (#3) date. -->


===1968 election=== === Books ===
{{Refbegin|2}}
At the time of his death, Kennedy was substantially behind Humphrey in convention delegate support,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,,1999999,00.html|title=Would Robert Kennedy have been president?|newspaper=The Guardian|last=Kerridge|first=Steven|date=January 27, 2007|accessdate=November 26, 2007|location=London}}</ref> but many believe that Kennedy would have ultimately secured the nomination following his victory in the California primary.<ref name= newfield2>{{cite book |last=Newfield |first=Jack |title=Robert Kennedy: A Memoir |publisher=Penguin Group |edition=reprint |date=1988 |location=New York |pages=293–294 |isbn=0-452-26064-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Evan|title=Robert Kennedy: His Life|location=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2000|isbn=978-0-684-83480-1|authorlink=Evan Thomas|page=24}}</ref> Only thirteen states held primaries that year, meaning that most delegates at the Democratic convention could choose a candidate based on their personal preference. Historian ], and others have argued that Kennedy's broad appeal and ] would have been sufficiently convincing at the ] to give him the nomination.<ref>{{cite book|title=Robert Kennedy and His Times|last=Schlesinger Jr.|first=Arthur M.|authorlink=Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.|year=1996|publisher=Ballantine Books|isbn=0-345-41061-0}}</ref> Historian ] believed that Kennedy would not have secured the nomination.<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Beschloss|title=Let's Have Conventions With Cliffhangers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/11/opinion/let-s-have-conventions-with-cliffhangers.html?pagewanted=print&src=pm|newspaper=The New York Times|date=August 11, 1996|accessdate=May 13, 2008|authorlink=Michael Beschloss}}</ref> Humphrey, after a National Convention in Chicago marred by ], was far behind in opinion polls but gained ground. He ultimately lost the ] to Republican ] by the narrow popular vote margin of 43.4&nbsp;percent to 42.7&nbsp;percent. Nixon won by a more decisive 301–191&nbsp;margin in the ].
* {{Cite book |last=Aaronovitch |first=David |url=https://archive.org/details/voodoohistoriesr0000aaro_l2s1/mode/2up?q=Morales |title=Voodoo Histories: The Role of the Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History |publisher=] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-224-07470-4 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ayton |first=Mel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwhydb-MLeMC |title=The Forgotten Terrorist: Sirhan Sirhan and the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy |publisher=] |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-59797-079-2 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Ayton |first=Mel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PLNFEAAAQBAJ |title=Protecting the Presidential Candidates: From JFK To Biden |publisher=] |year=2021 |isbn=978-1-3990-1411-3 |access-date=March 7, 2022 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bass |first=Warren |url=https://archive.org/details/supportanyfriend00bass/mode/2up |title=Support Any Friend |publisher=] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-19-516580-7 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Clarke |first=Thurston |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-access=registration |via=] |title=The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America |url=https://archive.org/details/lastcampaignrobe00clar/mode/2up |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8050-7792-6}}
* {{Cite book |last=Coleman |first=Loren |author-link=Loren Coleman |title=The Copycat Effect: How the Media and Popular Culture Trigger the Mayhem In Tomorrow's Headlines |title-link=The Copycat Effect |publisher=] |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7434-8223-3 |language=en}}
* {{Cite book |last=Davis |first=John H.|url=https://archive.org/details/kennedysdynastyd0000davi/mode/2up|title=The Kennedys: Dynasty and Disaster|publisher=]|year=1992|isbn=978-1-56171-060-7|access-date=December 27, 2021|url-access=registration|via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Gabler |first=Neal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p-DTDwAAQBAJ |title=Catching the Wind : Edward Kennedy and the Liberal Hour |isbn=978-0-307-40544-9 |publisher=] |year=2020 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |title=Guide to U.S. Elections |publisher=] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-60426-536-1 |ref={{sfnRef|Guide to U.S. Elections|2010}}}}
* {{Cite book |last=Heymann |first=C. David |url=https://archive.org/details/rfkcandidbiograp00heym/mode/2up |title=RFK: A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy |publisher=] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-525-94217-7 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kaiser |first=Robert Blair |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vcyXDwAAQBAJ |title='R.F.K. Must Die!': Chasing the Mystery of the Robert Kennedy Assassination |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4683-0868-6 |edition=E-Book |access-date=March 2, 2022 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Kotz |first=Nick |url=https://archive.org/details/judgmentdayslynd00kotz/mode/2up |title=Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Laws That Changed America |publisher=] |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-618-08825-6 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{cite book |last=Melanson |first=Philip H. |title=The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination: New Revelations on the Conspiracy and Cover-Up, 1968–1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9Ex5XwDE4IC |publisher=Shapolsky Publishers |year=1994 |isbn=978-1-56171-324-0 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |via=]}}
* {{cite book |last=Moldea |first=Dan E. |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-access=registration |via=] |title=The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive, Means, and Opportunity |publisher=] |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-393-03791-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/killingofrobertf00mold/mode/2up}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Mossman |first1=Billy C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mnu1AAAAIAAJ |title=The Last Salute: Civil and Military Funerals, 1921–1969 |last2=Stark |first2=M. W. |publisher=] |year=1972 |lccn=77-606843 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Newfield |first=Jack |url=https://archive.org/details/robertkennedyme000newf/mode/2up |title=Robert Kennedy: A Memoir |publisher=] |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-452-26064-1 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Noguchi |first=Thomas T. |url=https://archive.org/details/coronernogu00nogu/mode/2up |title=Coroner |publisher=] |year=1983 |isbn=978-0-671-46772-2 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=O'Sullivan |first=Shane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Bxt1a2N6E4gC |title=Who Killed Bobby? The Unsolved Murder of Robert F. Kennedy |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-4027-5444-9 |access-date=December 24, 2021 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Palermo |first=Joseph A. |url=https://archive.org/details/inhisownrightpol00pale/mode/2up |title=In His Own Right: The Political Odyssey of Senator Robert F. Kennedy |publisher=] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-231-12068-5 |access-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Sanders |first=Edward |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yp74VJ2TlBEC |title=America: 1962–1970 |publisher=] |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-57423-189-2 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Shahidullah |first=Shahid M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=whWL6D83FBUC |title=Crime Policy in America: Laws, Institutions, and Programs |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-7618-4098-5 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Thomas |first=Evan |url=https://archive.org/details/robertkennedy00thom/mode/2up |title=Robert Kennedy: His Life |publisher=] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7432-0329-6 |access-date=December 23, 2021 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{cite book |last=Witcover |first=Jules |url=https://archive.org/details/85dayslastcampai0000witc/mode/2up |title=85 Days: The Last Campaign of Robert Kennedy |publisher=] |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-688-07859-1 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
* {{Cite book |last=Vaughn |first=Robert |url=https://archive.org/details/fortunatelife00vaug_0/page/256/mode/2up?q=amnesia |title=A Fortunate Life: Behind-the-Scenes Stories from a Hollywood Legend |publisher=] |year=2008 |isbn=978-0312590437 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |url-access=registration |via=]}}
{{Refend}}


===Cultural and societal impact=== === Scholarly articles ===
{{Refbegin|2}}
Kennedy's assassination was a blow to the optimism for a brighter future that his campaign brought for many Americans who lived through the turbulent 1960s.<ref>{{cite book|title=Bill Clinton: The Inside Story|first=Robert E.|last=Levin|year=1992|page=60|isbn=978-1561711772|publisher=S.P.I. Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Robert F. Kennedy and the 82 Days That Inspired America |url=http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/51186#sthash.q53iPSHc.dpuf|publisher=History News Network|date=June 8, 2008}}</ref> Juan Romero, the busboy who shook hands with Kennedy right before he was shot, later said, "It made me realize that no matter how much hope you have it can be taken away in a second."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11834126/Busboy-describes-Bobby-Kennedys-final-moments.html|title=Busboy describes Bobby Kennedy's final moments|date=August 30, 2015|publisher=telegraph.co.uk}}</ref>
* {{Cite journal |last=Briley |first=Ron |date=2007 |title=''Bobby'' (Review) |journal=] |volume=94 |issue=3 |doi=10.2307/25095304 |jstor=25095304}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Clarke |first=James W. |date=1981 |title=American Assassins: An Alternative Typology |journal=] |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=81–104 |jstor=193462 |doi=10.1017/s0007123400002465 |pmid=11620349 |s2cid=41008730 |issn=0007-1234}}
* {{Cite web |last=Curtin |first=Mary T. |date=2000 |orig-date=1999 |title=Humphrey, Hubert Horatio |url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700365 |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 2, 2022 |website=] |publisher=] |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700365 |isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102172141/https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700365 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Lloyd |date=2000 |orig-date=1999 |title=Johnson, Lyndon Baines |url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700147 |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=] |publisher=] |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700147 |isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220215528/https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700147 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Goldzwig |first=Steven R. |date=2003 |title=LBJ, the Rhetoric of Transcendence, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968 |journal=Rhetoric and Public Affairs |publisher=] |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=25–53 |doi=10.1353/rap.2003.0029 |jstor=41939808 |s2cid=143697074 |url=https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1173&context=comm_fac |access-date=February 8, 2022 |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814164130/https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1173&context=comm_fac |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Hayes |first1=Matthew A. |title=Robert Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis: A Reassertion of Robert Kennedy's Role as the President's 'Indispensable Partner' in the Successful Resolution of the Crisis |journal=] |publisher=] |date=May 7, 2019 |volume=104 |issue=361 |pages=473–503 |access-date=December 27, 2021 |doi=10.1111/1468-229x.12815 |s2cid=164907501 |url=https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10075581/1/Hayes_%20Robert%20Kennedy%20and%20the%20Cuban%20Missile%20Crisis%20Final%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf |archive-date=December 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227173632/https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10075581/1/Hayes_%20Robert%20Kennedy%20and%20the%20Cuban%20Missile%20Crisis%20Final%20Accepted%20Manuscript.pdf |url-status=live |issn=0018-2648}}
* {{Cite web |last=Hoogenboom |first=Olive |date=2000 |orig-date=1999 |title=Lowenstein, Allard Kenneth |url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700674|url-access=subscription |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=] |publisher=] |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700674|isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231102758/https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700674 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web |last=Keene |first=Ann T. |date=2013 |title=McCarthy, Eugene |url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1501341 |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 31, 2021 |website=] |publisher=] |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1501341 |isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231182551/https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1501341 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Kurtz |first=Michael L. |date=1982 |title=The Assassination of John F. Kennedy: A Historical Perspective |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6563.1982.tb01568.x |journal=] |publisher=] |volume=45 |issue=1 |pages=1–19 |doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.1982.tb01568.x |jstor=24445228 |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 28, 2021 |via=] |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228163008/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1540-6563.1982.tb01568.x |url-status=live |issn=0018-2370 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Meloy |first=J. Reid |date=2010 |orig-date=1992 |title=Revisiting the Rorschach of Sirhan Sirhan |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1207/s15327752jpa5803_10 |journal=] |volume=58 |issue=3 |pages=548–570 |doi=10.1207/s15327752jpa5803_10 |pmid=1613657 |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 27, 2022 |via=] |issn=0022-3891 }}
* {{Cite web |last=O'Neill |first=William L. |url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700153 |title=Kennedy, Robert Francis |publisher=] |date=2000 |doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.0700153 |access-date=December 25, 2021 |website=] |isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 |orig-date=1999 |chapter-url= |url-access=subscription |archive-date=November 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104211807/https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-0700153 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Sieg |first=Kent G. |date=1996 |title=The 1968 Presidential Election and Peace in Vietnam |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/27551671 |journal=] |publisher=] |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=1062–1080 |jstor=27551671 |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-date=December 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231095749/https://www.jstor.org/stable/27551671 |url-status=live |issn=0360-4918 }}
* {{Cite journal |last=Socarides |first=Charles W. |date=1979 |title=Why Sirhan Killed Kennedy: Psychoanalytic Speculations on an Assassination |journal=] |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=447–460 |pmid=11610505 |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/7d5f7ce3cca8de4e680607d112b0a690/1?cbl=1816657&pq-origsite=gscholar |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 27, 2022 |issn=0145-3378 }}
{{Refend}}


=== Magazines ===
], a reporter that had been traveling with the campaign, expressed his feelings on the effect of the assassination, closing his memoir on Kennedy with:
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Hodak |first=George |date=2012 |title=Precedents: April 17, 1969, Sirhan Sirhan Convicted |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/23207729 |magazine=] |publisher=] |volume=98 |issue=4 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-access=subscription |jstor=23207729 |issn=0747-0088 }}
* {{Cite magazine |date=June 17, 1968 |title=Once Again&nbsp;... |url=http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/K%20Disk/Kennedy%20Robert%20F%20Assassination%20Clips/Item%20054.pdf |magazine=] |access-date=February 27, 2022 |via=] |ref={{sfnRef|''Newsweek''|1968}} |issn=0028-9604 |archive-date=March 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304192157/http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/Weisberg%20Subject%20Index%20Files/K%20Disk/Kennedy%20Robert%20F%20Assassination%20Clips/Item%20054.pdf |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite magazine|date=June 14, 1968|title=A Life on the Way to Death|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900110,00.html|magazine=]|access-date=February 17, 2022|ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (a)|1968}}|archive-date=February 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217164935/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900110,00.html|url-status=live |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{Cite magazine |date=June 14, 1968 |title=Everything Was Not Enough |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900131,00.html |magazine=] |access-date=February 27, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (b)|1968}} |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910073527/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900131,00.html |url-status=live |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900149,00.html |title=What Was Going On? |magazine=] |date=June 14, 1968 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (c)|1968}} |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910073634/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,900149,00.html |url-status=live |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{cite magazine |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,838974,00.html |title=The Man Who Loved Kennedy |magazine=] |date=February 21, 1969 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (a)|1969}} |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910073531/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,838974,00.html |url-status=live |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{Cite magazine |date=January 17, 1969 |title=Trials: Behind Steel Doors |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,838860,00.html |magazine=] |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (b)|1969}} |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{Cite magazine |date=March 7, 1969 |title=Trials: A Deadly Iteration |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,839767,00.html |magazine=] |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time'' (c)|1969}} |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{Cite magazine |last=Lopez |first=Steve |date=June 8, 1998 |title=Guarding The Dream {{endash}} Thirty Years Later, Juan Romero Honors R.F.K. |url=http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,988470,00.html |magazine=] |access-date=February 17, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Time''|1998}} |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910073505/http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,988470,00.html |url-status=live |issn=0040-781X }}
* {{cite magazine |url=http://www.crimemagazine.com/jfk-and-rfk-assassinations-and-manchurian-candidate-theory |title=The JFK and RFK Assassinations and the "Manchurian Candidate" Theory |magazine=Crime Magazine |date=October 1, 2008 |access-date=November 12, 2023 |ref={{sfnRef|''Crime''|1998}} |archive-date=January 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100103080352/http://www.crimemagazine.com/jfk-and-rfk-assassinations-and-manchurian-candidate-theory |url-status=live }}
{{Refend}}


=== News sources ===
{{Quote|Now I realized what makes our generation unique, what defines us apart from those who came before the hopeful winter of 1961, and those who came after the murderous spring of 1968. We are the first generation that learned from experience, in our innocent twenties, that things were not really getting better, that we shall ''not'' overcome. We felt, by the time we reached thirty, that we had already glimpsed the most compassionate leaders our nation could produce, and ]. And from this time forward, things would get worse: our best political leaders were part of memory now, not hope.
{{Refbegin|2}}
* {{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/june-1968-robert-kennedy-assassinated-55585478 |title=Video: June 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy is Assassinated |publisher=] |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-status=live |ref={{sfnRef|ABC}} |archive-date=September 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904041353/https://abcnews.go.com/politics/video/june-1968-robert-kennedy-assassinated-55585478 }}
* {{Cite news |last=Allen |first=Nick |date=August 30, 2015 |title=Busboy Describes Bobby Kennedy's Final Moments |work=] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11834126/Busboy-describes-Bobby-Kennedys-final-moments.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 3, 2022 |issn=0307-1235 }}
* {{Cite news |date=November 21, 2006 |title=CIA Role Claim in Kennedy Killing |publisher=] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/6169006.stm |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|BBC News|2006}}}}
* {{Cite news |last=Blankstein |first=Andrew |date=March 3, 2010 |title=LAPD Apologizes to Robert Kennedy's Family |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-mar-03-la-me-lapd-exhibit3-2010mar03-story.html |access-date=April 3, 2022 |issn=0458-3035 }}
* {{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Jarrett |date=March 7, 2003 |title=Sirhan Sirhan Kept Behind Bars |publisher=] |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sirhan-sirhan-kept-behind-bars/ |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|CBS|2003}}}}
* {{Cite news |last1=Martinez |first1=Michael |last2=Johnson |first2=Brad |date=March 13, 2012 |title=Attorneys for RFK convicted killer Sirhan push 'second gunman' argument |publisher=] |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2012/03/04/justice/california-rfk-second-gun/index.html |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|CNN|2012}}}}
* {{Cite news |date=November 30, 2011 |title=Bullet Switch Proves Sirhan Sirhan Innocent of Robert F Kennedy Assassination, Claim Lawyers |work=] |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/bullet-switch-proves-sirhan-sirhan-1088273 |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Daily Record''|2011}} |issn=0956-8069 }}
* {{Cite news |last=Dershowitz |first=Alan M. |date=February 20, 1972 |title=The Nation |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/02/20/archives/a-decision-that-may-reach-far-beyond-california-death-penalty.html |access-date=March 26, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}
* {{Cite news |last=Esty-Kendall |first=Jud |date=June 1, 2018 |title=The Busboy Who Cradled A Dying RFK Recalls Those Final Moments |publisher=] |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/06/01/615534723/the-busboy-who-cradled-a-dying-rfk-recalls-those-final-moments |access-date=June 27, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |last=Hayes |first=Ashley |date=March 4, 2010 |title=After Criticism, LAPD Pulls RFK Clothing from Homicide Exhibit |publisher=] |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/04/rfk.exhibit/index.html |access-date=April 3, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |last=Holley |first=Peter |date=February 10, 2016 |title=This Kennedy Confidant has Spent Decades Calling for the Release of RFK's Killer |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/10/this-kennedy-confidant-has-spent-decades-calling-for-the-release-of-rfks-killer/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160211011302/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/02/10/this-kennedy-confidant-has-spent-decades-calling-for-the-release-of-rfks-killer/ |archive-date=February 11, 2016}}
* {{Cite news |last=Issenberg |first=Sasha |date=June 8, 2008 |title=RFK's Death Now Viewed as First Case of Mideast Violence Exported to U.S. |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080608/news_1n8rfk.html |url-status=dead |access-date=June 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611204140/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080608/news_1n8rfk.html |archive-date=June 11, 2008 |work=] |issn=1063-102X }}
* {{Cite news |last=Jackman |first=Tom |date=June 6, 2018 |title=The Bobby Kennedy assassination tape: Were 13 shots fired or only 8? |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/true-crime/wp/2018/06/06/the-bobby-kennedy-assassination-tape-were-13-shots-fired-or-only-8/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 7, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |date=March 5, 1986 |title=A Moment of Victory, Then the Dream Died |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-05-mn-15382-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=September 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191008042442/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-03-05-mn-15382-story.html |archive-date=October 8, 2019 |ref={{sfnRef|''Los Angeles Times''|1986}}}}
* {{Cite news |date=February 20, 1995 |title=Irwin N. Stroll; Wounded in RFK Slaying, He Became Famed Designer |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-02-20-mn-33997-story.html |access-date=September 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''Los Angeles Times''|1995}}}}
* {{Cite news |last=Lovett |first=Ian |date=March 2, 2011 |title=California: Sirhan Sirhan Denied Parole |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/us/03brfs-SIRHANSIRHAN_BRF.html?_r=1 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220325194632/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/us/03brfs-SIRHANSIRHAN_BRF.html?_r=1 |archive-date=March 25, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |last=Newsom |first=Gavin |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Newsom: Why I will not release Sirhan Sirhan on parole |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-01-13/sirhan-gavin-newsom-parole-decision |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 25, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |last=Turner |first=Wallace |date=May 22, 1982 |title=Panel in California Cancels Sirhan's 1984 Parole Date |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/22/us/panel-in-california-cancels-sirhan-s-1984-parole-date.html |access-date=April 25, 2022}}
* {{cite news |last=Reynolds |first=Christopher |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-05-et-artphotos5-story.html |title=Double Exposure of History and Art, in a Shutter's Click |newspaper=] |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 27, 2022 |date=January 5, 2007 |archive-date=February 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218232320/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-05-et-artphotos5-story.html |url-status=live |issn=0458-3035 }}
* {{Cite news |last1=Romine |first1=Taylor |last2=Almasy |first2=Steve |title=Sirhan Sirhan, RFK's assassin, denied parole by board whose members had recommended it in 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/01/us/sirhan-sirhan-parole-decision/index.html |date=March 1, 2023 |publisher=CNN |access-date=April 17, 2023}}
* {{Cite news |last=Segalov |first=Michael |date=October 6, 2018 |title=Rory Kennedy: 'In our family there was no tolerance for being a victim' |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/oct/06/rory-kennedy-film-space-race-father-assassination |access-date=May 5, 2022|issn=0261-3077 }}
* {{Cite news |last=Stempel |first=Jonathan |date=January 6, 2015 |title=Sirhan Sirhan Loses Bid for Freedom Over RFK Death |publisher=] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-crime-sirhansirhan-rfk-idUKKBN0KF1N120150106?edition-redirect=uk |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|Reuters|2015}}}}
* {{Cite news |date=November 20, 2006 |title=Did the CIA kill Bobby Kennedy? |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/nov/20/usa.features11 |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Guardian''|2006}} |issn=0261-3077 }}
* {{Cite news |last=Randerson |first=James |date=January 27, 2007 |title=Would Robert Kennedy Have Been President? |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/jan/27/mainsection.comment |access-date=March 15, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Guardian''|2007}} |issn=0261-3077 }}
* {{Cite news |date=February 22, 2008 |title=New Evidence Challenges Official Picture of Kennedy Shooting |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2008/feb/22/kennedy.assassination |access-date=April 2, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Guardian''|2008}} |issn=0261-3077 }}
* {{Cite news |date=August 28, 2021 |title=Sirhan Sirhan: Six Kennedy Children Condemn Secision to Grant Killer Parole |work=] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/aug/28/sirhan-sirhan-parole-robert-f-kennedy-children-california |access-date=April 25, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Guardian''|2021}} |issn=0261-3077 }}
* {{Cite news |date=January 21, 2007 |title=Assassination: The Night Bobby Kennedy Was Shot |work=] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/assassination-the-night-bobby-kennedy-was-shot-432970.html |access-date=April 3, 2022 |ref={{sfnRef|''The Independent''|2007}} |issn=1741-9743 }}
* {{Cite news |date=June 6, 1968 |title=Transcript of Kennedy Primary Victory Speech |work=] |url=http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20Materials/White%20Assassination%20Clippings%20Folders/Kennedy%20Family%20Folders/Kennedy%20Robert%20F/RFK%200391.pdf |access-date=January 10, 2021 |via=] |ref={{sfnRef|''The New York Times''|1968}} |archive-date=January 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109184659/http://jfk.hood.edu/Collection/White%20Materials/White%20Assassination%20Clippings%20Folders/Kennedy%20Family%20Folders/Kennedy%20Robert%20F/RFK%200391.pdf |url-status=live |issn=0362-4331}}
* {{Cite news |date=February 20, 1989 |title = Sirhan Felt Betrayed by Kennedy |work=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/02/20/us/sirhan-felt-betrayed-by-kennedy.html| access-date=August 19, 2021 |ref={{sfnRef|''The New York Times''|1989}} |issn=0362-4331}}
* {{Cite news |last=Willon |first=Phil |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Gov. Gavin Newsom Rejects Parole for Sirhan Sirhan, Convicted of Killing Robert F. Kennedy |work=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-01-13/sirhan-sirhan-kennedy-assassination-parole-denied-gavin-newsom |access-date=April 25, 2022}}
* {{Cite news |last=Teeter |first=Lawrence |date=February 5, 2005 |title=Hypnosis in the Case of Sirhan Sirhan |publisher=] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-05-le-textbooks5.3-story.html |access-date=November 12, 2023 |ref={{sfnRef|L.A. Times|2005}} |archive-date=November 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116042952/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-05-le-textbooks5.3-story.html }}
{{Refend}}


=== Web sources ===
The stone was at the bottom of the hill and we were all alone.<ref name= newfield>{{cite book |last=Newfield |first=Jack |title=Robert Kennedy: A Memoir |publisher=Penguin Group |edition=reprint |date=1988 |location=New York |pages=394 |isbn=0-452-26064-7}}</ref>}}
{{Refbegin|2}}

* {{Cite web |title=Robert F. Kennedy Memorial |url=http://arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/Robert_F_Kennedy.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511202012/http://arlingtoncemetery.org/visitor_information/Robert_F_Kennedy.html |archive-date=May 11, 2008 |access-date=May 11, 2008 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|ANC}}}}
Kennedy's blood-stained shirt, tie and jacket are now in the possession of the ]. Controversy arose in 2010, when Kennedy's clothing was transported to the California Homicide Investigators Association conference in Las Vegas, where they were included in a temporary public display of never-before-seen artifacts from crime scenes related to prolific serial killers and infamous murders, such as the ] murder and the killing of Hollywood actress ]. The items and Kennedy's clothing were subsequently removed from the exhibit, with the LAPD apologizing to the Kennedy family.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theweek.co.uk/people-news|title=People in the News|website=The Week UK}}</ref>
* {{Cite web |title=RFK Assassination Archives |url=https://www.lib.umassd.edu/archives/swain/rfk-assassination-archives |access-date=April 3, 2022 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|Claire T. Carney Library}}}}

* {{Cite web |date=June 5, 2008 |title=Democracy Now! Special: Robert F. Kennedy's Life and Legacy 40 Years After His Assassination |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/5/democracy_now_special_robert_f_kennedy |access-date=April 2, 2022 |website=] |ref={{sfnRef|''Democracy Now!''|2008}}}}
Until 1987, the ] retained the original files, reports, transcripts, fragments of the bullets that struck Kennedy and the four other bystanders in the kitchen pantry, the ] ] handgun used by Sirhan, Kennedy's blood-stained clothes and other artifacts related to the assassination. In 1987, the LAPD donated the entire evidence collection (except for Kennedy's clothes) to the ] in ] for permanent preservation.<ref>]</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/| title= California State Archives| publisher= ]| accessdate=September 25, 2012}}</ref>
* {{Cite web |date=April 5, 1977 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Assassination (b) |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20Part%202%20of%203/view |url-status=live |access-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227114938/https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20Part%202%20of%203/view |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|FBI|1977}}}}

* {{Cite web |title=Secret Service History |url=http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513185826/http://www.secretservice.gov/history.shtml |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |access-date=May 13, 2008 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|Secret Service}}}}
The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Archives of the ] (known as the ] prior to 1991) also contain a large collection of materials on the assassination,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.umassd.edu/archives/swain/rfk-assassination-archives|title=RFK Assassination Archives - Claire T. Carney Library - UMass Dartmouth|website=Lib.umassd.edu|accessdate=December 16, 2018}}</ref> located at the Claire T. Carney University Library.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.umassd.edu/about|title=About - Claire T. Carney Library - UMass Dartmouth|website=Lib.umassd.edu}}</ref>
* {{Cite web |last1=Shapell |first1=Benjamin |last2=Willen |first2=Sara |date=June 5, 2018 |title=The Assassination & Funeral of Robert F. Kennedy |url=https://www.shapell.org/historical-perspectives/between-the-lines/the-assassination-funeral-of-robert-f-kennedy/ |access-date=June 19, 2023 |publisher=]}}

* {{Cite web |last=Wells |first=Leslie |date=2018 |title=RFK's Assassination: 'We Lost a Chance' |url=https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/21825/Wells2018RFK.pdf?sequence=1 |access-date=April 3, 2022 |publisher=]}}
==See also==
* {{Cite web |title=Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Records |url=https://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/collections/rfk |access-date=April 3, 2022 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|California Secretary of State}}}}
{{Portalbar|1960s|Death|Los Angeles|Criminal justice}}
* {{Cite web |title=List of Physical Evidence |url=https://archives.cdn.sos.ca.gov/collections/rfk/appendix-a.pdf |access-date=September 2, 2022 |publisher=] |ref={{sfnRef|Physical Evidence}}}}
*]
* {{Cite web |date=January 13, 2022 |title=Indeterminate Sentence Parole Release Review: Sirhan Sirhan, B-21014 |url=https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/1.13.22-Sirhan-Reverse-Decision.pdf |access-date=November 12, 2022 |publisher=State of California |ref={{sfnRef|State of California|2022}}}}
*]
* by Donald E. Wilkes, Jr. Flagpole.com, June 9, 2019.
*]
* by Jessica McBride. Heavy.com, updated November 10, 2022.
*]
* from Moldea's book, ''The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive Means, and Opportunity''.

{{Refend}}
==References==
===Notes===

{{Reflist}}


== Further reading ==
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}} {{Refbegin|2}}
* {{Cite web |date=April 5, 1977 |title=Robert F. Kennedy Assassination (a) |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20Part%201%20of%203/view |url-status=live |access-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227114941/https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20Part%201%20of%203/view |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |publisher=] |ref=none}}
*{{cite book|last=Clarke|first=Thurston |title=The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87A0ZdEeWzoC&pg=PA34|date=May 27, 2008|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-8050-7792-6|ref=harv}}
* {{Cite web|date=April 5, 1977|title=Robert F. Kennedy Assassination (c)|url=https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20%28Assassination%29%20Part%203%20of%203/view|url-status=live|access-date=February 27, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227114942/https://vault.fbi.gov/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20(Assassination)%20/Robert%20F%20Kennedy%20(Assassination)%20Part%203%20of%203/view|archive-date=February 27, 2022|publisher=]|ref=none}}
*{{cite book|last=Melanson, Ph.D|first=Philip H. |title=The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination: New Revelations on the Conspiracy and Cover-Up, 1968–1991|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Robert_F_Kennedy_Assassination.html?id=t9Ex5XwDE4IC|date=June 1, 1991|location=New York|publisher=Shapolsky Publishers|ISBN = 978-1561713240|authorlink=Philip H. Melanson|ref=harv}}
*{{cite book|last=Moldea|first=Dan E.|title=The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy: An Investigation of Motive, Means, and Opportunity |location=New York|publisher=Norton|year=1995|isbn=978-0-393-03791-3|ref=harv}} * {{Cite book |last1=Klaber |first1=William |url=https://archive.org/details/shadowplaymurder00klab/mode/2up |title=Shadow Play: The Murder of Robert F. Kennedy, the Trial of Sirhan Sirhan, and the Failure of American Justice |last2=Melanson |first2=Philip |publisher=] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-312-15398-4 |access-date=February 27, 2022 |url-access=registration |ref=none}}
*{{cite book|last=Witcover|first=Jules|title=85 Days: The Last Campaign of Robert Kennedy|location=New York|publisher=Putnam|year=1969 |oclc=452367|authorlink=Jules Witcover|ref=harv}}
{{Refend}} {{Refend}}


==External links== == External links ==
* – via the ]
* – LAPD and FBI investigation files and the trial transcript at the Mary Ferrell Foundation
* – via ]
*
* – via ]
* , a contemporary eyewitness account by Pete Hamill, ''The Village Voice'', June 13, 1968
* , an eyewitness account by ] of the assassination, ], ]
* – a collection within the ] Archives and Special Collections established in 1984


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Latest revision as of 07:38, 15 December 2024

1968 murder in Los Angeles, California

Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
Refer to the captionRobert F. Kennedy lies mortally wounded on the floor immediately after the shooting. Kneeling beside him is 17-year-old busboy Juan Romero, who was shaking Kennedy's hand when Sirhan Sirhan fired the shots.
LocationAmbassador Hotel, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Coordinates34°03′35″N 118°17′50″W / 34.0597°N 118.2971°W / 34.0597; -118.2971
DateJune 5, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-06-05)
12:15 a.m. (UTC−7)
TargetRobert F. Kennedy
Attack typePolitical assassination, mass shooting
WeaponsIver Johnson .22 LR revolver
Deaths1 (Kennedy died on June 6, 1968, from his injuries)
Injured5
PerpetratorSirhan Sirhan
VerdictGuilty on all counts
ConvictionsFirst-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with intent to commit murder (5 counts)
SentenceDeath in 1969; commuted in 1972 to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole
This article is part of
a series aboutRobert F. Kennedy

Personal
U.S. Attorney General
U.S. Senator from New York
Presidential campaign
Assassination and legacy
Robert F. Kennedy's signature

On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and pronounced dead the following day.

Kennedy, a United States senator and candidate in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries, won the California and South Dakota primaries on June 4. He addressed his campaign supporters in the Ambassador Hotel's Embassy Ballroom. After leaving the podium, and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was mortally wounded by multiple shots fired by Sirhan. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital nearly 25 hours later. His body was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sirhan, a Palestinian who held strong anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian beliefs, testified in 1969 that he killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought"; he was convicted and sentenced to death. Due to People v. Anderson, his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 with a possibility of parole. His parole request has been denied numerous times. Kennedy's assassination prompted the Secret Service to protect presidential candidates. Additionally, it led to several conspiracy theories.

The assassination was one of four major assassinations of the 1960s in the United States, coming several years after the assassination of Kennedy's brother John in 1963 and the assassination of Malcolm X in 1965, and two months after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.

Background

Robert F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1925. In 1948, he visited Palestine and wrote six dispatches for The Boston Post. He dismissed the possibility of the Jewish state becoming communist as "fantastically absurd", and called it the "only stabilizing factor remaining in the near and middle East". In 1960, John F. Kennedy, Robert's elder brother, was elected the president of the United States and appointed Robert as U.S. attorney general. During his tenure, Robert served as John's close advisor and was associated with various decisions during the Kennedy administration. According to author Matthew A. Hayes, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Robert acted as a "de-facto Chief of Staff, Presidential Agent and Intermediary for his brother" and was an "indispensable partner" in its successful resolution. In November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated, and Robert was deeply affected by it. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency and retained almost all prominent Kennedy advisors, including Robert as attorney general.

A black-and-white image of Kennedy speaking in a microphone
Kennedy campaigning in Los Angeles, 1968

In 1964, polls showed that various Democrats wanted Kennedy to be Johnson's running mate in that year's presidential election. Kennedy instead organized his senatorial campaign in New York, challenging Kenneth Keating, an incumbent Republican senator. During a campaign speech, Kennedy declared his support for Israel, stating that in the event of an attack, "we will stand by Israel and come to her assistance". He won the election; during his congressional career, he supported civil rights and opposed Johnson's policies regarding the Vietnam War.

The 1968 presidential campaign has been referred to as one of the most volatile campaigns in American history. There was strong opposition to the ongoing Vietnam War; and it was a period of social unrest, with riots in major cities. Allard K. Lowenstein, a Democratic politician, organized a "Dump Johnson" movement to prevent Johnson's nomination as the presidential candidate, and asked Kennedy to run instead. Kennedy refused, asserting that he did not want to split the Democratic Party. Eugene McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Minnesota, then emerged as the leader of the "Dump Johnson" movement and entered several state presidential primaries. In late January 1968, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, in the view of historian Lloyd Gardner, "shattered hopes that the war could be won within a reasonable period of time—if ever—and broke open the cracks in the Democratic coalition".

On March 12, 1968, in the New Hampshire Democratic primary, McCarthy nearly defeated Johnson with 42 percent to Johnson's 49 percent of the votes. Four days later, Kennedy announced his presidential campaign. On March 31, Johnson announced that he would not seek the presidency. Four days later, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, leading to further riots in several cities. The same day, Kennedy gave a speech in Indianapolis, saying:

What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black. ... let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people.

In April, Vice President Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy for the presidency. He mostly avoided primaries and focused on states which held caucuses. Contrary to Kennedy, Humphrey did not publicly oppose the Vietnam War.

Assassination

California primary and shooting

Refer to the caption
Kennedy addressing supporters in the Embassy Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel

The California presidential primary elections were held on June 4, 1968. Polls by CBS showed Kennedy leading by 7 percent. The statewide results gave Kennedy 46 percent to McCarthy's 42 percent. Kennedy also won the South Dakota primary, winning approximately 50 percent of the vote. Author Joseph Palermo referred to the victory as Kennedy's "greatest". He was now in second place with 393+1⁄2 total delegates, against Humphrey's 561+1⁄2 delegates.

At approximately 12:02 a.m. PDT the next day, Kennedy addressed his campaign supporters in the Embassy Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel, in the Mid-Wilshire district of Los Angeles. At the time, the government did not provide Secret Service protection for presidential candidates. Kennedy's only security personnel were former Federal Bureau of Investigation agent William Barry and two unofficial bodyguards: Olympic decathlon gold medalist Rafer Johnson and former football player Rosey Grier. At approximately 12:10 am, concluding his victory speech, Kennedy said: "So my thanks to all of you and on to Chicago and let's win there." Kennedy planned to walk through the ballroom after speaking on his way to another gathering of supporters, but reporters wanted a press conference. Campaign aide Fred Dutton decided that Kennedy would forgo the second gathering and instead go through the hotel's kitchen and pantry area behind the ballroom to the press area. Kennedy had welcomed contact with the public during the campaign, and people had often tried to touch him in excitement. Soon after Kennedy concluded the speech, he started to exit through the ballroom when Barry stopped him and said, "No, it's been changed. We're going this way." Barry and Dutton began clearing a way for Kennedy to go left, through swinging doors, to the kitchen corridor, but he was hemmed in by the crowd and followed maître d'hôtel Karl Uecker through a back exit. Uecker led Kennedy through the kitchen area, holding his right wrist, but frequently releasing it as Kennedy shook hands with people whom he encountered. Uecker and Kennedy started down a passageway narrowed by an ice machine and a steam table to the north.

Kennedy turned to his left and shook hands with Juan Romero, just as Sirhan Sirhan stepped down from a low tray-stacker beside the ice machine, rushed past Uecker, and repeatedly fired an eight-shot .22 Long Rifle caliber Iver Johnson Cadet 55-A revolver at point-blank range. Kennedy fell to the floor; others, including writer George Plimpton and Grier, tried to disarm Sirhan, as he continued firing his gun in random directions. Five other people were wounded: William Weisel of ABC News, Paul Schrade of the United Automobile Workers union, Democratic Party activist Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein of the Continental News Service, and Kennedy campaign volunteer Irwin Stroll. A minute later, Sirhan wrestled free and grabbed the revolver again, but others grabbed him. Barry went to Kennedy and placed his jacket under Kennedy's head. As Kennedy lay wounded, Romero cradled his head and placed a rosary in his hand. Kennedy asked Romero, "Is everybody OK?"; Romero responded, "Yes, everybody's OK." Kennedy then turned away and said, "Everything's going to be OK." The moment was captured by Boris Yaro of the Los Angeles Times and became the iconic image of the assassination.

Immediate aftermath and death

As the shooting took place, ABC News was signing off from its election-night broadcast, while the CBS coverage had been concluded. CBS went back on the air with coverage of the shooting 21 minutes after it had taken place. ABC's associate news director Weisel, who had been wounded during the shooting, reported from his stretcher. ABC was able to show scant live footage from the kitchen after Kennedy had been transported, but all of ABC's coverage from the hotel was in black-and-white. Approximately three hours after the incident, television networks began their morning broadcast schedule. About six million Western American households viewed the live reporting.

Kennedy's wife, Ethel, who was three months pregnant, had been away from the shooting scene. She was soon led to Kennedy and knelt beside him. Kennedy turned his head seeming to recognize her. Kennedy's campaign manager, his brother-in-law Stephen Edward Smith, promptly appeared on television and asked for a doctor. After several minutes, medical attendants arrived and lifted Kennedy onto a stretcher, prompting him to whisper, "Don't lift me", which were his last words; he lost consciousness shortly after. He was taken to Central Receiving Hospital. A doctor slapped his face, calling, "Bob! Bob! Bob!" while another doctor massaged his heart. After obtaining a good heartbeat, doctors handed a stethoscope to Ethel so that she could hear Kennedy's heart beating. After about 30 minutes, Kennedy was transferred several blocks to the Good Samaritan Hospital to undergo surgery. A gymnasium near the hospital was set up as temporary headquarters for the press and news media to receive updates on his condition. Surgery began at 3:12 a.m. and lasted approximately 3 hours and 40 minutes. At 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, spokesman Frank Mankiewicz announced that Kennedy's doctors were "concerned over his continuing failure to show improvement"; his condition was critical.

Kennedy had been shot multiple times. The fatal shot was fired at a range of 1 inch (3 cm), entering behind his right ear. The other two shots entered at the rear of his right armpit; one exited from his chest and the other lodged in the back of his neck. Despite extensive neurosurgery to remove the bullet and bone fragments from his brain, he was pronounced dead at 1:44 a.m. on June 6, nearly 25 hours after the shooting. Mankiewicz left the hospital and walked to the gymnasium where the press and news media were set up for continuous updates on the situation. At 2 a.m. on June 6, Mankiewicz announced Kennedy's death. The following week, NBC devoted 55 hours to the shooting and its aftermath, ABC 43 hours, and CBS 42 hours, with all three networks initially pre-empting their regular coverage and advertisements to cover the story.

Funeral and aftermath

Grave of Robert F. Kennedy. A cross with few flowers can be seen.
Kennedy's grave in Arlington National Cemetery

Senator Kennedy's casket was taken, via a jet emblazoned with "United States of America" and sent by President Lyndon B. Johnson, to New York City, where his casket was viewed by thousands at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The funeral mass was held on the morning of June 8. Kennedy's younger brother, Senator Ted Kennedy, delivered the eulogy, saying:

My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it ... As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him: "Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not."

Kennedy's body was transported via train to Washington, D.C.; many mourners lined the route, paying their respects. On the way to the cemetery, the funeral procession passed through Resurrection City, a shantytown protest site. The procession stopped in front of the Lincoln Memorial, where residents of Resurrection City joined the group, and the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was sung. Kennedy was buried near his older brother John in Arlington National Cemetery. This was the first burial to have ever taken place there at night. After the assassination, Congress altered the Secret Service's mandate to include protection for major presidential and vice-presidential nominees.

At the time of his death, Kennedy was substantially behind Humphrey in convention delegate support, but many believe that, following his victory in the California primary, he would have ultimately secured the nomination. Humphrey won the nomination at the convention in Chicago, at which violence in the streets occurred. He ultimately lost the general election to Republican candidate Richard Nixon by a narrow popular vote margin of 0.7 percent. Nixon won by a more decisive 301–191 margin in the Electoral College.

Perpetrator

Black-and-white photographic portrait of Sirhan Sirhan taken after his arrest
Sirhan's mug shot, taken after his arrest
Main article: Sirhan Sirhan

Sirhan Sirhan was born on March 19, 1944, in Jerusalem, Palestine, to an Arab Christian family. At the age of four, he and his father narrowly escaped a bomb explosion during the 1948 Palestine war. This incident, according to author Mel Ayton, "had a psychological effect on young Sirhan". He witnessed various other violent incidents during his childhood, including physical abuse by his father and the death of his older brother at the hands of a military truck that was trying to avoid sniper fire. In late 1956, Sirhan, along with his family, immigrated to the United States. He was unhappy with immigrating to the United States, later saying that "the U.S. was against the Arabs and was friendly with Israel, and a friend of my enemy is my enemy". Once in the United States, Sirhan received above-average grades and joined an officer candidate school. During his late-teenage years, Sirhan's father abandoned the family, his sister died, two of his brothers were arrested, and he was expelled from Pasadena City College. Sirhan held strongly anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian beliefs.

In 1966, while pursuing a career as a jockey, Sirhan fell from a running horse, suffering minor injuries. A friend of Sirhan said that after this incident, Sirhan was "impatient, nervous, emotional and always in a hurry". A diary was found during a search of his home, where he wrote on May 18: "Robert Kennedy must be assassinated ... My determination to eliminate RFK is becoming more and more of an unshakable obsession. RFK must die. RFK must be killed."

Investigation and trial

Due to Sirhan being a non-citizen, it was illegal under California law for him to purchase firearms. He violated three California laws by possessing the pistol he used to kill Kennedy. Loren Coleman suggested that the date of the assassination is significant because it was the first anniversary of the start of the Six-Day War between Israel and its Arab neighbors.

Photographic portrait of William F. Pepper
Sirhan's lawyer William F. Pepper

When Sirhan was booked by police, they found in his pocket a newspaper article that discussed Kennedy's support for Israel; Sirhan later said that he began to hate Kennedy after learning of this support. Sirhan was convicted of Kennedy's murder in April 1969, and was sentenced to death. In 1972, the sentence was commuted to life in prison with the possibility of parole, after the California Supreme Court, in its ruling in California v. Anderson, invalidated as unconstitutional all pending death sentences that were imposed before 1972. In 1975, it was decided that Sirhan would be freed on parole in 1984. In 1982, however, the California Board of Prison Term rescinded the parole date, citing death threats made by Sirhan from prison. In 1989, Sirhan told David Frost in prison that his sole connection with Kennedy was " support of Israel and his deliberate attempt to send those 50 bombers to Israel to obviously do harm to the Palestinians." Although a study published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists referred to Sirhan as a "withdrawn fanatic with multiple identity problems", the author James W. Clarke stated that Sirhan was more motivated by political issues than by his personal temperament. During the trial, Sirhan's lawyers attempted to use a defense of diminished responsibility, while Sirhan tried to confess to the crime and change his plea to guilty on several occasions. He testified that he had killed Kennedy "with 20 years of malice aforethought". As of 2023, Sirhan has been denied parole 17 times. His lawyers have claimed that he was framed, and he claims to have no memory of his crime.

In February 2012, Sirhan's lawyers William F. Pepper and Laurie Dusek filed a court brief in District Court in Los Angeles, claiming that a second gunman fired the shots that killed Kennedy. It was the fourth in a series of federal briefs filed under habeas corpus by Pepper and Dusek, beginning in October 2010. In 2015, Judge Beverly Reid O'Connell denied the petition. During Sirhan's 2016 parole hearing, Paul Schrade, who was shot and wounded on the assassination night, asserted that the fatal shot to Kennedy was by a different shooter. He claimed that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) destroyed evidence, "hid ballistic evidence exonerating Sirhan, and covered up conclusive evidence that a second gunman fatally wounded Robert Kennedy." In August 2021, the California state parole panel recommended Sirhan's parole. Two of Kennedy's children, Robert Jr. and Douglas, supported the decision, while six others opposed it. Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, denied the parole in January 2022, asserting that "Sirhan has not developed the accountability and insight required to support his safe release into the community."

Conspiracy theories

Main article: Robert F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories

CIA involvement hypothesis

In November 2006, the BBC's Newsnight program presented research by filmmaker Shane O'Sullivan alleging that several Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers were present on the night of the assassination. The three men who appear in films and photographs from the night of the assassination were identified by former colleagues and associates as former senior CIA officers who had worked together in 1963 at JMWAVE, the CIA's anti-Castro station based in Miami. They were JMWAVE Chief of Operations David Morales, Chief of Maritime Operations Gordon Campbell, and Chief of Psychological Warfare Operations George Joannides. Several people who had known Morales were sure that he was not the man claimed by O'Sullivan. After O'Sullivan published his book, assassination researchers Jefferson Morley and David Talbot discovered that Campbell had died of a heart attack in 1962, six years before Kennedy's assassination. In response, O'Sullivan stated that the man on the video may have used Campbell's name as an alias.

Second gunman hypothesis

The location of Kennedy's wounds suggested that his assailant had stood behind him, while some witnesses assert that Sirhan faced west as Kennedy moved through the pantry. This has led to the suggestion that a second gunman fired the fatal shot, a possibility supported by Thomas Noguchi, the Chief Medical Examiner and Coroner for the County of Los Angeles, who stated that the fatal shot was behind Kennedy's right ear and had been fired at a distance of approximately 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) to 3 inches (7.6 centimeters). Other witnesses said that Kennedy was turning to his left shaking hands as Sirhan approached, from the east.

In 1975, during a re-examination of the case, experts looked into the possibility of a second gunman, and concluded that there was little or no evidence to support this hypothesis. In 2004, CNN's senior writer Brad Johnson discovered a recording of Kennedy's victory speech, recorded by the Polish journalist Stanisław Pruszyński [pl]. Johnson gave the tapes to the audio engineer Philip Van Praag, who analyzed and found 13 shots fired even though Sirhan's gun held only eight rounds. He also stated the recording revealed at least two cases where the timing between shots was shorter than physically possible from Sirhan's gun alone. Forensic audio specialists Wes Dooley and Paul Pegas of Audio Engineering Associates in Pasadena examined the findings and corroborated the presence of at least 10 shots on the tape along with an over-lapping shot. Other acoustic experts have claimed that they could find no more than eight shots recorded on the audiotape. Critics claim that Van Praag misidentified the noise impulses of the recording as gun shots.

In 2008, eyewitness John Pilger asserted his belief that there must have been a second gunman.

In a 2023 episode of Club Random, Kennedy Jr. asserted that Sirhan was not the shooter who killed his father. Kennedy Jr. named Eugene Thane Cesar—a security guard at the time—as the man who fired four shots from behind, one of which killed Kennedy: "Sirhan was a distractor, and the real shooter was behind my father". Kennedy Jr. further cited the Noguchi autopsy which noted that his father suffered four contact wounds from the discharge of a gun and that all four shots came from behind him. Kennedy Jr. described his father's departure from the stage towards the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel, which was a route that had not previously been cleared. According to Kennedy Jr., Cesar was holding his father's arm as they walked towards the kitchen.

Legacy

"It made me realize that no matter how much hope you have it can be taken away in a second."

Juan Romero

Kennedy's assassination was one of the four major assassinations in the United States in the 1960s, the others being those of John F. Kennedy (1963), Malcolm X (1965), and Martin Luther King Jr. (1968). Some scholars view the assassination as one of the first major incidents of political violence in the United States stemming from the Arab–Israeli conflict in the Middle East.

Until 1987, the LAPD retained the original files, reports, transcripts, fragments of the bullets that struck Kennedy and the four other bystanders in the kitchen pantry, the .22 caliber Iver-Johnson handgun used by Sirhan, Kennedy's blood-stained clothes, and other artifacts related to the assassination. In 1987, the LAPD donated the entire evidence collection (except for Kennedy's clothes) to the California State Archives in Sacramento, for permanent preservation. Kennedy's blood-stained shirt, tie, and jacket are in the possession of the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In 2010, controversy arose when Kennedy's clothing was transported to the California Homicide Investigators Association conference in Las Vegas, where they were included in a temporary public display. Max Kennedy called it a "cheap bid for attention". The items and Kennedy's clothing were removed from the exhibit, with the LAPD apologizing to the Kennedy family.

The Robert F. Kennedy Assassination Archives of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth contains a large collection of materials on the assassination. In 2006, American filmmaker Emilio Estevez wrote and directed the film Bobby. He attempted to recreate the scene of the assassination through a fictional account. According to the author Ron Briley, "the history in Bobby is often misleading".

In 2023, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife, Cheryl Hines, called for President Joe Biden to grant her husband Secret Service protection for his presidential campaign, citing his family's history of successful assassinations.. Robert F. Kennedy Jr's request for Secret Service protection would not be granted until July 15, 2024; two days after former President and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was wounded in an assassination attempt during a speech in Butler, Pennsylvania.

See also

References

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Notes

  1. Paul Schrade, William Weisel, Elizabeth Evans, Ira Goldstein, Irwin Stroll
  2. Kennedy Jr. inverted the first two names of Cesar, whose correct name was Thane Eugene Cesar.

Works cited

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November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968
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