“Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after winning the California presidential primary. Immediately after he announced to his cheering supporters that the country was ready to end its fractious divisions, Kennedy was shot several times by 24-year-old Palestinian Sirhan Sirhan.
“As star athletes Rafer Johnson and Roosevelt Grier accompanied Kennedy out a rear exit of the Ambassador Hotel, 24-year-old Sirhan Sirhan stepped forward with a rolled up campaign poster, hiding his .22 revolver. He was only a foot away when he fired several shots at Kennedy. Grier and Johnson wrestled Sirhan to the ground, but not before five bystanders were wounded. Grier was distraught afterward and blamed himself for allowing Kennedy to be shot.
“Robert F. Kennedy was pronounced dead a day later at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles.”
(Bill Eppridge. “Robert F. Kennedy is fatally shot.” History.com. November 13, 2009.)
Perceived by many to be the only person in American politics capable of uniting the people, Robert Kennedy was beloved by the minority community for his integrity and devotion to the civil rights cause. After winning California’s primary, Kennedy was in the position to receive the Democratic nomination and face off against Richard Nixon in the general election.
Kennedy's promising future ended as Sirhan, a Christian Palestinian from Jordan, took out his rage that summer night and added to the confounding chaos of the 1960s.
Larry Tye – author of eight books, including Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon – concludes …
“Sirhan Sirhan’s shooting rampage in a Los Angeles hotel kitchen half a century ago did far more than end the life of Robert Francis Kennedy. It extinguished a romantic vision for America and beyond that made Bobby the rare optimist in an age of political cynicism, and would later inspire Barack Obama’s spirited run for the White House.
“'Each time a man stands up for an ideal,' RFK reminded us, 'he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.'”
(Larry Tye. “How Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination Derailed American Politics.” Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/09/02/sirhan-sirhan-robert-kennedy-assassination-508476 September 02, 2021.) \
The RFK assassination closely followed the April 4. 1968, killing of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. 1968 was a tumultuous year – riots shook Washington, Chicago, Baltimore, and other U.S. Cities while campus protests, civil rights protests, and Vietnam War protests divided America. It was also the year of the Tet Offensive, the My Lai massacre, and the rebirth of Richard Nixon.
What happened in Los Angeles that June night?
Robert Kennedy's valedictory speech that night began with a nod to Don Drysdale, the Los Angeles Dodgers ace “who pitched his sixth straight shutout tonight, and I hope that we have as good fortune in our campaign.”
Then he got serious: “I think we can end the divisions within the United States . . . whether it’s between Blacks and whites, between the poor and the more affluent, or between age groups, or over the war in Vietnam.”
The crowd loved it, shouting “Bobby Power!” He ended on another light note, saying that “Mayor Yorty has just sent me a message that we’ve been here too long already. So my thanks to all of you, and on to Chicago, and let’s win there.” Giving a thumbs-up, then flashing the V-for-victory sign, he turned to leave for a reception on a lower level followed by a press conference.
(Larry Tye. “How Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination Derailed American Politics.” Politico. September 02, 2021.)
Tye relates details of the tragic story …
“Aides decided to skip the reception and go directly to the press conference, where reporters were eager to file their stories. The shortest route was the way he’d come in, through the waiters’ swinging doors and into the kitchen and pantry. In the pushing of the crowd, Bobby got separated from ex-FBI agent Bill Barry, his devoted and solitary bodyguard, who was helping Kennedy’s pregnant wife Ethel off the podium.
“Nobody worried, since the candidate was among friends, with a busboy reaching for his hand as a cluster of reporters, photographers, and aides trailed behind. Past the rusty ice machine, 30 feet from the media room, a curly-haired young man wearing a pale blue sweatshirt was standing unnoticed on a low tray stacker, waiting for his opening. It was shortly after midnight and Andrew West, a reporter for the Mutual Radio Network, was asking Bobby his plans for catching up to Humphrey’s delegate lead. Bobby: “It just goes back to the struggle for it … ”
“That was as far as he got. The shooter stepped from his hiding place, reached straight ahead with his right arm, and started firing a .22-caliber revolver. A single shot was followed by a volley – pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop. Just how many shots were fired, at what range and angle, would become grist for another assassination conspiracy mill.
“Bobby lurched against the ice machine, then sagged to the ground, lying face-up on the grimy concrete floor. He was conscious, eyes wide open, as blood oozed behind his right ear. 'Is everybody okay?' he whispered. The busboy, Juan Romero, placed rosary beads in Bobby’s hand and tried to cushion his head as Ethel pleaded with the pressing crowd to 'give him room to breathe.'
“Then she turned to her husband and said softly, 'I’m with you, my baby.' The scene was bedlam.
“'Get the gun,' pleaded West, the radio man. 'You monster! You’ll die for this!' a kitchen worker yelled from his perch atop the steam table. The only one who seemed serene was Bobby himself – 'a kind of sweet accepting smile on his face,' recalled the journalist and Kennedy friend Pete Hamill, 'as if he knew it would all end this way.'”
(Larry Tye. “How Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassination Derailed American Politics.” Politico. September 02, 2021.)
Motives?
Sirhan Sirhan admitted he was angry with Kennedy for supporting Israel, a rage the evidence later revealed had been brewing for some time.
"He wrote in his diary that he wanted to kill Daddy," said Kerry Kennedy, Robert's daughter.
"A thousand times, he writes, 'Bobby Kennedy must die,'" added Robert's son Chris. "A thousand times. before he goes in the hotel and kills our father."
It was, said Kerry, "a totally premeditated, political terrorist assassination."
(Mark Hudspeth. “RFK's children speak out on Sirhan Sirhan.” CBS News. December 12, 2021.)
Sirhan later said in a television interview from prison in 1989 that he had killed Kennedy because he felt betrayed by the senator’s proposal during the campaign to send 50 military planes to Israel.
Sentence
Sirhan was convicted of the murder in 1969 and initially sentenced to death after his trial. But, in 1972 the California Supreme Court ruled capital punishment to be unconstitutional, and Sirhan was resentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Since then, his parole has repeatedly been denied. Sirhan has been in prison now for 53 years.
Latest Parole Hearing
However, this past August (2021), at age 77, Sirhan got another chance – and this time, things had changed. Two commissioners of the California Board of Parole made their recommendation after a review of Sirhan's record while in prison and hearing from two of Kennedy's sons, according to The Associated Press.
The parole hearing was the 16th time Sirhan had faced parole board commissioners, but it was the first time no prosecutor showed up to argue for his continued imprisonment. George Gascón, the progressive and divisive Los Angeles County district attorney who was elected last year, has made it a policy for prosecutors not to attend parole hearings, saying the parole board has all the facts it needs to make an informed decision.
In short – much to Chris and Kerry Kennedy's disbelief – the board decided that Sirhan Sirhan was no longer a threat to society, and recommended his release.
At the 2021 hearing, which was conducted virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Sirhan said he had little memory of the assassination itself, but he said he “must have” brought the gun to the scene.
“I take responsibility for taking it in and I take responsibility for firing the shots,” he said. Sirhan, much of his short hair turned white, was seated in front of a computer and was wearing a blue uniform with a paper towel in his chest pocket.
(Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs. “Parole Board Recommends Release of Sirhan Sirhan, Robert F. Kennedy’s Assassin.” The New York Times. August 27, 2021.)
A recent California law required the parole board to consider things like age, health, even childhood trauma as mitigating factors – things it hadn't considered before. Sirhan was still cagey about his direct involvement in the assassination, but as one board member said: "We do not find that your lack of taking complete responsibility adds to current dangerousness."
(Mark Hudspeth. “RFK's children speak out on Sirhan Sirhan.” CBS News. December 12, 2021.)
Some Support For Parole From the Kennedy Family
Most of Kennedy's children as well as Robert's widow – Ethel Kennedy at 93 – were shocked about the news of the possible parole.
Daughter Kerry said, "Sirhan Sirhan killed our father. He also shot five other people that night, five other people that night. He hasn't apologized, taken responsibility for killing our father, or for the other five people! What would that do to your soul? Wouldn't you be walking around saying, 'Oh my God, how did this happen? How do I stop this? I'm so sorry. How can I make this up to you?' None of that."
In a letter to the parole board, Robert Kennedy Jr wrote: "Any opposition to Mr. Sirhan's release simply based on the crime, is contrary to the law and contrary to the concepts of redemption and forgiveness."
Robert's son Chris said, "There's a hundred members of our family, you know, the descendants of Joe and Rose Kennedy, and we're very close to all of them. And there's two members of our family who don't agree. And anybody who has ever been part of a big family knows that's sort of how it shakes out."
(Mark Hudspeth. “RFK's children speak out on Sirhan Sirhan.” CBS News. December 12, 2021.)
Two of Kennedy's surviving sons, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Douglas Kennedy, supported the release during Sirhan's 16th appearance before the parole board, yet several of Kennedy's other children have strongly opposed the move.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has favored Sirhan's release in the past, wrote in support of parole. He said he was moved when he first met Sirhan -- "who wept, clinching my hands and asked for forgiveness" -- and offered to be "a guiding friend for him."
"I'm overwhelmed just by being able to view Mr. Sirhan face to face," Douglas Kennedy, who was a toddler when his father was gunned down in 1968, said during the virtual hearing. "I think I've lived my life both in fear of him and his name in one way or another. And I am grateful today to see him as a human being worthy of compassion and love.
“I do have some love for you,” he told Mr. Sirhan at one point, who nodded and lowered his head.
(Ray Sanchez and Cheri Mossburg. “Board recommends parole for RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan on 16th attempt.” CNN. August 28, 2021.)
The Outcome For Sirhan Sirhan?
The two-person panel recommended parole, but said the decision is not yet final. Despite the recommendation for release, the board's decision could be reversed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, who will determine if the grant is consistent with public safety, a process that could take a few months.
So, the fate of Robert Kennedy's assassin now rests with California's Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom. He's been open about being a fan of RFK (referring to him as his "political hero"), and that's what Chris and Kerry Kennedy are clinging to, vowing they will fight all the way to the end.
Nicholas Goldberg, associate editor for the Los Angeles Times writes …
“The fact is that Sirhan appears to satisfy many of the usual grounds for release. Psychological risk assessments have repeatedly deemed him a low risk for violence, according to his lawyer, Angela Berry. He hasn’t been accused of any serious violations of prison rules since 1972.”
(Nicholas Goldberg. “Column: Is it time to release Sirhan Sirhan from prison? He’s served 53 years for killing Robert Kennedy.” Los Angeles Times. August 27, 2021.)
If Sirhan is released, he may face deportation to Jordan. A Palestinian refugee from Israel, he immigrated to the U.S. as a child and never obtained U.S. citizenship.
"Parole is something that you earn. It's not a right that you have," said Kerry Kennedy.
Chris said, "We need to be an advocate for our father. That's a duty to him. That's the legacy he taught us, the notion of duty and honor and what is required of a child, of a family, of a country.
(Mark Hudspeth. “RFK's children speak out on Sirhan Sirhan.” CBS News. December 12, 2021.)
Final Historical Note
Conspiracies surrounding President John F. Kennedy’s death may be most widely circulated. However, one theory questioning our understanding of Robert F. Kennedy’s murder in 1968 has arguably gained more recent traction, including from those closest to the assassination and even one immediate member of Kennedy’s family.
“My father was the chief law enforcement officer in this country,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently told The Washington Post. “I think it would have disturbed him if somebody was put in jail for a crime they didn’t commit.”
According to the Post, Kennedy’s second oldest son now believes, after months of research, that his father was killed by a second gunman.
“If you believe the LAPD reports about this case, there is no way that Sirhan did it and did it alone,” Dan Moldea, an investigative journalist and author of The Killing of Robert F. Kennedy, told Boston.com.
Paul Schrade, a labor leader who'd worked with the senator, was also shot by Sirhan that night, but he believes Sirhan should be released.
"Sirhan did not shoot Robert Kennedy," Schrade, now 96, maintains. "I got the first shot, the second shot missed Kennedy."
Schrade said unreliable ballistics evidence by the Los Angeles Police Department muddied the case, and as long as Sirhan is in prison, it will make it harder to identify the person who, in Schrade's opinion, really killed Kennedy.
"Getting him out of the picture means that we have a better chance of making the case," Schrade said. "We can get the second gunman identified and convicted — the second gunman killed Robert Kennedy!"
(Martin Kaste. “Sirhan Sirhan Has Served 53 Years For Killing Robert F. Kennedy. Soon He May Be Free.” NPR. August 28, 2021.)
A Poem on the Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy
By Nikki Giovanni
Trees are never felled . . . in summer . . . Not when the fruit . . .
is yet to be borne . . . Never before the promise . . . is fulfilled . . .
Not when their cooling shade . . . has yet to comfort . . .
Yet there are those . . . unheeding of nature . . . indifferent to
ecology . . . ignorant of need . . . who . . . with ax and sharpened
saw . . . would . . . in boots . . . step forth damaging . . .
Not the tree . . . for it falls . . . But those who would . . . in
summer’s heat . . . or winter’s cold . . . contemplate . . . the
beauty . . .
From Those Who Ride the Night Winds. Copyright © 1983
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