The younger brother of the US president who was assassinated in 1963 had actually won the Democratic presidential candidacy when an assassin fired the magazine of his pistol at him. With him a bearer of hope died.
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June 5, 1968: Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968), alleged Democratic candidate for the presidential election, is assassinated
Those: Ron Galella Collection via Getty
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Es was the main area code. On June 4, 1968, a hot Tuesday, California registered voters were voting on the Democratic candidates for the upcoming presidential election. Whoever won the majority here had the best chance of going up against Republican candidate Richard Nixon at the beginning of November – and winning.
It was not until the end of March that Robert F. Kennedy decided to take up the fight for the highest office in the state. He had little support in his party’s establishment and faced two strong competitors: the incumbent vice-president Hubert Humphrey and senator Eugene McCarthy, Pacifist and staunch opponent of the Vietnam War, which had escalated since the presidency of Robert’s older brother John. In the meantime, over half a million US soldiers fought in the jungle hell of Southeast Asia – nobody could really explain why.
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Anyone who won from the Democratic candidates in California had the best chance of moving into the White House. But like almost eight years earlier in the election thriller of John F. Kennedy against Nixon, things got tight this time too, with the preliminary decision between Robert F. Kennedy and McCarthy. Very tight. Throughout the early evening it looked like Robert would only be second winner – unacceptable to his family.
The trend reversal only came around 10:30 p.m. By midnight it was clear: Bobby had won the California primaries by a small margin, and he would be able to run in November. After his acceptance speech in the great hall of the Hotels Ambassador in Los Angeles he made his way to the improvised press room. His companions guided him through a kitchen corridor. But that shortcut turned out to be fatal.
Because here was Sirhan Bishara Sirhan waiting, drunk, frustrated by a bad evening and – armed. The 24-year-old native of Palestine carried a small .22 pistol in his pocket. When the winner of the primary approached him around 0.14 a.m. on June 5, 1968, more being pushed by his companions than walking himself, Sirhan drew his gun and emptied the entire magazine.
Four bullets hit their target and knocked the candidate down. A hotel employee got hold of the shooter after the second shot and pushed his arm away with the pistol. But Sirhan kept firing. Despite the quickest medical help, Robert F. Kennedy died 25 hours after the shooting.
Like his older brother, murdered almost five years earlier, who fell victim to the assassin Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas. With the second murder at the latest, the Kennedy family became a tragic dynasty.
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Robert F. Kennedy giving a speech in May 1968
Quelle: Getty Images
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Robert, born on November 20, 1925, was considered even smarter than his eight-year-old brother. Above all, he had more bite and hard work and almost the same instinct. As a rhetorician he was not (yet) that good, but the name of his family made up for it.
The lawyer Robert began his career in the context of the congress and then from 1958 as the closest advisor to his brother, who was preparing for the candidacy for the presidency. After the narrow victory, he became Minister of Justice at the beginning of 1961 at the age of only 35. With no significant experience outside of politics, he was regarded by critics as unqualified – and quickly proved otherwise.
After the assassination attempt in Dallas, Robert only remained a minister for a short time, then successfully ran for the US Senate and decided in March 1968 to run for the candidacy. In addition to the establishment representative Humphrey and the decidedly left-wing McCarthy (who had nothing in common with his namesake Joe McCarthy), the young applicant was all the brighter. By June 5, 1968, the pragmatic liberal was the beacon of hope for many younger Americans. But only for a quarter of an hour.
