Bobby’s assassination cut off the promise of a second Kennedy in the White house

THE atmosphere of euphoria when Senator Robert Kennedy won the California primary for the Democratic presidential nomination soon turned to terror as shots rang out 50 years ago at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Senator Robert Kennedy speaking at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, following his victory in the previous day's California primary election. A moment later he turned into a hotel kitchen corridor and was critically wounded. Picture: AP Photo

IT was a warm spring evening and there was an atmosphere of euphoria at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. As Senator Robert “Bobby” Kennedy came to the lectern to address the crowd, 50 years ago today, his supporters began to chant “We want Kennedy” .

He had just claimed victory in the California primary for Democratic presidential nomination and he was supremely grateful, thanking dozens of people before telling the audience he would keep his promises “if I am elected president” to which someone in the audience yelled “When you are elected president!”

Kennedy also vowed to “end the divisions within the United States”, wanting to work together to end class and race divisions, solve the nation’s problems and bring about “peace in Vietnam”. He ended with “and now it’s on to Chicago and let’s win there,” before he left the lectern.

As the crowd boisterously chanted “RFK”, most failed to hear gunshots.

Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, as Kennedy walked through the hotel’s kitchen, attempting to avoid the crowd, a man lunged toward him with a gun, firing several times. Screams were heard and the euphoria turned to horror as word spread that Kennedy had been shot. Some supporters wrestled with the shooter, Sirhan Sirhan, who continued to fire, injuring others. People yelled for a doctor.

Senator Robert F. Kennedy holds two fingers up in a victory sign after addressing campaign workers at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, moments before he was shot in the hotel kitchen. Picture: AP Photo

Kennedy was cradled by busboy Juan Romero, before a stretcher arrived. As he was lifted onto the stretcher he said faintly “Don’t lift me” then he lost consciousness. Taken to hospital, doctors fought to save his life but he was pronounced dead the next day. It was an inexplicable tragedy, a second Kennedy brother cut down by what seemed like another disturbed loner.

Just two months before, African-American leader Martin Luther King had been assassinated. He had striven for unity in a divided nation. Many had seen Bobby Kennedy as a hope to win the presidency and to help heal rifts in American society, but his violent death caused many voters to lose faith in politics.

Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination in Kennedy’s place, but lost the election to Republican Richard Nixon, and the nation headed into darker times.

Robert Francis Kennedy was born on November 20, 1925, in Massachusetts, the seventh child and the third son, of wealthy businessman and politician Joseph Kennedy.

Joseph had groomed his oldest son Joe Jr to enter politics, but he was killed fighting in World War II. The mantle then fell to second-born son John who entered the US House of Representatives for Massachusetts in 1947, became a senator in 1953 and was elected US president in 1960.

Hotel busboy Juan Romero cradled the wounded Robert Kennedy before a stretcher arrived.

Kennedy critically wounded after being shot at Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

Bobby meanwhile had racked up his own achievements. He interrupted studies at Harvard to serve in the US Navy during WWII but returned after the war to qualify as a lawyer, working with the US Department of Justice. He often helped with his brother’s campaigns and even ran the presidential campaign that put John in the White House. John then asked Bobby to be attorney-general, drawing complaints of nepotism, despite Bobby’s impressive legal experience.

As attorney-general he showed he was no lightweight, prosecuting organised crime figures and protecting civil rights activists. Critics had to admit Bobby was worthy of his appointment. Following his brother’s assassination in 1963 Bobby stayed on as attorney-general. In 1964 many Democrats wanted him to run as President Lyndon Johnson’s vice president, instead he was elected a senator for New York.

He became a strong liberal voice in the Democratic party, a critic of Johnson’s conduct of the Vietnam War. By 1968 there was support for him making a run for president and in March he declared his intention to seek nomination saying “I run because I am convinced that this country is on a perilous course”.

Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy, is denied parole for the 10th time in 1997.

Shortly after Johnson dropped out and Kennedy became a favourite, winning four out of five primaries, including California. His supporters were jubilant when they arrived at the Ballroom of the Ambassador Hotel in June 1968 to congratulate him.

But he had his enemies. During his speech Kennedy made a joke about Los Angeles Democrat mayor Sam Yorty sending him “a message that we’ve been here too long already”. The remark was a reference to the fact that Yorty had refused to provide police for security and crowd control on the night. But in those days people weren’t routinely screened for guns at political rallies, so it is unlikely even police could have prevented Kennedy’s death.

It was just after midnight when Palestinian man Sirhan Sirhan shot Kennedy. Sentenced to be executed Sirhan’s sentence was commuted to life when California abolished the death penalty in 1972. He remains behind bars but recently members of the Kennedy family have called for a review of the case, since there are questions still unanswered.