June nine hundred sixty eight americas last summer of hope. A funeral trade roll slowly through the long summer often no. Crowds lined the tracks hoping to catch a glimpse as the cost of Robert Francis kennedy was taken to washington. The poor. Despondent the devout. Widows whose husbands had died in vietnam. Baxters neighborhood still small. And the young whose dreams had been shattered too soon. Adding to national cemetery. Two brothers gunned down just five years apart a united. President john f. Kennedys murder in dallas on november twenty second one thousand nine hundred sixty three that ended the age of american innocence and plunge the country into violence and social turmoil. At his brothers funeral Bobby Kennedy was consumed by remorse and guilt. And as he reflected on the political life he had shared with john he asked himself who had killed his brother and why. John and Bobby Kennedy had made numerous sentiments including maffia bosses f. B. I. Director j. Edgar hoover fidel castro Labor Union Leaders like jimmy hoffa and southern racists. In january nine hundred sixty four Lee Harvey Oswalds widow marina testified before the Warren Commission which was investigating jack cains assassination. Oswald was shot and killed by jack ruby a dallas nightclub owner who was said to have ties to organized crime. Bobby kennedy believed that oswald had been the front man for a broader conspiracy. Also in one nine hundred sixty four an official government Commission Investigating the kennedy assassination released its report. Robert kennedy did not testify before the commission nor did he publicly question its conclusion that oswald had acted alone. To done so would have meant confronting terrible truths about his role in his fathers administration and the raid chief. Fount of John Kennedys murder. Just. At the time Robert Kennedy was running for the u. S. Senate in new york he took time off from the campaign to reflect on the years he had devoted to his brothers political career he was overcome by anger but where did this anger come from and as he himself moved on to the political stage he sought to learn from the mistakes it made for example when he was u. S. Attorney general had he gone too far in his effort to convict Teamsters Union president jimmy hoffa might become quite good about it there is absolutely no question about that and evidently you think hoffa had been the focus of kennedys first great moral crusade and he was a fitting opponent but what was the motivation for this crusade. For the american worker. The Teamsters Union representing Truck Drivers across america many top Union Leaders was sent to have had ties to the mob. Robert kennedy the campaign against half a represented a battle between good and evil a battle that would allow him to portray himself as the toughest kennedy a son his father would be proud of. Africa had managed to avoid conviction for several years but when kennedy became attorney general he was determined to put hoffa behind bars. A half or investigation would also benefit president kennedy who sought to portray himself as being tough on crime. I would be very happy to have our Legal Counsel here to equate the america people rather back to this right breaking Union Busting bill from the kennedy brothers campaign against hoffa was part of a wider effort to crack down on organized crime and bobby had been chasing suspect Union Officials for years. A liar. And a very low power back. Then. I like it maybe. All right. Private. Papers. Will be able and ready to go. Public and public private. Later bobby could see that he had indeed gone too far with hoffa he tried to portray himself as being tough on crime at the same time he would devote his life to realizing his fathers dream making his older brother john president of the United States whatever the cost. In one nine hundred fifty two Joseph Kennedy had ordered his son bobby to run Johns Campaign for a u. S. Senate seat in massachusetts. At the nine hundred fifty six Democratic Convention john was the rising young star of american politics bobby while to behind the scenes handling the press and Top Party Officials bobby had agreed to abandon his own political ambitions to focus on his brothers career first the senate and then the white house. A Campaign Stop at the coal mines in west virginia. A key state in one thousand nine hundred sixty president ial primaries as john kennedy continued his efforts to win the democratic partys nomination for president. Newt. Bobby laid the foundation for his brothers political success he won over working class americans with his sincerity and sense of humor. But he was also ruthless in dealing with people who crossed him. At the nine hundred sixty convention john kennedy was among the favorites to win the nomination time sent to bobbys efforts. He worked tirelessly to win over Party Leaders and Convention Delegates bullying threatening and making deals. As his running mate john kennedy chose texas senator Lyndon Johnson probably to appeal to southern whites democrat voters. Love his work on the campaign was now telling. Great appreciation my brother bobby was directed all up primary campaigns in the organization in all of them as he did in my campaign for the senate and i think you of course here in the motor said you. Just saw election day nine hundred sixty. John kennedy and his wife jacqueline were a glamorous couple much more so than republican candidate Richard Nixon and his wife pant. Bobi had fought hard behind the scenes he was now obsessed with the prospect of power and the prestige that the presidency would offer the Kennedy Family. At the Kennedy Compound on cape cod the kennedy clan gathered to watch the Election Results on t. V. He had heard the reports of voter fraud particularly in the city of chicago and in the state of texas and the allegations that his father joe kennedy had had business dealings with organized crime figures. John kennedy won the election by the narrowest popular vote margin in u. S. History. But his presidency are should in a new era one characterized by youth and glamour. Bobby kennedy had worked tirelessly to put his brother in the white house but his behind the scenes work left him frustrated one concern was the persistent reports of voter fraud. The election victory seemed somehow hollow. The president elect offered his brother the post of attorney general but bobby refused at first he wanted to prove himself on his own not merely as John Kennedys right hand. In one thousand nine hundred fifty bobby had married ethel a devout catholic like himself the marriage was a happy one and the couple had eleven children. But Bobby Kennedy had never been able to move out of his brothers shadow now his father demanded that he take the post of attorney general. Will be finally agreed even though critics said he was inexperienced and unqualified for the job. Bobby became the countrys top Law Enforcement officer but would he be able to deal responsibly with the immense political power that came with the job of the on he criticized long time f. B. I. Director j. Edgar hoover for wasting time on chasing down alleged communists instead of working to root out organized crime. Gone too far too fast driven by his contempt for corrupt politicians and mobsters. We and the department of justice have become increasingly concerned about all going to run it has become so rich and so powerful and so well entrenched that it is often become beyond the reach of law. We know that bedroll and local Law Enforcement officers have been most effective against narcotics auto their prostitution bank robbery kidnapping and other crimes i ask you to join mr hoover and me in strengthening Law Enforcement in this country and preserving its bigger and its vitality. But kennedy underestimated hoover the f. B. I. Chief knew through classified intelligence reports that kennedy wanted to have him replaced and he fought back. Hoover had been collecting damaging reports on john kennedy for yes as he often did with politicians. In hoover Bobby Kennedy had found an adversary who could not be intimidated and who would not hesitate to sabotage him and his brother. Kennedy and hoover did agree on the importance of wiretapping in fighting organized crime but kennedy wanted the department of justice to have the final say on when wiretaps were used. The governments new crackdown on crime and corruption and good both monsters and Union Officials. Jimmy hoffa warned that certain lines should not be crossed. Only in this very. Wiretapping. Leave it at the imagination of an attorney general like Bobby Kennedy and you are wired that we will have forms to have their News Coverage by the hundreds of thousands no reason whatsoever except a person all the zire to destroy those all made up of. Innocence hoffa was correct. And harper was not the only one who was barren and determined to get even with the candidates hoover had in his possession of a letter from a mob boss who claimed that Bobby Kennedy had used his stamp on methods as attorney general the boss threatened kennedy saying that he would not be missed if he were to leave his post there was widespread anger among many who had ties to organized crime and they vowed to fight back against the administrations crackdown. Meanwhile there were reports that john kennedy was having an affair with a woman who was also the mistress of chicago mob boss sam jan karna. On march the twenty second one thousand nine hundred sixty two hoover arrived at the white house uninvited to remind the can it is about the dirts that he had on them. Later that day bobby demanded to know whether his brother was still sleeping with a woman who was intimately linked to a gangster bobby had already told john kennedy to break off the relationship. Now the president did so with a phone call. That the president continued his reckless womanizing the next morning he left washington for palm springs and a new woman. An f. B. I. File suggest that bobbie may have joined the couple in palm springs as well as occasionally at the carlisle her. In new york. Bobby kennedy had never been a saint either in public or private he learned early in life that kennedy men proved their masculinity by showing courage taking risks and seducing women. Parted ways in his dealings with cuba that bobby would display some of his best and some of his worst qualities from nine hundred fifty two to nine hundred fifty five kennedy worked for the Senate Committee that was investigating allegations of communist activity in the u. S. Later the same committee took controversial u. S. Senator Joseph Mccarthy to task for some aspects of his anti communist campaign. Bobby kennedy remained an implacable enemy of International Communism and especially of cuban leader fidel castro. In april nine hundred sixty one a u. S. Backed group of about one thousand five hundred paramilitaries invaded cuba at the bay of pigs. The invasion was a complete failure and even though the operation had been planned during the Previous Administration kennedy took the blame for it. Bobby kennedy felt humiliated he had seen his brother the president in tears as the invasion unraveled now he swore to get even with castro in his own way. Kennedy had turned a blind eye as the cia plotted with the math here to assassinate castro the Us Senate Panel determined that the cia tried to kill castro at least eight times between one thousand nine hundred sixty and one nine hundred sixty five. After the botched invasion or castro accepted a soviet offer to secretly Deploy Nuclear missiles in cuba. On october the fifteenth a cia review of High Altitude photographs determined that the missiles had indeed been deployed. As john kennedy faced the greatest test of his presidency to date he came to rely on his brother more than ever the president considered bobby the only person he could trust completely. A different side of bobbys character now began to emerge that of the rational diplomat who favored negotiation and persuasion over conflict he disagreed with the president s top military advisers who favored a full scale u. S. Attack on cuba the kennedys worked out a secret deal with the soviets the defuse the crisis and allow both sides to save face. Meanwhile tensions in black communities across the country were running high. Blacks demanded social justice and the legal rights that were guaranteed them under the u. S. Constitution. But discrimination was still widespread and racial segregation was still strictly enforced in the deep south. And the high Bobby Kennedy took on a seemingly Impossible Task of trying to improve relations between whites and blacks. We think that that great and we say that were going to go away weve got to consider where we started out we want your help with this anybody that know them or any of you who are interested in working at a particular welcome. In the autumn of one thousand nine hundred sixty two James Meredith became the first black student to enroll at the university of Mississippi Attorney general Robert Kennedy had intervened on merediths behalf with the states governor ross barnett who had vowed to keep the university segregated. The kennedys didnt want to alienate the white southern voters that helped put them in the white house but what about the rights of the poor black and oppressed. Blobby urged his brother to speak to the nation about this situation the president was concerned about how people in the south would react but finally agreed. That john kennedy took a strong stand in favor of racial equality. Weve. Given directly. To the president and what americans are said to be well really we do that is why kelly get out of the bottle and show up for every american to enjoy the privileges of being american without a doubt with race or color. In office nine hundred sixty three at least two hundred thousand people gathered in washington d. C. To demand civil rights and jobs dr Martin Luther king stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his historic i have a dream speech Bobby Kennedy respected kings commitment to civil rights but had concerns about his private life and had authorized the f. B. I. To tap his phone is later president johnson would use this to discredit kennedy with the black community. In november president kennedy flew to dallas texas for a series of political meetings. Probably would never see his brother alive again. It was the end of an era Bobby Kennedy was devastated by the assassination and to a lesser extent by the fact that he and john would never be able to fulfill their vision for america. But be fair that his brother would now go down in history as a well intentioned mater and that the kennedy presidency would be remembered mostly for they soon find out tragedy and not for the crises it had faced. Lyndon johnson was sworn in as president bobby disliked johnson intensely and all of his seem somehow like a coup detat. Bobby grief. Barely able to function he was no. Longer a forceful presence of cabinet meetings surely it was bobby not johnson who was the rightful heir to the kennedy throne. Johnson was a brilliant tactician and he quickly succeeded where the kennedys had failed. To challenge to. The. Community and ashleys. Heart. To eliminate. Vestiges of injustice. Johnson managed to push the Civil Rights Act through congress in one thousand nine hundred sixty four and the Voting Rights act one year later. He also set about creating the Great Society a sweeping set of social domestic policy programs Bobby Kennedy was now little more than a spectator as his nemesis Lyndon Johnson moved ahead with his reforms. As he slowly adjusted to life after his brothers assassination Bobby Kennedy considered a new mission to return to the white house this time as president but first he would have to get past Lyndon Johnson. In july nine hundred sixty four kennedy his wife and several of their children visited poland greeted by and large enthusiastic crowds on the streets while he returned to america confident that he could run for president and when to started seeking u. S. Senate seat in new york johnson would run for a second term in one thousand nine hundred sixty eight and kennedy would challenge him but it would be an uphill battle. Though i come to you that we are helping to get there that president kennedy asked me your help and what you gave so generously to him in one thousand nine hundred eight. J. Edgar hoover then sent a memo to kennedy in which the f. B. I. Chief referred to. Allegations about bobbys alleged friendship with Marilyn Monroe well be refused to respond to the reporters. And. In august nine hundred sixty four the democrats held their National Convention in Atlantic City new jersey there were rumors about a Johnson Kennedy take it but they came to nothing but johnson insisted that kennedy speak the last of the convention so he wouldnt steal the show. When kennedy arrived to give his speech the delegates greeted him with a twenty two minute ovation to many of them Bobby Kennedy represented the tragedy of unfulfilled promise in his speech he spoke about his brothers vision for america. Bobby kennedy was back on the campaign trail running for office on his own but one where his promises more sort of candidate would have become at this point kennedy did not yet have the answers. And. Then kennedy spoke at Columbia University in new york at a new candidate emerged compassionate radical and tough. Great problem i would think in the state of new york now to make sure that people of different races and colors live together the question of employment the question of housing these matters or matter what i would be in that way and i was directly involved with. The candidate is it always been able to market themselves while his speech at columbia went over so well the parts of it were led to used in campaign ads. It. Said by october the campaign was losing ground among middle class voters president johns. And stepped in to help more police because he needed to win new york. But kennedy needed no outside help as he campaigned in black communities television helped him to become a media star and the crowds loved him. Bobby dead americans to dream. I do my i want to do what i really want to do want to be by not by. Well the feeling. I got my people got to make a difference i think what you guys go. By. Is what joy in our. Young people think they are they. I dream thing everywhere they buy. My. Johnson won the one nine hundred sixty four election by a landslide with sixty four percent of the path of the vote ive. And Bobby Kennedy was elected to the u. S. Senate even though hed faced criticism for being out of state candidate. He would continue his mission to shine americas future. In january nine hundred sixty five ethel gave birth to the couples ninth child matthew maxwell. And bobby is the oldest surviving kennedy brother now became the head of the family clan which would of course include his brothers widow jackie. And then children caroline and john jr guys want to just live up to the one that just. Grown up and got a good. Healthy kennedy now represented the familys political ambitions and he believes that he would truly be able to change america i am the first he would have to make a place for himself on the national and international stage. Bobby did first Hand Research to more authority understand the problems facing the country he began to travel. Wherever he went to peel to a new generation to join him in fighting the evils of poverty hunger and. The free society rests on the belief that the state exists for the benefit of it and that it is not a mere tool at the stake. But i am not ashamed to say that the in america we call the young men and women of all nations of the world joining with us in a concerted attack on the evils which still be set in. Poverty illness illiteracy intolerance oppression and war these are the central enemies of our a and i say to you that the enemy will be overcome. Thank. Social reforms well known as a jew in america. Black communities in large cities like los angeles and detroit often exploded in violence some urban areas resembled war zones with block after block in smoldering ruins and soldiers patrolling the streets. Bobby continued his travels around the country stopping off in mississippi to see for himself the horrors of abject poverty. What he saw shocked him to the core. Of the jet lag. It led like that. Now beyond a stirred. Gallery area and ive been here in the thing that i think people are who i think im in Eastern Kentucky but out of not real want a month ago where we know that. We know this. And will know that we can do something about. These crosscountry journeys helped Bobby Kennedy to develop his true political and philosophical convictions he would now fight for social justice in america a Better Society for his children to grow up and he had moved beyond protecting and promoting Kennedy Family interests. But it was the vietnam war that was to become the turning point in his political destiny. In one nine hundred sixty two but we had supported his brothers intervention in vietnam but only as a testing ground for developing counter insurgency. Strategies. But by nine hundred sixty five under the Johnson Administration the country was at war while he was deeply troubled by the current conflict and he could not yet oppose it in public because it was part of his brothers political legacy. Meanwhile more than two hundred thousand men were drafted into the Us Armed Forces in one thousand nine hundred eighty five alone many of them from the working classes. Johnson also ordered massive air strikes in North Vietnam kennedy disagreed with his strategy because he believed that it would not bring hanoi to the negotiating table. By all of the heat concerned im opposed to resuming the bombing at the moment until i have information that indicate that such reduction is necessary than our national interest. By nine hundred sixty seven vietnam was no longer John Kennedys legacy it was Lyndon Johnsons tragedy. Robert kennedy was now politically isolated but he was determined to defy johnson and his allies. And johnson wasnt the only threat. Our reports surface the kennedy as attorney general had approved wiretaps on dr Martin Luther king and others. Bobbys reputation as a civil rights advocate in tatters but he survived his sent back and now focused his efforts on ending the conflict in vietnam. Johnsons policies on the war had become increasingly unpopular more and more american supported candidates views. On march the sixteenth one thousand nine hundred sixty eight robert f. Kennedy announced that he would run for president. I do not think it bury my candidacy. The president of the United States. I do not run for the presidency merely to oppose any man. But the whole new policy. That this country is on for. Because i have such strong feelings. About what must be done. To all but i. Think the problem. Policies. And in our. Policies that gap. Between black and white. Because that is now on mistaken belief. That we can change these disastrous divisive politics. Only by changing the men were now making. I was bush surely an impossible dream i candidate did not have the backing of the National Democratic party and senator Eugene Mccarthy also a democrat enjoyed widespread support i kennedys campaign was disorganized at first but he soon tapped into the popularity that enjoyed among voters millions followed his campaign on t. V. I but could he convert that popularity into votes. Kennedy faced a tough series of back to back primaries and then a difficult nominating convention in chicago in august many middle class voters consider kennedy a reckless rabble rouser i. Had Campaign Stops he came face to face with the nostalgia that many still felt for his brothers presidency and he encountered calls for reconciliation and an effort to put a stop to the hatred that was tearing this country apart which. Was. Then came the shocking news that Lyndon Johnson would not run for reelection johnsons poll numbers were down and he was frustrated over the course of the war now Bobby Kennedy actually stood a chance he was no longer running against an incumbent president the race was wide open. Kennedys popularity searched. Especially in black communities in the deep south and among young people one thousand class white voters. His supporters believe that Bobby Kennedy could revive the american dream. And then tragedy struck again. That one day we will be able to work for government the prayer to god the family forgot about the board for god want freedom to go. On and for the fall kennedy was find to a Campaign Stop in indianapolis when he first heard the news he told the audience what had happened. I have some very sad news for all of you and people who love peace all over the world Martin Luther king was shot and killed tonight remember. Those of you who are. Black. And are tempted to feel with be filled with hatred and distrust. Of the injustice of such an act. Against all white people. I would only say that i can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed. But he was killed by a white man. Bobby kennedy now apparent to Many Americans and not just blacks as their only hug he was an idol to some. And even a messiah to others. In primary elections that spring kennedy won four states and last fall he was still in a strong position heading into the convention. On the night of dr kings death bobby had confided to an aide that could have been made. He told others that some of it he felt doomed somewhere somehow an assassin would find him. But Bobby Kennedy did not show fear and did not ask for extra protection. He was campaigning as his own man not as a successor to his slain brother and he was running for the white house so that he could realize his vision for america. Then on june the fifth nine hundred sixty eight just hours after he won the california primary Bobby Kennedy was gunned down at a los angeles hotel. The assailant was identified as sir han sir han a palestinian immigrant. I think. Robert kennedy died at a local hospital the next day he was forty two years old. Once again america was in mourning huge crowds including people of all races religious faiths and social classes pay their last respects. As kennedys body lay in repose at some patricks cathedral in manhattan. In death Bobby Kennedy had a truly united america. Then his conscript was taken on its final journey to a grave site his brothers darlington national cemetery. As one mourner sign read we have lost our last hope. Robert kennedys vision for america died with him. Passed. Him to. Enter the conflict zone. My guest this week here in tel aviv is the former israeli Prime Minister who is all much fewer to the invasion of gaza in two thousand and eight want to use towards now about the recent violence along the border and the fast flowing israeli Prime Minister went to jail for corruption how is it that he has no regrets conflict zone. In thirty minutes doubling. Every journey begins with the first step and every language of the first word closure. Nico hes in germany to punch remember. This is so. Why not live. In simple online on your mobile and for a. Soft. W z learning course week. Maybe easy. To play Football Team from the white house look. Around its fake you know but the the top of your favorite place. To look to the tuning to find them at Churchill Europe the politics of the entire country championing a free country for the last sixty five years took a leap for minds. To claim. Plain. This is t w news coming to you live from berlin and time is running out of find survivors of guatemalas Massive Volcanic eruption the death toll rises to ninety nine and many others are still missing their warnings that the ok no mate erupt again in the coming days its also in this program today one point four million turkish citizens living in germany begin casting their ballots in turkey snap election we join some of them all the term pain trail in berlin. We take a look at this
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