CIA Documents Reveal Untold Story Behind Robert F Kennedy's Assassination and Secret Intelligence Connections

Robert F Kennedy was assassinated in June 1968, leaving behind a legacy shrouded in mystery.

Recently declassified CIA documents exceeding 1,000 pages have shed new light on the 1968 assassination of Robert F Kennedy, offering insights into both the gunman's psychological profile and Kennedy's previously unknown relationship with the intelligence agency.

The released materials contain formerly classified assessments, handwritten notes, and detailed accounts regarding Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian-born Jordanian convicted of Kennedy's murder in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968. Particularly noteworthy is a July 8, 1968 personality evaluation of Sirhan that stated, "under no circumstances would we have predicted that he was 'capable' of doing what he did."

Intelligence analysts at the time concluded, "Obviously, we cannot see him as part of a conspiracy. He could be a tool of a conspiracy similar to how the attempted assassin of Secretary Seward and the assigned assassin of Vice President Johnson served as instruments in the Booth conspiracy."

The documents further indicated it was "very unlikely, however, that he could have effectively acted under precise instructions," comparing Sirhan more closely to the "impulsive assassins" of Presidents Garfield and McKinley rather than the "calculating assassins" who targeted Lincoln and President John F Kennedy.

Among the most revealing elements are Sirhan's own writings. One disturbing note reads, "Kennedy must fall Kennedy must fall. Please pay to the order of Sirhan Sirhan." Another ominous entry states, "We believe that Robert F Kennedy must be sacrificed for the cause of the poor exploited people," warning that the candidate would "eventually be felled... by an assassin's bullet... tonight tonight tonight."

Sirhan's political motivations emerged in later interviews. According to The New York Times, during a 1989 conversation with David Frost, Sirhan explained that Kennedy's "sole support of Israel" during the 1967 Six-Day War "seemed as though it were a betrayal." He expressed that he felt "totally sorry" and harbored "nothing but remorse for having caused that tragic death."

The psychological assessment dated June 12, 1968, characterized Sirhan as possessing "high intellectual potential" and being "quite intuitive," with a belief that "communism may appear as an ideal solution."

Controversy has persisted within the Kennedy family regarding the official narrative. Robert F Kennedy Jr, currently serving as health and human services secretary, has questioned whether Sirhan actually fired the fatal shot. After examining autopsy and police reports, he stated, "I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father."

In 2018, Kennedy Jr visited Sirhan in prison, later explaining to The Washington Post, "I got to a place where I had to see Sirhan."

In a 2021 San Francisco Chronicle opinion piece, he wrote, "I firmly believe the idea that Sirhan murdered my dad is a fiction that is impeding justice," instead pointing to part-time security guard Thane Eugene Cesar as the actual killer. Cesar consistently denied any involvement until his death in 2019.

Beyond the assassination, the documents reveal Robert F Kennedy's surprising cooperation with the CIA years before his political career. During a 1955 Soviet Union trip accompanying Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas, Kennedy "served the Agency as a voluntary informant."

He maintained a detailed 129-page diary for the CIA and provided over 1,000 photographs and videos from the journey. A CIA official noted that this material "exemplifies the depth of his patriotism and commitment to serving his country."