Synopsis
"The Killing of RFK" by Donald Freed is a gripping work that blends investigative journalism with a novelistic narrative, exploring the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy in 1968. Published in 1975, the book delves into the murky circumstances surrounding Kennedy's death, presenting a provocative thesis that challenges the official account of the event. Freed, an investigative journalist with a history of examining political conspiracies, constructs a detailed and atmospheric story that suggests the involvement of a shadowy network of conspirators who viewed Kennedy as a threat to their power. The narrative begins by setting the stage with the historical context: John F. Kennedy, Robert’s brother, had been assassinated five years earlier in Dallas, and now Robert, a charismatic senator with a strong chance of ascending to the presidency, appeared poised to follow in his footsteps. However, Freed argues that this potential rise made Robert a target for those who could not allow another Kennedy in the White House.
The book unfolds as a chilling exploration of motive, means, and opportunity, focusing on the night of June 5, 1968, when Robert Kennedy was fatally shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, shortly after delivering a victory speech following the California Democratic primary. Freed does not accept the lone-gunman theory centered on Sirhan Sirhan, the Palestinian immigrant convicted of the murder. Instead, he weaves a tale of a broader conspiracy, suggesting that Sirhan was a manipulated pawn in a larger scheme orchestrated by a clandestine group with ties to powerful political and economic interests. The narrative posits that this group—referred to as an "American assassination network"—had both the resources and the ruthlessness to eliminate Kennedy, fearing his progressive agenda and his potential to investigate his brother’s death if he gained executive power. Freed meticulously details how this network might have operated, from recruiting and conditioning an assassin to ensuring their own anonymity, drawing on real-world evidence like discrepancies in the autopsy report and witness accounts that conflict with the official story.
Throughout the book, Freed intersperses factual elements with speculative reconstruction, creating a hybrid text that reads like a thriller while raising serious questions about the assassination. He examines the physical evidence, such as the trajectory of the bullets—particularly the fatal shot behind Kennedy’s ear, fired at point-blank range from behind, which eyewitnesses claimed Sirhan could not have delivered given his position in front of Kennedy. Freed also explores the psychological profile of Sirhan, suggesting he may have been subjected to coercive manipulation or hypnosis, a theory that echoes debates about mind control prevalent in conspiracy circles at the time. The conspirators, in Freed’s telling, are a faceless yet omnipresent force, their identities obscured but their influence palpable in the political turbulence of the late 1960s—a period marked by the Vietnam War, civil unrest, and the assassinations of other prominent figures like Martin Luther King Jr.
"The Killing of RFK" ultimately serves as both a narrative and a critique, urging readers to reconsider the accepted history of Kennedy’s death. Freed does not claim to have definitive proof of every assertion but uses the novelistic form to dramatize his hypothesis, making it accessible and compelling. The book closes with an implicit call to action, encouraging further scrutiny of the case and the shadowy forces that may have shaped one of America’s most traumatic moments. While it lacks the exhaustive documentation of a purely nonfiction investigation, its strength lies in its ability to synthesize complex theories into a coherent and unsettling story, leaving readers to ponder the possibility that the truth about Robert Kennedy’s assassination remains buried beneath layers of deception.