Original subtitles

June 5th, 1968.

Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.

Fifteen minutes past midnight.

As presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, brother of John F. Kennedy, is

his way through the hotel kitchen service tunnel,

eight shots ring out.

Six people are hit.

Has another Kennedy?

been assassinated.

June the 5th, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.

Stay back, everybody else, just please stay back, just the doctor.

42 -years -old Robert Kennedy has just been shot.

As he's rushed to hospital, no one knows whether he will live or die.

But it's obvious that after being hit at point -blank range by at least three

bullets, Kennedy is in a very bad way.

News of the attack spreads quickly.

with everyone asking the same question.

Who would want to harm one of the most charismatic and popular politicians of

his generation?

And, perhaps more importantly, why?

During his political career, Kennedy has won plenty of admirers and supporters,

but he's also made a number of dangerous enemies.

High on the list are the mobsters and racketeers he'd cracked down on as

Attorney General a few years earlier.

while serving under President John F. Kennedy, his elder brother.

He's also despised by hardline right -wing extremists in America's southern

states for his staunch support of the growing civil rights movement,

by Dr. Martin Luther King.

And last, but by no means least, he's attracted the baleful attention of a

shadowy group of men and women who hate him for appearing to take Israel's side.

in the never -ending conflicts in the Middle East.

By the time he's gunned down in the Ambassador Hotel, 42 -year -old Kennedy

been on the campaign trail for three months.

He's determined to become US president and, as such, emerge from the long

cast by his elder brother.

Although he had been a highly effective member of his brother's administration,

Kennedy now wants to make his own mark on history.

When he enters the White House in January 1961, one of John F. Kennedy's

acts is to appoint his younger brother, then age 36, U .S. Attorney General.

Kennedy's unique access to the president enables him to exercise more influence

over government policy than any other previous Attorney General.

When faced with a difficult decision, President Kennedy always turns to his

brother, by far his closest political advisor.

As he once remarked, if I want something done and done immediately, I rely on

the Attorney General.

He is very much the doer in this administration and has an organizational

have rarely, if ever, seen surpassed.

Robert Francis Kennedy was born into a political dynasty in Brookline,

Massachusetts, on November 20, 1925.

His father, Joseph, was a wealthy, self -made businessman who served a term as U

.S. Ambassador to the U .K. from 1937 through to 1940.

The seventh of nine children, young Robert enjoyed a comfortable upbringing.

In November 1944...

When his studies at Harvard University are interrupted by World War II, Kennedy

joins the U .S. Navy.

But the war ends before he sees any action, unlike his elder brother John,

commanded a PT boat in the Pacific.

Kennedy then returns to Harvard, graduating in 1948, when he enrolls at

school.

Three years later, he joins the criminal division of the U .S. Department of

Justice, resigning in 1952 to manage his elder brother's campaign as he makes a

successful bid for the Senate.

By 1957, Kennedy, now a career lawyer, is chief counsel for the Senate Labor

Rackets Committee.

They're investigating organized crime and corruption within the labor unions.

Meanwhile... A 13 -year -old boy is growing up on the other side of the U

Pasadena, California.

His name is Sirhan Sirhan, and one day his path will collide with that of

Kennedy.

The U .S. Senate Rackets Committee is after one person in particular, Jimmy

Hoffa, the notorious leader of the giant U .S. trucking union, the Teamsters,

and accuses him of misappropriating nearly $10 million in union funds.

Kennedy is also convinced that Hoffer is linked to organized crime, especially

when he sets up phony local trade unions run by known members of the mafia.

Hoffer is eventually exonerated, but swears that one day he'll get even with

young tormentor.

But Kennedy is just as determined to nail Hoffer, and when he's appointed U

Attorney General in January 1961,

He goes after the corrupt union leader with a vengeance.

He sets up a special unit within the Justice Department.

Charged with the sole purpose of pursuing Hopper, the unit is soon

Get Hopper Squad.

Hopper is outraged.

He'd got away with so much for so long that he now thinks he's untouchable.

By May 1962, the unit has gathered enough evidence against Hoffa to accuse

of receiving illegal payments of $1 million to a trucking company he'd set

his wife's name.

Hoffa is so angered by Kennedy's relentless pursuit that he now begins to

openly with his associates about having him killed.

Although Kennedy would undoubtedly have been told about Hoffa's violent threats,

it did nothing to put him off.

In fact, if anything, it merely hardened his resolve to put him behind bars.

Their implacable enmity towards one another is aired publicly in a number of

heated televised hearings.

But it would not be until March 1967 that Hoffer is eventually brought to

justice, as he's jailed for 13 years after being found guilty of jury

As Attorney General, Kennedy finds he has to work with the famous prickly and

paranoid head of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover.

And although they're supposed to be on the same side, Hoover almost goes out of

his way to frustrate Kennedy in his continuing campaign against organized

Hoover seems reluctant to admit that the Mafia is a problem, and Kennedy finds

it difficult to make him face reality.

So far as Kennedy is concerned, the Mafia is a cancer which has to be

eradicated. With him, it's all out war.

But in January 1959, when Fidel Castro and his rebel army take over Cuba,

Kennedy, together with his brother, the President, now find themselves thrust in

an unwitting alliance with the Mafia.

As Castro cracks down hard on their casinos and other businesses on Cuba,

Mafia begins to draw up plans to have him done away with.

At the same time, the U .S. Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA, is also

plotting how to get rid of him.

The last thing the U .S. wants is a hard -line communist state just 90 miles off

the coast of Florida.

So, on April 17, 1961,

the 1 ,300 -strong group of CIA -backed Cuban exiles come ashore at the Bay of

Pigs on the island's south coast.

Their aim is to overthrow Castro.

But the expedition turns into a total disaster.

The invaders are routed, the US is humiliated, and the mafia thwarted in

ambition to take over Cuba's gambling industry again.

They blame the Kennedys for the debacle.

Once again, the gloves are off.

Robert Kennedy knows he's in constant danger, but refuses to let up.

He's just as determined as ever to stamp out organized crime.

As well as continuing to tackle the mafia, Kennedy also finds time to become

eloquent and committed advocate for the growing civil rights movement.

And as such, he becomes a great supporter of the charismatic civil

leader, Dr. Martin Luther King.

This earns him the contempt of a great many southern state diehards.

who believe that Kennedy is selling them out.

Kennedy is aware of their hatred for him, but he will not be swayed.

He's making progress, but something is about to happen which will affect the

rest of his life.

November the 22nd, 1963,

Dallas, Texas.

President John F. Kennedy is shot to death while riding through the streets

an open car.

Robert Kennedy is devastated by the loss of his brother.

And, as author and historian Arthur Schlesinger recalls, he almost loses the

will to carry on.

Well, it was devastating. It was shattering.

I mean, it was as if the bottom had fallen out of his own life.

He went into a kind of...

weeks and weeks of reverie who felt like someone's fighting to get back to the

surface.

Despite their hitherto wary relationship with each other, the new president,

Lyndon B. Johnson, insists that Kennedy remain as Attorney General.

But it's obvious the two men would never become close.

Kennedy's decision to stay on appalls the mafia.

They had been convinced that he would now stand down and leave them alone.

It also upsets his old adversary, Jimmy Hopper.

But Kennedy would remain in government only for another nine months, working

with Johnson until the signing of the groundbreaking Civil Rights Bill in July

1964, which finally outlawed racial segregation in schools and other public

places.

The following month, much to the delight of his many supporters, Kennedy

announces that he's standing down from government and intends running for a New

York Senate seat.

Despite doubts in some quarters about his political integrity, Kennedy wins

convincingly.

But, as one of his advisers, Charles Guggenheim, recalls, it could just as

easily have gone the other way.

He was a carpetbagger.

in the minds of a lot of people.

He was arrogant in the minds of a lot of people.

And he fundamentally had trouble with, for those two reasons, with a

large sector of the vote in New York.

As a U .S. senator, Kennedy now feels free to criticize U .S. involvement in

Vietnam. And it's not long before he's calling for troop withdrawal.

He's joined in his protests against the war by Martin Luther King.

FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, who was never like the ambitious young senator,

informs President Johnson that Kennedy is using King to stir up trouble.

This incensed Johnson, who already believes that Kennedy is leaking

information to the press about the conduct of the war.

Determined to come down hard on him, he calls Kennedy in for a showdown on

February 6, 1967.

And according to Adam Walensky, one of Kennedy's aides, Johnson didn't exactly

mince his words.

In 1967, in which President Johnson said flatly and openly, in six months, you

and all the people who think like you are going to be destroyed.

And I'm sure that when a sitting president and one as powerful as Lyndon

makes such a threat, you pay attention. And you're right to pay attention when

you represent what Robert Kennedy did.

But Johnson's threats don't bother Kennedy.

He now has his sights set on higher things.

On March the 16th the following year, following Johnson's surprise decision

to try for a second term, Kennedy announces that he's running for

This alarms Jackie Kennedy, his brother's widow.

She's terrified he will now be the target of an assassin.

A month later, the civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, is shot dead

while visiting Memphis, Tennessee.

Kennedy is shocked.

He knows he's also a target for the hard men in the South.

But he won't be swayed from his determination to become president.

However, as Kennedy's campaign gets underway, the FBI picks up rumors that

old enemy, Jimmy Hoffa, has been overheard having a conversation with a

prisoner in Lewisburg Penitentiary about a mafia contract to kill him.

But although he doesn't realize it at the time, Kennedy is making enemies

elsewhere.

Enemies who are far more implacable than either the mafia or the southern white

diehard.

And as far as they are concerned, he has just signed his own death warrant.

May 27, 1968, Portland, Oregon.

Wearing a traditional Jewish skullcap, a yarmulke, Kennedy is addressing the

Neve Shalom congregation.

The packed synagogue hears him make an impassioned plea for continued U .S.

support of Israel.

He argues that as a democracy, Israel is far worthier of support than Vietnam.

He demands that the U .S. immediately fulfill its long -held promise to supply

the Israeli Air Force with 50 Phantom jet fighters.

This, says Kennedy, will help offset the military aid which the Soviet Union is

pouring into Israel's hostile Arab neighbors.

He also calls for a halt in U .S. aid to these same countries and finishes by

indicating that he believes Israel should be given complete control of that

holy of cities, Jerusalem.

When reports of Kennedy's speech hit the press the following day, they're

greeted with dismay in the Arab world.

And as Israel's enemies realize that there's now a very good chance that

will become the next president of the United States, They become extremely

alarmed.

One young Palestinian immigrant is particularly appalled at the prospect.

He decides that something has to be done.

Scribbling in his diary, Robert F. Kennedy must be assassinated before June

1968.

24 -year -old Sirhan Sirhan was born in Jerusalem and moved with his family to

Pasadena, California.

in January 1957, just two weeks short of his 13th birthday.

A quiet and deeply religious youth, Sirhan graduates from high school in

1963 and goes on to Pasadena City College.

Kennedy has now been U .S. Attorney General for two and a half years and is

president to his brother John in all but name.

In May 1964,

Sirhan is dismissed from college for poor attendance, and he's forced to take

series of low -paid jobs.

However, Sirhan never forgets his roots and reads as much as he can on Middle

East politics and history.

He becomes obsessed with the situation in Palestine, especially now that

President Johnson appears anti -Arab and pro -Israel.

But he reserves his special ire for the Democratic presidential candidate,

Robert Kennedy.

Now Sirhan begins tracking his campaign movements, noting in particular that

Kennedy will be visiting Los Angeles early in June.

A deadly plan begins to take shape in his mind.

June 5th, 1968.

The Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles.

A few minutes after midnight.

After hearing that he's won in two state primaries, Robert Kennedy is in the

Hotel Baldwin making a light -hearted victory speech to hundreds of cheering

supporters.

On finishing, he leaves the stage via a corridor being used as a kitchen pantry.

It's lined with people all eager to shake his hand.

Fearhound has infiltrated this group.

He's armed with an 8 -shot .22 Ivor Johnson revolver.

Suddenly the corridor is filled with the sound of excited chatter, and everyone

presses forward.

Kennedy has appeared.

Fearhound pushes his way to the front of the crowd.

It's now 15 minutes after midnight.

Kennedy is halfway along the corridor.

Just as he's about to shake hands with yet another kitchen worker, Sirhan pulls

out his gun and opens fire.

He's only two or three feet from his gun.

Kennedy is hit three times and slumps to the floor.

But Sirhan keeps firing, hitting five more people.

At the same time, he's shouting, I can explain. Let me explain. I did it for my

country. I love my country.

Now there's complete chaos.

Kennedy lies motionless as people immediately rush to his aid.

Others grab Sirhan and, after a frantic struggle, manage to subdue him.

The police bundle Sirhan out of the hotel before he's attacked by the angry

crowd.

A few minutes later, Kennedy is rushed to hospital.

He's terribly injured.

His former press secretary, Frank Mankiewicz, recalls his shock as the

unfolded.

We had stayed behind to help Ethel down off that podium because...

She was pregnant at the time, and there was about a four -foot jump, so we

helped her down, and by that time, the senator had moved off, and we were sort

of walking along, trying to catch up with him when we heard the shots.

I didn't really know where he had been wounded or how serious it was until we

got to the hospital and talked to the doctors. They did the surgery.

Despite the best efforts of a team of medics, Kennedy died from his wounds.

His body is then flown back to New York, accompanied by grieving members of his

family.

The death of a charismatic and popular politician sends shockwaves around the

world.

Even the Arab press expresses polite regret.

Although some make the point that as 24 -year -old Sirhan has been living in the

US since he was 12, he can scarcely be described as a true Arab.

Instead, they suggest he's no more than yet another product of America's violent

society.

June the 8th, 1968, New York.

Edward Kennedy leads the tribute during a service at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in

life.

To be remembered simply as a good and decent man.

who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it,

saw war and tried to stop it.

April 17th, 1969, Los Angeles.

Following a month -long trial, Sirhan Sirhan is found guilty of first -degree

murder and condemned to death.

He will spend the next three years on death row.

before his sentence is eventually commuted to life imprisonment when the

California Supreme Court abolishes the death penalty.

Sirhan is now held in the Corcoran State Prison, California, where he's been

refused parole no fewer than 13 times.

He was due for review in 2011.

Meanwhile, although Sirhan willingly admitted to Kennedy's murder, and he was

clearly seen firing his gun, there are still those who doubt that he acted

alone.

This is given credence by the fact that several witnesses to the attack say that

Sirhan was actually facing Kennedy when he fired.

However, if this is the case, it doesn't stack up with the fact that the first

bullet to strike Kennedy apparently hit him in the head behind his left ear.

So the question has to be asked, Was there another assassin in the kitchen

corridor at the same time?

And if so, was he working with Sirhan but managed to get away in the confusion

and panic?

Conspiracy theorists have suggested that Kennedy's assassination had been

carried out on behalf of his sworn enemy, Jimmy Hoffa.

There is no doubt that Kennedy's activities, whilst Attorney General,

him many enemies amongst organized crime members.

However, unlike the exhaustive and seemingly endless official inquiries and

investigations into President Kennedy's death, nothing more than a Los Angeles

Police Department summary report on the killing of the younger Kennedy was ever

issued. And this didn't appear until 1986.

18 years after the event.

Because the continuing official view is that Sirhan Sirhan is the killer and

that he acted alone, the U .S. House Select Committee on Assassinations has

never investigated the death of Robert Kennedy.

So the world will probably never know the full truth behind that fateful night

in Los Angeles when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and the dream of another

Kennedy in the White House was over.