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Sons and Brothers: The Days of Jack and Bobby Kennedy

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During Robert Kennedy's campaign for the American presidency in 1968 he would sometimes disappear from the wild crowds and sit alone for hours on end. When aides would ask what he was thinking about, he would reply, "Just thinking about Jack."

The relationship between the two brothers, and the dynamic political partnership it generated, was one of the most important in American politics.

This is the subject of Richard Mahoney's Sons and Brothers. But the book also documents their father Joe's relationship with the corrupt worlds of the mafia, the labour unions and J. Edgar Hoover's FBI.

Although the research is copious, there are no revelations. The author draws on the work and ideas of conspiracy kings Anthony Summers (The Arrogance of Power) and Seymour Hersh (The Dark Side of Camelot), while the controversial movie director Oliver Stone gets a thank you in the acknowledgments.

While they were growing up, John and Robert were not particularly close. After the death of their older brother, Joe jnr, during World War II (and sister Kathleen a few years later) the family's political prospects rested with John. The brothers' relationship became close: Robert managed John's 1952 Senate campaign, his ill-fated bid for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination in 1956 and his run for the presidency in 1960.

Following the Kennedy win, the new president - and his father - wanted Robert as attorney-general. Robert protested but in the end John's desire for someone he could trust won out. Anticipating criticism over the appointment, John explained to the press: "I can't see that it's wrong to give him a little legal experience before he goes out to practise law."

Robert was an activist attorney-general, tackling problems like the civil rights movement, the mafia underworld and the corruption endemic in many of the labour unions. He was also included in all the administration's important decisions; his access to and influence over his brother was unmatched.

After hearing for the first time that the Soviet Union was building nuclear missile sites in Cuba, it was his brother that the president immediately summoned to the White House. In the ensuing days of the crisis, Robert played an integral role in securing a peaceful outcome.

But the darker side of the brothers' lives is also examined. Mahoney uses FBI reports to describe John's and his father's numerous sexual escapades, and claims that Robert strayed only once with Marilyn Monroe.

The Kennedy connection to the mob is not a new allegation, but Mahoney emphasises its depth: in the 1960 presidential election, for example, he explains how the Kennedys used the Mob already a major financial contributor to falsify ballots and buy votes.

In addition, he claims that Democratic Party bosses in Chicago and New York "periodically received briefcases full of campaign money" from Joe in return for political favours. A portrait emerges of a father and his two sons negotiating their way through American politics to power, using their connections with Hollywood, the mafia, the unions and party bosses to achieve their ambition.

Conscious of Machiavelli's dictum that men "seldom or never advance themselves from a small beginning to any great height except by fraud or force", Joe Kennedy knew that the price for power was a moral one. John went along with the dictum while Robert resisted it.

Mahoney's overarching theme builds to a climax through the nexus he develops between the Kennedys, the mafia and the CIA. Essentially, his thesis is that the mafia grew resentful of Robert's pursuit of it; that anti-Castro Cubans were frustrated with the administration's apparent detente with Cuba in the wake of the missile crisis; and that the CIA had a contract with the mafia to assassinate Castro.

He suggests that the CIA hired mafia figure and Kennedy acquaintance Johnny Rosselli to assassinate the Cuban leader, and that both John and Robert approved of the arrangement.

Mahoney writes that it was the Kennedys' pursuit of Castro that led Cuba to seek protection from the Soviet Union, which eventually led to the crisis and the showdown between Kennedy and the Soviet leader Khrushchev.

Robert was deeply traumatised by John's death. Mahoney describes him as "like a widowed spouse" who was paralysed by grief. He was haunted by the idea that he himself had contributed to the murder of his brother, given his pursuit of Castro, the mafia and his bad relations with Hoover.

Robert's rising political star had been hitched to his brother's; but under Lyndon Johnson's presidency, he became an outsider.

Tortured by his brother's death and their unfulfilled legacy, Robert ran successfully for the Senate in 1964 and later for the presidency in 1968. He became a fierce critic of the Johnson administration's policies on Vietnam, civil rights and poverty.

Sons and Brothers is well written and documented but the author does not discuss in depth the nature of the brothers' personal relationship beyond the politics. John and Robert's iconic status was enhanced by their sudden and violent deaths. Their lives are now frozen in time remembered for the dream of what they might have been.

As Robert exited through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in the 1968 California Democratic presidential primary, he was gunned down. Lying on the floor losing consciousness, his last words to an aide were, "Jack, Jack."

* This review was published in The Sydney Morning Herald

This book is a tragedy, in the Greek sense of the word. Richard Mahoney, through the most rigorous scholarly work, transcends the "facts", put you in a corner with overwhelming lucidity and leaves you there, in despair, as a witness of the inevitability of the Kennedy brothers' (Jack and Bobby) destiny. All the components of the human quest for power and its consequences are masterly described and explained. The primordial driving force in this saga is the political ambition of the "Ambassador" (Joe Kennedy Sr.). This ambition is materialized with the tribal subordination of his offspring, their soldierly attachment, and their father's unscrupulous disregard for the "means" to obtain his goals. The Presidency of the United States, the ultimate prize, turns into the sacrificial stone for Jack and Bobby Kennedy. The reading of this book gives an overall sense of the flow of history in general, the big picture. However, the details that make this story are precise and well documented. The author takes the reader in a rather exciting journey from the arid zones of the legal chasing of criminals, to the exploration of their most dark motives. From the grandiosity of historical moments such as John Kennedy's decision not to launch an air strike against Cuba, probably avoiding with this the annihilation of most of humanity, to the abyss of his self-defeating extramarital sexual encounters that crudely exposed him to the spears of his enemies. One by one the different components of the fatal trap fall into place and the unavoidable occurs: The faith of the hero(s) fatally concludes.

After the background is set, the drama unfolds. The John Kennedy's campaign for the Presidency can be viewed as the planting of the mortiferous seeds that will grow into the misfortune or Jack and Bobby. The role of the Mafia and corrupt union leaders at the solicitation of Joe Kennedy is undeniable. During the Presidency of John Kennedy, Robert is appointed Attorney General of The United States, the zealous catholic altar boy launch a campaign against evil forces that are threatening the very fiber of America: the mobsters, the Mafia, and the CIA and FBI officials hostages of criminals through blackmail. The international front offers a discouraging view; Communism appears to be at the offensive and winning, with Cuba as its latest conquest. The anti-Communist crusade creates its own demons, it's a dirty war and it requires dirty alliances against Castro. The inexperience and miscalculations of John Kennedy lead him to the fiasco of the Bay of Pigs and the almost armageddonic Cuban nuclear missiles crisis. This crisis puts John Kennedy at a higher plane of understanding; it is the survival of humanity what is at stake. He needs to re-think the approach to the opposing super-power, compromise is the only solution, and this compromise mandates the abandonment of the Cuban cause. This divorce from the reactionary forces reigning within and outside the government at this historical period sealed his martyrdom.

The description of "Bobby alone" is epic. The different pressures, psychological and social, that determined his faith are exposed. Psychologically, his apparent sense of guilt for the death of his brother, and socially, pressure from the forgotten Americans: the poor American families receiving body bags from Vietnam, the black population struggling to put an end to segregation, the migratory farm workers fighting against mediaeval working conditions, native Americans extinguishing in Indian reservations, the growing rebellion of the American youth. The masses are demanding change and they appear to have adopted a new champion. Robert is now free from his father and brother ghosts. He embarks in a quasi-mystical mission for change. The exercise of power that he proposes has been progressively and dangerously transformed into a tool of social change. Robert Kennedy's candidacy for the presidency of the United States was a frontal assault on the very same forces that murdered his brother, and he consciously accepted his destiny. The California primary win gave the green light to the wolf pack to go for the kill. At the end, little room is left for doubt or speculation. Rosselli, Giancana, Marcelo, Oswald, Sirham, Hoover, Ruby, Johnson, and the many others mentioned in the book, come together in a murderous constellation. The reader can draw the connecting lines between the "stars" as he or she wishes, the ultimate result will be the same: The Kennedy brothers' destiny was sealed: Saturn has devoured his own children.

The literary quotes and fragments of poetry depicted in the book were of great interest to me. It was like having a minuscule sample of the precious fuel that kept the Kennedy's intellectual flames alive, and how these flames where amplified and exposed to the masses of this country in the form of a collective dream. Probably the sudden destruction of this dream, of this promise, explains to certain extent the unresolved collective trauma of the Kennedy brothers' assassination.

I highly recommend this book for its historical and literary merits.

I have just finished this book and while I have read many books on the Kennedy Presidency this one certainly stands out as one of the few that accurately describes the socio political climate which prevailed during his three year term. While many will no doubt concentrate on the story in terms of its conclusions relating to the JFK assasination, I have to say that it was the author's description of the day to day handling of one crisis after another. Starting with the Bay of Pigs invasion which lead to increased soviet pressure in terms of West Berlin and on ultimately to the 1962 missile crisis, you really get a feel for the era in which the Kennedy's prevailed. Another interesting theme in the book was John Kennedy's total disdain for his military advisors and commanders who he described as brass hats. This attitude reached its climax at the height of the Missile crisis where he adopted a very tactical and de-escalated approach to the problem. Standing tough publicly in terms of his resolve but leaving just enough room for the soviets to get off their own hook, he faced an on going battle with his Generals who would have gone to war. I don't wish to give the impression that the book is all JFK, Bobby Kennedy is an important aspect to the book particularly his tough, constant and uncompromising defense of his brother. This book is definitely worth a read.

It is interesting to go through those turbulent years of the 1960's and get a clearer understanding of what took place. The author shows how vulnerable a country can be when people in high places such as President Kennedy and F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover place themselves in compromising positions subject to possible blackmail from others. President Kennedy wouldn't get away with his extramarital relations now as he did in the '60's. I was especially impressed with Robert Kennedy in this book. This man was a doer who showed a genuine concern for the improvished in this country (the blacks, Indians, Mexicans, and poor whites) when he could have chosen not to get involved. His attacks on the mafia may have led to his brother's death, but he had the courage to face up to the problem rather than pretend it didn't exist. Leaders always have someone who don't like them, and the Kennedys, along with Dr. Martin Luther King, paid the ultimate price for this. It's too bad that there was such friction between the Kennedys, King, Johnson, and Hoover. Working together, they could have accomplished more for the country. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and it was interesting to revisit this turbulent period in history.

This is an amazing read. I believe it may be the best on the Kennedy's so far. Written in brillant historical novel form, Mahoney has clearly reached the pinacle of his field. There is no doubt Sons and Brothers would make for an amazing film. There has never been a book written quite like this about the Kennedys. I recommend it highly.

I thought I knew everything there is to know about the Kennedys but this book took me to a new place. Other versions tell one of two stories: the Kennedy brothers were great or they were terrible. This tells a different story, a clasic tragedy. Because they did terrible things to achieve wealth and power, the Kennedys had to pay the price just when they (particularly Bobby) were on the brink of doing good things for the country and the world. The anguish of Bobby is right out of literature. He (and old man Joe) were the Kennedys most guilty of making deals with the devil -- and JFK may have paid for his dad's and Bobby's sins with his life -- and he was also the one determined to do good after 11/22/63. Tortured by guilt, he reached out to heal those hurting, rather than inflict hurt as he had in the past. But the past caught up with him and killed him.Terribly sad.An incredibly good book: the best on the Kennedys.

I was raised in a conservative household and consider myself conservative in many ways (though I'm a registered independent). That said, I am 29 years old and both these men were dead before I was even born. However I have had a fascination with JFK & RFK since I first started studying history and the impact that the changes in the 1960's would have on future America. The picture on the cover is very telling about how different these brothers were -- black and white. What this book is really about is how co-dependent these two men were, with Jack more so upon Bobby. Many disturbing facts have come out about the Kennedy brothers in the last twenty years. Much of it does bother me as a moral and religious person. But that doesn't erase the fact that Jack and Bobby were very intelligent and gifted men and when it is all said and done, their idealism and determination positively impacted our nation's history.

"Sons and Brothers" is one of the few Kennedy biographies that is trying to explain the Kennedy assassination and the reasons why it happened. Other authors (for example Seymour Hersh and Thomas Reeves) describe November the 22nd as if what happened was an act of god. Mahoney shows us how Jack and Bobby (and their father), played a dangerous game with the mob, which ultimately led to President Kennedy's assassination. Although the writer devotes too much attention to Johnny Rosselli and organized crime's involvement, he makes a convincing case in presenting Rosselli to us as one of the key paticipants in Kennedy's murder. But was the mob capable of setting up Oswald, and creating a false link to a KGB agent, working in the Russian Embassy in Mexico? Or altering the Zapruder movie? I don't think so. Another flaw is the few pages that Mahoney reserved to discuss Vietnam. Overall, this book offers new insights into the lifes of the Kennedy brothers, and Mahoney has done a great job in portraying them as charismatic leaders, who had many faults, but who were growing in their capacity to move a nation and who were willing to change their attitude towards civil rights, Castro, and the Soviet Union. A must read for anyone interested in these "Coldest Years".

I began reading this book by invitation of a friend. I found that once I began I could scarcely put it down. This book analyzes the crucial relationship that existed between President Kennedy and his would-be President brother. As children the two never became close, few in the Kennedy clan saw much in the way of redeeming values in Robert Kennedy. Once he took the reins of the elder Kennedys campaign for congress everyone within, as well as outside, the family realized that Bobby would be a loyal soldier for the family. He valued loyalty above all else and Jack Kennedy soon realized that he could at times count on no one but his brother. Sons & Brothers explores the familys ties to the mob. While Bobby kept himself busy going after everyone he claimed was corrupt his family was benefiting directly from their contacts in the mob, whether it was selling alcohol during prohibition or bringing out people to vote who otherwise would not be able to exercise their citizenry duty. An important message of the book is that what brought the family up is also what took it down. I consider this book a must read for anyone with an interest in history.

Provides a good understanding of the events that led to the JFK election and subsequent assassination. Covers the entanglements of the Kennedy family with the mafia, Hoover, Castro, the c.i.a. begining with the Joe Kennedy years, and ends with the assination of Bobby Kennedy.