On June 5th, 1968, at L.A.'s Ambassador Hotel, Robert F. Kennedy celebrated his victory in the California Democratic primary with a rousing victory speech anticipating a successful run for the presidency. Moments later, gunshots shattered that dream: like his brother before him, Bobby Kennedy lay mortally wounded at the hand of an assassin. The police quickly apprehended Sirhan Sirhan, who the world believed had single-handedly masterminded the shooting. Shockingly, that may not be so, as documentary filmmaker Shane O'Sullivan presents powerful new evidence to the contrary...
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Sane, well-documented, and convincing"--Library Journal
Review
"O'Sullivan tries and succeeds in informing us about the failure of law enforcement in solving this crime, due to destruction of crucial evidence and prematurely ending the investigation. He compiles old and new data that is invaluable (and) provides history and possible solutions. I was standing with Robert Kennedy that night and was wounded but I will never give up trying to solve this case"
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Shane O'Sullivan, a screenplay writer, has taken a bite out of the RFK conspiracy. The book is narrated by O'Sullivan who explains his entry into this subject and field. O'Sullivan, whose from Ireland, had no preconceived knowledge of Bobby Kennedy. His wife turned him onto the subject and thought it would make a good screenplay. When he was finished, he realized he had a documentary instead.
O'Sullivan's narrative is fairly easy to follow. He covers the subject with a fair degree of completion. He admits in the preface there was not enough space for everything. Unfortunately, he leaves out Jerry Owens, the walking Bible from Turner and Christian's book, "The Assassination of RFK". This to me is a fatal flaw as Turner and Christian's book would make a more fascinating screenplay (not to mention their excellent investigative reporting).
O'Sullivan delivers the essential facts of the RFK case. He presents the facts in a very fair manner. His conclusions are logical. Unlike many conspiracy writes, O'Sullivan doesn't jump off the deep end in order to force a conclusion. To his credit, he admits his own mistakes: the David Morales red herring. O'Sullivan believed CIA hitman David Morales was in the Ambassador hotel on June 4, 1968. He thoroughly investigated this premise. But reluctantly abandoned the position because the evidence was not conclusive.
In the end, O'Sullivan presents the acoustical evidence which shows 11 shots were fired in the pantry. This is reminscent of the dictabelt recording from the HSCA from 1978. The hotly contested conclusion of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (hotly contested by the Oswald-did-it-alone crowd) will probably precipitate the same for O'Sullivan's case here.
Having watched his documentary and read the book, I believe O'Sullivan has some more RFK investigating in him. I predict his next book will be a better.
O'Sullivan's narrative is fairly easy to follow. He covers the subject with a fair degree of completion. He admits in the preface there was not enough space for everything. Unfortunately, he leaves out Jerry Owens, the walking Bible from Turner and Christian's book, "The Assassination of RFK". This to me is a fatal flaw as Turner and Christian's book would make a more fascinating screenplay (not to mention their excellent investigative reporting).
O'Sullivan delivers the essential facts of the RFK case. He presents the facts in a very fair manner. His conclusions are logical. Unlike many conspiracy writes, O'Sullivan doesn't jump off the deep end in order to force a conclusion. To his credit, he admits his own mistakes: the David Morales red herring. O'Sullivan believed CIA hitman David Morales was in the Ambassador hotel on June 4, 1968. He thoroughly investigated this premise. But reluctantly abandoned the position because the evidence was not conclusive.
In the end, O'Sullivan presents the acoustical evidence which shows 11 shots were fired in the pantry. This is reminscent of the dictabelt recording from the HSCA from 1978. The hotly contested conclusion of the House Select Committee on Assassinations (hotly contested by the Oswald-did-it-alone crowd) will probably precipitate the same for O'Sullivan's case here.
Having watched his documentary and read the book, I believe O'Sullivan has some more RFK investigating in him. I predict his next book will be a better.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
By Phil Dragoo
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I knew this to be good at the outset having seen author Shane O'Sullivan's thoughtful eight-minute interview on Irish television.
In addition, Jim DiEugenio Chairman of Citizens for Truth in the Kennedy Assassination had looked at it with his special intensity and found it on balance a positive contribution to the research.
I was most intensely moved by Shane O'Sullivan's thorough presentation of the actions of LAPD officers Pena and Hernandez in an obvious cover-up with malice.
The two in question are familiar to anyone having read the initial Turner and Christian and the subsequent Klaber and Melanson--AID-trained, doing the (CIA's) work with police departments in Central and South America, shredding the interviews (Pena) and polygraphs (Hernandez) of any witnesses interfering with the lone-nut, single-gun theory.
One may choose to believe or not believe Sirhan's claim he does not remember the period between drinking coffee with the young woman and being "choked" on the steam table, but medical examiner Thomas Noguchi's testimony that Kennedy's head shot had residue indicating a muzzle distance of no more than one inch is not, in my view, open to question.
Tremendous pressure was placed on Noguchi to change his testimony--charges of unprofessional conduct which he defeated. Just as the defense attorney was under the shadow of legal liability for conduct in another case. Witnesses received threats to change their testimony in addition to the bullying by Hernandez and the censoring by Pena.
If there is fault here in the writing it is perhaps in accepting Moldea's defense of Cesar based on polygraph--does no one note Aldrich Ames passed his "flutter" after coaching from his KGB handler?
Also, there is an Antonioni Blow-Up (1966) attempt to find CIA assassin David Sanchez Morales at the Ambassador that night, in company with other CIA officials. This was a line of inquiry less successful than the rest, but the author's honesty in presenting all of it adds to his overall credibility.
In sum, we have here a fresh look by a bright mind from another time and another culture who finds compelling evidence for conspiracy and argues for reopening the case.
In addition, Jim DiEugenio Chairman of Citizens for Truth in the Kennedy Assassination had looked at it with his special intensity and found it on balance a positive contribution to the research.
I was most intensely moved by Shane O'Sullivan's thorough presentation of the actions of LAPD officers Pena and Hernandez in an obvious cover-up with malice.
The two in question are familiar to anyone having read the initial Turner and Christian and the subsequent Klaber and Melanson--AID-trained, doing the (CIA's) work with police departments in Central and South America, shredding the interviews (Pena) and polygraphs (Hernandez) of any witnesses interfering with the lone-nut, single-gun theory.
One may choose to believe or not believe Sirhan's claim he does not remember the period between drinking coffee with the young woman and being "choked" on the steam table, but medical examiner Thomas Noguchi's testimony that Kennedy's head shot had residue indicating a muzzle distance of no more than one inch is not, in my view, open to question.
Tremendous pressure was placed on Noguchi to change his testimony--charges of unprofessional conduct which he defeated. Just as the defense attorney was under the shadow of legal liability for conduct in another case. Witnesses received threats to change their testimony in addition to the bullying by Hernandez and the censoring by Pena.
If there is fault here in the writing it is perhaps in accepting Moldea's defense of Cesar based on polygraph--does no one note Aldrich Ames passed his "flutter" after coaching from his KGB handler?
Also, there is an Antonioni Blow-Up (1966) attempt to find CIA assassin David Sanchez Morales at the Ambassador that night, in company with other CIA officials. This was a line of inquiry less successful than the rest, but the author's honesty in presenting all of it adds to his overall credibility.
In sum, we have here a fresh look by a bright mind from another time and another culture who finds compelling evidence for conspiracy and argues for reopening the case.
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As an avid researcher of the Robert F. Kennedy assassination, I enjoyed Sullivan's chronology of this event and what official investigators and researchers have determined. He covers possible answers thoroughly, but I wish he would consider the idea that Sirhan fired blanks more as Sullivan acknowledges no bullet has been tied to Sirhan's gun.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
for a great Lawrence Teeter interview.....
Check out the Wikipedia article online about Sirhan Sirhan, scroll down to the bottom, click on the link about Lawrence Teeter, and listen.....
Published on June 18, 2009 by L. Hunt
3.0 out of 5 stars
The Conspiracy Theory Derived From Facts
The author was born in Ireland and is a writer and film maker who lives in London. He spent four years investigating the RFK assassination for his documentary film "R.F.K. Read more
Published on February 10, 2009 by Acute Observer
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hard to Follow
One of 3 books released this year regarding Kennedy, O'Sullivan's work is mostly a regurgitation of material previously published. Read more
Published on November 18, 2008 by Jennifer J. Hewitt
3.0 out of 5 stars
Reality Check
For those interested in the RFK assassination, the book and its companion video ("RFK Must Die") are probably worth buying. Read more
Published on October 11, 2008 by Leonard C. Robinson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thin. Very thin.
I'm a huge fan of RFK and I am ready to be convinced that there was more to his murder than one crazed lonely man. Read more
Published on August 18, 2008 by George Kirk
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