RFK Assassination: What Newly Released Files Reveal

Newly released files about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy shed new light on his life and how he briefed secret service agents about a foreign trip behind the Iron Curtain.

On Thursday, the CIA released 54 previously classified documents totaling 1,450 pages about RFK’s death. The documents, some redacted, show how the CIA responded to his killing and detailed RFK’s trip to the Soviet Union, among other vignettes about his life and the broader social and political context of the time.

Why It Matters

RFK, a former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate was assassinated in June 1968 after making a campaign speech in Los Angeles. He died aged 42, on June 6, the day after the attack at the Ambassador Hotel.

At the start of his second term, President Trump ordered the release of documents on the assassinations of RFK and his brother, former President John F. Kennedy, with backing from RFK’s son, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The administration first released a batch of documents in April, then another in May.

Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., speaks in Washington, March 16, 1968, as he announces he will run for president.

AP Photo

RFK’s death, as well as that of JFK, have fascinated the American public for decades, sparking conspiracy theories and speculation.

Sirhan Sirhan, then aged 24, was convicted in July 1969 of the assassination. Sirhan, now aged 81 and serving life in prison, admitted at his trial that he shot RFK but said he could not recall doing so.

RFK Jr. has expressed doubts on Sirhan being the shooter and called for a reinvestigation of the assassination.

What To Know

The documents include news articles, intelligence reports, dispatches and correspondence between the CIA and other agencies.

One document detailed efforts to shape the media coverage of the assassination and another showed memos about allegations the CIA was involved in John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination.

Another detailed RFK’s trip to the Soviet Union in 1955 as a young Senate staffer. RFK visited the communist state with Supreme Court Justice William Douglas and briefed the CIA about his experiences during the trip. In one memo he said he visited a state factory and said he met an engineer who “was friendly.”

What People Are Saying

The CIA in a statement: “The records reveal for the first time that Senator Kennedy shared his experiences traveling to the former Soviet Union with CIA, reflecting his patriotic commitment to serving his country.”

RFK JR. in a statement: “Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government. I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency. I’m grateful also to Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe for their dogged efforts to root out and declassify these documents.”