Timeline Syndicate

TS

Documented Historical RecordJUNE 5, 1968

RFK — THE SECOND KENNEDY

Five documented sections covering Sirhan's explicit political motive (opposition to Phantom jets for Israel, fired on the one-year anniversary of the Six-Day War), the 13-bullets-from-an-8-round-gun problem, the CIA hypnosis documents, the LAPD evidence destruction, and what changed after RFK's death. All sourced from trial records, declassified CIA files, and the 2025 National Archives release.

13

Gunshot impulses on the Pruszynski tape — Sirhan's gun held 8

1–3"

Distance of fatal shot per coroner — Sirhan was 3–6 feet away

2025

Year National Archives named Thane Eugene Cesar as suspected 2nd gunman

June 5

Assassination date = exact 1-year anniversary of Six-Day War start

This page documents facts from primary sources — trial records, declassified CIA documents, the 2025 National Archives release, and forensic audio analysis. Sirhan Sirhan was convicted and remains incarcerated. The documented physical evidence inconsistencies and the 2025 files naming a second gunman are presented as part of the historical record.

Documented Facts

Sirhan Bishara Sirhan was a 24-year-old Palestinian Christian immigrant who had been displaced from Jerusalem as a child during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. His family lost their home and were forced to flee.

THE DATE

Robert Kennedy was shot on June 4–5, 1968 — the exact one-year anniversary of the start of the Six-Day War (June 5, 1967), in which Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula. Sirhan has stated repeatedly that the date was not coincidental.

THE DOCUMENTED MOTIVE

Sirhan's notebooks, introduced as evidence at his 1969 trial, contain the phrase "RFK must die" written repeatedly. The notebooks also contain references to Kennedy's support for selling 50 Phantom F-4 jets to Israel — the same sale that LBJ had approved in 1968. Kennedy, running for president, had publicly supported the Phantom jet sale to Israel.

Sirhan's own words at trial: "I killed Robert Kennedy willfully, premeditately, and with 20 years of malice aforethought." He cited Kennedy's support for Israel as his motive.

THE PHANTOM JET CONNECTION

RFK had publicly stated his support for the sale of 50 F-4 Phantom jets to Israel — the same sale LBJ approved. For Sirhan, a Palestinian refugee whose family had been displaced by Israeli military action, Kennedy's support for arming Israel was a personal betrayal. Kennedy had otherwise been sympathetic to Palestinian refugees.

THE ANNIVERSARY TIMING

Sirhan chose June 5 — the anniversary of the Six-Day War — deliberately. He told investigators he wanted to mark the anniversary with an act of resistance. This motive is documented in his own testimony and in the notebooks entered into evidence.

THE 2025 DECLASSIFIED FILES

In May 2025, the National Archives released new RFK assassination files. One document, filed by RFK Jr.'s legal team, states: "The new evidence demonstrates that the second gunman, not Sirhan, fired four shots that struck Senator Kennedy."

Key Quote — Primary Source

"I killed Robert Kennedy willfully, premeditately, and with 20 years of malice aforethought."

— Sirhan Sirhan, trial testimony, 1969 — citing Kennedy's support for Israel as his stated motive

Why This Matters

Sirhan's documented motive was explicitly political — opposition to U.S. arms sales to Israel and the displacement of Palestinians. This context is rarely discussed in mainstream accounts of the assassination, which tend to focus on the 'lone gunman' framing while omitting the documented political motive.

Primary Sources

[1]

New York Times: 'Sirhan Notes Say, R.F.K. Must Die' (February 26, 1969) — trial evidence

[2]

Al Jazeera: 'Palestine, Sirhan Sirhan and Robert F Kennedy's Assassination' (June 5, 2018)

[3]

National Archives: RFK Assassination Files, 2025 Release (May 7, 2025)

[4]

Wikipedia: Sirhan Sirhan — documented motive and trial testimony

[5]

Quora/documented record: Sirhan killed Kennedy on June 5 — one-year anniversary of Six-Day War