Declassified CIA files just dropped a bombshell on Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination. On June 12, 2025, the agency released 1,450 pages, including 54 previously classified documents, shedding light on Sirhan Sirhan’s twisted motives. The truth, as always, cuts through decades of speculation.
The documents detail Sirhan Sirhan’s conviction for gunning down Kennedy at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, after his California Democratic primary win, with no evidence of a broader conspiracy. This massive release, championed by President Trump’s transparency push, also reveals Kennedy’s earlier role as a CIA informant during a 1955 Soviet Union trip, according to the New York Post report.
Back in 1955, Kennedy, then a young traveler, joined Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas on a Soviet Union visit. He voluntarily fed the CIA a 129-page diary, over 1,000 photos, and videos. A CIA official called this “patriotism,” but it raises eyebrows about how deep Kennedy’s ties ran.
Fast-forward to 1968, Sirhan, a Palestinian-born Jordanian, scrawled chilling notes: “Kennedy must fall.” Another declared Kennedy “must be sacrificed” for the “poor exploited people,” predicting his death “tonight tonight tonight.” These ravings, predating May 19, 1968, show a man obsessed, not a mastermind.
A July 8, 1968, federal assessment painted Sirhan as impulsive, not calculated. “Under no circumstances would we have predicted that [Sirhan] was ‘capable’ of doing what he did,” it stated. Yet, they admitted he could’ve been a conspiracy’s pawn, like historical assassins targeting Seward or Johnson.
The same report compared Sirhan to the impulsive killers of Presidents Garfield and McKinley, not the scheming minds behind Lincoln or JFK’s murders. “We cannot see him as part of a conspiracy,” the assessment insisted. Sounds like they wanted to close the book fast.
A June 12, 1968, psychological profile described Sirhan as “quite intuitive” with “high intellectual potential.” It even noted his belief that “communism may appear as an ideal solution.” Dangerous ideas, sure, but the documents confirm no ties to terrorist groups, despite his family’s international connections.
Sirhan’s notes are the stuff of nightmares. “Please pay to the order of Sirhan Sirhan,” he wrote, as if Kennedy’s death was a transaction. This wasn’t a political manifesto; it was a personal vendetta dressed up as ideology.
Still, the files leave room for doubt, especially for Kennedy’s son, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “I was disturbed that the wrong person might have been convicted of killing my father,” he told the Washington Post in 2018. His skepticism, fueled by a 2018 prison visit with Sirhan, isn’t exactly fringe.
In a 2021 San Francisco Chronicle op-ed, RFK Jr. pointed the finger at Thane Eugene Cesar, a part-time hotel security guard who died in 2019. “I firmly believe the idea that Sirhan murdered my dad is a fiction that is impeding justice,” he wrote. Cesar, never charged, denied involvement, but RFK Jr.’s accusations linger.
The CIA’s release, overseen by Director John Ratcliffe, delivers on Trump’s promise of “maximum transparency.” “Today’s release … enables the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest,” Ratcliffe said. Funny how “transparency” often reveals more questions than answers.
RFK Jr. praised the effort, thanking Trump, Ratcliffe, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. “I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency,” he said on June 12, 2025. Gratitude aside, he’s still chasing ghosts.
Gabbard’s earlier release of over 10,000 pages on Kennedy’s murder set the stage for this latest dump. The 1968 assassination, fresh off Kennedy’s primary victory, shocked a nation already reeling from violence. These documents, while detailed, don’t rewrite history—just stir the pot.
The federal assessment’s hedging about Sirhan being a “tool” of a conspiracy feels like a cop-out. “It is very unlikely, however, that he could have effectively acted under precise instructions,” they wrote. So, what’s the truth—lone actor or puppet?
Ultimately, the CIA’s document haul confirms Sirhan acted alone, driven by a warped sense of justice. But RFK Jr.’s doubts, paired with these cryptic notes and profiles, keep the conspiracy embers glowing. Transparency’s great, but it rarely buries old mysteries.
