Page 2 -of telegram to BOGOTA LIMITED OFFICIAL USE Classification de una paz estable y de una convivencia provechosa y fecunda entre todas las naciones del orb. Formulo votes porque vuestro gran pueblo supere esta nueva y doloresa prueba y porque se restableca el clima de concordia necessario para el normal desarrollo de su proceso democratico como el mejor homenaje a azen quien busco incansablemente el imperio de la justice. Presento a vuestra excelencias las securidades de mi mas elevada consideración. Carlos Llores Restrepo Presidente de la República de Colombia UNQTE END IRUSK L LIMITED OFFICIAL USE FORM D5-32ZA 8:43 Classification CONTINUATION SHEET

Summary  
The documents detail reactions to Senator Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California, following a campaign event. U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson sent condolence messages to foreign leaders, including Brazilian President Arthur da Costa e Silva, Finnish President Urho Kekkonen, and Uruguayan President Jorge Pacheco Areco, expressing grief over RFK’s death and acknowledging its global impact. These telegrams were transmitted through the U.S. Department of State to embassies in Bogota, Helsinki, Paramaribo, and Montevideo. In Zambia, local media condemned the assassination as "primitive, barbaric, and undemocratic," with President Kenneth Kaunda criticizing inadequate security for RFK and linking the violence to political instability. The U.S. Embassy in Lusaka opened a condolence book, receiving 433 entries by June 10, and hosted a memorial service attended by Zambian officials and expatriates. Reports noted RFK’s critical condition post-assault, requiring immediate surgery, and referenced his political career, including his 1968 presidential campaign and advocacy for civil rights. A New York Times report mentioned Sirhan Sirhan, the alleged assassin, who was arrested and later tried for the crime. U.S. Ambassador Robert C. Good acknowledged the assassination’s global implications in a government statement, condemning it as senseless hate.  

Key People  
- Robert F. Kennedy (assassinated)  
- Lyndon B. Johnson (U.S. President)  
- Arthur da Costa e Silva (Brazilian President)  
- Urho Kekkonen (Finnish President)  
- Jorge Pacheco Areco (Uruguayan President)  
- Kenneth Kaunda (Zambian President)  
- Robert C. Good (U.S. Ambassador to Zambia)  
- Sirhan Sirhan (alleged assassin)  
- Eugene McArthur (Ugandan official)  
- Jojo Kenyatta (Kenyan leader)  

Key Locations  
- Los Angeles, California (assassination site)  
- Lusaka, Zambia (U.S. Embassy, memorial service)  
- Bogota, Colombia; Helsinki, Finland; Paramaribo, Suriname; Montevideo, Uruguay (telegram destinations)  
- Nairobi, Kenya  
- Kampala, Uganda  
- New York City (funeral tributes)  

Key Events  
- Assassination of RFK on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles  
- U.S. presidential condolences to foreign leaders (June 6–7, 1968)  
- Condolence book opened at U.S. Embassy in Lusaka (June 6–10, 1968)  
- Zambian media and political condemnation of RFK’s assassination  
- Memorial service for RFK held in Lusaka on June 8, 1968  
- Reports of RFK’s critical condition and surgical intervention  
- Sirhan Sirhan’s arrest and trial for the assassination  
- Funeral tributes in Los Angeles and Zambia  
- U.S. government statement addressing global perceptions of violence  

Key Organizations  
- U.S. Department of State (telegram transmissions)  
- U.S. Information Service (Lusaka headquarters)  
- Ugandan government (Uganda People’s Congress)  
- Zambian government (Zambia National Assembly)  
- Los Angeles Police Department (investigation into assassination)  
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (mentioned in telegrams)

RFK Declassified Files

pol_6-2_us_kennedy_06_12_1968_senator_robert_f._kennedy-part_4_of_4.pdf

Document Summary

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