1968 JUN 12 PM 4 24. 1968-JUN 12-PM-4 24-

Summary  
The documents detail international responses to the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy on June 5, 1968, and subsequent memorial activities. Following his death, foreign governments, organizations, and individuals sent condolences to the U.S., including messages from the Republic of Vietnam’s House of Representatives, South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO), Colombian Consul Juan Zapata Olivialla, and diplomatic representatives in Saigon, Dar es Salaam, Lisbon, Warsaw, and Guatemala. The U.S. Department of State coordinated the forwarding of these messages to Mrs. Kennedy and congressional offices. In July 1968, additional condolences were recorded, including letters from Thailand, Italy, New Zealand, Ghana, and Chile, with notable mentions of President Lyndon B. Johnson and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey transmitting messages to foreign leaders. Memorial activities in Turin, Italy, included large-scale masses, schoolchildren’s expressions of grief, and a condolence register signed by 783 individuals. Portuguese newspapers published special editions commemorating RFK’s death, while the U.S. Consulate in Lisbon received condolences from officials. Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies passed a resolution condemning the assassination and requesting tribute to Kennedy. Some entries contained garbled or unrelated administrative text, including non-English phrases like “bater bany,” likely errors or incomplete records.  

Key People  
- Robert F. Kennedy (assassinated)  
- Nguyen Ba Luong (President of Republic of Vietnam’s House of Representatives)  
- George B. Roberts, Jr. (First Secretary of Embassy Dar es Salaam)  
- Jacob Kuhangua (Secretary General of SWAPO)  
- Juan Zapata Olivialla (Consul of Colombia in Guatemala)  
- Hubert H. Humphrey (Vice President)  
- Lyndon B. Johnson (President)  
- Sir Arthur Porritt (New Zealand)  
- President Eyadema (Ghana)  
- Mayor Grosso (Turin, Italy)  
- Cardinal Pellegrini (Turin, Italy)  
- Edward Kennedy (brother of RFK, U.S. Senator)  
- Kurt Waldheim (Austrian Foreign Minister)  
- William B. Nembert, Jr. (U.S. Department of State official)  
- J. Augusto Saldivar (Paraguayan parliamentary secretary)  
- Bonifacio Irala Amarilla (Paraguayan political figure)  

Key Locations  
- Republic of Vietnam (Saigon)  
- South West Africa (Dar es Salaam)  
- Portugal (Lisbon, Oporto)  
- Italy (Turin, Brussels)  
- Thailand (Bangkok)  
- New Zealand (Wellington)  
- Ghana (Lome)  
- Chile (Santiago)  
- Cameroon (Yaounde)  
- Austria (Vienna)  
- United States (Washington, D.C.)  

Key Events  
- Transmission of condolence messages from foreign governments and organizations to the U.S. following RFK’s assassination  
- Coordination by the Department of State to forward condolences to Mrs. Kennedy and congressional offices  
- Memorial masses in Turin, including Cardinal Pellegrini’s service and schoolchildren’s expressions of grief  
- Portuguese newspapers publishing special editions commemorating RFK’s death  
- U.S. Consulate in Lisbon receiving condolences from officials, including British Consul General  
- Austrian Foreign Minister Kurt Waldheim sending a condolence message to Edward Kennedy  
- Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies passing a resolution condemning the assassination and requesting tribute to Kennedy  
- Collection and distribution of books of condolence and poems in embassies worldwide  

Key Organizations  
- Republic of Vietnam House of Representatives  
- South West Africa People’s Organization (SWAPO)  
- Embassy of Colombia (Guatemala)  
- U.S. Department of State  
- Office of Congressional Relations (U.S.)  
- Embassy Bangkok  
- Embassy Brussels  
- Embassy Turin  
- Embassy Wellington  
- Embassy Lome  
- Austrian Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs  
- Paraguayan National Congress  
- U.S. Senate

RFK Declassified Files

pol_6-2_us_kennedy_07_01_1968_senator_robert_f._kennedy-part_2_of_3.pdf

Document Summary

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