Robert F. Kennedy, Without the Shadows
Memories of President Kennedy and his 1963 assassination were still fresh in Americans’ minds when Sen. Robert F. Kennedy began campaigning for his brother’s old job in 1968.
Americans who voted for John hoped Robert would revive his older brother’s policies. After all, he shared his brother’s sharp wit, idealism, and talent for politics. And he was young. If elected, he would become president at the same age his brother took office — 43.
A 1967 Post interview presents that vibrant picture of the young candidate, nearly a year before his own assassination on June 6. In “At Home with the Heir Apparent,” Robert S. Bird chats with a relaxed “Bobby” at home — swimming in the kid’s pool, pausing the interview to make paper airplanes for his children, and talking of his ideals and the challenges he faced. Bird’s article is a glimpse of how Americans saw Robert F. Kennedy in 1967.