Overview
Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1968 seemed like it should be an open-and-shut case. Many people crowded in the small room at Los Angeles’s famed Ambassador Hotel that fateful night and saw Sirhan Sirhan pull the trigger. Sirhan was also convicted of the crime and still languishes in jail with a life sentence. However, conspiracy theorists have jumped on inconsistencies in the eyewitness testimony and alleged anomalies in the forensic evidence to suggest that Sirhan was only one shooter in a larger conspiracy, a patsy for the real killers, or even a hypnotized assassin who did not know what he was doing (a popular plot in Cold War–era fiction, such as The Manchurian Candidate). Mel Ayton profiles Sirhan and presents a wealth of evidence about his fanatical Palestinian nationalism and his hatred for RFK that motivated the killing. Ayton unearths neglected eyewitness accounts and overlooked forensic evidence and examines Sirhan’s extensive personal notebooks. He revisits the trial proceedings and convincingly shows Sirhan was in fact the lone assassin whose politically motivated act was a forerunner of present-day terrorism. The Forgotten Terrorist is the definitive book on the assassination that rocked the nation during the turbulent summer of 1968.
Full Product Details
Author: Mel Ayton
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc
Imprint: Potomac Books Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 15.00cm
, Height: 2.60cm
, Length: 23.00cm
Weight: 0.535kg
ISBN: 9781597970808
ISBN 10: 1597970808
Pages: 356
Publication Date: 01 May 2008
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Out of Print
Availability: In Print
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.
Reviews
The Forgotten Terrorist is superlative, especially in regards to Sirhan's political obsessions and background. The greatest riddle in any of these high profile assassinations is motive. Thanks to Mel Ayton, the RFK killing can now be removed from that list of mysteries. I now recommend this book as the first and last book to read on the case. --Gus Russo, author of The Outfit and Supermob
I am a recognized expert on the murder of Senator Kennedy, but I learned a great deal from The Forgotten Terrorist, especially about Sirhan's family background and his 'Palestinian nationalism.' The exquisite detail contained in this well-written, wonderfully researched work makes it a must-read for anyone studying this far from open-and-shut case. -- Dan E. Moldea
The Forgotten Terrorist is superlative, especially in regards to Sirhan s political obsessions and background. The greatest riddle in any of these high profile assassinations is motive. Thanks to Mel Ayton, the RFK killing can now be removed from that list of mysteries. I now recommend this book as the first and last book to read on the case.
Author Information
Mel Ayton is the author of numerous books, including Plotting to Kill the President: Assassination Attempts from Washington to Hoover (Potomac Books, 2017) and Hunting the President: Threats, Plots, and Assassination Attempts--From FDR to Obama. He has been a history consultant for the BBC, the National Geographic Channel, and the Discovery Channel.
