(Robert Kennedy)
＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「ケネディ家の呪い」とは？背景にはマフィアの影があったのか？
<August 31, 2021 Update> California Authorities Recommend Parole for Robert Kennedy Assassin
On August 27, California authorities recommended parole for Sirhan Sirhan (77) (pictured below), the inmate who assassinated former Attorney General Robert Kennedy in 1968.
This is because Robert Kennedy Jr. and Douglas Kennedy, sons of President Kennedy, supported his parole.
The fate of Sirhan, who has served 53 years in prison, will ultimately rest with the governor after a three-month review period.
In 1968, Sirhan shot and killed Kennedy in the kitchen of a Los Angeles hotel. Just before this, Kennedy had been celebrating his victory in the Democratic primary for the presidential election at a campaign event.
Sirhan was found guilty of first-degree murder and other charges, and was initially sentenced to death. However, after a state court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment in 1972.
In Japan, there’s a well-known story of a cursed family called “The Inugami Family,” based on the novel by Seishi Yokomizo and adapted into a hugely successful Kadokawa film.
While “The Inugami Family” is purely fiction, there’s a real-life story of a cursed family in America.
Even after President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while riding in an open-top car during a parade in Dallas, Texas, tragedies continued to befall the Kennedy family.
This series of tragedies is often referred to as the “Kennedy tragedies” or “Kennedy Curse.”
My parents and older siblings often attributed bad luck to “bad shoulders,” and it seems the Kennedy family really did suffer from bad shoulders.
1. The “Kennedy Curse”
Several members of the Kennedy family did not die by ordinary means, such as assassination or plane crashes. Others died from drug overdoses or suicide.
In June 1964, Senator Edward Kennedy (1932-2009), the youngest brother of President Kennedy, was involved in a plane crash, killing his aide and the pilot. He was injured but survived.
In June 1968, Senator Robert Kennedy (1925-1968), President Kennedy’s brother and former Attorney General, was also assassinated by gunfire during his Democratic presidential nomination campaign.
While President Kennedy was rumored to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe, introduced to him by the singer Frank Sinatra (who had close ties to the Mafia), there were also rumors that Robert Kennedy had an affair with Marilyn Monroe.
(Edward Kennedy)
In July 1969, the Chappaquiddick incident occurred when Senator Edward Kennedy’s car plunged off a bridge, drowning a female passenger. This was a car accident resulting from his drunk driving. He swam to shore on his own, but failed to rescue the woman, call the police, or seek help. This led to a scandal involving the disposal of a body and an extramarital affair. He was also suspected of drug use.
In a television interview after the incident, he said, “On the night of the accident, I thought some terrible curse was really going to befall the entire Kennedy family.” This incident ended his path to the presidency.
In 1973, Robert Kennedy’s son was indicted for marijuana possession.
In 1983, Robert Kennedy’s son was arrested for heroin possession.
(John F. Kennedy Jr.)
In July 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. (1960-1999), the eldest son of President Kennedy, died in a plane crash caused by pilot error while flying a light aircraft, along with his wife and sister-in-law.
In May 2012, the wife of Robert Kennedy’s son committed suicide after her husband requested a divorce, due to alcoholism and drug abuse.
In August 2019, Robert Kennedy’s granddaughter, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, died of a drug overdose at her vacation home.
On April 6, 2020, Robert Kennedy’s granddaughter, Maeve McKeen, was found dead in the ocean 4 km from the shore where she had launched her canoe; her 8-year-old son, who was with her, is still missing.
2. The Background of the Tragedy
(1) The Shadow of the Mafia
To outsiders, they appear to be a dignified and privileged family lacking nothing, but a look back at their past reveals deep ties to the mafia.
(Joseph P. Kennedy)
Joseph P. Kennedy (1888-1969), father of the Kennedy brothers, was a wealthy businessman who amassed his fortune through bootlegging and finance, often in collaboration with the Mafia.
He was an Irish-American and a Catholic. A powerful Democratic politician backed by immense wealth, he provided substantial financial support when Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932. For these services, he served as the first Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission, and Ambassador to Great Britain.
While the Mafia contributed to Kennedy’s election, his shift to anti-Mafia policies after his presidency seems to have been part of their retaliation.
While there’s no concrete evidence, looking back at the unfortunate events surrounding the Kennedy family, it feels as though a terrifyingly strong will is at work behind the scenes: “Never let another Kennedy become president again” and “We will never forgive the Kennedy family.”
Perhaps it’s a case of “the sins of the parents are visited upon the children.”
(2) The Kennedy family’s bad conduct
This, I believe, is unrelated to the sins of their parents and is a problem of the individuals themselves (Joseph P. Kennedy’s sons and grandsons), but perhaps they couldn’t break ties with the Mafia.
However, one bright spot is that Caroline Kennedy (born 1957), President Kennedy’s eldest daughter, became the U.S. Ambassador to Japan during the Obama administration.