Never before has an assassination been photographed from start to finish: from the happiness in the Ambassador Hotel Ballroom to the hell that awaited R.F.K. in the kitchen. No matter what words are said, photographs don't lie. Harry Benson's photographs convey the horror of the tragedy: the panic in the room, Ethel Kennedy trying to help, the screaming not another Dallas, a young girl placing her "R.F.K. for President" boater on the pool of blood. "As Bobby lay there, a rosary placed in his hand, chaos ensued, and five others were shot around me," said photographer Benson. Newly released in paperback format, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, with excerpts from R.F.K.'s speeches and from photographer Harry Benson's own 1966-68 journals, R.F.K.: A Photographer's Journal is an intimate photographic portrait and a fitting tribute to an extraordinary man, and the legacy he left behind. World-renowned photojournalist Harry Benson's photographs capture unprecedented intimate family outings alongside Senator Kennedy's brief but unforgettable presidential run, from the announcement of his candidacy on St. Patrick's Day in 1968, to the fervor and excitement of his days on the campaign trail, all the way through his shocking assassination in Los Angeles and the long, sweltering funeral procession to Arlington Cemetery. Here are glimpses of the exhilarating successes, and finally the chaos of that tragic night in Los Angeles, and the mourning of hundreds of thousands after their hero was struck down.
