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Indian Express
6 days ago
- General
- Indian Express
The Kennedy curse: The tragedy of America's royal family
On this day 26 years ago, John F. Kennedy Jr., his wife Carolyn, and her sister Lauren vanished into the Atlantic Ocean, capping the 20th century with one more tragedy for the Kennedy family. John Jr.'s death was particularly cruel in its irony. The boy who had captured America's heart as a three-year-old saluting his father's coffin died piloting a plane into the dark waters off Martha's Vineyard. He was heading to a wedding – a celebration that soon became a wake. In less than a century, the Kennedys have lived through more public misfortune, scandal, and sudden death than seems plausible for any one family. Plane crashes. Assassinations. Overdoses. Suicides. Their story, full of promise and pain, is one America cannot stop telling. In 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy – who had already lost four siblings by then – asked aloud whether 'some awful curse did actually hang over all the Kennedys.' Fifty-five years later, that question still lingers. The Kennedy saga begins with Joseph Kennedy Sr., a wealthy businessman who dreamed of political greatness for his children. His eldest son, Joseph Kennedy Jr., was the golden child, groomed to become America's first Catholic president. A Harvard graduate and Navy pilot, Joe Jr. volunteered for a dangerous World War II mission in 1944, piloting a bomb-laden plane over Nazi-occupied France. The plane exploded, killing him at the age of 29. 'Now the burden falls on me,' his younger brother John F. Kennedy told a friend, as the family's political hopes shifted to the sickly second son. That burden would define the rest of his life. John was not supposed to be president. He suffered from a chronic illness, lived much of his childhood in hospitals, and was given the last rites more than once. But he was also fiercely resilient. The historian Robert Dallek described Kennedy's decision to hide his condition from the public as 'the quiet stoicism of a man struggling to endure extraordinary pain and distress and performing his presidential (and pre-presidential) duties largely undeterred.' John made it to the White House as the youngest President in American history. A little over one thousand days later, he became the youngest President to die. On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was travelling through Dallas, Texas in an open air car with his wife Jacqueline, Texas governor John Connally, and Connally's wife Nellie, when he was fatally shot by Lee Harvey Oswald, a former US Marine. The images are seared into American memory: Jackie's pink suit stained with blood, the frantic rush to Parkland Memorial Hospital, the nation watching in stunned silence as Walter Cronkite announced that the President was dead. Five years later, history struck again with cruel precision. In 1968, third son and Presidential hopeful, Robert F. Kennedy was shot in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, just after winning the California primary. His wife, Ethel, pregnant with their eleventh child, watched as he collapsed to the ground. He died the next day. Joe, John and Robert are perhaps the most famous of the Kennedys to succumb to early and shocking deaths, but they are far from the only ones. Kathleen Kennedy, Joe's daughter, lost her husband in World War II, then died herself in a plane crash four years later. John and Jackie lost two children in infancy—one in 1956 and another in 1963. Robert's son David died of a drug overdose in 1984. Another son, Michael, died in a skiing accident in 1997. More recently, the deaths have come in cruel succession: Kara Kennedy (heart attack), Mary Kennedy (suicide), Saoirse Kennedy Hill (overdose), Maeve Kennedy McKean and her young son (drowned during a canoe trip). Each death has its own story. Each has added to the myth. To some, the Kennedy curse has a point of origin. In 1941, Joe Sr.'s daughter Rosemary, whose mood swings and rumoured scandals threatened the family's image, was subjected to a lobotomy at her father's insistence. The procedure went horribly wrong, leaving her with the intellectual capabilities of a 2-year-old, unable to walk or talk. Rosemary spent decades in private institutions, hidden from public view. For those who believe in curses, this act—an ambitious father silencing his daughter to protect his legacy—is the Kennedy family's original sin. Others look to Joe Sr.'s financial dealings and wartime flirtations with fascist regimes. Still others believe the curse stems from the family's unrelenting pursuit of power, at whatever cost. But maybe it isn't a curse at all. 'Virtually every family has its own silent tragedy. Large families are likely to have a larger number of tragedies. Highly publicized families have more highly publicized tragedies,' Theodore C. Sorensen wrote in the New York Times after John Jr.'s death. With Joe Sr.'s nine children producing 29 grandchildren—Robert alone had 11—the Kennedys' size makes their losses statistically less surprising. Others point to recklessness. 'They fly their own single-engine planes when they could afford a crew of airmen. They ski without poles on the hardest hills of Aspen on the last run of a December afternoon. They coax their way into the military in hopes of facing combat. It is and always has been the Kennedy way,' Boston Globe reporter Brian McGrory wrote in 1999 There is another theory, one rarely explored by the family themselves. In Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed, journalist Maureen Callahan argues that the curse is not myth or misfortune – it's misogyny. Across generations, Kennedy women and the women who married into the family have faced early death, psychological torment, and silence. 'Whatever grievous harm a Kennedy man may have done to her,' she writes, 'the message remains clear: She was asking for it. It was her fault.' In some ways, the Kennedys are not unique. In India, the Nehru-Gandhi family has endured three major assassinations. In Pakistan, the Bhuttos, father and daughter, both died violently. In Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was murdered along with most of his family. Around the world, political dynasties often end in blood. Ultimately, the Kennedys faced their own share of joy and sadness. And while they have undoubtably suffered devastating loss, as Sorensen writes, 'they have also been endowed with good genes, good brains, good looks, good health and good fortune, with both instincts and opportunities for serving their country and helping those who are less fortunate.'
Wales Online
14-07-2025
- Wales Online
Man filmed young boys using seafront toilets by holding mobile phone under cubicle wall
Man filmed young boys using seafront toilets by holding mobile phone under cubicle wall He loitered outside the toilets before following his victims inside and filming them. He was caught after a 7-year-old boy saw the phone and told his parents The public toilets on Aberavon seafront (Image: Google ) A man used his mobile to film boys using public toilets at a popular beach, a court has heard. Jordan Hayes "loitered" outside the loos then followed lone children inside and filmed them by putting his phone under the cubicle walls. Swansea Crown Court heard the incidents came to light after one of the victims told his parents about what had happened during his trip to the beach. Police were subsequently able to identify and trace the defendant thanks to CCTV and the car he used to drive to and from the scene. Dean Pulling, prosecuting, told the court that in April this year Hayes made internet searches about the public toilets on Aberavon beachfront before driving to the location in his car. He said the 27-year-old then deliberately sat on the bench nearest to the toilets so he could watch people entering and leaving, spending in total some 90 minutes in the area. The court heard that on two occasions the defendant followed lone boys into the toilets and occupied the cubicle next to ones the children had taken. The defendant then angled his phone under the partition wall to film the boys using the facilities. For all the latest court stories sign up to out crime newsletter Article continues below The prosecutor said that on the evening following the incident one of the boys - who was aged seven - disclosed to his parents that he had seen someone holding a phone under the cubicle wall in the toilets. The police were contacted and officers recovered CCTV from around the toilets, commonly referred to as the Tellytubby toilets, and saw Hayes "loitering" around the block before entering on two occasions. He was identified after police tracked him returning to his car and driving home. The court heard that officers went to Hayes' address in Aberavon and arrested him and seized his phone. On the device officers found videos of two boys using the beachfront toilets. While the identity of one victim is known, police have been unable to identify or trace the second child though he is believed to be around 10 years of age. Also on the phone officers found Google Maps searches of the public toilets on Aberavon seafront, and four still pictures taken around Port Talbot including one showing a child on the grassy area near the prom. The prosecutor said no charges were brought in relation to the photographs. In his subsequent interview, Hayes answered "no comment" to all questions asked, but told officers he had "mild autism". Jordan Hayes, now of the Ambassador Hotel, The Parade, Neath, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism, and to one count of making a Category C indecent image of a child when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions. Matt Murphy, for Hayes, said it was accepted it had been a "disturbing incident" which would have impacted on the victim and his family but he said they were his submissions that it would benefit society as a whole to give probation the opportunity to work with the defendant to address the issues which led to the commission of the offence. Judge Paul Thomas KC described the offending as "most concerning" and said Hayes' behaviour was that of a "pervert". He said had the defendant not already spent almost three months on remand in prison - the equivalent of a six month sentence - he would in all likelihood pass a sentence of immediate custody, but he said given the circumstances he would now impose an alternative which would allow work to be done with Hayes. With a discount for his guilty pleas Hayes was sentenced to a total of 14 months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to complete a mental health treatment requirement and a rehabilitation course. Hayes will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order to run for the same length of time. The judge told the defendant: "If you offend in this way again, you will be going to prison again for a long time. Do you understand?" The defendant replied that he did understand. Article continues below
Wales Online
28-06-2025
- Wales Online
Dangerous stalker back behind bars after Instagram post
Dangerous stalker back behind bars after Instagram post Stalker Neal Hancock has made his victims' lives "hell" Neal Hancock (Image: South Wales Police ) A "dangerous" stalker is back behind bars after trying to contact one of his victims on social media. Last year Neal Hancock was jailed for breaching a restraining order following a lengthy and sinister campaign of harassment against three people. Now Hancock is back in prison after breaching the restraining order again, this time by approaching one of his victims on Instagram something he is prohibited from doing. In an interview with Walesonline last year, Hancock's victims bravely spoke out to detail the devastating impact his behaviour was having on their lives. Bethan Simms from Port Talbot described how the defendant would constantly bombard her with messages on Facebook, creating new accounts every time she blocked him. Hancock then began stalking her in person as well as online, and also started stalking Bethan's mother Kathryn. The defendant would message the women detailing exactly where they were and what they were doing when they were out and about, and he told Bethan that he knew she had children and he described them to her in detail. Article continues below The stalking of Bethan went on for more than four years and became so bad she felt scared to leave her house and she had to tell her children's school and show them pictures from social media of what her stalker looked like in the hope that staff would recognise him if he was seen near the school. It then emerged the daughter and mother were not Hancock's only victims when a mutual friend introduced them to Carl Mallon, someone who had known of the defendant in their teenage years. In Carl's case what began as homophobic abuse and name-calling turned into stalking which continued for a much longer period than it did for Bethan. It crippled Carl to the point he left his job and moved house. You can read our interview with the victims here - "Our stalker has made our life hell for years" Article continues below Neal Hancock, aged 39, previously of Lingfield Avenue, Port Talbot, but now of Ambassador Hotel, The Parade, Neath, pleaded guilty to breaching a restraining order by sending a message to Bethan Simms on Instagram when he appeared at Swansea Magistrates Court. The defendant was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison. Speaking after the sentencing South Wales Police inspector Jared Easton said: "Neal Hancock is clearly a dangerous individual who refuses to learn his lesson and has caused all manner of trauma for his poor victim. His behaviour towards this victim has been ongoing for several years now. It is completely unacceptable, and nobody should have to put up with a prolonged campaign like this."
Newsweek
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
RFK Assassination: What Newly Released Files Reveal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Newly released files about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy shed new light on his life and how he briefed secret service agents about a foreign trip behind the Iron Curtain. On Thursday, the CIA released 54 previously classified documents totaling 1,450 pages about RFK's death. The documents, some redacted, show how the CIA responded to his killing and detailed RFK's trip to the Soviet Union, among other vignettes about his life and the broader social and political context of the time. Why It Matters RFK, a former Senator and Democratic presidential candidate was assassinated in June 1968 after making a campaign speech in Los Angeles. He died aged 42, on June 6, the day after the attack at the Ambassador Hotel. At the start of his second term, President Trump ordered the release of documents on the assassinations of RFK and his brother, former President John F. Kennedy, with backing from RFK's son, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The administration first released a batch of documents in April, then another in May. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., speaks in Washington, March 16, 1968, as he announces he will run for president. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, D-N.Y., speaks in Washington, March 16, 1968, as he announces he will run for president. AP Photo RFK's death, as well as that of JFK, have fascinated the American public for decades, sparking conspiracy theories and speculation. Sirhan Sirhan, then aged 24, was convicted in July 1969 of the assassination. Sirhan, now aged 81 and serving life in prison, admitted at his trial that he shot RFK but said he could not recall doing so. RFK Jr. has expressed doubts on Sirhan being the shooter and called for a reinvestigation of the assassination. What To Know The documents include news articles, intelligence reports, dispatches and correspondence between the CIA and other agencies. One document detailed efforts to shape the media coverage of the assassination and another showed memos about allegations the CIA was involved in John F. Kennedy's 1963 assassination. Another detailed RFK's trip to the Soviet Union in 1955 as a young Senate staffer. RFK visited the communist state with Supreme Court Justice William Douglas and briefed the CIA about his experiences during the trip. In one memo he said he visited a state factory and said he met an engineer who "was friendly." What People Are Saying The CIA in a statement: "The records reveal for the first time that Senator Kennedy shared his experiences traveling to the former Soviet Union with CIA, reflecting his patriotic commitment to serving his country." RFK JR. in a statement: "Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government. I commend President Trump for his courage and his commitment to transparency. I'm grateful also to Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe for their dogged efforts to root out and declassify these documents." What Happens Next The Trump administration has also ordered the release of documents related to the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.
Boston Globe
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Robert F. Kennedy met with the CIA after a trip to the Soviet Union, newly declassified files show
President Donald Trump had ordered the release of documents relating to the assassinations of RFK, President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. More than 10,000 pages of records pertaining to RFK's assassination were released in April. Advertisement 'Today's release delivers on President Trump's commitment to maximum transparency, enabling the CIA to shine light on information that serves the public interest,' CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement. 'I am proud to share our work on this incredibly important topic with the American people.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Kennedy was fatally shot on June 5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles moments after giving a speech celebrating his victory in California's presidential primary. His assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, was convicted of first-degree murder and is serving life in prison. Kennedy's contacts with the CIA following his visit to the Soviet Union reflected the tensions of the time, and the high value put on personal observations of Americans who traveled to Russia and other former Soviet regions. Prominent elected officials and business leaders visiting the USSR were often asked to share their observations following their return. Advertisement The documents show that RFK was a voluntary informant. In a statement Thursday, the CIA showed the meetings reflected RFK's 'patriotic commitment' to serving his country. Many of his observations reflected granular observations about daily life. 'On 29 Aug 55, while in Novosibirsk, USSR, a friend and I visited a State machine factory. The factory has 3,500 employees, of whom one third are women. The wage scale is between 840 and 2,500 rubles,' Kennedy told the CIA interviewer, according to the documents. 'The Director of the plant whose name I do not recall was frosty, although the engineer was friendly.' The CIA used artificial intelligence to scan its library for documents related to RFK's assassination that could be declassified. The search turned up many documents that had little to do with his killing, such as the records of RFK's meeting with the CIA. Kennedy's son, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said he was gratified to see the documents' release. 'Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,' Kennedy said.
