Table of Contents

Preface Acknowledgments Prologue: The Odyssey Begins 1. On His Own: Kennedy's Evolving Critique of the War, May 1965-February 1966 2. A Slow Path to Peace: Kennedy Calls for a Negotiated Settlement, March 1966-March 1967 3. At the Center of the Storm: Kennedy and the Shifting Political Winds of 1967 4. "The Hottest Place in Hell": Kennedy, the Democrats, and the McCarthy Candidacy 5. The Collapse of the Myths: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Tet Offensive, January-February 1968 6. The Breaking Point: Kennedy Responds to Tet, February 8, 1968 7. Fifteen Days in March: Kennedy Challenges Johnson, March 1968 8. Civil Rights and the Urban Rebellions, Kennedy, King, and the Politics of Race, 1965-1968 9. Building a Coalition: Kennedy and the Primaries, March 16-May 28, 1968 10. California: Kennedy's Last Campaign, May-June 1968 Conclusion: A Potential Unrealized Notes Bibliography Index

Promotional Information

Based on never-before-seen documents, this book chronicles RFK's extraordinary transformation from Cold Warrior to grass roots activist. Palermo focuses on the crucial nexus between '60s social activism and Kennedy's role as national leader, demonstrating how civic groups and individual activists educated him about the conflict in Southeast Asia and racial and class injustice at home.

About the Author

Joseph A Palermo lectures at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has written for Peace & Change and other journals.

Reviews

An important contribution to Kennedy scholarship, a highly readable and sympathetic portrayal of RFK. Journal of American History A vivid portrait of the problems and promise of the 1960s and the way Kennedy shaped and was shaped by the era. Publishers Weekly A thorough investigation of RFK as a political leader that is a worthy continuation of the years covered in James Hilty's Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector. Library Journal Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness. -- Walter LaFeber The Bookpress This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's. -- James W. Hilty American Historical Review Palermo does a fine job of attempting to link Kennedy to social movements and grass-roots mobilization by groups in this country. His book is a well-researched, clearly written study that is well worth reading. Rhetoric and Public Affairs