History

On June 4, 2025 I was invited to address the United Nations Security Council Arria Formula Meeting “Understanding and Resolving The Ideological Roots of the Ukranian Crisis.” You can watch the full UNSC meeting here at UN Web TV. https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12bfxhg4t My presentation to the UNSC focused on the secret history of U.S. recruitment, funding, arming, and training of Ukrainian nationalists (many of whom were wanted Nazi war criminals) during the Cold War — a topic I’ve researched and written about extensively over the years. My Hidden History Revealed podcast series takes a deep dive into the Central Intelligence Agency’s covert collaboration with the Nazis in Ukraine which was kept from the American public for more than half a century. Watch the full Hidden History Revealed series in this playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlcefw6FSxdyPXBi-F-IZGLd

On this episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles" we explore the special relationship between the #Kennedy family and the nation of #Israel. Young #JFK visited #Palestine in 1939, later again as Senator after the creation of Israel, and as president, cemented U.S. support for Israel by creating our official special relationship in 1961. Kennedy was also the first American president to sell arms to Israel. Read more about John F. Kennedy's foreign policy towards Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747893880345722925 President Kennedy's younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy, first visited British Mandate of Palestinein 1948, one month before Israel's Declaration of Independence. Twenty-two years old at the time, he was reporting on the tense situation in the region for The Boston Post. During his stay, he grew to admire the Jewish inhabitants of the area and their fight for freedom in the Israel/Arab war. #RFK became a staunch defender of Israel and as Senator voted to send the country 50 Phantom Jets for defense. This angered a 24 year-old Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan, who cited Kennedy's #Zionism as the reason why he murdered Sen. Kennedy in 1968. Read more about RFK's relationship with Israel, and how it contributed to his assassination here: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1747829384172454243 The third Kennedy brother, Sen. Edward Kennedy, #RFKJr, and all of the Kennedy grandchildren, continue the tradition of their ancestors as committed #Zionists to the present day. Read more about the successive generations of Kennedys and Israel in this thread: https://twitter.com/RealLoriSpencer/status/1903241440999727235 Join me and host S.L. Kanathan for a fascinating discussion of the Kennedys and Israel on this week's episode of "The Kennedy Chronicles." Premiers Tuesday, May 27 at 8 PM Eastern.

57 years after a California jury convicted Sirhan #Sirhan for the murder of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, the U.S. National Archives is finally releasing tens of thousands of formerly-secret documents related to the assassination. The 24 year-old Palestinian immigrant shot #RFK in a fury over the 1968 presidential candidate's support for arming #Israel with 50 Phantom jets. When Sirhan was apprehended by Sen. Kennedy's bodyguards in the Los Angeles Ambassador Hotel on the night of June 5, 1968, he reportedly shouted "I did it for my country!" His country was #Palestine. It was the first act of Palestinian terror on American soil -- sparking five and a half decades more of skyjackings, hostage-takings, #terrorism, and war that continues today in the Middle East. The release continued disclosures of national secrets ordered by Donald #Trump after he began his second presidency in January. It comes a month after thousands more unredacted files related to the 1963 #JFK assassination were disclosed. Lawyers for #Kennedy’s killer have said for decades that he is unlikely to reoffend or pose a danger to society. In 2021, a parole board deemed Sirhan suitable for release. But the California governor, Gavin Newson, rejected the decision in 2022. In 2023, a different panel denied him release, saying he still lacks remorse and/or understanding of what caused him to shoot Kennedy. Sirhan, now 81, still sits in prison. The late senator’s sonRobert F Kennedy Jr, who now serves as Trump’s health and human services secretary, commended the president and his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, for what he called their “courage” and “dogged efforts” to release the files. “Lifting the veil on the RFK papers is a necessary step toward restoring trust in American government,” Kennedy Jr said in a statement. Who Killed Bobby Kennedy? I devoted much of 2024 to a re-examination of Sirhan's case -- reviewing original evidence and testimony presented by both the prosecution and the defense -- in the production of my 13-part true crime podcast series, Who Killed Bobby Kennedy? Now that I've had time to review the first tranche of these newly-released #RFKFiles (about 10,000 pages -- another 64,000 pages were just released last week, with more reportedly to come), I made many new discoveries within that provide fascinating insights and context to our understanding of this historic murder case. Those findings are presented in a NEW episode of my #truecrime podcast series, which takes viewers on a guided tour of the most important documents I've found in the archives so far. Among the boxes of long-secret files were never-before-seen photographs of RFK's autopsy taken by then-Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Thomas Noguchi. Because the photos are extremely graphic they are not included here, as showing them would violate the community guidelines of platforms such as YouTube that host this podcast series, and go against the wishes of the Kennedy family, who have asked responsible journalists not to disseminate them. It took seven months and 14 episodes to at last unravel the full truth. It's all here. Everything you ever wanted to know about the murder of Bobby Kennedy; from the archives of federal government agencies -- the FBI, CIA, Department of Justice, State Department, and the White Houses of every president from #LBJ to #Obama. Why were these documents kept secret for nearly six decades? What was the perceived risk to National Security? What did the government NOT want us to know abut the RFK assassination? I'll unravel it in this special bonus episode of the "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy" series. Don't miss the YouTube premiere live May 12 at 9 PM Eastern. (Set a reminder at the link below.) It is my hope that you find this series as interesting and enlightening as I did putting it all together. Producing "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy" involved a lot of hard work, and I'd like to thank everyone who assisted and participated. Most of all, I'd like to thank YOU for watching! Watch all episodes for free in this YouTube playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxldlHGAjTPLcdyXmDNa2Ny0W&si=MPHh2WZEJSbTjoog

The political partnership between John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson was a mystery from the day it began -- on July 14, 1960, when #JFK asked #LBJ to be his running mate at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Both Sen. #Kennedy and Sen. Johnson's closest advisors, friends, and even family members were vehemently opposed to Johnson joining JFK on the ticket (most famously Jack's campaign manager and brother Bobby Kennedy, who tried several times to talk Jack and Lyndon out of it). But Jack's mind was pretty well made up. It had to be Johnson. As he told TIME Magazine's Hugh Sidey a few days before the convention: “There is no question in my mind,” said Kennedy. “Lyndon would be the best man I could get to run with me. He’s a Texan, a Southerner, he knows Congress, Washington, and he has the ability to be President. But I’m convinced he wouldn’t take it. He’d be more powerful staying as majority leader. What do you think?” Sidey had already gone over the question every which way with L.B.J. the night before, until Johnson got irritated and stormed that he would not do the Kennedy family’s bidding. He declared that the vice presidency was a worthless job compared with being Senate leader, related the sad tenure of “Cactus Jack” Garner, who had called the office nothing more than a “pitcher of warm spit,” and said Speaker Sam Rayburn had told him to stay far away from it. (Cactus Jack had actually used much more colorful language, saying that the vice presidency "wasn't worth a bucket of warm piss.") "If he could not be President," Sidey later recalled, "he would stay in the Senate, Johnson had told me with such rage and finality — his nose an inch from mine — that I chalked him off." Kennedy listened, grinned, nodded. Both were awed and amused by the tumultuous Johnson. “Have you decided on a vice-presidential nominee?” Sidey asked. “Yes,” answered Kennedy. “Can you tell me?” Sidey inquired. "I will if you promise not to publish it,” J.F.K. replied. “Senator, don’t do that to me,” Sidey implored. “We’ve got two days before the magazine is printed, and I’m sure the name will leak. I don’t want to be bound. So don’t tell me.” Kennedy gave a wry smile, said, “O.K., I won’t.” In the future president's mind, the only path to victory against Nixon in November was LBJ. (And he was right. Without LBJ bringing in Southern votes, JFK would have likely lost that razor-thin 1960 race.) During his presidency and long after his assassination, rumors swirled about the Johnsons and the Kennedys not getting along. #RFK and Lyndon by all accounts hated each other. However, the relationship between JFK and LBJ was far more friendly and based on mutual respect. What's the real truth about LBJ and JFK? Was Johnson ever trusted by President Kennedy? Did the Vice President have anything to do with the President's 1963 assassination, as some conspiracists allege, thus effecting an Executive Branch coup d'etat? Historian Lori Spencer breaks it down in this episode of The Kennedy Chronicles!

The political partnership between John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson was a mystery from the day it began -- on July 14, 1960, when #JFK asked #LBJ to be his running mate at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Both Sen. #Kennedy and Sen. Johnson's closest advisors, friends, and even family members were vehemently opposed to Johnson joining JFK on the ticket (most famously Jack's campaign manager and brother Bobby Kennedy, who tried several times to talk Jack and Lyndon out of it). But Jack's mind was pretty well made up. It had to be Johnson. As he told TIME Magazine's Hugh Sidey a few days before the convention: “There is no question in my mind,” said Kennedy. “Lyndon would be the best man I could get to run with me. He’s a Texan, a Southerner, he knows Congress, Washington, and he has the ability to be President. But I’m convinced he wouldn’t take it. He’d be more powerful staying as majority leader. What do you think?” Sidey had already gone over the question every which way with L.B.J. the night before, until Johnson got irritated and stormed that he would not do the Kennedy family’s bidding. He declared that the vice presidency was a worthless job compared with being Senate leader, related the sad tenure of “Cactus Jack” Garner, who had called the office nothing more than a “pitcher of warm spit,” and said Speaker Sam Rayburn had told him to stay far away from it. (Cactus Jack had actually used much more colorful language, saying that the vice presidency "wasn't worth a bucket of warm piss.") "If he could not be President," Sidey later recalled, "he would stay in the Senate, Johnson had told me with such rage and finality — his nose an inch from mine — that I chalked him off." Kennedy listened, grinned, nodded. Both were awed and amused by the tumultuous Johnson. “Have you decided on a vice-presidential nominee?” Sidey asked. “Yes,” answered Kennedy. “Can you tell me?” Sidey inquired. "I will if you promise not to publish it,” J.F.K. replied. “Senator, don’t do that to me,” Sidey implored. “We’ve got two days before the magazine is printed, and I’m sure the name will leak. I don’t want to be bound. So don’t tell me.” Kennedy gave a wry smile, said, “O.K., I won’t.” In the future president's mind, the only path to victory against Nixon in November was LBJ. (And he was right. Without LBJ bringing in Southern votes, JFK would have likely lost that razor-thin 1960 race.) During his presidency and long after his assassination, rumors swirled about the Johnsons and the Kennedys not getting along. #RFK and Lyndon by all accounts hated each other. However, the relationship between JFK and LBJ was far more friendly and based on mutual respect. What's the real truth about LBJ and JFK? Was Johnson ever trusted by President Kennedy? Did the Vice President have anything to do with the President's 1963 assassination, as some conspiracists allege, thus effecting an Executive Branch coup d'etat? Historian Lori Spencer breaks it down in this episode of The Kennedy Chronicles!

In this new History Book Club audio podcast series, historian Lori Spencer reads and discusses selected chapters from "After Camelot: A History of the Kennedy family from 1968-Present" by New York Times bestselling author and prolific Kennedy chronicler J. Randy Taraborelli. This book picks up the story where my investigative true crime 13-part podcast series "Who Killed Bobby Kennedy?" left off: what happened to the #Kennedys after the assassinations of #JFK and #RFK? In Episode 2, we tell the sad story of Rosemary Kennedy, who was infamously subjected to a lobotomy operation at age 23 to "cure" what was most likely a mild, treatable form of #autism. The failed operation destroyed young Rosemary's brain and left her severely handicapped for the rest of her life. We will also explore how Rosemary's tragedy was covered up by the politically ambitious Kennedy family for decades, until one brave sibling -- Rosemary's sister Eunice Kennedy #Shriver -- made inclusion and proper treatment of mental and physical disabilities her life's mission and founded the #SpecialOlympics in 1968. President #Trump's Secretary of Health and Human Services is #RFKJr, nephew of Eunice and Rosemary Kennedy. His recent controversial statements on the causes of autism and plans for an autism registry database set off a firestorm of anger among disability advocates, which we will discuss in a historical context of #eugenics and outdated approaches to viewing people with intellectual disabilities. I hope you'll enjoy this excellent book along with me, as we trace every branch of the Kennedy family tree from Joe and Rose Kennedy through their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; their tragedies and triumphs, told accurately and thoroughly by the author. Join me for "The Kennedys: After Camelot" -- a continuing history book club series that explores the lives of Sen. Edward Kennedy, Eunice and Sargeant Shriver, JFK's sisters Jean and Pat, the Lawfords, the Smiths, Ethel, Jackie, and Joan Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, JFK Jr., and of course, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. as well. This history book club series is in memory of RFK's widow, the late Ethel Skakel Kennedy. Listen to ALL EPISODES of "The Kennedys: After Camelot" here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXBcSYiYQxlcI6SqtEgPeYlB7MjBPUoZY&si=uc-5eYJjZ52jKDfc Buy the book and follow along in your copy with this book club reading! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/after-camelot-j-randy-taraborrelli/1110780428 Support my work with a donation or monthly membership http://LoriSpencer.wordpress.com/donate Buy a book from my wishlist for a future history book club reading here: http://GiftApp.com/RealLoriSpencer

In this "Kennedy Chronicles" episode, more of my conversation with journalist S.L. Kanathan in India about #Kennedy family history. Here, we discuss the rise and fall of Joseph P. Kennedy, founding father of this American dynasty. Young Joe Kennedy dreamed of being the first Catholic president one day, and after serving in President Franklin D. #Roosevelt's administration (as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, then on the Maritime Commission, and finally, as Ambassador to the Court of St. James in Great Britain), it seemed Joe was well on his way to making that dream come true by 1940. Kennedy had the drive, determination, and savvy to make every endeavor he set his sights on manifest -- from banking to the stock market to the movie industry to government -- but his goal in elected politics didn't pan out. In fact, it was an embarrassing failure that left him disgraced; shut out of political power centers for the rest of his life. On this episode, I'll tell you why Joseph Kennedy never became president, and how his relationship with #FDR crumbled over rising war tensions on the eve of #WWII. This week marks the 80th anniversary of FDR's death -- an opportune moment to take a deep dive into the complex, often strained political partnership between Kennedy and Roosevelt that eventually turned into a heated enmity before their explosive final bitter argument. Franklin famously told First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt afterwards: "I never want to see that sonofabitch again!" (And indeed, he did not. The two men never mended fences before FDR's death on April 12, 1945.) Joe Kennedy was finished politically after that, but like a tree that falls in the forest, Ambassador Kennedy's fall from grace allowed the sun to shine on the saplings: his sons Joe Jr., Jack, Bobby, and Teddy -- allowing them to grow. It's a fascinating story you won't want to miss on today's Kennedy Chronicles!

In this "Kennedy Chronicles" episode, more of my conversation with journalist S.L. Kanathan in India about #Kennedy family history. Here, we discuss the rise and fall of Joseph P. Kennedy, founding father of this American dynasty. Young Joe Kennedy dreamed of being the first Catholic president one day, and after serving in President Franklin D. #Roosevelt's administration (as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, then on the Maritime Commission, and finally, as Ambassador to the Court of St. James in Great Britain), it seemed Joe was well on his way to making that dream come true by 1940. Kennedy had the drive, determination, and savvy to make every endeavor he set his sights on manifest -- from banking to the stock market to the movie industry to government -- but his goal in elected politics didn't pan out. In fact, it was an embarrassing failure that left him disgraced; shut out of political power centers for the rest of his life. On this episode, I'll tell you why Joseph Kennedy never became president, and how his relationship with #FDR crumbled over rising war tensions on the eve of #WWII. This week marks the 80th anniversary of FDR's death -- an opportune moment to take a deep dive into the complex, often strained political partnership between Kennedy and Roosevelt that eventually turned into a heated enmity before their explosive final bitter argument. Franklin famously told First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt afterwards: "I never want to see that sonofabitch again!" (And indeed, he did not. The two men never mended fences before FDR's death on April 12, 1945.) Joe Kennedy was finished politically after that, but like a tree that falls in the forest, Ambassador Kennedy's fall from grace allowed the sun to shine on the saplings: his sons Joe Jr., Jack, Bobby, and Teddy -- allowing them to grow. It's a fascinating story you won't want to miss on today's Kennedy Chronicles!

In this "Kennedy Chronicles" episode, more of my conversation with journalist S.L. Kanathan in India about #Kennedy family history. Here, we discuss Jackie Kennedy's legacy as First Mother, and explored the question so often asked over the years: "how did she manage to raise two very normal, seemingly well-adjusted kids amidst chaos and tragedy?" We also contrast Jackie's parenting approach to that of her sister-in-law Ethel Kennedy, and Ethel's distant, often estranged relationships with her children (especially #RFKJr) that resulted in public disgrace for some and death for others. I also shared my own recollections of #JFKJr., who was a friend of mine for eight years prior to his death in a 1999 plane crash. It's a fascinating story you won't want to miss on today's Kennedy Chronicles! Jackie's private pain is explained in even greater depth on this week's episode of my book club series, "The Kennedys: After Camelot," which you can listen to here. https://youtu.be/iZuADoTA_a4?si=DdNtJQhUihekAYGG Join me for weekly episodes of this history book club series "The Kennedys: After Camelot" by subscribing on YouTube, Rumble, Spotify, Substack, or wherever you get your podcasts.