[2] My God, the Cosmos Shook – The RFK Tapes

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[2] My God, the Cosmos Shook

Allard K. Lowenstein encourages Senator Robert F. Kennedy to run for president but ends up wheeling him into the morgue. Years later, when he picks up the autopsy report, Lowenstein is stunned at what he finds. Through intimate private recordings, we follow Lowenstein as he begins questioning the official version of his friend’s murder.

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Episode Extras

“Could you lower those signs, please?”

Robert Kennedy gives a speech in Indianapolis, Indiana, announcing the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Courtesy of the Indiana Historical Society)

Headline news

The front page of the Los Angeles Times from June 6, 1968 - the day Robert Kennedy died.

Allard Lowenstein

Former congressman Lowenstein, shown here in 1976, was a Civil Rights activist and friend of Robert F. Kennedy. (Photo by Robert Swirsky)

#7 on the enemies list

Allard Lowenstein appears on the Nixon administration's "Opponents List." The note reads: "LOWENSTEIN, ALLARD Long Island, New York Guiding force behind the 18 year old "dump Nixon" vote drive."

“Get the gun, get the gun!”

The chaos in the Ambassador Hotel pantry as Sirhan Sirhan is pinned down. Maitre d' Karl Uecker is shown in the center, wearing a bowtie. (Courtesy of the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Robert Kennedy Assassination Archive)

Dr. Noguchi’s diagnosis

A page from the autopsy performed on Robert Kennedy by Dr. Thomas Noguchi. Noguchi notes that Kennedy's head wound "is consistent with very close range shooting."

Episode Credits

Crimetown is Zac Stuart-Pontier and Marc Smerling.
The RFK Tapes is made in partnership with Cadence 13.

The show is produced by Jesse Rudoy, Bill Klaber, Ula Kulpa and Ryan Murdock. The senior producer is Austin Mitchell. Editing by Marc Smerling. Fact checking by James Williamson.
This episode was mixed, sound designed, and scored by Kenny Kusiak. Additional music by John Kusiak. Our title track is Maria Tambien by Khruangbin. Our credit track is Pressure by CORNERS. Music supervision by Josh Kessler and Dylan Bostick at Heavy Duty Projects.
Archival footage courtesy of the University of North Carolina and the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. Archival research by Brennan Rees. Our intern is Kevin Shepherd. Web design by Curt Courtenay.

Very special thanks to Kate, Jenny, and the entire Lowenstein family. Thanks to Jean Klaber, Emily Wiedemann, Greencard Pictures, Alessandro Santoro, Jennifer Skarbek, Aaron Smithers, Judith Farrar, Paul Schrade, and the team at Cadence13.

You can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @theRFKtapes. For more information on the Robert Kennedy murder, pick up a copy of Bill’s book, Shadow Play, from St. Martin’s Press.
If you like the show, leave us a rating and review on Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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