To Seek a Newer World

Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc, 1967. First Edition [stated], presumed first printing. Hardcover. Good/Good. Lawrence Fried (jacket photograph). xvi, [2], 233, [3] pages. DJ has wear, soiling and some edge tears/chips. Partially erased large mark on half-title page. To Seek a Newer World is a 1967 book written by Robert F. Kennedy, in which he outlines his analysis on issues such as the war in Vietnam, nuclear power, welfare, and other issues. In response to the publication, New York Times critic Eliot Fremont-Smith stated, "To Seek a Newer World is addressed essentially-and in this reviewer's opinion, thoughtfully and constructively-to the double crisis of conscience and confidence which may be the common root of most of the major issues that now confront us". The book also was praised by the Christian Science Monitor. Derived from a Kirkus review: This book carries a series of relatively enlightened messages, to many of which Kennedy has publicly subscribed on a number of occasions. The chapter on the Alliance for Progress reworks a memorable speech that he made in 1966 on the Senate floor; it shows an uncommon awareness of the need for "revolutionary evolution" in the area. The chapter on Vietnam reads more critical of administration policy than his past public statements... Kennedy is particularly bitter about the recent elections. The Senator's sympathy with young people and his energetic efforts to deal with American poverty and race relations also come across in this readable, topical book, which will be taken up by skeptics and cynics, as well as partisans and detractors. Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 - June 6, 1968), also referred to by his initials RFK or by the nickname Bobby, was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. Senator from New York from January 1965 until his assassination in June 1968. He was, like his brothers John and Edward, a prominent member of the Democratic Party and has come to be viewed by some historians as an icon of modern American liberalism. After serving in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1944 to 1946, Kennedy returned to his studies at Harvard University, and later received his law degree from the University of Virginia. He began his career as a correspondent for The Boston Post and as an lawyer at the Justice Department, but later resigned to manage his brother John's successful campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1952. The following year, he worked as an assistant counsel to the Senate committee chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He gained national attention as the chief counsel of the Senate Labor Rackets Committee from 1957 to 1959, where he publicly challenged Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa over the union's corrupt practices. Kennedy resigned from the committee to conduct his brother's successful campaign in the 1960 presidential election. He was appointed United States Attorney General at the age of 36, becoming the youngest Cabinet member in U.S. history since Alexander Hamilton in 1789. His tenure is known for advocating for the civil rights movement, the fight against organized crime and the Mafia, and involvement in U.S. foreign policy related to Cuba. He authored his account of the Cuban Missile Crisis in a book titled Thirteen Days. As attorney general, he authorized the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to wiretap Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference on a limited basis. After his brother's assassination, he left to run for the United States Senate from New York in 1964 and defeated Republican incumbent Kenneth Keating. In office, Kennedy opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and raised awareness of poverty by sponsoring legislation designed to lure private business to blighted communities (i.e., Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration project). He was an advocate for issues related to human rights and social justice by traveling abroad to eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Africa, and formed working relationships with Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Walter Reuther. In 1968, Kennedy became a leading candidate for the Democratic nomination for the presidency by appealing to poor, African American, Hispanic, Catholic, and young voters. His main challenger in the race was Senator Eugene McCarthy. Shortly after winning the California primary around midnight on June 5, 1968, Kennedy was mortally wounded when shot by Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian, allegedly in retaliation for his support of Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. Sirhan was arrested, tried, and convicted.