(RightWing.org) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is no stranger to presidential campaigns considering his uncle John F. Kennedy’s successful 1960 bid and the likelihood his father, Robert F. Kennedy, would have clinched the nomination in 1968 had an assassin’s bullet not ended his life. He’s also well acquainted with controversy, most recently finding his own presidential aspirations facing rumors he cheated on his thesis.
On July 10, the New York Post published an article questioning whether or not RFK Jr. wrote his senior term paper at Harvard University. He reportedly gained admission to the prestigious school by writing only two words on its entrance application — “Harvard” and “Kennedy.”
Kennedy entered Harvard during the fall semester of 1972 after having flunked out of two elite New England boarding schools for his misbehavior and use of illicit drugs. As luck would have it, he was assigned to a shared dorm room with Peter Kaplan, who would later become one of the most prolific journalists of his generation.
In 1975, the two seniors headed down to Alabama to conduct research for his upcoming senior thesis. Kennedy originally intended to write about “recent historical and political developments” in the state. However, after hearing stories about a liberal federal judge who presided over several important civil rights cases, Kennedy focused his research paper on then-US District Court Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr.
Kennedy finished his thesis shortly before his graduation. Harvard officials accepted it, and he later bragged that he received a rating of “cum plus” on it, the equivalent of an “A” with honors.
However, the New York Post reported that how much of his thesis, if any, was actually written by Kennedy remains a question. Citing a “close confidante” of Kennedy and Kaplan, the Post reported that JFK Jr’s Harvard roommate “was helpful in getting [Kennedy’s] thesis finished.”
The unnamed individual said the arrangement was mutually beneficial. “[Kaplan] felt he was helping his friend.” He also enjoyed “the excitement… and the glitter of the Kennedy family.”
Kennedy’s senior thesis was later revised and published by GP Putnam’s Sons in 1978.
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