Complex sentence: Kennedy intended to strip away the Klan's mystique, and the trivialization of the Klan's rituals and codewords was perceived to have had a negative impact on Klan recruiting and membership.
Split into simpler sentences: Kennedy intended to strip away the Klan's mystique. The trivialization of the Klan's rituals and codewords was perceived to have had a negative impact on Klan recruiting and membership.