Mr. O'DONNELL. If the President was all the way to the right, the
Governor, who was in front of him, would be visible to us. If they were
both sitting, they were not. But they did confer back and forth. So the
Governor was visible upon occasion. But when he turned around, it was
really the first time I had been able to see him clearly.
Mr. SPECTER. At a time, though, when the President was on the extreme
right-hand side, waving, would the Governor then have been visible on
the President's left or on his right?
Mr. O'DONNELL. He would be on his left.
Mr. SPECTER. Was the jump seat situated, if you know, to the precise
front of the President, to the right, to the left, or what?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't know.
Mr. SPECTER. What reaction did you observe, if any, as to Mrs. Kennedy
during the shots?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Well, he slumped on her. She appeared to be immediately
aware that something had happened. She turned toward him. And then the
third shot hit. Obviously, she then knew what happened. She turned,
looking at the backup car. Meanwhile Agent Hill had gotten off the car
and started running up. She was clambering toward the back, and reached
his hand, and he was on the car.
Mr. SPECTER. Did you observe any reactions in the President's car other
than those which you have now testified about?
Mr. O'DONNELL. No.
Mr. SPECTER. At what point did the motorcade accelerate?
Mr. O'DONNELL. It accelerated, I would think, right about at the time
that Agent Hill grabbed onto the back of the car, which would be just a
few seconds after the last shot.
Mr. SPECTER. And at what speed did the motorcade proceed en route to
the hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Very rapidly. I would guess between 60 and 70 miles an
hour.
Mr. SPECTER. About how long did it take for the motorcade to get to the
hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I would guess 5 to 10 minutes.
Mr. SPECTER. How far behind the President's car was the followup car in
which you were riding at the time the President's car arrived at the
hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Right behind it, 5 or 6 feet.
Mr. SPECTER. What occurred at that time?
Mr. O'DONNELL. We got out of the car. David Powers got out of the car,
went over to the President, and was not visible to me, and was crying,
he laid on him. And then they came and took the President--that was
the first time I really realized that Governor Connally had been badly
hurt, as they also carried Governor Connally out.
Mr. SPECTER. What was Mrs. Kennedy doing at that time?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I believe somebody had helped her out and taken her into
the hospital.
Mr. SPECTER. Was there a coat over President Kennedy at that time?
Mr. O'DONNELL. When they took him out, I was standing maybe 3 or 4 feet
behind him. There was a wall of people between myself. I didn't see
him, nor did I look.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know who lifted the President out of the car?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know who lifted the Governor out of the car?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't.
Mr. SPECTER. By what means were they taken away from the vicinity of
the car?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I think they had stretchers. As I say, I was far enough
back at that moment that they were milling around, and so many people
between my vision and what they were doing, I did not see. I could not
be accurate on that.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you do next, Mr. O'Donnell?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I went into the hospital and went right to Mrs. Kennedy.
She was seated right outside the room where they had placed the
President. I would say she was in a total daze, and as yet not knowing
whether there was any hope or not.
Mr. SPECTER. What were your activities in the period of time
immediately following that moment?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Well, I stayed with her for a few minutes, and then
no one seemed to be able to get any conclusive answer as to the
President's condition. As I said, I had seen the shots so clearly, I
had a pretty clear view. The first thing I had done--I asked them to
get a priest, which they did immediately. I went into the room. There
were four or five doctors there. Dr. Burkley I think was there. And I
said, "I think we better get a definite answer one way or another--is
there any hope at all?" I was unable to get a conclusive answer. But I
think I got the answer I needed.
I don't know how Mrs. Kennedy was finally told. I may have told her
about at that moment. Between the time and the time I knew definitely,
I went to see the Vice President.
Mr. SPECTER. Who was with him at that time?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Mrs. Johnson was with him and an agent who at the time I
did not know. I believe it is Youngblood.
Mr. SPECTER. Where was Vice President Johnson?
Mr. O'DONNELL. He was in a room across the hall. You had to go directly
across what would probably be the reception room, which was open to
the public, and into another room. And I recollect I turned to my
right, and he was over more or less in the corner with a screen. He was
standing on the right, Mrs. Johnson, I believe, was sitting, the agent
was standing at the door.
Mr. SPECTER. And what conversations, if any, did you have with
then-Vice President Johnson?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I told him it looked very, very serious, and in my
opinion that it was probably fatal. I hadn't been able to get a totally
definite answer, but that I would let him know as soon as it was
definite--but it looked pretty black.
I then left him. I don't recollect that he even commented. I left him
and went back to Mrs. Kennedy, and within a very few minutes they
confirmed the fact that the President was dead.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you do next?
Mr. O'DONNELL. As soon as I was assured that he was dead, and it was
definite, I went back to the Vice President and informed him the
President was dead, and that in my opinion he ought to get out of there
as fast as he could. We had a general discussion. The President's first
words to me were that we must look upon this in a sense that it might
be a conspiracy of some nature, and that all security must be taken,
and that we then discussed whether one of the possible movements might
be to move the Presidential aircraft from Love Field to Carswell, where
no route of departure could be laid out, and where there would be
military security.
We discussed that. It was my opinion that his best movement was to move
directly to Love Field. In fact, the routes would not be available
anyway, because this was not a schedule--the departure from the
hospital to the field would not be covered, if that were a possibility.
And that it would be much better if he got to the field immediately,
where he was under security and got aboard one of the aircraft.
Mr. SPECTER. Was there any discussion about his taking the presidential
plane, AF-1, as opposed to AF-2?
Mr. O'DONNELL. There was not.
Mr. SPECTER. Did Vice President Johnson look to you in any way for a
recommendation on his subsequent plans in terms of your being then in
charge of the presidential party?
Mr. O'DONNELL. It was my impression that he did, that he, with the
President gone--that he felt I was--had to assume a position of
responsibility, both with regard to Mrs. Kennedy and as to himself. He
asked me, as I recall--he asked me for my advice as to his departure
and used the words, "I am in your hands now," at some point in the
conversation.
But I did get the impression that he wanted official--that isn't the
proper word--but that his movements should be approved by all concerned.
Mr. SPECTER. Have you now related all the conversation you had at that
time with then-Vice President Johnson?
Mr. O'DONNELL. To the best of my recollection.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you do next, then?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Next after I left the Vice President, I went back to
Mrs. Kennedy. On the way through the lobby I noted the newspapermen
were clamoring for information. I met Kilduff. He said, "Should we
announce it?" And I said I think that is a decision that can only be
made by the President "You better ask him." So that was the last I saw
of Kilduff.
Mr. SPECTER. Who is Kilduff?
Mr. O'DONNELL. He is the assistant press secretary.
Mr. SPECTER. Malcolm Kilduff?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Malcolm Kilduff.
I then went back to Mrs. Kennedy, who was in a very understandably
distraught condition. It was my opinion--I tried to in some way imply
that she might leave and come with us, at least to get her out of that
room. She was covered with blood.
Mr. SPECTER. Which room was she in then?
Mr. O'DONNELL. She was in the same room. She had not moved. She was
sitting near the door.
Mr. SPECTER. That is the room where the President was treated by the
Dallas doctors?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Yes; there is a little corridor. There were swinging
doors. He was inside the swing door. She was not in the presence of the
body.
Mr. SPECTER. What was her response to you?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Her response to me was she would not leave her husband's
body. At that point, I realized that she would not. The doctor had
continually attempted to get her to take some form of sedation. And she
had consistently refused, and told me she would not take anything, that
she was going to stay with her husband.
I realized that she was going to stay with her husband, no matter what
anybody did, and there was no possible way of in any way getting her to
leave. And so, therefore, the only alternative I could see was that we
move the President. It is an assumption I probably would have arrived
at anyway, but I arrived at it in this manner.
So I went out and got hold of Dr. Burkley and General McHugh, and one
of the agents, and Andy Berger, as I recall, and told them to get
a casket, to bring it back, and Dr. Burkley would have the doctors
prepare the body for removal, and that we would proceed to the airport
and go to Washington.
This was done very rapidly, as I recollect. It seems to me it wasn't
more than half an hour that they arrived with the casket. I remember
just before they arrived I got Dave Powers and said there was a little
room in the back that we ought to just take Mrs. Kennedy under some
subterfuge, and talk to her in the room while we brought the casket in,
because I thought that might be the final blow. And we did, and--but
she knew what was going on. She came out and said, "No, I want to watch
it all." And she stood in the doorway, and thanked us for our attempt
at being compassionate.
And then they took it in, and put the body in the casket.
We were then all prepared to go. The agents told me the ambulance was
ready, and they were prepared to move.
We--the casket was brought out about halfway, and a gentleman arrived
who said that we would not be allowed to remove the body from the
hospital until the necessary papers had been signed.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know who he was?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't recollect who he was. I think he was--maybe from
the coroner's office. My assumption is he would be.
But he took this position. We asked--I don't recollect who transmitted
the message--that they speed this up as much as possible, and give us
some idea how long it took to accomplish this. And they went out into
this other little room where there were some telephones, and proceeded
to call whoever it was necessary to call to get this permission.
We waited about 10 or 15 minutes, and Dr. Burkley and General McHugh
were in the room, and Mr. O'Brien at some time. I went out again and
asked them if they had an answer, and nobody seemed to be able to
answer the question as to how long it might take, and whether it was a
week or an hour.
So I was getting more concerned about Mrs. Kennedy's state all the
time--although she appeared composed, as she had from the beginning.
Then a gentleman did arrive who has later been identified for me as a
Judge Brown, who was on the telephone calling someone. It had been my
assumption that upon his arrival that he had the power to permit us to
depart. Dr. Burkley was talking to him in a very agitated manner. And
the gentleman was very calm and cool and collected. If my recollection
is clear, he said something to the effect that as of now this was just
a homicide case, and there were certain things that had to be carried
out, one of which I interpreted as an autopsy.
Mr. SPECTER. Who was it, Mr. O'Donnell, if you recall, who said this
was just another homicide case?
Mr. O'DONNELL. My feeling is it was Brown, but I really would not
be--in the excitement of the moment, the discussion of the autopsy, the
signing of a certificate from the hospital, and the treatment of this
as a homicide case, I would not want to be unfair and misinterpret who
might have said it.
My recollection is it was indicated to us that the President is dead,
the hospital has to perform certain functions, and the law must be met,
no matter who it is, at this moment. In my own mind, when they said
autopsy, I realized we were talking not about hours, but perhaps even
days, which was an impossible situation for Mrs. Kennedy.
I talked to Dr. Burkley, and had him suggest to them that they could
have a doctor come with us, he could accompany the body at all times,
and that we would bring him immediately to the Naval Hospital, and that
they could perform whatever necessary chores, and there would be no
separation physically from the hospital and the performance of their
autopsy.
They refused to consider this.
I in my own mind determined that we had no alternative but to just
depart. So I went back in the room. I told Mr. O'Brien, and whoever
else was assembled there, that we were going to leave. I notified
the Secret Service and General McHugh, and told them to get ready to
depart. We went in and took the body out. Mrs. Kennedy stood right
behind it, I think totally unaware of the problems that were then
existing, so perhaps confused as to the speed with which we were
attempting to depart.
We pushed the casket out through the hall. This first gentleman that
had come in, who, I presume, was from the coroner's office, shouted
very loudly, "You can't do that, you can't leave here now." Nobody paid
any attention to him. We pushed out through another set of swinging
doors. I remember a Catholic priest was between this and the doorway,
and was praying. It was most disconcerting because we were concerned at
all times that some moment they would say stop, and I hated to think
what might happen to Mrs. Kennedy if she had to go back and go through
this all over again. So we brushed them all aside and came out the same
way we had come in, through the same doors.
There was an ambulance there. Andy Berger was seated in the driver's
seat. Several agents were there. The body was put into the ambulance,
Mrs. Kennedy got in with it. We climbed into a car alongside of it, and
we took off for the airport. I told the agents if they would signal
ahead, that there were agents at the airfield, and that as soon as we
came through the gate, they were to close the gate and let nobody else
in.
Mr. SPECTER. That is the gate at the airfield?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you recall approximately what time you left the
hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I haven't the vaguest idea.
Mr. SPECTER. Would you have any idea how long it was after you arrived
at the hospital that you left the hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I wouldn't--it was a couple of hours. But I wouldn't
have any idea.
Mr. SPECTER. About how long did the trip take you from the hospital
back to the airport?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I am guessing totally at time. I would think it seemed
about 15 minutes. It wasn't a long period of time.
Mr. SPECTER. What occurred then?
Mr. O'DONNELL. The drive was uneventful. We went through the gate. We
arrived at the Air Force--I didn't know whether it was 1 or 2, to be
honest, until I saw the members of the crew. And they unloaded the
casket. I remember they had a very, very difficult time getting it up,
because of the narrowness of the ramp. It was very difficult for the
Secret Service. It seemed at moments it might almost tumble; it was
frightening.
We got on the plane. And the seats had been taken out on the left side,
so they could lay the casket down. The casket was placed down. I told
General McHugh to tell the pilot to take off.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know whether or not President Johnson had been
sworn in at that time?
Mr. O'DONNELL. At that time I didn't know President Johnson was on the
plane. I did not know whether he had been. Subsequently I realized he
had not been.
Mr. SPECTER. Was there any specific discussion, to your knowledge, or
consideration, to your knowledge, of holding the Presidential plane
until Mrs. Kennedy and President Kennedy's body arrived on that plane
before departing for Washington?
Mr. O'DONNELL. There has been no discussion of that to my knowledge.
Once the President--the Vice President left, I left him, I had not seen
him again. I had been notified he had departed, I had been notified
that he arrived, and that was the last I heard of it, until I got on
the airplane.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you do next, after arriving on the airplane?
Mr. O'DONNELL. As I say, I told General McHugh to have the plane take
off, still all of us under the assumption or apprehension that at
some moment we either might not be granted clearance to take off, or
that the hospital may have in some way gotten the police to intercept
us--the difficulty of that to Mrs. Kennedy was incalculable. I was in
a highly desperate strait to get that airplane in the air and back to
Washington. As I say, I told General McHugh to tell the pilot to take
off.
There was a delay of 2 or 3 minutes, and nothing happened. So I headed
up for the cockpit myself, and I ran into McHugh in the meantime who
said that President Johnson was aboard, and that he had ordered the
pilot to delay, to hold up until he was sworn in. That was the first I
knew he was aboard.
I would like to correct that. I must have known he was aboard, because
I am sure he must have greeted Mrs. Kennedy as she came aboard. And he
and Mrs. Johnson. But I don't have a clear recollection of that in my
own mind.
Mr. SPECTER. Were you present when President Johnson was sworn in?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I was.
Mr. SPECTER. After you arrived back on AF-1, what did you do between
that time and the time the plane was airborne?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Mrs. Johnson took Mrs. Kennedy into the President's room
on _Air Force 1_. I remember she was reluctant to even go in there, but
she persuaded her to. And----
Mr. SPECTER. Who was reluctant to go in?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Mrs. Kennedy. And I went up, and the President and I
carried on a conversation, which, again my recollections might be
hazy--that it had been brought to his attention that I had asked for
the plane to take off, and that there was some difference of opinion
between him and me. He said to me that he had called the Attorney
General, and that the Attorney General had indicated that it was, if
not mandatory, at least preferable that he be sworn in prior to the
aircraft taking off. I didn't describe what I saw as the problems. I
realized it was an inevitable delay. So I don't believe I commented on
it. I just listened to him. We sat there.
I went up and talked to the pilot, to make sure they didn't let anybody
on the plane, or put the ramps down for anybody, except the judge,
under any circumstances. About 10 or 15 minutes later the judge arrived
and the swearing in occurred.
Mr. SPECTER. How soon after the swearing in was the plane airborne, if
you recall?
Mr. O'DONNELL. It was almost immediate--as soon as he was sworn in, the
plane taxied out and took off.
Mr. SPECTER. On the return flight to Washington, where did you sit?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I sat with Mrs. Kennedy almost all the way. We came
back--Mr. Powers, Mr. O'Brien, and I stayed in the back compartment.
And then Mrs. Kennedy and I--I sat down with her, we sat that way all
the way back. The President called me up on one or two occasions and
asked me to stay up in the cabin, wanted to talk to me, but I felt I
had to stay with Mrs. Kennedy. So I sat with her the whole trip.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you talk about?
Mr. O'DONNELL. We reminisced.
Mr. SPECTER. Did she have anything to eat on the trip back?
Mr. O'DONNELL. No; I think we both had a drink. I tried to get her to
take a good strong drink. I had not much luck.
Mr. SPECTER. She drank part but not all?
Mr. O'DONNELL. As I recollect, she just wanted to talk. She talked all
the way.
Mr. SPECTER. What did you do then after your arrival in Washington,
D.C.? Or did you come back to Andrews Air Force Base?
Mr. O'DONNELL. We arrived at Andrews and meanwhile the Attorney General
had been notified, the decision had been made that he would go to
Bethesda.
Mr. SPECTER. Who made that decision, by the way?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Mrs. Kennedy.
Mr. SPECTER. That the autopsy should be performed?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't think she knew anything about an autopsy. The
question is where the body went. We didn't tell her there was to be an
autopsy. And the choice was Walter Reed or Bethesda. He being a Navy
man, she picked Bethesda.
Mr. SPECTER. She chose Bethesda, as between Bethesda and Walter Reed?
Mr. O'DONNELL. She did.
Mr. SPECTER. Who made the decision there would be an autopsy, if you
know?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't know who made the decision. I just think we all
agreed--we arrived at Bethesda. The Attorney General was there. I think
it was just our assumption that this was a necessary part.
Mr. SPECTER. How did you get from Andrews Air Force Base to Bethesda
Naval Hospital?
Mr. O'DONNELL. By car.
Mr. SPECTER. About what time did you arrive at Andrews, if you recall?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't remember. It was dark. That is all I do recall.
Mr. SPECTER. About how long was the car trip from Andrews to Bethesda?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I would think 45 minutes.
Mr. SPECTER. And what did you do after your arrival at Bethesda?
Mr. O'DONNELL. When we arrived at Bethesda, we went immediately to some
room, reception room, where the family was.
Mr. SPECTER. And how long did you stay there?
Mr. O'DONNELL. We stayed there, I would think, until 3 or 4 in the
morning. We wanted to stay there until Mrs. Kennedy got back to the
house.
We drove back to the White House with her.
Mr. SPECTER. At what time did you leave her at the White House?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I would think 4 or 5 in the morning.
Mr. SPECTER. After that, did you go home?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I did.
Mr. SPECTER. Who all was present with the family at Bethesda?
Mr. O'DONNELL. There was Mr. O'Brien, Mr. Powers--I don't recollect
anybody else outside the family.
Mr. SPECTER. Who from the family was there?
Mr. O'DONNELL. As I remember, Jean Kennedy, the Attorney General and
his wife, I think Pat and Eunice. There were some other people. Really
there were two--there was one room inside, in which they were in, and
there was one out in the reception.
Mr. SPECTER. What was on the balance of the itinerary in Texas after
the planned luncheon at the Trade Mart at Dallas on November 22?
Mr. O'DONNELL. We were leaving Dallas and going to Austin, and Governor
Connally had arranged one or two receptions, and then a large dinner
in the evening, a fundraising dinner, and then the President was going
to depart from there to the Vice President's ranch, and stay with them
through Saturday, and then come back to Washington.
Mr. SPECTER. And was the estimated time of arrival at the LBJ Ranch
about 10 p.m., on the evening of November 22?
Mr. O'DONNELL. That would be about right.
Mr. SPECTER. With the plan then being to depart for Washington on the
23d, Saturday?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Yes.
Mr. SPECTER. What was the President's attitude, in a general way, about
Presidential protection--that is, President Kennedy's attitude about
Presidential protection, Mr. O'Donnell?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Well, his general attitude was that the Secret
Service--that there was no protection available to a President of
a democracy such as the United States from a demented person who
was willing to risk his own life; that if someone wanted to kill a
President of the United States, who in a sense wears two hats--he is
the leader of a political party as well as our Chief Executive--and by
the nature of our system must mingle with crowds, must ride through our
cities, and must expose himself to the American people--that the Secret
Service would not be, other than the protection that they provide
by the screening processes prior to the actual carrying out of a
political trip--would not be able to guarantee 100 percent protection,
considering one has to mingle with crowds of 50,000 or 100,000 people,
and mingle with them at handshaking distance.
Mr. SPECTER. Had you ever discussed the dangers inherent in a
motorcade, for example, with the President?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Not specifically in a motorcade. I don't think the
President's view was--very frankly, we had discussed this general
subject. We used to go on trips, and sit around in the evening and this
would come up.
Mr. SPECTER. What was the President's view expressed during those
conversations?
Mr. O'DONNELL. His view was that a demented person who was willing to
sacrifice his own life could take the President's life. And that if
it were to happen, I think his general view was it would happen in a
crowded situation. I don't think it entered his mind that it might
happen in the fashion as of a motorcade.
Mr. SPECTER. What was his reaction to that risk?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I think he felt that was a risk which one assuming the
office of the Presidency of the United States inherited. It didn't
disturb him at all.
Mr. SPECTER. When was the last conversation that you had with him on
that general topic?
Mr. O'DONNELL. The last conversation I had with him on that general
topic was the morning of the assassination.
Mr. SPECTER. Where did the conversation occur?
Mr. O'DONNELL. The conversation took place in his room, with Mrs.
Kennedy and myself, perhaps a half hour before he left the Hotel Texas
to depart for Carswell Air Force Base.
Mr. SPECTER. That was in Fort Worth?
Mr. O'DONNELL. That was in Fort Worth.
Mr. SPECTER. And tell us, as nearly as you can recollect, exactly what
he said at that time, please.
Mr. O'DONNELL. Well, as near as I can recollect he was commenting to
his wife on the function of the Secret Service, and his interpretation
of their role once the trip had commenced, in that their main function
was to protect him from crowds, and to see that an unruly or sometimes
an overexcited crowd did not generate into a riot, at which the
President of the United States could be injured. But he said that if
anybody really wanted to shoot the President of the United States, it
was not a very difficult job--all one had to do was get a high building
some day with a telescopic rifle, and there was nothing anybody could
do to defend against such an attempt on the President's life.
Mr. SPECTER. What was Mrs. Kennedy's reaction to that philosophy?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I think--I think she had not quite thought of this at
all. She certainly had not thought of it in this way. But I think the
general tenor of the conversation was that she agreed that this was--in
this democracy, this is inherent.
Mr. SPECTER. What had her reaction been to the trip to Texas up to that
point?
Mr. O'DONNELL. She had enjoyed it. She had not been a girl who had
loved campaigning. And I thought at the moment, at that very minute,
that for the first time--the President and I were discussing a
forthcoming trip to the west coast, and he had asked her if she would
come, and she said she would be delighted to come, and she would like
to go from now on.
The President was delighted. We were all delighted.
Mr. SPECTER. Had she been on any political trip before this trip to
Texas?
Mr. O'DONNELL. No; she had not been on a political trip with us for
quite awhile.
Mr. SPECTER. When was the trip immediately prior to the one to Texas
that she was last on, if you recall?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I don't recall. I don't recall.
Mr. SPECTER. Was it during the 1960 campaign?
Mr. O'DONNELL. She was pregnant, as I recollect, during the 1960
campaign. She had been pregnant just prior to this. So that--and most
of the other trips had been really the sort of thing that was difficult
for Mrs. Kennedy to go on. But she had never evidenced to me quite as
much interest in going on a--continuing to go on these trips, as she
was after this.
Mr. SPECTER. Had she ever been to Texas prior to November 21, 1963?
Mr. O'DONNELL. Not to my recollection.
Mr. SPECTER. After the assassination, has she ever made any comment to
you about that conversation which you had in the Hotel Texas in Fort
Worth on the morning of November 22?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I have never dared bring that conversation up to Mrs.
Kennedy.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. O'Donnell, do you have any knowledge, aside from
the factors which you have set forth during your testimony today,
concerning anyone involved in the shooting of the President?
Mr. O'DONNELL. No; I have no comment.
Mr. SPECTER. You say you have no knowledge?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I have no knowledge.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you have anything to add which you think would be
helpful to the President's Commission in any way in its job of
investigating all factors relating to the assassination of President
Kennedy?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I do not.
Mr. SPECTER. One other detail, Mr. O'Donnell.
Did you have occasion to deal with an particular individuals from the
city of Dallas itself during this trip, or in preparation for this trip?
Mr. O'DONNELL. No.
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. O'Donnell, under our practice, if you care to, we can
make this transcript available to you to read and to sign.
Would you prefer that, or would you just as soon waive the signature,
and have the transcript in its final form as it comes from the court
reporter here?
Mr. O'DONNELL. I would like to read it.
Mr. SPECTER. Fine. We will make it available to you for reading and
signature, sir. Thank you very much.