Mr. O'BRIEN. As we stood there, they moved equipment, heavy emergency
equipment into the emergency room, and there was a great deal of what
you would just envision--scurrying around of nurses and doctors, a
great deal of activity.
Mr. ADAMS. Did you go into the emergency room yourself?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I did not.
Mr. ADAMS. Taking it from the point that you arrived there in the
corridor where Mrs. Kennedy was seated, how long a time passed before
it came to your knowledge that the President was dead?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I cannot recall the length of time I had with specific
knowledge. My impression is I had perhaps at the outset in the first
seconds or minutes, I had some doubt this had occurred.
I think perhaps what happened is that it penetrated, without a specific
statement by anyone. I just had to conclude this had occurred, and it
became obvious. At that point, however, Mr. Powers, Mr. O'Donnell, and
I were not at all sure that this had penetrated with Mrs. Kennedy for a
few minutes.
Mr. ADAMS. Do you remember anything about a priest?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Yes; I do. I recall that Mr. O'Donnell told me that he
had asked the staff, or it might have been a Secret Service man, or
hospital staff person--in any event--someone to immediately secure
a priest. There was no priest on the premises. And he had assumed
perhaps a priest was en route, because by that time the knowledge that
something serious had occurred certainly had become known through
police radio and what-have-you.
But the priest arrived in a relatively short time. I don't know the
specific time. But it didn't seem to be an awful long time. And, as a
matter of fact, my recollection is that a second priest arrived, and
then a third priest.
Mr. ADAMS. And you don't know who they were?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I do not.
Mr. ADAMS. During this interval, between the time that you arrived
where Mrs. Kennedy was seated and the time it was officially determined
that the President was dead, do you recall any conversation with Mrs.
Kennedy?
Mr. O'BRIEN. No conversation other than, "Is there anything we can do
for you?" Or a conversation of that nature in very brief and occasional
sentences--no conversation as such.
Mr. ADAMS. Did Mr. Powers stay with you all that time?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Yes; he did.
Mr. ADAMS. Mr. O'Donnell?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Yes.
Mr. ADAMS. Did there come a time when Mr. O'Donnell left?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Mr. O'Donnell, at one point we discussed the
situation--and Mr. O'Donnell at one point determined that he should
cross the corridor and advise the Vice President of what the situation
appeared to be at that moment. And as I recall, it was the conclusion
that this was an extremely serious matter, we hadn't any formal advice
or official advice on the situation, but the seriousness of it should
be imparted to the Vice President.
He left briefly for that purpose, I assume, and returned to the
position where we had been standing.
Mr. ADAMS. How did it come officially to your notice that the President
was dead?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Again, I just don't know. It was a matter of standing for
what seemed to be an interminable period of time--I have no idea the
specific time--and, again, I cannot recall a specific instance when an
announcement was made. It was more just finally having what gradually
became obvious penetrate with you, it was, that it was an actuality.
Mr. ADAMS. How was the fact conveyed to Mrs. Kennedy? Do you remember
that?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I don't remember a specific conversation by anyone with
her. People came to her, hospital staff people, doctors from time to
time that would lean down and whisper to her. I don't know whether at
one of those occasions this was specifically stated. I think, again,
perhaps it was just gradually we all came to a conclusion.
Mr. ADAMS. Well, at any rate, after the fact was--had, as you well put
it, had penetrated, what happened next, as far as you know?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Our concern, in our discussions--Mr. O'Donnell and I
discussed what should be done. Our major concern was that obviously you
just could not leave Mrs. Kennedy sitting in this chair, drenched in
blood. Something certainly had to take place.
In that context, we felt steps should be taken to remove the President
from the hospital. And someone, either Mr. Powers or Mr. O'Donnell, had
suggested at one point during the several minutes, that Mrs. Kennedy
might want to retire to a room a couple of doors down the corridor. Our
attempt to bring this about was not successful, because she started to
walk and then turned around and said, "I want to stay with him." And
she went back to the chair.
Mr. O'Donnell, at a point in these proceedings, issued the directions
to the Secret Service to secure a coffin. As I recall it, the coffin
arrived in a very reasonable time. Whoever handled those arrangements
certainly did it--carried out his responsibility well, because--again,
time had a way of going on, and it is hard to determine a matter of
minutes. But the coffin arrived, in any event, and was wheeled into the
room.
Mr. ADAMS. Did Mr. O'Donnell leave at this point--did he leave Mrs.
Kennedy and go somewhere else, do you recall?
Mr. O'BRIEN. He, as I recall, again, went to the room in which the Vice
President was waiting, to tell him specifically that the President had
died, and to discuss with him the steps to move the Vice President out
of the hospital and to the airport and on to Washington.
Mr. ADAMS. Did Mr. O'Donnell come back and tell you about that
discussion?
Mr. O'BRIEN. He came back and told me that he had advised the
President, and he had had a discussion with the President. And I don't
remember any of the details of it.
Mr. ADAMS. That covered two basic points--that President Kennedy's body
was to be removed from the hospital forthwith, and the other was that
the Vice President was to return to Washington?
Mr. O'BRIEN. That is right.
Mr. ADAMS. What were the reasons that led to the decision, if you know,
that the Vice President would return to Washington?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I believe it was in the context of the death of the
President, what steps, if any, were necessary for the Vice President
to assume the responsibility of the office forthwith, and our great
concern about the situation in which Mrs. Kennedy was being left in
this corridor, without any plan for taking care of her. So I think the
basic idea was to leave the hospital.
Mr. ADAMS. Was there any discussion as to whether there might or might
not be some general conspiracy?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Not with me.