PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION
ON THE ASSASSINATION OF
PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, _ss_:
I, Clifton C. Carter, make the following affidavit concerning my
knowledge of the events of November 22, 1963.
Vice President Johnson and I had been in Texas during the week
preceding November 22nd, and we had met the party of President Kennedy
in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday, November 21, 1963.
I was on the Vice President's plane (AF-2) when it landed at Dallas
Love Field on November 22 at about 11:30 a.m. Vice President and Mrs.
Johnson left their plane and joined the reception party which greeted
President and Mrs. Kennedy, who arrived in the President's plane
(AF-1). President and Mrs. Kennedy then shook hands with people in the
crowd along an iron fence. While the Presidential party greeted the
crowd, I went to the automobile where I was to ride in the motorcade.
It was a Secret Service vehicle assigned to follow and protect the Vice
President. Our car was right behind the Vice President's automobile,
which was immediately to the rear of the Presidential Secret Service
follow-up car, which drove right behind the President's automobile.
The automobile in which I rode was driven by a Dallas policeman. I sat
in the middle of the front seat and held some radio equipment on my
lap. Special Agent Jerry D. Kivett sat on my right and Special Agent
Len Johns and someone else were in the rear seat. This was an unmarked
Dallas police car.
Nothing unusual occurred on the motorcade route from Love Field to the
downtown Dallas area. The crowds were very large and very friendly,
except for two or three signs which contained derogatory comments about
President Kennedy. I would estimate that the crowds were twice as
big as they were in September of 1960 when Mr. Kennedy campaigned in
Dallas. The motorcade slowed down at times, but I do not believe that
it stopped.
The motorcade proceeded west on Main Street, made a right-hand turn
onto Houston and then swung around to the left on Elm, proceeding
slowly at about 5 to 10 miles per hour. At approximately 12:30 p.m.,
our car had just made the left-hand turn off Houston onto Elm Street
and was right along side of the Texas School Book Depository Building
when I heard a noise which sounded like a firecracker. Special Agent
Youngblood, who was seated on the right-hand side of the front seat
of Vice President Johnson's car immediately turned and pushed Vice
President Johnson down and in the same motion vaulted over the seat and
covered the Vice President with his body. At that instant Mrs. Johnson
and Senator Yarborough, who were riding in the back seat along with the
Vice President, bent forward. Special Agent Youngblood's action came
immediately after the first shot and before the succeeding shots.
I distinctly remember three shots. There was an interval of
approximately 5 to 6 seconds from the first to the last shot,
and the three shots were evenly spaced. The motorcade promptly
accelerated and traveled at high speeds up to 75 to 80 miles an
hour to Parkland Memorial Hospital. The President's automobile, the
President's follow-up car, the Vice President's automobile, and the
Vice President's follow-up car pulled into the emergency entrance at
Parkland. Attendants from the hospital with two stretchers carried
President Kennedy and Governor Connally into the hospital. At one
point I briefly helped remove Governor Connally from the car onto the
stretcher. After President Kennedy and Governor Connally had been taken
into the hospital, Vice President Johnson, Mrs. Johnson, Special Agent
Youngblood and I entered the emergency area and were taken to a small
room where we waited. I went out on a couple of occasions to secure
coffee. Congressmen Henry Gonzalez, Jack Brooks, Homer Thornberry and
Albert Thomas came into the room where Vice President Johnson waited.
About 1 o'clock Mrs. Johnson left the room, stating that she wanted to
visit with Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs. Connally.
At 1:12 p.m. Special Agent Emory Roberts brought the news that
President Kennedy was dead. At that moment the only people present
were Vice President Johnson, Congressman Thornberry, Special Agent Len
Johns, and I. Special Agent Roberts advised Vice President Johnson
to return to the White House forthwith because of the concern of the
Secret Service that there might be a widespread plot to assassinate
Vice President Johnson as well as President Kennedy.
Vice President Johnson then asked that Kenny (O'Donnell) and Larry
(O'Brien) be consulted to determine what their views were on returning
promptly to Washington. Kenny and Larry came down and told Vice
President Johnson that they agreed he should return to Washington
immediately. Vice President Johnson then asked me to try to alert some
of the members of his staff to go to the airport for the return trip to
Washington. I then proceeded to look for those members of the staff,
and I was later driven to Love Field by a young Dallas policeman. By
the time I returned to the Presidential plane (AF-1), Vice President
and Mrs. Johnson had already boarded the plane and arrangements had
already been made to have Vice President Johnson sworn-in as the
President. I do not have any personal knowledge of Vice President
Johnson's conversation with Attorney General Kennedy concerning the
advisability of a prompt swearing-in or of the arrangements to have
Judge Sara Hughes participate in that ceremony. I was present at the
swearing-in and shortly thereafter the President's plane took off for
the Washington area.
The original conversations concerning President Kennedy's trip to
Texas occurred on June 5, 1963 at the Cortez Hotel in El Paso, Texas.
President Kennedy had spoken earlier that day at the Air Force Academy
and Vice President Johnson had spoken at Annapolis. The President
and Vice President met with Governor Connally at the Cortez Hotel to
discuss a number of matters, including a trip by the President to
Texas. Fred Korth and I were present when the three men assembled,
but Fred Korth and I left during their discussion of the President's
proposed trip. The first tentative date was to have the trip coincide
with Vice-President Johnson's birthday on August 27th, but that was
rejected because it was too close to Labor Day. President Kennedy's
other commitments prevented him from coming to Texas any sooner than
November 21st, which was the date finally set.
Signed this 20th day of May 1964.
(S) Clifton C. Carter,
CLIFTON C. CARTER.