The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. Connally, would you mind telling us the story of
this affair as you heard it, and we will be brief, and we will start
right with the shooting itself, and Mr. Specter will also examine you.
Would you raise your right hand and be sworn, please? Do you solemnly
swear the testimony you are about to give before this Commission will
be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you
God?
Mrs. CONNALLY. I do.
The CHAIRMAN. Will you sit, please?
Mr. SPECTER. Are you the wife of Governor John C. Connally?
Mrs. CONNALLY. No, I am the wife of Governor John B. Connally.
Mr. SPECTER. Mrs. Connally, tell us what happened at the time of the
assassination.
Mrs. CONNALLY. We had just finished the motorcade through the downtown
Dallas area, and it had been a wonderful motorcade. The people had been
very responsive to the President and Mrs. Kennedy, and we were very
pleased, I was very pleased.
As we got off Main Street--is that the main thoroughfare?
Mr. SPECTER. That is the street on which you were proceeding through
the town, yes.
Mrs. CONNALLY. In fact the receptions had been so good every place that
I had showed much restraint by not mentioning something about it before.
I could resist no longer. When we got past this area I did turn to the
President and said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love
you."
Then I don't know how soon, it seems to me it was very soon, that I
heard a noise, and not being an expert rifleman, I was not aware that
it was a rifle. It was just a frightening noise, and it came from the
right.
I turned over my right shoulder and looked back, and saw the President
as he had both hands at his neck.
Mr. SPECTER. And you are indicating with your own hands, two hands
crossing over gripping your own neck?
Mrs. CONNALLY. Yes; and it seemed to me there was--he made no
utterance, no cry. I saw no blood, no anything. It was just sort of
nothing, the expression on his face, and he just sort of slumped down.
Then very soon there was the second shot that hit John. As the first
shot was hit, and I turned to look at the same time, I recall John
saying, "Oh, no, no, no." Then there was a second shot, and it hit
John, and as he recoiled to the right, just crumpled like a wounded
animal to the right, he said, "My God, they are going to kill us all."