Mrs. KENNEDY. In front of me.
Mr. RANKIN. And Governor Connally to your right in the jump seat?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And Mrs. Connally was in the jump seat?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And then did you start off on the parade route?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And were there many people along the route that you waved
to?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes. It was rather scattered going in.
Once there was a crowd of people with a sign saying something like
"President Kennedy, please get out and shake our hands, our neighbors
said you wouldn't."
Mr. RANKIN. Did you?
Mrs. KENNEDY. And he stopped and got out. That was, you know, like a
little suburb and there were not many crowds. But then the crowds got
bigger as you went in.
Mr. RANKIN. As you got into the main street of Dallas were there very
large crowds on all the streets?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. And you waved to them and proceeded down the street with
the motorcade?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes. And in the motorcade, you know, I usually would be
waving mostly to the left side and he was waving mostly to the right,
which is one reason you are not looking at each other very much. And it
was terribly hot. Just blinding all of us.
Mr. RANKIN. Now, do you remember as you turned off of the main street
onto Houston Street?
Mrs. KENNEDY. I don't know the name of the street.
Mr. RANKIN. That is that one block before you get to the Depository
Building.
Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, I remember whenever it was, Mrs. Connally said, "We
will soon be there." We could see a tunnel in front of us. Everything
was really slow then. And I remember thinking it would be so cool under
that tunnel.
Mr. RANKIN. And then do you remember as you turned off of Houston onto
Elm right by the Depository Building?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, I don't know the names of the streets, but I
suppose right by the Depository is what you are talking about?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes; that is the street that sort of curves as you go down
under the underpass.
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes; well, that is when she said to President Kennedy,
"You certainly can't say that the people of Dallas haven't given you a
nice welcome."
Mr. RANKIN. What did he say?
Mrs. KENNEDY. I think he said--I don't know if I remember it or I have
read it, "No, you certainly can't," or something. And you know then the
car was very slow and there weren't very many people around.
And then--do you want me to tell you what happened?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes; if you would, please.
Mrs. KENNEDY. You know, there is always noise in a motorcade and there
are always motorcycles besides us, a lot of them backfiring. So I was
looking to the left. I guess there was a noise, but it didn't seem like
any different noise really because there is so much noise, motorcycles
and things. But then suddenly Governor Connally was yelling, "Oh, no,
no, no."
Mr. RANKIN. Did he turn toward you?
Mrs. KENNEDY. No; I was looking this way, to the left, and I heard
these terrible noises. You know. And my husband never made any sound.
So I turned to the right. And all I remember is seeing my husband, he
had this sort of quizzical look on his face, and his hand was up, it
must have been his left hand. And just as I turned and looked at him, I
could see a piece of his skull and I remember it was flesh colored. I
remember thinking he just looked as if he had a slight headache. And I
just remember seeing that. No blood or anything.
And then he sort of did this [indicating], put his hand to his forehead
and fell in my lap.
And then I just remember falling on him and saying, "Oh, no, no, no," I
mean, "Oh, my God, they have shot my husband." And "I love you, Jack,"
I remember I was shouting. And just being down in the car with his head
in my lap. And it just seemed an eternity.
You know, then, there were pictures later on of me climbing out the
back. But I don't remember that at all.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you remember Mr. Hill coming to try to help on the car?
Mrs. KENNEDY. I don't remember anything. I was just down like that.
And finally I remember a voice behind me, or something, and then I
remember the people in the front seat, or somebody, finally knew
something was wrong, and a voice yelling, which must have been Mr.
Hill, "Get to the hospital," or maybe it was Mr. Kellerman, in the
front seat. But someone yelling. I was just down and holding him.
[Reference to wounds deleted.]
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any recollection of whether there were one or
more shots?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, there must have been two because the one that made
me turn around was Governor Connally yelling. And it used to confuse
me because first I remembered there were three and I used to think my
husband didn't make any sound when he was shot. And Governor Connally
screamed. And then I read the other day that it was the same shot
that hit them both. But I used to think if I only had been looking to
the right I would have seen the first shot hit him, then I could have
pulled him down, and then the second shot would not have hit him. But I
heard Governor Connally yelling and that made me turn around, and as I
turned to the right my husband was doing this [indicating with hand at
neck]. He was receiving a bullet. And those are the only two I remember.
And I read there was a third shot. But I don't know.
Just those two.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you have any recollection generally of the speed that
you were going, not any precise amount.
Mrs. KENNEDY. We were really slowing turning the corner. And there were
very few people.
Mr. RANKIN. And did you stop at any time after the shots, or proceed
about the same way?
Mrs. KENNEDY. I don't know, because--I don't think we stopped. But
there was such confusion. And I was down in the car and everyone was
yelling to get to the hospital and you could hear them on the radio,
and then suddenly I remember a sensation of enormous speed, which must
have been when we took off.
Mr. RANKIN. And then from there you proceeded as rapidly as possible to
the hospital, is that right?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
Mr. RANKIN. Do you recall anyone saying anything else during the time
of the shooting?
Mrs. KENNEDY. So; there weren't any words. There was just Governor
Connally's. And then I suppose Mrs. Connally was sort of crying and
covering her husband. But I don't remember any words.
And there was a big windshield between--you know--I think. Isn't there?
Mr. RANKIN. Between the seats.
Mrs. KENNEDY. So you know, those poor men in the front, you couldn't
hear them.
Mr. RANKIN. Can you think of anything more?
The CHAIRMAN. No; I think not. I think that is the story and that is
what we came for.
We thank you very much, Mrs. Kennedy.
Mr. RANKIN. I would just like to ask if you recall Special Agent
Kellerman saying anything to you as you came down the street after you
turned that corner that you referred to.
Mrs. KENNEDY. You mean before the shots?
Mr. RANKIN. Yes.
Mrs. KENNEDY. Well, I don't, because--you know, it is very hard for
them to talk. But I do not remember, just as I don't recall climbing
out on the back of the car.
Mr. RANKIN. Yes. You have told us what you remember about the entire
period as far as you can recall, have you?
Mrs. KENNEDY. Yes.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Mrs. Kennedy. (Whereupon, at 4:30
p.m., the President's Commission recessed.)
_Sunday, June 7, 1964_