The Assassination
This chapter describes President Kennedy’s trip to Dallas, from its
origin through its tragic conclusion. The narrative of these events
is based largely on the recollections of the participants, although
in many instances documentary or other evidence has also been used by
the Commission. Beginning with the advance plans and Secret Service
preparations for the trip, this chapter reviews the motorcade through
Dallas, the fleeting moments of the assassination, the activities at
Parkland Memorial Hospital, and the return of the Presidential party to
Washington. An evaluation of the procedures employed to safeguard the
President, with recommendations for improving these procedures, appears
in chapter VIII of the report.
PLANNING THE TEXAS TRIP
President Kennedy’s visit to Texas in November 1963 had been under
consideration for almost a year before it occurred. He had made
only a few brief visits to the State since the 1960 Presidential
campaign and in 1962 he began to consider a formal visit.[C2-1]
During 1963, the reasons for making the trip became more persuasive.
As a political leader, the President wished to resolve the factional
controversy within the Democratic Party in Texas before the election
of 1964.[C2-2] The party itself saw an opportunity to raise funds by
having the President speak at a political dinner eventually planned
for Austin.[C2-3] As Chief of State, the President always welcomed the
opportunity to learn, firsthand, about the problems which concerned
the American people.[C2-4] Moreover, he looked forward to the public
appearances which he personally enjoyed.[C2-5]
The basic decision on the November trip to Texas was made at a
meeting of President Kennedy, Vice President Johnson, and Governor
Connally on June 5, 1963, at the Cortez Hotel in El Paso, Tex.[C2-6]
The President had spoken earlier that day at the Air Force Academy
in Colorado Springs, Colo., and had stopped in El Paso to discuss
the proposed visit and other matters with the Vice President and the
Governor.[C2-7] The three agreed that the President would come to Texas
in late November 1963.[C2-8] The original plan called for the President
to spend only 1 day in the State, making whirlwind visits to Dallas,
Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston.[C2-9] In September, the White
House decided to permit further visits by the President and extended
the trip to run from the afternoon of November 21 through the evening
of Friday, November 22.[C2-10] When Governor Connally called at the
White House on October 4 to discuss the details of the visit, it was
agreed that the planning of events in Texas would be left largely to
the Governor.[C2-11] At the White House, Kenneth O’Donnell, special
assistant to the President, acted as coordinator for the trip.[C2-12]
Everyone agreed that, if there was sufficient time, a motorcade through
downtown Dallas would be the best way for the people to see their
President. When the trip was planned for only 1 day, Governor Connally
had opposed the motorcade because there was not enough time.[C2-13]
The Governor stated, however, that “once we got San Antonio moved
from Friday to Thursday afternoon, where that was his initial stop
in Texas, then we had the time, and I withdrew my objections to
a motorcade.”[C2-14] According to O’Donnell, “we had a motorcade
wherever we went,” particularly in large cities where the purpose was
to let the President be seen by as many people as possible.[C2-15]
In his experience, “it would be automatic” for the Secret Service
to arrange a route which would, within the time allotted, bring the
President “through an area which exposes him to the greatest number of
people.”[C2-16]
ADVANCE PREPARATIONS FOR THE DALLAS TRIP
Advance preparations for President Kennedy’s visit to Dallas were
primarily the responsibility of two Secret Service agents: Special
Agent Winston G. Lawson, a member of the White House detail who acted
as the advance agent, and Forrest V. Sorrels, special agent in charge
of the Dallas office.[C2-17] Both agents were advised of the trip on
November 4.[C2-18] Lawson received a tentative schedule of the Texas
trip on November 8 from Roy H. Kellerman, assistant special agent in
charge of the White House detail, who was the Secret Service official
responsible for the entire Texas journey.[C2-19] As advance agent
working closely with Sorrels, Lawson had responsibility for arranging
the timetable for the President’s visit to Dallas and coordinating
local activities with the White House staff, the organizations directly
concerned with the visit, and local law enforcement officials.[C2-20]
Lawson’s most important responsibilities were to take preventive
action against anyone in Dallas considered a threat to the President,
to select the luncheon site and motorcade route, and to plan security
measures for the luncheon and the motorcade.
Preventive Intelligence Activities
The Protective Research Section (PRS) of the Secret Service maintains
records of people who have threatened the President or so conducted
themselves as to be deemed a potential danger to him. On November 8,
1963, after undertaking the responsibility for advance preparations
for the visit to Dallas, Agent Lawson went to the PRS offices in
Washington. A check of the geographic indexes there revealed no listing
for any individual deemed to be a potential danger to the President
in the territory of the Secret Service regional office which includes
Dallas and Fort Worth.[C2-21]
To supplement the PRS files, the Secret Service depends largely on
local police departments and local offices of other Federal agencies
which advise it of potential threats immediately before the visit
of the President to their community. Upon his arrival in Dallas on
November 12 Lawson conferred with the local police and the local
office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation about potential dangers
to the President. Although there was no mention in PRS files of the
demonstration in Dallas against Ambassador Adlai Stevenson on October
24, 1963, Lawson inquired about the incident and obtained through the
local police photographs of some of the persons involved.[C2-22] On
November 22 a Secret Service agent stood at the entrance to the Trade
Mart, where the President was scheduled to speak, with copies of these
photographs. Dallas detectives in the lobby of the Trade Mart and in
the luncheon area also had copies of these photographs. A number of
people who resembled some of those in the photographs were placed under
surveillance at the Trade Mart.[C2-23]
The FBI office in Dallas gave the local Secret Service representatives
the name of a possibly dangerous individual in the Dallas area who was
investigated. It also advised the Secret Service of the circulation on
November 21 of a handbill sharply critical of President Kennedy,[C2-24]
discussed in chapter VI of this report. Shortly before, the Dallas
police had reported to the Secret Service that the handbill had
appeared on the streets of Dallas. Neither the Dallas police nor the
FBI had yet learned the source of the handbill.[C2-25] No one else was
identified to the Secret Service through local inquiry as potentially
dangerous, nor did PRS develop any additional information between
November 12, when Lawson left Washington, and November 22. The adequacy
of the intelligence system maintained by the Secret Service at the time
of the assassination, including a detailed description of the available
data on Lee Harvey Oswald and the reasons why his name had not been
furnished to the Secret Service, is discussed in chapter VIII.
The Luncheon Site
An important purpose of the President’s visit to Dallas was to speak at
a luncheon given by business and civic leaders. The White House staff
informed the Secret Service that the President would arrive and depart
from Dallas’ Love Field; that a motorcade through the downtown area of
Dallas to the luncheon site should be arranged; and that following the
luncheon the President would return to the airport by the most direct
route. Accordingly, it was important to determine the luncheon site as
quickly as possible, so that security could be established at the site
and the motorcade route selected.
On November 4, Gerald A. Behn, agent in charge of the White House
detail, asked Sorrels to examine three potential sites for the
luncheon.[C2-26] One building, Market Hall, was unavailable for
November 22. The second, the Women’s Building at the State Fair
Grounds, was a one-story building with few entrances and easy to make
secure, but it lacked necessary food-handling facilities and had
certain unattractive features, including a low ceiling with exposed
conduits and beams. The third possibility, the Trade Mart, a handsome
new building with all the necessary facilities, presented security
problems. It had numerous entrances, several tiers of balconies
surrounding the central court where the luncheon would be held, and
several catwalks crossing the court at each level. On November 4,
Sorrels told Behn he believed security difficulties at the Trade Mart
could be overcome by special precautions.[C2-27] Lawson also evaluated
the security hazards at the Trade Mart on November 13.[C2-28] Kenneth
O’Donnell made the final decision to hold the luncheon at the Trade
Mart; Behn so notified Lawson on November 14.[C2-29]
Once the Trade Mart had been selected, Sorrels and Lawson worked out
detailed arrangements for security at the building. In addition to the
preventive measures already mentioned, they provided for controlling
access to the building, closing off and policing areas around it,
securing the roof and insuring the presence of numerous police
officers inside and around the building. Ultimately more than 200 law
enforcement officers, mainly Dallas police but including 8 Secret
Service agents, were deployed in and around the Trade Mart.[C2-30]
The Motorcade Route
On November 8, when Lawson was briefed on the itinerary for the trip to
Dallas, he was told that 45 minutes had been allotted for a motorcade
procession from Love Field to the luncheon site.[C2-31] Lawson was not
specifically instructed to select the parade route, but he understood
that this was one of his functions.[C2-32] Even before the Trade Mart
had been definitely selected, Lawson and Sorrels began to consider the
best motorcade route from Love Field to the Trade Mart. On November 14,
Lawson and Sorrels attended a meeting at Love Field and on their return
to Dallas drove over the route which Sorrels believed best suited for
the proposed motorcade.[C2-33] This route, eventually selected for the
motorcade from the airport to the Trade Mart, measured 10 miles and
could be driven easily within the allotted 45 minutes.[C2-34] From Love
Field the route passed through a portion of suburban Dallas, through
the downtown area along Main Street and then to the Trade Mart via
Stemmons Freeway. For the President’s return to Love Field following
the luncheon, the agents selected the most direct route, which was
approximately 4 miles.[C2-35]
After the selection of the Trade Mart as the luncheon site, Lawson
and Sorrels met with Dallas Chief of Police Jesse E. Curry, Assistant
Chief Charles Batchelor, Deputy Chief N. T. Fisher, and several other
command officers to discuss details of the motorcade and possible
routes.[C2-36] The route was further reviewed by Lawson and Sorrels
with Assistant Chief Batchelor and members of the local host committee
on November 15. The police officials agreed that the route recommended
by Sorrels was the proper one and did not express a belief that any
other route might be better.[C2-37] On November 18, Sorrels and Lawson
drove over the selected route with Batchelor and other police officers,
verifying that it could be traversed within 45 minutes. Representatives
of the local host committee and the White House staff were advised by
the Secret Service of the actual route on the afternoon of November
18.[C2-38]
The route impressed the agents as a natural and desirable one. Sorrels,
who had participated in Presidential protection assignments in Dallas
since a visit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936,[C2-39]
testified that the traditional parade route in Dallas was along Main
Street, since the tall buildings along the street gave more people an
opportunity to participate.[C2-40] The route chosen from the airport
to Main Street was the normal one, except where Harwood Street was
selected as the means of access to Main Street in preference to a short
stretch of the Central Expressway, which presented a minor safety
hazard and could not accommodate spectators as conveniently as Harwood
Street.[C2-41] According to Lawson, the chosen route seemed to be the
best.
It afforded us wide streets most of the way, because of the
buses that were in the motorcade. It afforded us a chance to
have alternative routes if something happened on the motorcade
route. It was the type of suburban area a good part of the way
where the crowds would be able to be controlled for a great
distance, and we figured that the largest crowds would be
downtown, which they were, and that the wide streets that we
would use downtown would be of sufficient width to keep the
public out of our way.[C2-42]
Elm Street, parallel to Main Street and one block north, was not used
for the main portion of the downtown part of the motorcade because Main
Street offered better vantage points for spectators.
To reach the Trade Mart from Main Street the agents decided to use
the Stemmons Freeway (Route No. 77), the most direct route. The only
practical way for westbound traffic on Main Street to reach the
northbound lanes of the Stemmons Freeway is via Elm Street, which
Route No. 77 traffic is instructed to follow in this part of the
city. (See Commission Exhibit No. 2113, p. 34.) Elm Street was to be
reached from Main by turning right at Houston, going one block north
and then turning left onto Elm. On this last portion of the journey,
only 5 minutes from the Trade Mart, the President’s motorcade would
pass the Texas School Book Depository Building on the northwest corner
of Houston and Elm Streets. The building overlooks Dealey Plaza,
an attractively landscaped triangle of 3 acres. (See Commission
Exhibit No. 876, p. 33.) From Houston Street, which forms the base
of the triangle, three streets--Commerce, Main, and Elm--trisect
the plaza, converging at the apex of the triangle to form a triple
underpass beneath a multiple railroad bridge almost 500 feet from
Houston Street.[C2-43] Elm Street, the northernmost of the three,
after intersecting Houston curves in a southwesterly arc through the
underpass and leads into an access road, which branches off to the
right and is used by traffic going to the Stemmons Freeway and the
Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike. (See Commission Exhibits Nos. 2113-2116,
pp. 34-37.)
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 876
DEALEY PLAZA--DALLAS, TEXAS
1. TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY
2. DAL-TEX BUILDING
3. DALLAS COUNTY RECORDS BUILDING
4. DALLAS COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTS BUILDING
5. OLD COURT HOUSE
6. NEELEY BRYAN HOUSE
7. DALLAS COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
8. UNITED STATES POST OFFICE BUILDING
9. PERGOLAS
10. PERISTYLES AND REFLECTING POOLS
11. RAILROAD OVERPASS (TRIPLE UNDERPASS)
]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 2113
FREEWAY CONVERGENCE AT TRIPLE UNDERPASS
DALLAS, TEXAS]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 2114
A. LOOKING TOWARD ENTRANCE TO DEALEY PLAZA FROM INTERSECTION OF HOUSTON
AND ELM STS.
B. LOOKING WEST THROUGH DEALEY PLAZA ALONG ELM ST.
C. LOOKING WEST THROUGH TRIPLE UNDERPASS
D. LOOKING WEST TOWARD COMMERCE ST. FROM TRIPLE UNDERPASS]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 2115
PLAN VIEW OF FREEWAY CONVERGENCE
WEST OF TRIPLE UNDERPASS
DALLAS, TEXAS
]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 2116
AERIAL VIEW (500 FT. ALTITUDE)
OF FREEWAY CONVERGENCE WEST OF
TRIPLE UNDERPASS, DALLAS, TEXAS
]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 2967
Traffic sign on Main Street which directs westbound traffic to turn
right at Houston Street to gain access to the Dallas-Fort Worth
Turnpike.]
The Elm Street approach to the Stemmons Freeway is necessary in order
to avoid the traffic hazards which would otherwise exist if right
turns were permitted from both Main and Elm into the freeway. To
create this traffic pattern, a concrete barrier between Main and Elm
Streets presents an obstacle to a right turn from Main across Elm to
the access road to Stemmons Freeway and the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike.
This concrete barrier extends far enough beyond the access road to
make it impracticable for vehicles to turn right from Main directly to
the access road. A sign located on this barrier instructs Main Street
traffic not to make any turns.[C2-45] (See Commission Exhibits Nos.
2114-2116, pp. 35-37.) In conformity with these arrangements, traffic
proceeding west on Main is directed to turn right at Houston in order
to reach the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike, which has the same access road
from Elm Street as does the Stemmons Freeway.[C2-46] (See Commission
Exhibit No. 2967, p. 38.)
The planning for the motorcade also included advance preparations for
security arrangements along the route. Sorrels and Lawson reviewed the
route in cooperation with Assistant Chief Batchelor and other Dallas
police officials who took notes on the requirements for controlling the
crowds and traffic, watching the overpasses, and providing motorcycle
escort.[C2-47] To control traffic, arrangements were made for the
deployment of foot patrolmen and motorcycle police at various positions
along the route.[C2-48] Police were assigned to each overpass on the
route and instructed to keep them clear of unauthorized persons.[C2-49]
No arrangements were made for police or building custodians to inspect
buildings along the motorcade route since the Secret Service did
not normally request or make such a check.[C2-50] Under standard
procedures, the responsibility for watching the windows of buildings
was shared by local police stationed along the route and Secret Service
agents riding in the motorcade.[C2-51]
As the date for the President’s visit approached, the two Dallas
newspapers carried several reports of his motorcade route. The
selection of the Trade Mart as the possible site for the luncheon first
appeared in the Dallas Times-Herald on November 15, 1963.[C2-52] The
following day, the newspaper reported that the Presidential party
“apparently will loop through the downtown area, probably on Main
Street, en route from Dallas Love Field” on its way to the Trade
Mart.[C2-53] On November 19, the Times-Herald afternoon paper detailed
the precise route:
From the airport, the President’s party will proceed to
Mockingbird Lane to Lemmon and then to Turtle Creek, turning
south to Cedar Springs.
The motorcade will then pass through downtown on Harwood and
then west on Main, turning back to Elm at Houston and then out
Stemmons Freeway to the Trade Mart.[C2-54]
Also on November 19, the Morning News reported that the President’s
motorcade would travel from Love Field along specified streets, then
“Harwood to Main, Main to Houston, Houston to Elm, Elm under the Triple
Underpass to Stemmons Freeway, and on to the Trade Mart.”[C2-55] On
November 20 a front page story reported that the streets on which
the Presidential motorcade would travel included “Main and Stemmons
Freeway.”[C2-56] On the morning of the President’s arrival, the Morning
News noted that the motorcade would travel through downtown Dallas onto
the Stemmons Freeway, and reported that “the motorcade will move slowly
so that crowds can ‘get a good view’ of President Kennedy and his
wife.”[C2-57]
DALLAS BEFORE THE VISIT
The President’s intention to pay a visit to Texas in the fall of 1963
aroused interest throughout the State. The two Dallas newspapers
provided their readers with a steady stream of information and
speculation about the trip, beginning on September 13, when the
Times-Herald announced in a front page article that President Kennedy
was planning a brief 1-day tour of four Texas cities--Dallas, Fort
Worth, San Antonio, and Houston.[C2-58] Both Dallas papers cited White
House sources on September 26 as confirming the President’s intention
to visit Texas on November 21 and 22, with Dallas scheduled as one of
the stops.[C2-59]
Articles, editorials, and letters to the editor in the Dallas Morning
News and the Dallas Times-Herald after September 13 reflected the
feeling in the community toward the forthcoming Presidential visit.
Although there were critical editorials and letters to the editors, the
news stories reflected the desire of Dallas officials to welcome the
President with dignity and courtesy. An editorial in the Times-Herald
of September 17 called on the people of Dallas to be “congenial
hosts” even though “Dallas didn’t vote for Mr. Kennedy in 1960, may
not endorse him in ’64.”[C2-60] On October 3 the Dallas Morning News
quoted U.S. Representative Joe Pool’s hope that President Kennedy would
receive a “good welcome” and would not face demonstrations like those
encountered by Vice President Johnson during the 1960 campaign.[C2-61]
Increased concern about the President’s visit was aroused by the
incident involving the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai
E. Stevenson. On the evening of October 24, 1963, after addressing
a meeting in Dallas, Stevenson was jeered, jostled, and spat upon
by hostile demonstrators outside the Dallas Memorial Auditorium
Theater.[C2-62] The local, national, and international reaction to
this incident evoked from Dallas officials and newspapers strong
condemnations of the demonstrators. Mayor Earle Cabell called on the
city to redeem itself during President Kennedy’s visit.[C2-63] He
asserted that Dallas had shed its reputation of the twenties as the
“Southwest hate capital of Dixie.”[C2-64] On October 26 the press
reported Chief of Police Curry’s plans to call in 100 extra off-duty
officers to help protect President Kennedy.[C2-65] Any thought that
the President might cancel his visit to Dallas was ended when Governor
Connally confirmed on November 8 that the President would come to Texas
on November 21-22, and that he would visit San Antonio, Houston, Fort
Worth, Dallas, and Austin.[C2-66]
During November the Dallas papers reported frequently on the plans
for protecting the President, stressing the thoroughness of the
preparations. They conveyed the pleas of Dallas leaders that citizens
not demonstrate or create disturbances during the President’s visit.
On November 18 the Dallas City Council adopted a new city ordinance
prohibiting interference with attendance at lawful assemblies.[C2-67]
Two days before the President’s arrival Chief Curry warned that the
Dallas police would not permit improper conduct during the President’s
visit.[C2-68]
Meanwhile, on November 17 the president of the Dallas Chamber of
Commerce referred to the city’s reputation for being the friendliest
town in America and asserted that citizens would “greet the President
of the United States with the warmth and pride that keep the Dallas
spirit famous the world over.”[C2-69] Two days later, a local
Republican leader called for a “civilized nonpartisan” welcome for
President Kennedy, stating that “in many respects Dallas County has
isolated itself from the main stream of life in the world in this
decade.”[C2-70]
Another reaction to the impending visit--hostile to the President--came
to a head shortly before his arrival. On November 21 there appeared
on the streets of Dallas the anonymous handbill mentioned above. It
was fashioned after the “wanted” circulars issued by law enforcement
agencies. Beneath two photographs of President Kennedy, one fullface
and one profile, appeared the caption, “Wanted for Treason,” followed
by a scurrilous bill of particulars that constituted a vilification of
the President.[C2-71] And on the morning of the President’s arrival,
there appeared in the Morning News a full page, black-bordered
advertisement headed “Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas,” sponsored by
the American Factfinding Committee, which the sponsor later testified
was an ad hoc committee “formed strictly for the purpose of having
a name to put in the paper.”[C2-72] The “welcome” consisted of a
series of statements and questions critical of the President and his
administration.[C2-73] (See Commission Exhibit No. 1031, p. 294.)
VISITS TO OTHER TEXAS CITIES
The trip to Texas began with the departure of President and Mrs.
Kennedy from the White House by helicopter at 10:45 a.m., e.s.t., on
November 21, 1963, for Andrews AFB. They took off in the Presidential
plane, _Air Force One_, at 11 a.m., arriving at San Antonio at 1:30
p.m., c.s.t. They were greeted by Vice President Johnson and Governor
Connally, who joined the Presidential party in a motorcade through San
Antonio.[C2-74] During the afternoon, President Kennedy dedicated the
U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks AFB.[C2-75] Late
in the afternoon he flew to Houston where he rode through the city in a
motorcade, spoke at the Rice University Stadium, and attended a dinner
in honor of U.S. Representative Albert Thomas.[C2-76]
At Rice Stadium a very large, enthusiastic crowd greeted the
President.[C2-77] In Houston, as elsewhere during the trip, the
crowds showed much interest in Mrs. Kennedy. David F. Powers of the
President’s staff later stated that when the President asked for his
assessment of the day’s activities, Powers replied “that the crowd was
about the same as the one which came to see him before but there were
100,000 extra people on hand who came to see Mrs. Kennedy.”[C2-78] Late
in the evening, the Presidential party flew to Fort Worth where they
spent the night at the Texas Hotel.[C2-79]
On the morning of November 22, President Kennedy attended a breakfast
at the hotel and afterward addressed a crowd at an open parking
lot.[C2-80] The President liked outdoor appearances because more people
could see and hear him.[C2-81] Before leaving the hotel, the President,
Mrs. Kennedy, and Kenneth O’Donnell talked about the risks inherent
in Presidential public appearances.[C2-82] According to O’Donnell,
the President commented 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 someday with a telescopic
rifle, and there was nothing anybody could do to defend against such
an attempt.”[C2-83] Upon concluding the conversation, the President
prepared to depart for Dallas.
ARRIVAL AT LOVE FIELD
In Dallas the rain had stopped, and by midmorning a gloomy overcast
sky had given way to the bright sunshine that greeted the Presidential
party when _Air Force One_ touched down at Love Field at 11:40
a.m., c.s.t.[C2-84] Governor and Mrs. Connally and Senator Ralph
W. Yarborough had come with the President from Fort Worth.[C2-85]
Vice President Johnson’s airplane, _Air Force Two_, had arrived at
Love Field at approximately 11:35 a.m., and the Vice President and
Mrs. Johnson were in the receiving line to greet President and Mrs.
Kennedy.[C2-86]
After a welcome from the Dallas reception committee, President and Mrs.
Kennedy walked along a chain-link fence at the reception area greeting
a large crowd of spectators that had gathered behind it.[C2-87] Secret
Service agents formed a cordon to keep the press and photographers
from impeding their passage and scanned the crowd for threatening
movements.[C2-88] Dallas police stood at intervals along the fence
and Dallas plainclothesmen mixed in the crowd.[C2-89] Vice President
and Mrs. Johnson followed along the fence, guarded by four members of
the Vice-Presidential detail.[C2-90] Approximately 10 minutes after
the arrival at Love Field, the President and Mrs. Kennedy went to the
Presidential automobile to begin the motorcade.[C2-91]
ORGANIZATION OF THE MOTORCADE
Secret Service arrangements for Presidential trips, which were
followed in the Dallas motorcade, are designed to provide protection
while permitting large numbers of people to see the President.[C2-92]
Every effort is made to prevent unscheduled stops, although the
President may, and in Dallas did, order stops in order to greet the
public.[C2-93] When the motorcade slows or stops, agents take positions
between the President and the crowd.[C2-94]
The order of vehicles in the Dallas motorcade was as follows:
_Motorcycles._--Dallas police motorcycles preceded the pilot car.[C2-95]
_The pilot car._--Manned by officers of the Dallas Police Department,
this automobile preceded the main party by approximately a quarter
of a mile. Its function was to alert police along the route that the
motorcade was approaching and to check for signs of trouble.[C2-96]
_Motorcycles._--Next came four to six motorcycle policemen whose main
purpose was to keep the crowd back.[C2-97]
_The lead car._--Described as a “rolling command car,” this was an
unmarked Dallas police car, driven by Chief of Police Curry and
occupied by Secret Service Agents Sorrels and Lawson and by Dallas
County Sheriff J. E. Decker. The occupants scanned the crowd and the
buildings along the route. Their main function was to spot trouble
in advance and to direct any necessary steps to meet the trouble.
Following normal practice, the lead automobile stayed approximately
four to five car lengths ahead of the President’s limousine.[C2-98]
_The Presidential limousine._--The President’s automobile was a
specially designed 1961 Lincoln convertible with two collapsible jump
seats between the front and rear seats.[C2-99] (See Commission Exhibit
No. 346, p. 44.) It was outfitted with a clear plastic bubble-top
which was neither bulletproof nor bullet resistant.[C2-100] Because
the skies had cleared in Dallas, Lawson directed that the top not be
used for the day’s activities. He acted on instructions he had received
earlier from Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roy H. Kellerman, who
was in Fort Worth with the President.[C2-101] Kellerman had discussed
the matter with O’Donnell, whose instructions were, “If the weather
is clear and it is not raining, have that bubbletop off.”[C2-102]
Elevated approximately 15 inches above the back of the front seat was
a metallic frame with four handholds that riders in the car could grip
while standing in the rear seat during parades.[C2-103] At the rear on
each side of the automobile were small running boards, each designed
to hold a Secret Service agent, with a metallic handle for the rider
to grasp.[C2-104] The President had frequently stated that he did not
want agents to ride on these steps during a motorcade except when
necessary. He had repeated this wish only a few days before, during his
visit to Tampa, Fla.[C2-105]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 346
Interior of Presidential limousine used on November 22, 1963.]
President Kennedy rode on the right-hand side of the rear seat with
Mrs. Kennedy on his left.[C2-106] Governor Connally occupied the right
jump seat, Mrs. Connally the left.[C2-107] Driving the Presidential
limousine was Special Agent William R. Greer of the Secret Service; on
his right sat Kellerman.[C2-108] Kellerman’s responsibilities included
maintaining radio communications with the lead and followup cars,
scanning the route, and getting out and standing near the President
when the cars stopped.
_Motorcycles._--Four motorcycles, two on each side, flanked the rear
of the Presidential car. They provided some cover for the President,
but their main purpose was to keep back the crowd.[C2-109] On previous
occasions, the President had requested that, to the extent possible,
these flanking motorcycles keep back from the sides of his car.[C2-110]
_Presidential followup car._--This vehicle, a 1955 Cadillac
eight-passenger convertible especially outfitted for the Secret
Service, followed closely behind the President’s automobile.[C2-111]
It carried eight Secret Service agents--two in the front seat, two in
the rear, and two on each of the right and left running boards.[C2-112]
Each agent carried a .38-caliber pistol, and a shotgun and automatic
rifle were also available.[C2-113] Presidential Assistants David F.
Powers and Kenneth O’Donnell sat in the right and left jump seats,
respectively.[C2-114]
The agents in this car, under established procedure, had instructions
to watch the route for signs of trouble, scanning not only the
crowds but the windows and roofs of buildings, overpasses, and
crossings.[C2-115] They were instructed to watch particularly for
thrown objects, sudden actions in the crowd, and any movements toward
the Presidential car.[C2-116] The agents on the front of the running
boards had directions to move immediately to positions just to the
rear of the President and Mrs. Kennedy when the President’s car slowed
to a walking pace or stopped, or when the press of the crowd made it
impossible for the escort motorcycles to stay in position on the car’s
rear flanks.[C2-117] The two agents on the rear of the running boards
were to advance toward the front of the President’s car whenever it
stopped or slowed down sufficiently for them to do so.[C2-118]
_Vice-Presidential car._--The Vice-Presidential automobile, a four-door
Lincoln convertible obtained locally for use in the motorcade,
proceeded approximately two to three car lengths behind the President’s
followup car.[C2-119] This distance was maintained so that spectators
would normally turn their gaze from the President’s automobile by
the time the Vice President came into view.[C2-120] Vice President
Johnson sat on the right-hand side of the rear seat, Mrs. Johnson
in the center, and Senator Yarborough on the left.[C2-121] Rufus W.
Youngblood, special agent in charge of the Vice President’s detail,
occupied the right-hand side of the front seat, and Hurchel Jacks of
the Texas State Highway patrol was the driver.[C2-122]
_Vice-Presidential followup car._--Driven by an officer of the Dallas
Police Department, this vehicle was occupied by three Secret Service
agents and Clifton C. Carter, assistant to the Vice President.[C2-123]
These agents performed for the Vice President the same functions that
the agents in the Presidential followup car performed for the President.
_Remainder of motorcade._--The remainder of the motorcade consisted
of five cars for other dignitaries, including the mayor of Dallas
and Texas Congressmen, telephone and Western Union vehicles, a White
House communications car, three cars for press photographers, an
official party bus for White House staff members and others, and two
press buses. Admiral George G. Burkley, physician to the President,
was in a car following those “containing the local and national
representatives.”[C2-124]
_Police car and motorcycles._[C2-125]--A Dallas police car and several
motorcycles at the rear kept the motorcade together and prevented
unauthorized vehicles from joining the motorcade.
_Communications in the motorcade._[C2-126]--A base station at a fixed
location in Dallas operated a radio network which linked together the
lead car, Presidential car, Presidential followup car, White House
communications car, Trade Mart, Love Field, and the Presidential
and Vice-Presidential airplanes. The Vice-Presidential car and
Vice-Presidential followup car used portable sets with a separate
frequency for their own car-to-car communication.
THE DRIVE THROUGH DALLAS
The motorcade left Love Field shortly after 11:50 a.m. and drove at
speeds up to 25 to 30 miles an hour through thinly populated areas on
the outskirts of Dallas.[C2-127] At the President’s direction, his
automobile stopped twice, the first time to permit him to respond to
a sign asking him to shake hands.[C2-128] During this brief stop,
agents in the front positions on the running boards of the Presidential
followup car came forward and stood beside the President’s car,
looking out toward the crowd, and Special Agent Kellerman assumed his
position next to the car.[C2-129] On the other occasion, the President
halted the motorcade to speak to a Catholic nun and a group of small
children.[C2-130]
In the downtown area, large crowds of spectators gave the President a
tremendous reception.[C2-131] The crowds were so dense that Special
Agent Clinton J. Hill had to leave the left front running board of
the President’s followup car four times to ride on the rear of the
President’s limousine.[C2-132] (See Commission Exhibit No. 698, p. 47.)
Several times Special Agent John D. Ready came forward from the right
front running board of the Presidential followup car to the right side
of the President’s car.[C2-133] Special Agent Glen A. Bennett once left
his place inside the followup car to help keep the crowd away from
the President’s car. When a teenage boy ran toward the rear of the
President’s car,[C2-134] Ready left the running board to chase the boy
back into the crowd. On several occasions when the Vice President’s
car was slowed down by the throng, Special Agent Youngblood stepped out
to hold the crowd back.[C2-135]
[Illustration: COMMISSION EXHIBIT NO. 698
Presidential limousine in Dallas motorcade.]
According to plan, the President’s motorcade proceeded west through
downtown Dallas on Main Street to the intersection of Houston Street,
which marks the beginning of Dealey Plaza.[C2-136] From Main Street
the motorcade turned right and went north on Houston Street, passing
tall buildings on the right, and headed toward the Texas School
Book Depository Building.[C2-137] The spectators were still thickly
congregated in front of the buildings which lined the east side of
Houston Street, but the crowd thinned abruptly along Elm Street, which
curves in a southwesterly direction as it proceeds downgrade toward the
Triple Underpass and the Stemmons Freeway.[C2-138]
As the motorcade approached the intersection of Houston and Elm
Streets, there was general gratification in the Presidential party
about the enthusiastic reception. Evaluating the political overtones,
Kenneth O’Donnell was especially pleased because it convinced him
that the average Dallas resident was like other American citizens in
respecting and admiring the President.[C2-139] Mrs. Connally, elated by
the reception, turned to President Kennedy and said, “Mr. President,
you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you.” The President replied, “That is
very obvious.”[C2-140]
THE ASSASSINATION
At 12:30 p.m., c.s.t., as the President’s open limousine proceeded at
approximately 11 miles per hour along Elm Street toward the Triple
Underpass, shots fired from a rifle mortally wounded President Kennedy
and seriously injured Governor Connally. One bullet passed through the
President’s neck; a subsequent bullet, which was lethal, shattered the
right side of his skull. Governor Connally sustained bullet wounds in
his back, the right side of his chest, right wrist, and left thigh.
The Time
The exact time of the assassination was fixed by the testimony of four
witnesses. Special Agent Rufus W. Youngblood observed that the large
electric sign clock atop the Texas School Book Depository Building
showed the numerals “12:30” as the Vice-Presidential automobile
proceeded north on Houston Street, a few seconds before the shots were
fired.[C2-141] Just prior to the shooting, David F. Powers, riding in
the Secret Service followup car, remarked to Kenneth O’Donnell that
it was 12:30 p.m., the time they were due at the Trade Mart.[C2-142]
Seconds after the shooting, Roy Kellerman, riding in the front seat
of the Presidential limousine, looked at his watch and said “12:30”
to the driver, Special Agent Greer.[C2-143] The Dallas police radio
log reflects that Chief of Police Curry reported the shooting of the
President and issued his initial orders at 12:30 p.m.[C2-144]
Speed of the Limousine
William Greer, operator of the Presidential limousine, estimated
the car’s speed at the time of the first shot as 12 to 15 miles per
hour.[C2-145] Other witnesses in the motorcade estimated the speed
of the President’s limousine from 7 to 22 miles per hour.[C2-146] A
more precise determination has been made from motion pictures taken
on the scene by an amateur photographer, Abraham Zapruder. Based on
these films, the speed of the President’s automobile is computed at an
average speed of 11.2 miles per hour. The car maintained this average
speed over a distance of approximately 136 feet immediately preceding
the shot which struck the President in the head. While the car traveled
this distance, the Zapruder camera ran 152 frames. Since the camera
operates at a speed of 18.3 frames per second, it was calculated that
the car required 8.3 seconds to cover the 136 feet. This represents a
speed of 11.2 miles per hour.[C2-147]
In the Presidential Limousine
Mrs. John F. Kennedy, on the left of the rear seat of the limousine,
looked toward her left and waved to the crowds along the route. Soon
after the motorcade turned onto Elm Street, she heard a sound similar
to a motorcycle noise and a cry from Governor Connally, which caused
her to look to her right. On turning she saw a quizzical look on her
husband’s face as he raised his left hand to his throat. Mrs. Kennedy
then heard a second shot and saw the President’s skull torn open under
the impact of the bullet. As she cradled her mortally wounded husband,
Mrs. Kennedy cried, “Oh, my God, they have shot my husband. I love you,
Jack.”[C2-148]
Governor Connally testified that he recognized the first noise as a
rifle shot and the thought immediately crossed his mind that it was
an assassination attempt. From his position in the right jump seat
immediately in front of the President, he instinctively turned to his
right because the shot appeared to come from over his right shoulder.
Unable to see the President as he turned to the right, the Governor
started to look back over his left shoulder, but he never completed the
turn because he felt something strike him in the back.[C2-149] In his
testimony before the Commission, Governor Connally was certain that he
was hit by the second shot, which he stated he did not hear.[C2-150]
Mrs. Connally, too, heard a frightening noise from her right. Looking
over her right shoulder, she saw that the President had both hands
at his neck but she observed no blood and heard nothing. She watched
as he slumped down with an empty expression on his face.[C2-151] Roy
Kellerman, in the right front seat of the limousine, heard a report
like a firecracker pop. Turning to his right in the direction of the
noise, Kellerman heard the President say “My God, I am hit,” and saw
both of the President’s hands move up toward his neck. As he told the
driver, “Let’s get out of here; we are hit,” Kellerman grabbed his
microphone and radioed ahead to the lead car, “We are hit. Get us to
the hospital immediately.”[C2-152]
The driver, William Greer, heard a noise which he took to be a backfire
from one of the motorcycles flanking the Presidential car. When he
heard the same noise again, Greer glanced over his shoulder and saw
Governor Connally fall. At the sound of the second shot he realized
that something was wrong, and he pressed down on the accelerator as
Kellerman said, “Get out of here fast.”[C2-153] As he issued his
instructions to Greer and to the lead car, Kellerman heard a “flurry
of shots” within 5 seconds of the first noise. According to Kellerman,
Mrs. Kennedy then cried out: “What are they doing to you?” Looking back
from the front seat, Kellerman saw Governor Connally in his wife’s
lap and Special Agent Clinton J. Hill lying across the trunk of the
car.[C2-154]
Mrs. Connally heard a second shot fired and pulled her husband down
into her lap.[C2-155] Observing his blood-covered chest as he was
pulled into his wife’s lap, Governor Connally believed himself mortally
wounded. He cried out, “Oh, no, no, no. My God, they are going to kill
us all.”[C2-156] At first Mrs. Connally thought that her husband had
been killed, but then she noticed an almost imperceptible movement
and knew that he was still alive. She said, “It’s all right. Be
still.”[C2-157] The Governor was lying with his head on his wife’s lap
when he heard a shot hit the President.[C2-158] At that point, both
Governor and Mrs. Connally observed brain tissue splattered over the
interior of the car.[C2-159] According to Governor and Mrs. Connally,
it was after this shot that Kellerman issued his emergency instructions
and the car accelerated.[C2-160]
Reaction by Secret Service Agents
From the left front running board of the President’s followup car,
Special Agent Hill was scanning the few people standing on the south
side of Elm Street after the motorcade had turned off Houston Street.
He estimated that the motorcade had slowed down to approximately 9 or
10 miles per hour on the turn at the intersection of Houston and Elm
Streets and then proceeded at a rate of 12 to 15 miles per hour with
the followup car trailing the President’s automobile by approximately
5 feet.[C2-161] Hill heard a noise, which seemed to be a firecracker,
coming from his right rear. He immediately looked to his right,
“and, in so doing, my eyes had to cross the Presidential limousine
and I saw President Kennedy grab at himself and lurch forward and to
the left.”[C2-162] Hill jumped from the followup car and ran to the
President’s automobile. At about the time he reached the President’s
automobile, Hill heard a second shot, approximately 5 seconds after the
first, which removed a portion of the President’s head.[C2-163]
At the instant that Hill stepped onto the left rear step of the
President’s automobile and grasped the handhold, the car lurched
forward, causing him to lose his footing. He ran three or four steps,
regained his position and mounted the car. Between the time he
originally seized the handhold and the time he mounted the car, Hill
recalled that--
Mrs. Kennedy had jumped up from the seat and was, it appeared
to me, reaching for something coming off the right rear bumper
of the car, the right rear tail, when she noticed that I was
trying to climb on the car. She turned toward me and I grabbed
her and put her back in the back seat, crawled up on top of the
back seat and lay there.[C2-164]
David Powers, who witnessed the scene from the President’s followup
car, stated that Mrs. Kennedy would probably have fallen off the rear
end of the car and been killed if Hill had not pushed her back into the
Presidential automobile.[C2-165] Mrs. Kennedy had no recollection of
climbing onto the back of the car.[C2-166]
Special Agent Ready, on the right front running board of the
Presidential followup car, heard noises that sounded like firecrackers
and ran toward the President’s limousine. But he was immediately called
back by Special Agent Emory P. Roberts, in charge of the followup car,
who did not believe that he could reach the President’s car at the
speed it was then traveling.[C2-167] Special Agent George W. Hickey,
Jr., in the rear seat of the Presidential followup car, picked up and
cocked an automatic rifle as he heard the last shot. At this point the
cars were speeding through the underpass and had left the scene of the
shooting, but Hickey kept the automatic weapon ready as the car raced
to the hospital.[C2-168] Most of the other Secret Service agents in
the motorcade had drawn their sidearms.[C2-169] Roberts noticed that
the Vice President’s car was approximately one-half block behind the
Presidential followup car at the time of the shooting and signaled for
it to move in closer.[C2-170]
Directing the security detail for the Vice President from the right
front seat of the Vice-Presidential car, Special Agent Youngblood
recalled:
As we were beginning to go down this incline, all of a sudden
there was an explosive noise. I quickly observed unnatural
movement of crowds, like ducking or scattering, and quick
movements in the Presidential followup car. So I turned around
and hit the Vice President on the shoulder and hollered, get
down, and then looked around again and saw more of this
movement, and so I proceeded to go to the back seat and get on
top of him.[C2-171]
Youngblood was not positive that he was in the rear seat before the
second shot, but thought it probable because of President Johnson’s
statement to that effect immediately after the assassination.[C2-172]
President Johnson emphasized Youngblood’s instantaneous reaction after
the first shot:
I was startled by the sharp report or explosion, but I had no
time to speculate as to its origin because Agent Youngblood
turned in a flash, immediately after the first explosion,
hitting me on the shoulder, and shouted to all of us in the
back seat to get down. I was pushed down by Agent Youngblood.
Almost in the same moment in which he hit or pushed me, he
vaulted over the back seat and sat on me. I was bent over under
the weight of Agent Youngblood’s body, toward Mrs. Johnson and
Senator Yarborough.[C2-173]
Clifton C. Carter, riding in the Vice President’s followup car a short
distance behind, reported that Youngblood was in the rear seat using
his body to shield the Vice President before the second and third shots
were fired.[C2-174]
Other Secret Service agents assigned to the motorcade remained at
their posts during the race to the hospital. None stayed at the scene
of the shooting, and none entered the Texas School Book Depository
Building at or immediately after the shooting. Secret Service procedure
requires that each agent stay with the person being protected and
not be diverted unless it is necessary to accomplish the protective
assignment.[C2-175] Forrest V. Sorrels, special agent in charge of the
Dallas office, was the first Secret Service agent to return to the
scene of the assassination, approximately 20 or 25 minutes after the
shots were fired.[C2-176]
PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
The Race to the Hospital
In the final instant of the assassination, the Presidential motorcade
began a race to Parkland Memorial Hospital, approximately 4 miles from
the Texas School Book Depository Building.[C2-177] On receipt of the
radio message from Kellerman to the lead car that the President had
been hit, Chief of Police Curry and police motorcyclists at the head
of the motorcade led the way to the hospital.[C2-178] Meanwhile, Chief
Curry ordered the police base station to notify Parkland Hospital that
the wounded President was en route.[C2-179] The radio log of the Dallas
Police Department shows that at 12:30 p.m. on November 22 Chief Curry
radioed, “Go to the hospital--Parkland Hospital. Have them stand by.”
A moment later Curry added, “Looks like the President has been hit.
Have Parkland stand by.” The base station replied, “They have been
notified.”[C2-180] Traveling at speeds estimated at times to be up
to 70 or 80 miles per hour down the Stemmons Freeway and Harry Hines
Boulevard, the Presidential limousine arrived at the emergency entrance
of the Parkland Hospital at about 12:35 p.m.[C2-181] Arriving almost
simultaneously were the President’s followup car, the Vice President’s
automobile, and the Vice President’s followup car. Admiral Burkley, the
President’s physician, arrived at the hospital “between 3 and 5 minutes
following the arrival of the President,” since the riders in his car
“were not exactly aware what had happened” and the car went on to the
Trade Mart first.[C2-182]
When Parkland Hospital received the notification, the staff in
the emergency area was alerted and trauma rooms 1 and 2 were
prepared.[C2-183] These rooms were for the emergency treatment
of acutely ill or injured patients.[C2-184] Although the first
message mentioned an injury only to President Kennedy, two rooms
were prepared.[C2-185] As the President’s limousine sped toward
the hospital, 12 doctors rushed to the emergency area: surgeons,
Drs. Malcolm O. Perry, Charles R. Baxter, Robert N. McClelland,
Ronald C. Jones; the chief neurologist, Dr. William Kemp Clark; 4
anesthesiologists, Drs. Marion T. Jenkins, Adolph H. Giesecke, Jr.,
Jackie H. Hunt, Gene C. Akin; a urological surgeon, Dr Paul C. Peters;
an oral surgeon, Dr. Don T. Curtis; and a heart specialist, Dr. Fouad
A. Bashour.[C2-186]
Upon arriving at Parkland Hospital, Lawson jumped from the lead car and
rushed into the emergency entrance, where he was met by hospital staff
members wheeling stretchers out to the automobile.[C2-187] Special
Agent Hill removed his suit jacket and covered the President’s head
and upper chest to prevent the taking of photographs.[C2-188] Governor
Connally, who had lost consciousness on the ride to the hospital,
regained consciousness when the limousine stopped abruptly at the
emergency entrance. Despite his serious wounds, Governor Connally tried
to get out of the way so that medical help could reach the President.
Although he was reclining in his wife’s arms, he lurched forward in
an effort to stand upright and get out of the car, but he collapsed
again. Then he experienced his first sensation of pain, which became
excruciating.[C2-189] The Governor was lifted onto a stretcher and
taken into trauma room 2.[C2-190] For a moment, Mrs. Kennedy refused to
release the President, whom she held in her lap, but then Kellerman,
Greer, and Lawson lifted the President onto a stretcher and pushed it
into trauma room 1.[C2-191]
Treatment of President Kennedy
The first physician to see the President at Parkland Hospital was Dr.
Charles J. Carrico, a resident in general surgery.[C2-192] Dr. Carrico
was in the emergency area, examining another patient, when he was
notified that President Kennedy was en route to the hospital.[C2-193]
Approximately 2 minutes later, Dr. Carrico saw the President on his
back, being wheeled into the emergency area.[C2-194] He noted that
the President was blue-white or ashen in color; had slow, spasmodic,
agonal respiration without any coordination; made no voluntary
movements; had his eyes open with the pupils dilated without any
reaction to light; evidenced no palpable pulse; and had a few chest
sounds which were thought to be heart beats.[C2-195] On the basis of
these findings, Dr. Carrico concluded that President Kennedy was still
alive.[C2-196]
Dr. Carrico noted two wounds: a small bullet wound in the front
lower neck, and an extensive wound in the President’s head where
a sizable portion of the skull was missing.[C2-197] He observed
shredded brain tissue and “considerable slow oozing” from the latter
wound, followed by “more profuse bleeding” after some circulation
was established.[C2-198] Dr. Carrico felt the President’s back and
determined that there was no large wound there which would be an
immediate threat to life.[C2-199] Observing the serious problems
presented by the head wound and inadequate respiration, Dr. Carrico
directed his attention to improving the President’s breathing.[C2-200]
He noted contusions, hematoma to the right of the larynx, which was
deviated slightly to the left, and also ragged tissue which indicated
a tracheal injury.[C2-201] Dr. Carrico inserted a cuffed endotracheal
tube past the injury, inflated the cuff, and connected it to a Bennett
machine to assist in respiration.[C2-202]
At that point, direction of the President’s treatment was undertaken by
Dr. Malcolm O. Perry, who arrived at trauma room 1 a few moments after
the President.[C2-203] Dr. Perry noted the President’s back brace as
he felt for a femoral pulse, which he did not find.[C2-204] Observing
that an effective airway had to be established if treatment was to be
effective, Dr. Perry performed a tracheotomy, which required 3 to 5
minutes.[C2-205] While Dr. Perry was performing the tracheotomy, Drs.
Carrico and Ronald Jones made cutdowns on the President’s right leg and
left arm, respectively, to infuse blood and fluids into the circulatory
system.[C2-206] Dr. Carrico treated the President’s known adrenal
insufficiency by administering hydrocortisone.[C2-207] Dr. Robert
N. McClelland entered at that point and assisted Dr. Perry with the
tracheotomy.[C2-208]
Dr. Fouad Bashour, chief of cardiology, Dr. M. T. Jenkins, chief
of anesthesiology, and Dr. A. H. Giesecke, Jr., then joined in the
effort to revive the President.[C2-209] When Dr. Perry noted free air
and blood in the President’s chest cavity, he asked that chest tubes
be inserted to allow for drainage of blood and air. Drs. Paul C.
Peters and Charles R. Baxter initiated these procedures.[C2-210] As a
result of the infusion of liquids through the cutdowns, the cardiac
massage, and the airway, the doctors were able to maintain peripheral
circulation as monitored at the neck (carotid) artery and at the wrist
(radial) pulse. A femoral pulse was also detected in the President’s
leg.[C2-211] While these medical efforts were in progress, Dr. Clark
noted some electrical activity on the cardiotachyscope attached to
monitor the President’s heart responses.[C2-212] Dr. Clark, who most
closely observed the head wound, described a large, gaping wound in the
right rear part of the head, with substantial damage and exposure of
brain tissue, and a considerable loss of blood.[C2-213] Dr. Clark did
not see any other hole or wound on the President’s head. According to
Dr. Clark, the small bullet hole on the right rear of the President’s
head discovered during the subsequent autopsy “could have easily been
hidden in the blood and hair.”[C2-214]
In the absence of any neurological, muscular, or heart response,
the doctors concluded that efforts to revive the President were
hopeless.[C2-215] This was verified by Admiral Burkley, the President’s
physician, who arrived at the hospital after emergency treatment
was underway and concluded that “my direct services to him at that
moment would have interfered with the action of the team which was
in progress.”[C2-216] At approximately 1 p.m., after last rites were
administered to the President by Father Oscar L. Huber, Dr. Clark
pronounced the President dead. He made the official determination
because the ultimate cause of death, the severe head injury, was within
his sphere of specialization.[C2-217] The time was fixed at 1 p.m.,
as an approximation, since it was impossible to determine the precise
moment when life left the President.[C2-218] President Kennedy could
have survived the neck injury, but the head wound was fatal.[C2-219]
From a medical viewpoint, President Kennedy was alive when he arrived
at Parkland Hospital; the doctors observed that he had a heart beat
and was making some respiratory efforts.[C2-220] But his condition was
hopeless, and the extraordinary efforts of the doctors to save him
could not help but to have been unavailing.
Since the Dallas doctors directed all their efforts to controlling the
massive bleeding caused by the head wound, and to reconstructing an
airway to his lungs, the President remained on his back throughout his
medical treatment at Parkland.[C2-221] When asked why he did not turn
the President over, Dr. Carrico testified as follows:
A. This man was in obvious extreme distress and any more
thorough inspection would have involved several minutes--well,
several--considerable time which at this juncture was not
available. A thorough inspection would have involved washing
and cleansing the back, and this is not practical in treating
an acutely injured patient. You have to determine which things,
which are immediately life threatening and cope with them,
before attempting to evaluate the full extent of the injuries.
Q. Did you ever have occasion to look at the President’s back?
A. No, sir. Before--well, in trying to treat an acutely injured
patient, you have to establish an airway, adequate ventilation
and you have to establish adequate circulation. Before this was
accomplished the President’s cardiac activity had ceased and
closed cardiac massage was instituted, which made it impossible
to inspect his back.
Q. Was any effort made to inspect the President’s back after he
had expired?
A. No, sir.
Q. And why was no effort made at that time to inspect his back?
A. I suppose nobody really had the heart to do it.[C2-222]
Moreover, the Parkland doctors took no further action after the
President had expired because they concluded that it was beyond the
scope of their permissible duties.[C2-223]
Treatment of Governor Connally
While one medical team tried to revive President Kennedy, a second
performed a series of operations on the bullet wounds sustained by
Governor Connally.[C2-224] Governor Connally was originally seen by Dr.
Carrico and Dr. Richard Dulany.[C2-225] While Dr. Carrico went on to
attend the President, Dr. Dulany stayed with the Governor and was soon
joined by several other doctors.[C2-226] At approximately 12:45 p.m.,
Dr. Robert Shaw, chief of thoracic surgery, arrived at trauma room 2,
to take charge of the care of Governor Connally, whose major wound fell
within Dr. Shaw’s area of specialization.[C2-227]
Governor Connally had a large sucking wound in the front of the right
chest which caused extreme pain and difficulty in breathing. Rubber
tubes were inserted between the second and third ribs to reexpand the
right lung, which had collapsed because of the opening in the chest
wall.[C2-228] At 1:35 p.m., after Governor Connally had been moved to
the operating room, Dr. Shaw started the first operation by cutting
away the edges of the wound on the front of the Governor’s chest and
suturing the damaged lung and lacerated muscles.[C2-229] The elliptical
wound in the Governor’s back, located slightly to the left of the
Governor’s right armpit approximately five-eighths inch (a centimeter
and a half) in its greatest diameter, was treated by cutting away
the damaged skin and suturing the back muscle and skin.[C2-230] This
operation was concluded at 3:20 p.m.[C2-231]
Two additional operations were performed on Governor Connally for
wounds which he had not realized he had sustained until he regained
consciousness the following day.[C2-232] From approximately 4 p.m. to
4:50 p.m. on November 22, Dr. Charles F. Gregory, chief of orthopedic
surgery, operated on the wounds of Governor Connally’s right wrist,
assisted by Drs. William Osborne and John Parker.[C2-233] The wound on
the back of the wrist was left partially open for draining, and the
wound on the palm side was enlarged, cleansed, and closed. The fracture
was set, and a cast was applied with some traction utilized.[C2-234]
While the second operation was in progress, Dr. George T. Shires,
assisted by Drs. Robert McClelland, Charles Baxter, and Ralph Don
Patman, treated the gunshot wound in the left thigh.[C2-235] This
punctuate missile wound, about two-fifths inch in diameter (1
centimeter) and located approximately 5 inches above the left knee,
was cleansed and closed with sutures; but a small metallic fragment
remained in the Governor’s leg.[C2-236]
Vice President Johnson at Parkland
As President Kennedy and Governor Connally were being removed from the
limousine onto stretchers, a protective circle of Secret Service agents
surrounded Vice President and Mrs. Johnson and escorted them into
Parkland Hospital through the emergency entrance.[C2-237] The agents
moved a nurse and patient out of a nearby room, lowered the shades, and
took emergency security measures to protect the Vice President.[C2-238]
Two men from the President’s followup car were detailed to help
protect the Vice President. An agent was stationed at the entrance
to stop anyone who was not a member of the Presidential party. U.S.
Representatives Henry B. Gonzalez, Jack Brooks, Homer Thornberry, and
Albert Thomas joined Clifton C. Carter and the group of special agents
protecting the Vice President.[C2-239] On one occasion Mrs. Johnson,
accompanied by two Secret Service agents, left the room to see Mrs.
Kennedy and Mrs. Connally.[C2-240]
Concern that the Vice President might also be a target for
assassination prompted the Secret Service agents to urge him to
leave the hospital and return to Washington immediately.[C2-241] The
Vice President decided to wait until he received definitive word of
the President’s condition.[C2-242] At approximately 1:20 p.m., Vice
President Johnson was notified by O’Donnell that President Kennedy was
dead.[C2-243] Special Agent Youngblood learned from Mrs. Johnson the
location of her two daughters and made arrangements through Secret
Service headquarters in Washington to provide them with protection
immediately.[C2-244]
When consulted by the Vice President, O’Donnell advised him to go to
the airfield immediately and return to Washington.[C2-245] It was
decided that the Vice President should return on the Presidential
plane rather than on the Vice-Presidential plane because it had better
communication equipment.[C2-246] The Vice President conferred with
White House Assistant Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff and decided
that there would be no release of the news of the President’s death
until the Vice President had left the hospital.[C2-247] When told that
Mrs. Kennedy refused to leave without the President’s body, the Vice
President said that he would not leave Dallas without her.[C2-248] On
the recommendation of the Secret Service agents, Vice President Johnson
decided to board the Presidential airplane, _Air Force One_, and wait
for Mrs. Kennedy and the President’s body.[C2-249]
Secret Service Emergency Security Arrangements
Immediately after President Kennedy’s stretcher was wheeled into trauma
room 1, Secret Service agents took positions at the door of the small
emergency room. A nurse was asked to identify hospital personnel and
to tell everyone, except necessary medical staff members, to leave the
emergency room. Other Secret Service agents posted themselves in the
corridors and other areas near the emergency room. Special Agent Lawson
made certain that the Dallas police kept the public and press away
from the immediate area of the hospital.[C2-250] Agents Kellerman and
Hill telephoned the head of the White House detail, Gerald A. Behn, to
advise him of the assassination. The telephone line to Washington was
kept open throughout the remainder of the stay at the hospital.[C2-251]
Secret Service agents stationed at later stops on the President’s
itinerary of November 22 were redeployed. Men at the Trade Mart were
driven to Parkland Hospital in Dallas police cars.[C2-252] The Secret
Service group awaiting the President in Austin were instructed to
return to Washington.[C2-253] Meanwhile, the Secret Service agents
in charge of security at Love Field started to make arrangements for
departure. As soon as one of the agents learned of the shooting, he
asked the officer in charge of the police detail at the airport to
institute strict security measures for the Presidential aircraft, the
airport terminal, and the surrounding area. The police were cautioned
to prevent picture taking. Secret Service agents working with police
cleared the areas adjacent to the aircraft, including warehouses,
other terminal buildings and the neighboring parking lots, of all
people.[C2-254] The agents decided not to shift the Presidential
aircraft to the far side of the airport because the original landing
area was secure and a move would require new measures.[C2-255]
When security arrangements at the airport were complete, the Secret
Service made the necessary arrangements for the Vice President to leave
the hospital. Unmarked police cars took the Vice President and Mrs.
Johnson from Parkland Hospital to Love Field. Chief Curry drove one
automobile occupied by Vice President Johnson, U.S. Representatives
Thomas and Thornberry, and Special Agent Youngblood. In another car
Mrs. Johnson was driven to the airport accompanied by Secret Service
agents and Representative Brooks. Motorcycle policemen who escorted the
automobiles were requested by the Vice President and Agent Youngblood
not to use sirens. During the drive Vice President Johnson, at
Youngblood’s instruction, kept below window level.[C2-256]
Removal of the President’s Body
While the team of doctors at Parkland Hospital tried desperately to
save the life of President Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy alternated between
watching them and waiting outside.[C2-257] After the President was
pronounced dead, O’Donnell tried to persuade Mrs. Kennedy to leave the
area, but she refused. She said that she intended to stay with her
husband.[C2-258] A casket was obtained and the President’s body was
prepared for removal.[C2-259] Before the body could be taken from the
hospital, two Dallas officials informed members of the President’s
staff that the body could not be removed from the city until an autopsy
was performed. Despite the protests of these officials, the casket was
wheeled out of the hospital, placed in an ambulance, and transported to
the airport shortly after 2 p.m.[C2-260] At approximately 2:15 p.m. the
casket was loaded, with some difficulty because of the narrow airplane
door, onto the rear of the Presidential plane where seats had been
removed to make room.[C2-261] Concerned that the local officials might
try to prevent the plane’s departure, O’Donnell asked that the pilot
take off immediately. He was informed that takeoff would be delayed
until Vice President Johnson was sworn in.[C2-262]
THE END OF THE TRIP
Swearing in of the New President
From the Presidential airplane, the Vice President telephoned Attorney
General Robert F. Kennedy, who advised that Mr. Johnson take the
Presidential oath of office before the plane left Dallas.[C2-263]
Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes hastened to the plane to administer the
oath.[C2-264] Members of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential parties
filled the central compartment of the plane to witness the swearing in.
At 2:38 p.m., c.s.t., Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office as
the 36th President of the United States.[C2-265] Mrs. Kennedy and Mrs.
Johnson stood at the side of the new President as he took the oath of
office.[C2-266] Nine minutes later, the Presidential airplane departed
for Washington, D.C.[C2-267]
Return to Washington, D.C.
On the return flight, Mrs. Kennedy sat with David Powers, Kenneth
O’Donnell, and Lawrence O’Brien.[C2-268] At 5:58 p.m., e.s.t.,
_Air Force One_ landed at Andrews AFB, where President Kennedy had
begun his last trip only 31 hours before.[C2-269] Detailed security
arrangements had been made by radio from the President’s plane on the
return flight.[C2-270] The public had been excluded from the base,
and only Government officials and the press were permitted near the
landing area. Upon arrival, President Johnson made a brief statement
over television and radio. President and Mrs. Johnson were flown by
helicopter to the White House, from where Mrs. Johnson was driven to
her residence under Secret Service escort. The President then walked to
the Executive Office Building, where he worked until 9 p.m.[C2-271]
The Autopsy
Given a choice between the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda,
Md., and the Army’s Walter Reed Hospital, Mrs. Kennedy chose the
hospital in Bethesda for the autopsy because the President had served
in the Navy.[C2-272] Mrs. Kennedy and the Attorney General, with three
Secret Service agents, accompanied President Kennedy’s body on the
45-minute automobile trip from Andrews AFB to the Hospital.[C2-273] On
the 17th floor of the Hospital, Mrs. Kennedy and the Attorney General
joined other members of the Kennedy family to await the conclusion of
the autopsy.[C2-274] Mrs. Kennedy was guarded by Secret Service agents
in quarters assigned to her in the naval hospital.[C2-275] The Secret
Service established a communication system with the White House and
screened all telephone calls and visitors.[C2-276]
The hospital received the President’s body for autopsy at approximately
7:35 p.m.[C2-277] X-rays and photographs were taken preliminarily
and the pathological examination began at about 8 p.m.[C2-278] The
autopsy report noted that President Kennedy was 46 years of age, 72½
inches tall, weighed 170 pounds, had blue eyes and reddish-brown
hair. The body was muscular and well developed with no gross skeletal
abnormalities except for those caused by the gunshot wounds. Under
“Pathological Diagnosis” the cause of death was set forth as “Gunshot
wound, head.”[C2-279] (See app. IX.)
The autopsy examination revealed two wounds in the President’s head.
One wound, approximately one-fourth of an inch by five-eighths of an
inch (6 by 15 millimeters), was located about an inch (2.5 centimeters)
to the right and slightly above the large bony protrusion (external
occipital protuberance) which juts out at the center of the lower part
of the back of the skull. The second head wound measured approximately
5 inches (13 centimeters) in its greatest diameter, but it was
difficult to measure accurately because multiple crisscross fractures
radiated from the large defect.[C2-280] During the autopsy examination,
Federal agents brought the surgeons three pieces of bone recovered from
Elm Street and the Presidential automobile. When put together, these
fragments accounted for approximately three-quarters of the missing
portion of the skull.[C2-281] The surgeons observed, through X-ray
analysis, 30 or 40 tiny dustlike fragments of metal running in a line
from the wound in the rear of the President’s head toward the front
part of the skull, with a sizable metal fragment lying just above the
right eye.[C2-282] From this head wound two small irregularly shaped
fragments of metal were recovered and turned over to the FBI.[C2-283]
The autopsy also disclosed a wound near the base of the back of
President Kennedy’s neck slightly to the right of his spine. The
doctors traced the course of the bullet through the body and, as
information was received from Parkland Hospital, concluded that the
bullet had emerged from the front portion of the President’s neck that
had been cut away by the tracheotomy at Parkland.[C2-284] The nature
and characteristics of this neck wound and the two head wounds are
discussed fully in the next chapter.
After the autopsy was concluded at approximately 11 p.m., the
President’s body was prepared for burial. This was finished at
approximately 4 a.m.[C2-285] Shortly thereafter, the President’s wife,
family and aides left Bethesda Naval Hospital.[C2-286] The President’s
body was taken to the East Room of the White House where it was placed
under ceremonial military guard.