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[♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [John F. Kennedy] Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house. My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. [applause] [♪ slow classical music] [applause] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] I’m 91 years old now, and it’s been 60 years this year. There are a few of us left. But very few. I think about the event as it happened. And I go right back to the moment that it happened. I mean, it’s there. It’s like a movie, run through my brain. [♪ intense classical music] [♪ music continues] [♪ music continues] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] I was a Secret Service agent that protected the President of the United States and his wife and family. [♪ slow classical music] And I was assigned to protect Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. [♪ slow classical music] First ladies previous to Mrs. Kennedy had done things like go shopping, watch ballet, play canasta, a card game, and that’s about the most activities the agents had that were with those ladies. And that’s not what I aspired to. I wanted to be where the action was. [splashing] And I did not think it would be with Mrs. Kennedy. I was really mistaken in that belief, it turned out. It was very unusual for her to participate in anything political. She didn’t like politics. She told me that she thought she would go on this trip to Texas. She wanted to do everything she could to help President Kennedy get re-elected in 1964. They wanted to get out in front early. [crowd noise, water spraying] [crowd noise] [Crowd] Freedom, freedom, freedom. [Spokesman] Louder! Louder! [Crowd] Freedom! [Spokesman] Louder! [Crowd] Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [Paul Landis] The whole trip brings back memories. I can remember everything pretty much in detail. [sighs] [crowd cheering] [crowd cheering] [♪ slow classical music] It was like a dream come true for me. When I first joined the Secret Service, this is what I wanted to do. My code name was Debut. I think that was just because I was so young. Clint, his code name was Dazzle. He knew Mrs. Kennedy like the back of his hand, and there were just two of us assigned to her at that time. We did everything together. We began to think alike. [crowd cheering] [Reporter] Mrs. Kennedy is proving an able campaigner as she charms the crowds with her smile, handshakes and pleasantries. [Paul Landis] Everybody wanted to see Jackie. Chanting "Jackie, Jackie, Jackie." They were like a movie star couple really. I think he kind of thrived on that. [♪ slow classical music] When we got to Fort Worth that night, it was 11:00. Still had a large crowd outside the hotel. [♪ slow classical music] We were all in a good mood and felt that there was no sign of animosity or anything like that. [♪ radio intro music] [Radio Host] 570 Radio in Fort Worth, WBAP. Here is Morning Edition, complete news and weather coverage, combining authoritative sources of WBAP and ABC, brought to you by your 30 conveniently located Buddies Supermarkets. [Reporter] Good morning everyone. President and Mrs. Kennedy arrived in Fort Worth from Houston late last night to an enthusiastic reception from huge crowds, and spent the night in suite 850 at Hotel Texas downtown. [♪ slow classical music] [Sid Davis] Thousands gathered around the presidential hotel in Fort Worth this morning in drizzling rain. Many starting nearly three hours before the Kennedys were to come out. [crowd cheering] After all, it was Mrs. Kennedy’s first trip to Texas, and Texans like to make big impressions. This is Sid Davis with the presidential party, Texas. [laughs] I was with Westinghouse Broadcasting Company as a White House correspondent, and I covered Kennedy wherever he went. When the Dallas trip was announced, we were excited at the fact that it would be a good political trip because we knew that Texas was not a Kennedy town or state. So, there was some trepidation on the part of the press and what kind of a reception Kennedy would get. [Man] Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. [crowd cheering] [Sid Davis] He was inspirational. Even if you didn’t agree with him, you couldn’t help but like him. You know, "we shall go to the moon in this decade and return the astronauts safely to Earth." And everybody said, "he’s nuts, he’s crazy." [crowd cheering] [John F. Kennedy] Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask, why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon! We choose to go to the moon… [applause] We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard. [Sid Davis] Talk about being a gambler? This guy had what the Spanish would call cajones, you know? [♪ slow classical music] There was a breakfast that morning, and I think there were about 2,000 or more people there. And President Kennedy really wanted Jackie to be seen by everybody in Texas. Texas was such an important state. He felt that with Jackie along, he would do better. [applause] [Reporter] As you may have noticed, Mrs. Kennedy did not enter with the President. So far, we have no indication of where she may be, and I can tell you from where we are standing, there are quite a few ladies who appear to be quite disappointed that Mrs. Kennedy is not here. [Clint Hill] Now, Mrs. Kennedy had indicated that she was not planning to go to this breakfast. And so, I went to Mrs. Kennedy’s room and she was preparing to leave the hotel. [Reporter] Quite a few people in the ballroom are watching the maitre-d. He’s the short man that’s walking back and forth behind the head table. Now he’s pouring coffee. As he moves down the line, he did not stop at Mrs. Kennedy’s place. [Clint Hill] Then the phone rang, and it was the agent who was with the President down at the breakfast. He said, "Clint, the President wants you to bring Mrs. Kennedy down here." I said, "Oh, she’s not planning to go to that breakfast at all." He said, "Clint, you didn’t get the message. The President says, bring Mrs. Kennedy down here now." I said, "Okay, I got the message." The door opened, we walked in, and the place absolutely erupted. [applause] [applause] [Sid Davis] When she walked into the room, the crowd just got out of its chairs and started cheering. [applause] [applause] She was dressed in this two-piece suit, and I’m not a fashion expert, so I said to one of the lady reporters, I said, "Is that pink?" She said, "Mrs. Kennedy wouldn’t be caught dead in pink." I said, "Shoot, excuse me. [laughs] What do you call it?" She said, "You can call it strawberry or raspberry." And I called it raspberry. [John F. Kennedy] Ladies and gentlemen, two years ago I introduced myself in Paris by saying that I was the man who had accompanied Mrs. Kennedy to Paris. I’m getting somewhat that same sensation as I travel around Texas. [laughs, applause] [John F. Kennedy] Nobody wonders what Lyndon and I wear. [laughs] [Sid Davis] She’d been through a terrible period the previous four months. Her baby, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, died in August, and so she was getting over that. This was her first visit out of the White House in the public. And so, it was an uplifting thing for people to see her out and smiling. [applause] [Clint Hill] Prior to that you’d never see them hug or kiss or hold hands in public. From that point on, they didn’t care who was there. They’d hold hands, they’d hug. And it changed their relationship. It really changed everything. [Sid Davis] I’d never seen her happier than she was that morning. [Raymond Buck] Mr. President, we know that you don’t wear a hat. [laughs]. [Raymond Buck] Couldn’t let you leave Fort Worth without providing you with some protection against the rain. [laughs] [applause]. [crowd cheering] [Sid Davis] The time we were ready to leave Fort Worth that morning, we drove out to Carswell Air Force Base, and we got in Air Force One to fly to Dallas. [Reporter] At this moment three special jetliners are supposed to be in the air between Dallas and Fort Worth. Right now, the eyes of Texas and the nation are focused on Dallas. [crowd cheering] [♪ slow classical music] [Paul Landis] The day we left, we had a briefing, and everybody was given their assignments and what they would be doing. And this was the first I learned that Dallas had a moniker, the City of Hate. I, I never knew, had never thought anything about that. Dallas to me was big money. You had the Hunt brothers, oil country, home of the big rich. I was surprised to hear this. I knew nothing about it being a bad political environment. [Reporter] Dallas Police Chief, Jesse Curry, has told the citizens and visitors that nothing must occur that would be disrespectful or degrading to the President. But there are those opposition signs, and we see in brilliant evidence right now, a Texas flag and a huge Confederate flag are flying. [Earle Cabell] We undoubtedly will have a few pickets, as you have everywhere in the United States. There will probably be a few of the radical right wing. Possibly a few of the radical left wing. But sincerely, we anticipate no trouble. [dog barking] [Buell Frazier] Being a young 19-year-old boy from Dallas, I never had seen a presidential motorcade. Um, I didn’t know what to expect. I had no idea. Uh, my number one thing was you go into work and doing what you had to do, and get home. [♪ pleasant pop music] Well, that Friday felt like any other Friday morning. [♪ pleasant pop music] I drove Lee Harvey Oswald to work, because Lee did not own a car. We listened to the radio. Lee wasn’t a big talker. He would not initiate a conversation. The thing he would talk most about was his child. And I noticed a package on the backseat. And I just glanced at it, I didn’t look at it. I said, "What’s in the package, Lee?" And he says, "Curtain rods." [♪ ominous music] Then we got to work at Texas School Book Depository. And Lee gets out, gets the package, and he walked off. We always walked together, but not this morning. And it never dawned on me anything was different. [ambient crowd noise] [ambient crowd noise] [Gayle Newman] When we arrived at Love Field, there was a huge crowd waiting to see the President. I put the boys in their Sunday best clothes, and we both dressed up. We were excited. We said we were taking the children, but I think we were more interested in seeing the President and First Lady than, than uh, the kids. They didn’t know who they were. [Bill Newman] Gayle and myself were glad to be there. It’s not an everyday event that the President of the United States comes to Dallas, Texas. It looked like the best place to be was out at Love Field as the plane came in. [Reporter] And here comes the presidential plane, Air Force number one. [cheering] [jet engine] [jet engine] [Reporter] The official greeting party is consisting of the Vice President Lyndon Johnson, and Mrs. Johnson of course. [cheering] [cheering] [cheering] [Clint Hill] At the airport in Love Field on arrival, there’s large crowds. President Kennedy, he just headed straight for the fence where the people were. Mrs. Kennedy normally wouldn’t do that. But she went right along right behind him, and so I accompanied her. [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] We knew that there was a group in Dallas that did not like or did not agree with President Kennedy’s position on many things. [♪ slow classical music] Now, how far they were willing to go for that, I did not know, we did not know. You never know what’s in that crowd. Who’s in that crowd. [♪ ominous music] [Gayle Newman] I mean, the crowd was pushing, just surged around us and we weren’t able to get any further. [cheering] I wasn’t able to really get up close. [cheering] And Bill said, "I think we can probably get ahead of the motorcade and get down where we can get maybe a closer look." [cheering] [Reporter] And now the President and First Lady are retreating from the fence. They’re heading now for the official limousine, where Governor Connally stands, waiting their arrival so that they can make their way downtown. [cheering] [cheering] [♪ ominous classical music] [cheering] [Man] Gotta get to the car. [chatter] [Clint Hill] Now, it had been raining lightly, but it had stopped. By the time we were ready to leave, the word was "the top is to be off." The President’s insisted on having an open car, was because he wanted to be felt as close to the people as possible. He wanted the people to feel there was never any barrier between them and him. [♪ slow ominous music] We started to drive through the outskirts of Dallas. And I was surveying the crowd, just scanning them to see what was going on. [♪ slow ominous music] [♪ slow ominous music] Everywhere that they could get to see President and Mrs. Kennedy, they tried to get. [♪ classical music] I jumped from my position on the follow up car, and went to the rear bumper of the presidential vehicle, and got up on top of there, to be as close to Mrs. Kennedy as I could be, because I didn’t know what to expect from any of these people who were that close to her. [♪ slow classical music] [Sid Davis] I was in the press bus, ’cause I could sit up front in the bus and see out. There was something magical about this trip, and I think it was Jackie, and the fact that he brought her. I don’t know, I uh… I changed my opinion about Dallas and Texas. It was not a cold city. It made a big difference because Jackie was there. I think the town really was very, very welcoming to her. It was a celebration, that they were getting a chance to see this First Lady who’d never been to Dallas. And, of course, it changed her life. [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] I have this sense of guilt. I should have been able to do more than I did. I wasn’t fast enough. I guess I wasn’t faster than a speeding bullet. [♪ slow classical music] [♪ music crescendos] [Reporter] It appears as though something has happened in the motorcade route. Something, I repeat, has happened in the motorcade route. The limousine is now traveling at a very high rate of speed, Secret Service men standing up in the limousine. [Clint Hill] Mrs. Kennedy was screaming, "they’ve shot his head off. I love you, Jack." [♪ slow classical music] [♪ tense classical music] [Sid Davis] It was at Dealey Plaza we saw the people trying to escape the danger. I saw women taking their shoes off, running without heels. I saw a father take his little boy, place the boy on the ground, and put his body on top of the boy. [♪ tense classical music] [Gayle Newman] We were one lane width away from him when he was shot in the head. I think my maternal instinct kicked in. [♪ tense classical music] Never in my mind, when I got up that morning, did I think that I would see something so horrific. [♪ tense classical music] [Clint Hill] I was shouting up to the driver, "Get us to the hospital, get us to the hospital." Mrs. Kennedy was in shock, with the President’s head in her lap. [sirens] [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] When we got to Parkland Hospital, Mrs. Kennedy had a hold of his body, and she would not let go. I pleaded with her, I said, "Please Mrs. Kennedy, let us help the President." Got no response at all. And then I realized, she wasn’t going to let go. So, I took my suit coat off, and covered up his back, his head, shoulders and upper back, and when I did that, she let go. [Reporter] The latest unconfirmed report from the emergency room is that he is still alive. Texas Governor John Connally also was hit by the bullet. [♪ slow classical music] [Paul Landis] We got to trauma room one. I kind of got pushed in with the crowd, right beside his shoes or feet. I couldn’t look at the President, I, I was feeling faint. I knew if I looked at him, I’d pass out. And it was, I, I just, you can do this Paul. That was a time, you know, you’re needed more. You’ve got to stay with it. You’ve got to hang in there. I heard a doctor shout, "Let me through, let me through", and they’re asking everybody to evacuate the room. And it was about that time somebody came out and asked for the, uh… if anyone knew the President’s blood type. And Mrs. Kennedy kind of stood up and said, "Do you mean he’s alive?", and it was just utter silence. [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] My boss yelled at me, "Clint, get a telephone, open up a line to the White House, let them know what’s going on." The operator said, "Mr. Hill, I’m sorry, but Robert Kennedy wants to talk to you." I said, "Okay, fine. Mr. Attorney General, can I help you?" He said, "Clint," he said, "What’s going on down there?" I said, "Both President Kennedy and the Governor have been shot." And he said, "Well, how bad is it?", and so I just said, "Well, it’s as bad as it could get", and with that, he just hung up the phone. Mrs. Kennedy, she knew. As soon as he fell in her lap, I’m sure, she knew that the President could not have survived and was, in fact, dead. [♪ emotional classical music] [♪ music continues] [♪ music continues] [♪ slow classical music] [Edwin Newman] This is Edwin Newman and the NBC Newsroom in New York. This information from Dallas. President Kennedy was given the last Holy Rites of the Roman Catholic Church today. That was, of course, after he was shot down by a would-be assassin while he was riding in the caravan through downtown Dallas. Two priests, who were with President Kennedy, say he is dead of bullet wound. This is the latest information we have from Dallas. We will attempt now to get to station WBAP-TV… [radio chatter] [Reporter] What’s your you feeling right now? [Woman] I really couldn’t say. Really. Right now, I just don’t know what to do. I don’t even know where to go, what to say. There’s nothing for me to say. [♪ slow classical music] [Clint Hill] Yeah, it’s my belief that the United States lost its innocence on November 22nd, 1963. [♪ emotional classical music] [Reporter] The search now centers at the area near the old Texas School Book Depository building, and there is a possibility that the would-be assassin is still inside that building. [Rusty Robbins] When most people are running away, that’s when police officers are running in. [Reporter] The plane which is carrying the President’s body in a bronze casket also has now-President Lyndon Johnson, as well as Mrs. Kennedy. [Sid Davis] She said, "let them see what they have done." ♪ ♪ [Reporter] It–it–it appears as though something has happened in the motorcade route. Something, I repeat, has happened in the motorcade route. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Witness] Yeah, I’m a time traveler. I go back to that day… …many times. The thing is, that morning, when I left to go to work on November the 22nd, 1963, that young boy has never come home. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Sid Davis] All I could think of was get to the hospital, get the story. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I went to the second floor, and I saw a priest talking to some of my reporter friends, three or four reporter friends. So, I went over and tried to see what he was saying. His name was Father Oscar Huber. I’ll never forget what he said. ♪ ♪ He said, "I just gave him the last rites." ♪ ♪ All hell broke loose, and we were told we couldn’t stay there. [whistle blowing] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We were told that we had to go upstairs, there’s a press room being established upstairs. ♪ ♪ And Malcolm Kilduff, an assistant press secretary, got up at the microphone, tears streaking his cheek. [Malcolm Kilduff] President John F. Kennedy died at approximately one o’clock today, here in Dallas. He died of a gunshot wound in the brain. ♪ ♪ Of a bullet right through the head. I have no other details regarding the assassination of the president. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Ed Hogan] This is Ed Hogan of WFAA Television in Dallas, Texas. We are standing on the grounds of Parkland Hospital, where President Kennedy has died, as most of you have already, already know. What is your name, please? [Mrs. Quincy Adams] Mrs. Quincy Adams. [Hogan] Mrs. Quincy, are you from Dallas? [Adams] Yes. [Hogan] How does this affect you? [Adams] Well, it’s just a complete shock, and I think it just means doom for our country. [Hogan] Well, it’s a terrible thing, and it’s shaken up and shocked everybody. [Adams] Well, it has, and I think Dallas will never get over this. [Hogan] Thank you very much. [Interviewee] I think it’s awful that it had to happen here, or anywhere in the United States. I thought we were less barbaric. And the main thing in America, like we hear so often, so many people hate each other. And I think that’s what did it. I hope that nothing like that’ll ever happen again. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Clint Hill] It was shocking, it was terrible, it was emotional. But I couldn’t break down. I had to get back up and take care of my job. ♪ ♪ My job was to protect Mrs. Kennedy as best I could. ♪ ♪ I was too concerned with how we were gonna get him from the hospital to the airplane. Were we gonna be able to get him back to DC? There was no time for grief or anything except continue to do the best job you could. And that’s what I tried to do. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It’s a horrible situation. ♪ ♪ We didn’t protect the president of the United States like we were supposed to. [Commentator] We do not have information here at the hospital, because of the chaotic situation and the shock of this whole tragic incident, on whether the assassin has been apprehended. We understand that the shot that took the president’s life came from a building downtown known as the State Book Depository building, and the Secret Service men were seen gathered around there. [siren] [Reporter] The search now centers at the area of Elm and Houston near the old Texas School Book Depository building, and there is a possibility that the would-be assassin is still inside that building. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Rusty Robbins] When Dallas heard that the president had been killed here, all thoughts were, who could have done this and why, and who’s behind it? We were in the middle of it. We were handling it. ♪ ♪ [Commentator] Officers are now surrounding and searching the building, Book Depository store on the corner of Elm and Field at 12:40. [Robbins] When most people are running away, that’s when police officers are running in. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Man on radio] For your information about this bookstore company down here, we found empty rifle hulls, and looked like it may have been there for some time. ♪ ♪ [Robbins] Dallas Police had found a rifle, and we were in the middle of the biggest manhunt the country had ever seen. [siren] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Buell Frazier] Well, it was very chaotic. People were very confused and very scared. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I was terrified, knowing that somebody had shot the president. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I was standing on the top step of the entrance into the Texas School Book Depository. ♪ ♪ I was standing there talking to two people, and they were trying to figure out what happened themselves. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And I looked to my left, and there comes Lee Oswald walking down beside the building. Very normal. No hurry. And he went across Houston Street. Somebody said something to me, and I looked to see who was speaking to me, and I turned back, and I lost him in the crowd. ♪ ♪ That’s the last time I saw Lee. ♪ ♪ [Robbins] We were all listening to the events that transpired over the police radio. There was a little box we called a squawk box, so we could hear everything that was going on. [Police radio] We’re still out here on Pine. You’ll have to pull in the downtown area. [Police radio] Yeah, 21. [radio static] ♪ ♪ [Robbins] That’s when I heard not a policeman but a citizen come on the radio on channel one. [Citizen] We’ve had a shooting out here. It’s a police officer. Somebody shot him. What’s this? 404 10th Street. It’s in a police car. Number 10. [Robbins] And I said, "That’s car 10. That’s Tippit." ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Officer JD Tippit, 38 years of age, was killed today. [Robbins] We heard JD Tippit had approached a man. The man that matched the description of the guy they thought had killed the president. But when Tippit approached him, he was shot point blank. ♪ ♪ [Commentator] JD Tippit died in the line of duty. [Robbins] JD Tippit was a good guy. And for someone to be killed in such a manner is heartbreaking. I’m sure a lot of people, lot of officers felt the same way. Hard to find a better officer. He was salt of the earth. Just a great guy. [siren] [Reporter] The entire area is being combed more thoroughly than ever involved in any manhunt or search in the history of Dallas, the state, and perhaps the nation. [Robbins] So many things were happening, one after the other. Dallas was really on edge. No one could believe a policeman had been shot less than an hour after the president had been shot. [Reporter] The entire area has been blocked off. No one allowed in or out, as the search for this would-be presidential assassin continues in Downtown Dallas. ♪ ♪ [John Brewer] It’s hard to explain that day. 30 minutes after they had pronounced President Kennedy had been fatally wounded, all of a sudden I hear a report that a policeman, Officer Tippit, had been shot. I didn’t connect those two, but, you know, it’s like, "What’s going on here?" [Brewer] All of a sudden, this young man walks into my shoe store. He looked scared. He’d obviously been running. Well, I stepped outside and watched him walk toward the Texas Theatre. I said, "Something is wrong with this." I walked up to the cashier and said, "Call the police." ♪ ♪ [Brewer] There were police all over the alley. A couple of ’em grabbed me, wanted to know what I was doing, I said, "Well, there’s a suspicious character. He’s still here." They said, "Point him out." I said, "That’s him right there." ♪ ♪ Cops got their licks in. And at this time, I’m no more than 10 feet away or so, watching this. He looked me in the eye and said, "I’m not resisting arrest." And I don’t know if he was trying to tell everybody else, but he was talking to me. [Reporter] The Dallas Police Department arrested a 24-year-old man, Lee H. Oswald, in connection with the slaying of a Dallas policeman, JD Tippit, shortly after President Kennedy was assassinated. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Hill] We were in the process of having the body prepared so that we could take it back to Washington. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The nurses wrapped him in white sheets, put him in the casket. We took him out, they put him in the back of the hearse, and I turned to Mrs. Kennedy, I said, "Oh, Mrs. Kennedy, we could ride in this car right back here." And she said, "No, no, no. Mr. Hill, I’m gonna ride in there with, with Jack." And so she crawls into the back of the hearse, so I crawl in there with her. ♪ ♪ So, there we were in the back of that hearse, Mrs. Kennedy and me. It was a little bit crowded. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We went and drove to Love Field, where Air Force One was situated. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And then we had to offload the casket. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Paul Landis] I went to the front, sat in the second row, against the window, and I broke down completely. Roy Kellerman, at one point, he came and he shook– shook me by the shoulders, and he said, you know, "Come on, Paul. You gotta witness this." And I said, "I don’t need to witness anything. I’ve seen all I… I need to see." But he said, "It’s a historic moment. They’re swearing in Vice President Johnson." ♪ ♪ [Davis] I remember coming into the room. There were 28 people in the room that I counted. And LBJ, as he usually did, would assemble with people. He had his secretary go back and talk to Mrs. Kennedy and see if she would like to stand with us for the swearing in, and she sent word back, "Yes, I do. But I need some time to compose myself." And we waited about four or five or 10 minutes, and she came forward. And I could see the damage it had done. Then I could see the dress. She had blood on her where she cradled the president’s head in her lap. Blood was congealing on her stockings and on her shoes. I would say she was in shock. She knew what was going on, but her eyes were wide, unsmiling, serious. Mrs. Johnson said, "Would you like to change your clothes to something else?" And she said, "No. Let them see what they have done." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Judge] I do solemnly swear… [Lyndon Johnson] I solemnly swear… [Judge] …that I will faithfully execute… [Johnson] …that I will faithfully execute… [Judge] …the office of President of the United States… [Johnson] …the office of President of the United States… [Judge] …and will, to the best of my ability… [Johnson] …and will, to the best of my ability… -…preserve… -…preserve… -…protect… -…protect… -…defend… -…defend… [Judge] …the Constitution of the United States… [Johnson] …the Constitution of the United States… [Judge] …so help me God. [Johnson] …so help me God. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Who do you think would do something like this? [Interviewee] I don’t know. I can’t imagine in a way. [Interviewee] I don’t think anybody in their right mind. I think this is a terrible thing for our country, not only for our country, but for the entire world. [Interviewee] First reaction, sir, is that I hope these Southerners, these radicals, are satisfied they got their pound of flesh in killing a man as good as that. [Reporter] Are you certain that it is right-wing radicals or people who oppose the president so desperately that they would do something like this? [Interviewee] It could be no one else. Someone who’d do this was– must be mentally deranged. [Interviewee] I disagree with this man about it being a right-wing radical. I… It could be a communist, I think probably something like that. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Here is the suspect. Will you roll it, please? The suspect. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Dan Rather] 24-year-old Lee Oswald, a sponsor of ultra-leftist causes, an active member of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, a avowed admirer of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Russia. He once lived in Russia. He was arrested less than two hours after the president was shot, less than one hour after a Dallas policeman was shot and killed in the downtown area. [Lee Harvey Oswald] Alright, these people have given me a hearing without legal representation or anything. [Reporter] Did you shoot the president? [Oswald] I didn’t shoot anybody. No, sir. [Reporter] We just heard Oswald, who said he did not shoot anybody. [Crowd member] You don’t have to push. Knock it off. Knock it off! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Crowd member] That guy’s got the biggest elbows of anybody I’ve ever seen. [Crowd member] He hit me in the head with his camera. ♪ ♪ [Crowd member] Let me get out of here for a while, I gotta breathe. [Davis] It was mayhem at the police station. [Crowd member] Did you hear him say anything? [Reporter] Yeah. I knew he was talking, I was hoping you were in there. [Davis] And it was the first time we did news live on a location. [Bill Mercer] The rumor, if you did not happen to see the gentleman, the rumor has been rapid around the police department that there is a very good case that this is the man who they believe was involved in the assassination. This was the biggest news story that any one of us ever covered. ♪ ♪ It was a relief when they brought him in, to realize that he had been found. And, okay, we’ve got, maybe they’ve got this guy. Maybe he’s not gonna get away. ♪ ♪ He was nondescript, I guess you’d call it. Just a little guy. But maybe we’ve seen too many movies of what… [chuckles] …these killers look like, but this guy just didn’t have any appearance of anger or desperation or affray. He was just there. ♪ ♪ None of us at that time could figure out the motive; nobody. I don’t think the police could figure out a motive. And I have no idea what, uh, what they knew, except maybe his background, living in Russia. ♪ ♪ You have to remember that in this time, the Soviet Union was seen as a huge threat to America. I mean, the fact that Oswald lived in Russia, worked in Russia and the Soviet Union, and was even married to a Russian woman, was seen as a huge red flag. [John F. Kennedy] As Americans, we find communism profoundly repugnant as a negation of personal freedom and dignity. [Reader] Now we know that Mr. Oswald was Russian-trained, that it wasn’t a fascist or a Nazi that murdered Kennedy; it was a communist. [Interviewee] A lot of guys think all the people should have just grabbed him and just mutilated him and just broke him into pieces. This is a terrible thing what he did to the country, to the people. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mercer] Here is District Attorney Wade. Mr. Wade, I’ll walk along here with you, sir. What have you learned so far about the suspect, sir? [Henry Wade] There’s really nothing new on it. He was in the building, though, today. [Mercer] He was in the building today. Thank you, Mr. Wade. [Crowd member] Hey, can you hold up just a second? [Mercer] Thank you, Mr. Wade. That was District Attorney Henry Wade, who, uh, you just heard the statement. And as he said, murder charges have been filed against him for the death of Officer Tippit, who was shot while he stopped the suspect driving his car on East Jefferson. And as you did hear, it was reported that the man was in the building at the time of the shooting of the president of the United States. We had a good relationship with the Dallas Police, and they cooperated with us when we asked them to. So, they told us that he worked in the Texas Book Depository. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ When the police came in to do the roll call, they found that Lee Harvey Oswald was unaccounted for. ♪ ♪ That was the only clue that they had that he might be the guy. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Frazier] I’ve asked myself many times, "How’d you get involved? How’d you get wrapped up in this?" My involvement was very innocent. I was just trying to do a good neighborly deed. ♪ ♪ That day, I drove Lee Harvey Oswald over to where we were employed at Texas School Book Depository. I paid a big price for that, yes. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Because of what had happened, two plainclothes detectives grabs me. I said, "Who are you? What are you doing?" And they said, "We’re arresting you." I said, "Arresting me?" I said, "I haven’t done anything." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Crowd member] This the guy? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Frazier] I was on one end of the building, and Lee was on the other, and they were doing to Lee the same thing they were doing to me. "Well, how long have you known him? What days he ride home with you?" I told ’em that we worked together. We’re both employees there at Texas School Book Depository. That, yes, I drove Lee to work. And back on that day, I saw a package about roughly around two feet. It just looked like a normal package; nothing special. And I didn’t look at it. I just glanced at it. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I remember the police said that I was involved, and I knew all about the assassination of John Kennedy. And that was totally false. It really was a shock that they’d want me to confess to something I didn’t know anything about. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And that’s a frightening thing when you realize someone is trying to convict you of a crime that you had nothing to do with. But I realized that I was really fighting for my life. ♪ ♪ [Mercer] As you see, they are bringing the weapon allegedly used in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy this afternoon at 12:30 here in Dallas. [Man] It appears there’s no name on it. 6.5, apparently made in Italy in 1940. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Ruth Paine] It hurts to go back to that time, to remember the days and to remember the feelings, the disappointment, and the pain. I felt angry that I had unwillingly been helpful in some way. ♪ ♪ Well, at that time, I had arranged for Marina Oswald to come and stay at my house. She and Lee were separated, and so it was myself and my two kids and Marina and her daughter and her just-born baby. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Walter Cronkite] And in through a rear door… [Paine] I was sat with Marina, watching the TV, when we heard that an officer had been shot. [Cronkite] …but Officer JD Tippit was shot dead. [Paine] And then something like six policemen arrived. And one turns around to me and said, "Are you a communist?" [laughs] And I just… "No." But as one, one policeman was coming in, he said, "Did Oswald have a gun? A rifle?" And I said, "No," and translated to Marina, who said that he did. ♪ ♪ And she led them into the garage, pointed to a blanket roll. She thought it was there. And the policeman picked it up, the blanket roll folded over his arm; it was clearly empty. ♪ ♪ And it was at that moment, I thought, "It could have been Lee." I didn’t know he had a gun. ♪ ♪ I didn’t see him as dangerous. You know? I had him in my house with my little kids. So, I didn’t see that coming at all. ♪ ♪ [indistinct chatter] [indistinct chatter] [Mercer] This is the wife and the brother of the family coming out now. If you’ll shoot right down the hall here, the wife and the family are coming down. The wife of Oswald is carrying a child, as they move down the hall. ♪ ♪ When Oswald’s wife, Marina, came to the police station, she was holding Rachel, their newborn baby. And she looked like she had to face something she probably didn’t like. [Crowd member] It’s his wife and kid. [Mercer] Did she know anything? Did she know he had a gun? Yeah, she knew that, but she didn’t– evidently, I don’t think she knew that he was gonna kill the president or kill somebody. She just was a wife trying to keep her little family together, living apart from her husband. ♪ ♪ [Paine] At that time, I was not too happy with Lee’s attitude towards Marina. He didn’t really want her to learn English, which, that’s crazy, you know, because she had to cope with being in the United States. He was disappointed in his marriage, I think. They had argued. But he cared a lot, also. I saw him quite caring for his children and caring for Marina. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And he was angry with his mother, angry with his life. His mother had put her three kids in an orphanage. And I think he felt nobody appreciated his worth. He wanted to make a name for himself. He wanted to be somebody. And, uh… he saw that this was possible. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mercer] Here comes the man again. [Crowd member] Here we go again. [Mercer] The suspect is again coming down the hall, being flanked by policemen. Let me get over here, out of the way. ♪ ♪ [Crowd member] Back up, man! [Reporter] Did you shoot the president? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Davis] The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, before I sleep. [Reporter] And you will conduct the trial? [Wade] Yes, sir, I plan to. [Reporter] And you will ask capital verdict? [Wade] We’ll ask the death penalty. [Witness] I think everything was unusual about this whole weekend. You know, it was just an unprecedented set of events that you just kept following as they kept unfolding. [Mercer] Jack Ruby was up there that night. He just hated Oswald, loved the Kennedys, and wanted to get even. Chief, do you have any concern for the safety of your prisoner? [Police Chief] No, I don’t think that the people will try to take the prisoner away from us. [gunshot] [Reporter] He’s been shot. There’s a man with a gun. It’s absolute panic. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Newsreader] A web of evidence appears to be closing in on Lee Harvey Oswald. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Witness] Thinking back, how different this could have been, were it not for a guy like Lee Harvey Oswald. I’ll never forget those sounds. It’s having heard, pow, pow, pow! Methodically this guy’s pulling this trigger, and he knows he’s killing the president of the United States. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Newsreader] Air Force One, the big jet on which President Kennedy made so many of his trips, will be bringing him back to Washington the last time. The plane, which is carrying the president’s body in a bronze casket, also has now-president Lyndon Johnson, as well as Mrs. Kennedy. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Clint Hill] On that flight between Dallas and DC, there was no time for grief or anything, except continue to do the best job you could, and that’s what I tried to do. ♪ ♪ Mrs. Kennedy was in shock. She cried terribly. Here she was, a brand new widow, I mean, she– alright, with two children. And now that’s all that was left of that family. ♪ ♪ Bobby Kennedy came running up the front steps of the aircraft, ran all the way through the aircraft to where Mrs. Kennedy and the casket was situated in the back. And he was tearful. It was shocking, it was emotional. I couldn’t break down. ♪ ♪ [Paul Landis] I just cried, I think, all the way home. ♪ ♪ I helped to unload the casket. We were tired, we put in a long day. A lot had gone on, and I hadn’t handled a lot of it very well. I know now I was in shock. ♪ ♪ [Newsreader] The First Lady was still wearing the pink wool suit that she had when she rode beside Mr. Kennedy in the parade. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] We have not yet seen President Johnson. It’s expected that he will make a public appearance and a statement. ♪ ♪ [Newsreader] The president walked haggard and alone. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Lyndon Johnson] This is a sad time for all people. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God’s. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Newsreader] The helicopter which will take him to the Rose Garden of the White House is in the picture now, as he embarks on the last leg of the journey, which will put him literally in the White House. ♪ ♪ [Hill] I called to find out where the children were. They were at the White House. If John or Caroline were to see or hear that helicopter coming, they would assume it was their mother and father. ♪ ♪ They had not, at this point, been told of what had happened in Dallas. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Sid Davis] I went back to Washington, got back around midnight, and went to the White House. I was broadcasting on the arrival of the casket. This is a earth-shattering type of experience. Something that many people believe could not happen in the 20th century. This was the president of the United States. In prime of life, youngest guy elected. All of us were in a state of shock, but the point is, I couldn’t stop to think. If I stopped to think of how bad this really was at the moment, I wouldn’t have gotten through my broadcast. Mrs. Kennedy riding as close as she can with the president. ♪ ♪ I started wrapping up the broadcast, and I did the closing and everything. And I said he enjoyed Robert Frost, and he used to close his campaign speeches, at every stop he’d quote from Robert Frost. And I had this Robert Frost poem in my pocket, and I went and did it. "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, before I sleep." "I have promises to keep and many miles to go before I sleep." And with that, this is Sid Davis, [voice breaking] reporting from the White House. ♪ ♪ [Police Chief] We want to say this, that this investigation has been carried on jointly by the FBI, the Secret Service, the Rangers, and the Dallas Police Department. [Jesse Curry] He has not confessed, he has made no statement. Charges of murder have been accepted against him. [Curry] We’ll go get in a larger room here, that’s what we’re talking about here. [Reporter] What about the assembly room right around there? [Bill Mercer] That night, I was broadcasting when they decided that nobody could get their questions answered, so why not have a press conference with Oswald answering questions. Can you imagine doing that today with a person who’s been arrested for murder? Now this is the moment that I’m sure the country’s been waiting for. Lee Oswald, 24, former Marine, reported to have lived in Russia for three years. And also reported to be a member of a pro-Castro party. This is the situation now, here in Dallas. [Mercer] The man has not confessed. He has not confessed either the murder of Tippit, or the murder of the president. As I walked by the detective’s office, one of them came out and he said, "Bill, I’m gonna tell you something you might use later, that we are now filling out the charge papers, that Oswald murdered the president." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ We’re now in the basement of the Dallas Police Department. It was a surreal situation. I’d never been to a press conference with a murder suspect. It was unprecedented. The indication is now that the suspect is coming down the aisle, and into this identification room. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ There he is, a slight fellow with some scratches and marks around his face. [indistinct chatter] [Mercer] I was down at the edge of the stage there. And a reporter next to me said… [Lee Harvey Oswald] No, I’ve not been charged with that. In fact, nobody has said that to me yet. The first thing I heard about it was when the newspaper reporters in the hall asked me that question. [Mercer] And as he turned facing me, I said, "Yes, you have, you have been charged with the murder of the president." He kind of moved his head back. And, "What?" And I said, "You have been charged with the murder of the president." [Oswald] Sir? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mercer] That was Oswald. Lee Oswald, who was charged with the murder of the president of the United States. He’s being taken back upstairs. ♪ ♪ That was one of the rare times when we saw any real reaction. I think I kind of burst his balloon, of thinking he was getting away with something. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Jack Ruby was up there that night. ♪ ♪ He worked the police and gave them tickets to his club, and he was always around ’em. I don’t think he had to show any credentials. He’s the police buddy. [Rusty Robbins] Everybody knew who Jack Ruby was, no question about it. He ran, some people call ’em burlesque joints, I call ’em stripper clubs. Jack was known to carry a pistol. Back then, if a businessman carried a personal protection, it was overlooked. And maybe one or two of ’em saw Jack and said, "Well, that’s Jack." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Chief, do you have any concern for the safety of your prisoner, in view of the high feeling among the people of Dallas over the assassination of the president? [Curry] No, but the precautions necessary, precautions will be taken of course. But I’m not–I don’t think that the people will, like, try to take the prisoner away from us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] It is anticipated that he will be moved. Police are worried, they are so worried they’ve talked about the possibility of moving him in an armored vehicle. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mercer] Since 6:30 this morning, people have been gathering across the street from the White House, waiting to pay their last respects. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mourner] The people of the United States have identified themselves with the Kennedy family. And I think the grief that we all feel, at this event, this tragedy, is much more real and much more personal. I came here to express, somehow to express my own sympathy to Mrs. Kennedy and to all the family, and to the whole United States, actually, for the great loss that we have suffered. ♪ ♪ [Reporter] A lonely little boy who observes his third birthday Monday wandered through a big Washington house today, complaining, "I don’t have anyone to play with." John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr., says his father was killed by a bad man. But he doesn’t understand why the slain president is not there to walk the White House corridors with him, or why he’s not allowed to enter the presidential office as was his wont and somewhat his consistent habit. ♪ ♪ [Hill] It had a tremendous impact on all three of ’em. Now, John, you know, he was so young. The agents would take him out to a playground, he’d play. And one day a photographer from The Washington Post showed up. And John turned to him and said, "Why are you taking my picture? My daddy’s dead!" ♪ ♪ He knew; he knew his daddy had died. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Just a little while from now, the president’s body and its flag-draped coffin is to be taken from the White House, down Pennsylvania Avenue, and escorted to Capitol Hill. [Hill] Mrs. Kennedy had gone up to the second floor with members of the family. They decide to have a prayer service for the family there in the East Room. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ She said, "Mr. Hill, I’d like to see the president." I said, "Okay, give us a moment." I went and opened the casket, made sure that it was okay for her to look, wasn’t gonna be too shocking. ♪ ♪ They went up and stood there, crying. ♪ ♪ And then she turned to me and said, "Mr. Hill, can you get me a scissors?" I didn’t see what happened, but I could hear the clip, clip, clip, clip, I knew that she was cutting a piece of his hair. And so then she closed the casket. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ It’s hard to describe her demeanor. She could control herself pretty well when she was in the public eye. ♪ ♪ But she was really suffering. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Henry Wade] Oh, I think this man had planned this murder weeks or months ago and has laid his plans carefully and carried them out. [Reporter] And you will conduct the trial? [Wade] Yes, sir. I plan to. [Reporter] And you will ask capital verdict? [Wade] We’ll ask the death penalty. [Peggy Simpson] Kennedy’s death was a huge blow to a lot of people. I just couldn’t believe that that could happen in our country, let alone on my doorstep. ♪ ♪ My bureau chief called and said, "You know, I want you to be in the jail and show up at 10 o’clock, because the cops are moving Oswald from the city to the county courthouse." [Reporter] Officers have checked every vehicle coming in, and no one who is not a member of the press and not able to show identification can enter the basement. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Guards are stationed at points all across the inside of the basement. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Simpson] When I arrived at the jail, there were so many people who were gathering and being angry at what had happened. The atmosphere, the paranoia in the atmosphere that was gripping Dallas at the time. There was a feeling of outrage that this could have happened, this could have happened here. Who is this person anyway? ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ I walked down the ramp into the, what was the driveway, and, um, I positioned myself at the front row of about 20 or 30 reporters who were in front of, grouped around the opening where Oswald would be brought out. [Reporter] People still are wondering exactly when Oswald will come down. [Simpson] Everything was unusual about this whole weekend. You know, it was just an unprecedented set of events, that you just kept following as they kept unfolding. [indistinct chatter] [Reporter] Alright, we got a little activity down there, I don’t know what it is. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Robbins] Oswald was going to be transferred to the county jail. It was live news. We were watching on my little 10-inch television, watching the events as they unfolded for that day. It felt like the whole of America was watching. [Reporter] Security precautions have been tightened. Armed guards are stationed throughout Dallas, City Hall, and the Police Headquarters. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [gunshot] [bleep] [Reporter] He’s been shot. He’s been shot. Lee Oswald has been shot. There’s a man with a gun. It’s absolute panic. Absolute panic here in the basement of Dallas Police Headquarters. [Simpson] I just knew that Oswald had been badly hurt, and that the cops were in astonishment. You could just see the horror on their faces. ♪ ♪ There was total chaos and total pandemonium. Nobody was quite sure what on Earth was happening. What was going through my mind was, "Get out of here." ♪ ♪ I didn’t even think. You know, you can’t think in a moment like that. You have to just act on automatic pilot. And I walked around and went straight into the police station. [Reporter] Oswald is now taken back inside the police station. [Simpson] There was just this horror, sense of horror. [Reporter] The situation is now that Lee Harold Oswald has been shot. We can hear sirens outside, and an ambulance apparently is moving down now into the basement. Here comes the ambulance. And Oswald will be removed now. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Reporter] Captain, where will he be taken? [Captain] I’m assuming Parkland Hospital. [Reporter] Parkland Hospital, the irony of ironies. The place where President John F. Kennedy died. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Simpson] A sense of total disbelief. How could this be happening? After two days earlier, the president being shot. How–who was this guy? You had to absorb the fact that somebody had been there to kill Oswald, and they did. [Reporter] Mass confusion. The man accused of assassinating the president of the United States has just sustained a bullet wound injury. Lee Harold Oswald is now in an ambulance speeding on his way to Dallas Parkland Hospital. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Mercer] We were watching the news live. We were, "Oh, my god, another one! What else is gonna happen? Now who else is gonna get shot?" It was just impossible to believe. ♪ ♪ [Simpson] I was on the phone with my bureau chief, and I heard the cops say, "This is Jack Ruby." And I said, "This is– they say the cops know this guy, they say it’s Jack Ruby." And he said, "What?!" You know, "I drink in his bar! How could that be?" ♪ ♪ He was a known person; he wasn’t somebody that they expected to do any harm. ♪ ♪ [Reporter] I understand that he was here passing out cards yesterday to members of the press, offering them to come by and get free drinks at his clubs. [Witness] That’s what I understand, yeah. [Reporter] Well, how does he have access to the police department, a nightclub owner in Dallas? How does he–I saw him walking around downstairs. How does he do this? Does he have a lot of friends in the police department? [Witness] Well, I would think so, I don’t know. [Robbins] When I saw that Jack Ruby had shot Oswald, I was shocked. I was sorry that he had messed up like that. He committed a grave error, one you can’t eradicate. It’s gonna go down in history. Jack did what he did. He wanted to be somebody. Everybody loved the president, so everybody hated the man who had killed the president. So now this is gonna make Jack a hero. [Spokesman] The chief of surgery at Parkland Memorial Hospital is coming into the room now to make a statement on Mr. Oswald. [Chief of Surgery] Yeah, he–Mr. Oswald died at 1:07 our time, in the operating room, of the gunshot wound which he’d received. ♪ ♪ [Curry] My statement will be very brief. Oswald expired at 1:07 p.m. [Reporter] He died? [Curry] He died at 1:07 p.m. We have arrested the man. The man will be charged with murder. The suspect’s name is Jack Ruby. [Mercer] Actually, what Jack Ruby did was prevent justice from being served when he killed Oswald. Everybody had questions about why. It was just like Oswald shooting the president. Somebody had to be in charge of him. Somebody had to know, why would he do this? And the same thing happened with Ruby. People said, "Oh, he’s working for somebody." Everybody suspected the mafia, the communists, the usual suspects. ♪ ♪ The police said that Ruby’s excuse for shooting Oswald was that he just hated the man and loved the Kennedys and wanted to get even for them; and he did. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Davis] The assassination was on a Friday, and I had not slept for three days. And Monday morning, I got up real early, I wanted to go down to the funeral. I got in my car, and I started down MacArthur Boulevard to go down to the parade route. ♪ ♪ I saw a woman at the bus stop, and I pulled over and I said, "Are you going to the funeral?" She said, "Yes." She got in the car in the front seat. And we talked a little bit. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ She said, "I’m a Republican." ♪ ♪ "But I didn’t know how much I admired him." ♪ ♪ I think that was repeated millions of times across the country. He was an endearing guy, you just couldn’t help it. Even if you didn’t agree with him, you couldn’t help but like him. ♪ ♪ [John F. Kennedy] Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Hill] Mrs. Kennedy, she was determined that people were not going to forget her husband either. ♪ ♪ She wanted to walk behind the casket. I had talked to her and said, "It really isn’t advisable." And she said, "Well, at least I’m gonna walk from the White House to St. Matthew’s." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Davis] Jackie put on a show. That’s what she wanted to do. This is "I’m gonna give him the best send-off I can and give him what he deserved." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Hill] The day of the funeral was also the third birthday of John F. Kennedy, Jr. ♪ ♪ It was very emotional. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Father Huber] It was thought that the most appropriate commemoration of this heartbreaking event would be the expression of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s ideals and his aspirations: his inaugural address. "Let the word go forth from this time and place to friends and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. Born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed and to which we are committed today at home and around the world." ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Hill] When the president’s casket was taken out of the church, John noticed all the military saluted. ♪ ♪ Mrs. Kennedy bent over and said something. And he turned, looked at his father’s casket, and he saluted. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Everyone from generals on down were teary-eyed. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Landis] Going up to the cemetery, in the distance… very… …a very distinct sound of Air Force One. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ And Captain Swindal dipped the wings, in like a final salute to the president. I almost broke down really completely there. I’m having a hard time now, as you can tell. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Jackie Kennedy] I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of messages, nearly 800,000 in all, which my children and I have received over the past few weeks. The knowledge of the affection in which my husband was held by all of you has sustained me, and the warmth of these tributes is something I shall never forget. All his bright light gone from the world. All of you who have written to me know how much we all loved him, and that he returned that love in full measure. Each and every message is to be treasured, not only for my children, but so that future generations who will know how much our country and people in every nation thought of him. May I thank you again on behalf of my children and of the president’s family. Thank you. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Davis] Taking this man, who was a gentle, brilliant president. He endeared himself to the country. John Kennedy was an upstanding protector of civil rights of the American people. Calling on Americans to change. So, I’ve seen that it’s happened. We have legislation now that proves it. I think we’re not perfect, and we’re not anywhere near successful yet, but I think we’re a better country today than we were when I came to Washington, because Kennedy was president. And that’s pretty good. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Landis] I wouldn’t even tell people that I was in the Secret Service. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ The pain has gone. There is no longer any pain talking about it. I can get emotional, but that’s a nice feeling. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Hill] They gave me a medal. Yeah, that was very nice of them, I appreciate it very much. But I wanted to do better than I did. I had always felt that, you know, I have this sense of guilt that I should have been able to do more than I did. The one thing that I’d be willing to do or give is my life for his, if I could change it that day. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
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