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I will never forget it. I was just a little kid walking alone, on the side of a two lane road near Grandma's house, when all of a sudden, I looked up, and a beautiful man, sitting on a car, looked right at me, waved at me, and smiled the biggest smile, I had ever seen. The sun was shining on him, and he looked all bright, and orange, and tanned. He looked like some sort of Sun God gliding along, who looked down on this little kid, just walking alone, and took the time to say Hi. I told Grandma, and she said that I saw President Kennedy. Soon after, Grandma looked blue, and told me he was shot, and died. I remember, I sat down on Grandma's stairs alone, feeling blue too. Then, Dad told me about Richard Speck murdering all those nurses, and saw his face in the paper, and that really ended my innocent, care-free, view of the world..
Last edited by glenninindy; 11-23-2013 at 03:41 AM..
I have also watched a lot of the features made for the 50 yr. anniversary. Let's just say Political Science wasn't my major in college.
I was reading about LBJ taking office aboard Air Force One with Jackie by his side, while Air Force One was on the tarmac at Love Field.
Is there a specific reason this happened on the tarmac instead of during the flight?
Also, was this when the policy of the Pres. and V. P. not traveling together got changed? Or was it later? Probably a lot of firsts for D.C. to address.
I hope more will post so we all can learn a bit more of what it was like for various people.
Misty, check for a PM. Cleosmom, check for a PM or other depending on whether I can find the other thing you told me about.
Thanks to all who posted so far!
MSR
Since the assassination occurred far from Washington, there was great concern that the succession to the Presidency happen as soon as possible. It had only been a year since the Cuba missile crisis, and no one at the time wanted America to look confused, as it could have been taken as a sign of weakness. That was the mentality of the time.
I vaguely recall that Jackie was the person who brought up the swearing-in. (I may be mistaken.)
I can't remember if LBJ few out with the Kennedys or if he was already in Texas. The swearing-in was done on the tarmac probably because it took the Secret Service a long time to load the coffin; the handles on the casket were too wide to allow it to fit through the doorway, so they had to tear the handles off before it was loaded.
The casket didn't go in the luggage compartment. It was loaded into the passenger compartment.
More than anything, I think the swearing-in and everything was due to the shock and confusion. I can still see the shock on all the people's faces in the famous photograph.
The time frame was very short, something few folks think about. Kennedy arrived around 8:30 a.m., as I recall, and by late afternoon he was dead and his body was being flown back to Washington. Oswald was arrested before the sun went down. It all happened very fast.
Lots of citizens didn't even know he had gone to Texas. The speed of the events were part of how stunned the nation became. Even the funeral and interment came quickly. By the first of a week's time Kennedy was alive, and by the end of the week he was dead and buried.
At least is seemed like that. It took months for the nation to recover from the shock.
Last edited by banjomike; 11-23-2013 at 09:03 AM..
Oh you youngsters! You never experienced the innocence of being a conscious person prior to Nov.22, 1963...you were born into a world already filled with angst and suspicion... I'm kidding, but there's actually some truth to it. The angst and suspicion people felt in previous generations usually didn't go to the depths of today's cynicism, and it really all started at Dealey Plaza.
I watched the live coverage from Dallas yesterday, and thought it was very moving. And it brought back so many memories. I posted in some thoughts one of the History forum threads, about what I remembered, so I won't double-post, but JFK's death affected me profoundly, even though I was just a kid in elementary school. I idolized JFK, he was the first political person to shine through my fog of childhood. I was living in Europe with my folks then, and we got the news in the evening of the 22, local time. The television had cancelled all programming except for the news, and was playing classical music instead, so we knew that something sad or even horrible had happened. And then they announced that the President of the United States had been killed. So even in Europe it was considered a great tragedy and calamity for the entire world. One of the following days I went down to the American Embassy and stood in line to sign the condolence book for Jackie. I went by myself, and I guess the embassy officials thought it was odd that a little kid stood there, unaccompanied, with tears in her eyes, and signed the book. So somewhere in the White House archives (or wherever) there is a JFK condolence book with my name neatly printed on a page...
I knew the world had changed, the very instant it happened. Sometimes even kids have instincts and insight. "Loss of innocence" may be a cliche, but that's exactly what it was. The whole notion of taking safety and life for granted, and trusting the explanations that officials give you, those ideas died that day for us who were "conscious persons."
I just found out that Wikipedia actually mentions (not me but) the reactions:
In many countries, radio and television networks, after breaking the news, either went off the air except for funeral music or broke schedules to carry uninterrupted news of the assassination, and if Kennedy had made a visit to that country, recalled that visit in detail. For example, in London, there were reports that the BBC and the Independent Television Authority in London suspended their regular programs upon breaking the news. In several nations, monarchs ordered the royal family into days of mourning.
At U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, switchboards lit up and were flooded with phone calls. At many of them, shocked personnel often let telephones go unanswered. They also opened up condolence books for people to sign. In Europe, the assassination tempered Cold War sentiment, as people on both sides expressed shock and sorrow.
I will never forget it. I was just a little kid walking alone, on the side of a two lane road near Grandma's house, when all of a sudden, I looked up, and a beautiful man, sitting on a car, looked right at me, waved at me, and smiled the biggest smile, I had ever seen. The sun was shining on him, and he looked all bright, and orange, and tanned. He looked like some sort of Sun God gliding along, who looked down on this little kid, just walking alone, and took the time to say Hi. I told Grandma, and she said that I saw President Kennedy. Soon after, Grandma looked blue, and told me he was shot, and died. I remember, I sat down on Grandma's stairs alone, feeling blue too. Then, Dad told me about Richard Speck murdering all those nurses, and saw his face in the paper, and that really ended my innocent, care-free, view of the world..
Wow, glenninindy, what a memory! Thanks for posting.
Since the assassination occurred far from Washington, there was great concern that the succession to the Presidency happen as soon as possible. It had only been a year since the Cuba missile crisis, and no one at the time wanted America to look confused, as it could have been taken as a sign of weakness. That was the mentality of the time.
I vaguely recall that Jackie was the person who brought up the swearing-in. (I may be mistaken.)
I can't remember if LBJ few out with the Kennedys or if he was already in Texas. The swearing-in was done on the tarmac probably because it took the Secret Service a long time to load the coffin; the handles on the casket were too wide to allow it to fit through the doorway, so they had to tear the handles off before it was loaded.
The casket didn't go in the luggage compartment. It was loaded into the passenger compartment.
More than anything, I think the swearing-in and everything was due to the shock and confusion. I can still see the shock on all the people's faces in the famous photograph.
The time frame was very short, something few folks think about. Kennedy arrived around 8:30 a.m., as I recall, and by late afternoon he was dead and his body was being flown back to Washington. Oswald was arrested before the sun went down. It all happened very fast.
Lots of citizens didn't even know he had gone to Texas. The speed of the events were part of how stunned the nation became. Even the funeral and interment came quickly. By the first of a week's time Kennedy was alive, and by the end of the week he was dead and buried.
At least is seemed like that. It took months for the nation to recover from the shock.
Thanks Mike.
I learn more each time I read or see more about JFK'S assassination. I think Confusion is a word most can agree upon when it comes to that day. Plus, as you mentioned everything was done so quickly. I was thinking I don't know where Jackie and the children slept/lived between flying back to DC and the funeral. Likewise, I don't know where LBJ lived that week.
The same info I was reading last night yielding my question about why the tarmac, when I always thought LBJ had been sworn in while in flight, also did go into exactly what you mentioned. LBJ had the Secs. of State and Defense and others assuring allies the Presidency was in tact and The U.S., while in shock, was a functioning nation.
Oh you youngsters! You never experienced the innocence of being a conscious person prior to Nov.22, 1963...you were born into a world already filled with angst and suspicion... I'm kidding, but there's actually some truth to it. The angst and suspicion people felt in previous generations usually didn't go to the depths of today's cynicism, and it really all started at Dealey Plaza.
I watched the live coverage from Dallas yesterday, and thought it was very moving. And it brought back so many memories. I posted in some thoughts one of the History forum threads, about what I remembered, so I won't double-post, but JFK's death affected me profoundly, even though I was just a kid in elementary school. I idolized JFK, he was the first political person to shine through my fog of childhood. I was living in Europe with my folks then, and we got the news in the evening of the 22, local time. The television had cancelled all programming except for the news, and was playing classical music instead, so we knew that something sad or even horrible had happened. And then they announced that the President of the United States had been killed. So even in Europe it was considered a great tragedy and calamity for the entire world. One of the following days I went down to the American Embassy and stood in line to sign the condolence book for Jackie. I went by myself, and I guess the embassy officials thought it was odd that a little kid stood there, unaccompanied, with tears in her eyes, and signed the book. So somewhere in the White House archives (or wherever) there is a JFK condolence book with my name neatly printed on a page...
I knew the world had changed, the very instant it happened. Sometimes even kids have instincts and insight. "Loss of innocence" may be a cliche, but that's exactly what it was. The whole notion of taking safety and life for granted, and trusting the explanations that officials give you, those ideas died that day for us who were "conscious persons."
I just found out that Wikipedia actually mentions (not me but) the reactions:
Thanks for your recollections of that day. What I've really enjoyed about this thread, besides learning more, is also learning how many who have posted were living abroad. So cool you signed a condolence book! When Princess Diana "died" I was in Canada for something less than a week later. I signed one of the Condolence Books Canada had for her.
The posts from those in different stages of their lives in the U.S. are of equal interest to me.
Dealey Plaza is a place I have never visited when in Dallas. Of course I've visited JFK'S grave, but just like after 9/11 when I got out of 3 paid NYC trips because I didn't want to see the area of such suffering. I can deal with reality- perhaps too much so some days. I have no need to be in the exact locations where such destructive acts occurred.
My mind is open about who could have been involved with JFK'S assassination.
CFF, did the BBC show Jack Ruby shooting on live TV or was that just U.S. audiences?
Thanks for continuing an interesting discussion. I'll check out the history section here later.
msr
Last edited by Mtn. States Resident; 11-23-2013 at 01:31 PM..
In my limited knowledge may I suggest that the reason for the swearing in of Johnson so soon was probably due the politics of that time, we were living in the "Cold War" suspicion of communism was in the US and Europe,who knew if they would take advantage of the situation. In England we had the same coverage as America on BBC and ITV we felt very close, I recall only too well Ruby shooting Oswald.
I am sad to read that the younger ones make light of what happened but of course they cannot know what life was like at that time.
I learn more each time I read or see more about JFK'S assassination. I think Confusion is a word most can agree upon when it comes to that day. Plus, as you mentioned everything was done so quickly. I was thinking I don't know where Jackie and the children slept/lived between flying back to DC and the funeral. Likewise, I don't know where LBJ lived that week.
The same info I was reading last night yielding my question about why the tarmac, when I always thought LBJ had been sworn in while in flight, also did go into exactly what you mentioned. LBJ had the Secs. of State and Defense and others assuring allies the Presidency was in tact and The U.S., while in shock, was a functioning nation.
msr
I just learned today that Johnson's car, which was ahead of Kennedy's, was also rushed to the hospital. The entire cavalcade all went there without stopping.
Johnson's head of his Secret Service detachment ran ahead to find an unoccupied place where Johnson could go and not be noticed and be protected. It ended up being a small room with nothing at all in it. An agent was posted on the other side of the door and ordered not to admit anyone he did not know personally.
Johnson stood in the room for 45 minutes, not knowing anything about Kennedy's condition or anything else. His head agent walked into the room and addressed him as Mr. President to tell him of Kennedy's death, and that was the first info Johnson had.
The agent said Johnson immediately took command even though he was shocked deeply. From there on, everyone acted on his commands.
The swearing-in on the tarmac is natural in hindsight. There must have been immediate suspicions of a conspiracy, and if there was one, conspirators would have gone after Johnson next. There could have been fears of a plan to strike Air Force One for all they knew, or a Soviet attack from subs offshore, so establishing the line of succession quickly would have been seen as an absolute necessity.
The famous red telephones, the direct communication line between Moscow and Washington, may not have been implemented in Air Force One at that time. The aircraft certainly had radio communication, but that was before the days of com satellites, so Johnson may have taken that stuff into consideration now.
He wanted to be sure that the nation and the wold knew the government was still fully functional when the plane touched down in D.C., with witnesses in Texas and aboard the plane to confirm the line of succession had been completed.
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You never experienced the innocence of being a conscious person prior to Nov.22, 1963...you were born into a world already filled with angst and suspicion...
I'm kidding, but there's actually some truth to it. The angst and suspicion people felt in previous generations usually didn't go to the depths of today's cynicism, and it really all started at Dealey Plaza. 
Confusion...
