By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy was already gearing up for his re-election campaign, despite not having made a formal announcement. Confident in his prospects, he and his advisors began laying the groundwork for what was anticipated to be another successful presidential run.
In late September, Kennedy embarked on a tour across nine Western states within a week. While officially focused on natural resources and conservation, the trip served a dual purpose: testing the waters for key campaign themes like education, national security, and the pursuit of world peace for the upcoming 1964 election.
The Texas Campaign and Looming Shadows
The following month, President Kennedy engaged with Democratic supporters in Boston and Philadelphia. November 12 marked a critical political strategy session, where he underscored the importance of securing Florida and Texas in the election. Plans were set in motion for visits to both states within the next two weeks, recognizing their pivotal role in the electoral map.
Adding a personal dimension to the Texas trip, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy decided to accompany the President. This would be her first significant public appearance since the heartbreaking loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21, Air Force One took off, carrying the President and First Lady for a two-day, five-city tour across Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of the fractured political landscape in Texas. A deep rift among state Democratic leaders threatened to undermine his chances of winning the state in 1964. A key objective of his visit was to bridge these divides and unify the party. Furthermore, he knew that a fringe but vocal extremist element was exacerbating political tensions, particularly in Dallas. Just a month prior, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson had been physically assaulted in Dallas after delivering a speech. Despite these undercurrents of unease, JFK reportedly welcomed the opportunity to leave Washington, connect directly with the American people, and engage in the political arena.
San Antonio was the first stop on the tour, where Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough formed the welcoming committee. The presidential party proceeded to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing to Houston, Kennedy addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and attended a testimonial dinner for Congressman Albert Thomas, concluding the day in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth: A Cheerful Morning Turns Dark
Friday, November 22nd, began with a light rain in Fort Worth. Yet, a crowd of thousands gathered in the parking lot of the Texas Hotel, where the Kennedys had stayed overnight. President Kennedy, foregoing any protection from the drizzle, addressed the crowd from a makeshift platform. He began with an appreciative nod to the city: “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth, and I appreciate your being here this morning.” He lightened the mood by mentioning the First Lady, “Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He then shifted to more serious topics, emphasizing the nation’s commitment to military and space supremacy, economic growth, and global leadership.
The crowd’s enthusiastic response was palpable as President Kennedy shook hands, surrounded by smiling faces.
Inside the hotel, he spoke at a Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce breakfast, focusing on military strength. “We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom,” he declared. “We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead.”
Dallas Beckons: The Fatal Motorcade
The presidential entourage departed the hotel for Carswell Air Force Base, embarking on a brief thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy immediately approached a fence line where a crowd of supporters had assembled, spending several minutes greeting and shaking hands.
The First Lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she carried to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys joined them, taking the back seats. With the rain subsided, the protective plastic bubble top remained off. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed in a separate car.
The motorcade commenced its journey from the airport, following a ten-mile route through downtown Dallas, en route to the Trade Mart where President Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
Tragedy in Dealey Plaza: The Assassination Unfolds
Excited crowds thronged the streets of Dallas, waving enthusiastically as the Kennedys passed by. Around 12:30 p.m., the motorcade turned off Main Street into Dealey Plaza. As the limousine proceeded past the Texas School Book Depository, the unthinkable happened: gunfire erupted in the plaza.
Bullets struck President Kennedy in the neck and head. He slumped towards Mrs. Kennedy. Governor Connally was also hit, wounded in his back.
The limousine accelerated towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, just minutes away. Despite desperate efforts, there was little that could be done for the President. A Catholic priest was called to administer last rites, and at 1:00 p.m., John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead. Governor Connally, though seriously injured, would survive.
President Kennedy’s body was taken to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. Before takeoff, a somber Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President in the aircraft’s cramped cabin by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m.
Less than an hour prior to this, police had apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, a recent employee of the Texas School Book Depository. He was arrested for the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent fatal shooting of Patrolman J.D. Tippit in Dallas.
On Sunday morning, November 24, as Oswald was being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, live television cameras captured a shocking scene. Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner, stepped forward and shot Oswald at point-blank range. Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital.
A Nation Mourns: The President’s Funeral
The same day as Oswald’s killing, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol. A caisson, drawn by six grey horses and accompanied by a riderless black horse, carried the casket. Following Mrs. Kennedy’s wishes, the funeral procession and ceremonies were modeled after those of Abraham Lincoln. Massive crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many weeping openly as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours President Kennedy lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, approximately 250,000 people paid their respects.
On Monday, November 25, 1963, President Kennedy was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Heads of state and representatives from over 100 countries attended the funeral, with countless millions more watching on television worldwide. At the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy and the President’s brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame.
Perhaps the most enduring images from that day were John F. Kennedy Jr.’s poignant salute to his father (on his third birthday), daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the bier, and Jacqueline Kennedy’s extraordinary strength and dignity in the face of unimaginable grief.
As the nation and the world grappled with the senseless tragedy and sought to articulate their feelings about President Kennedy’s life and legacy, many recalled his words from his inaugural address:
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days, nor in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this administration. Nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
Arlington National Cemetery: A Place of Remembrance
For further information about President Kennedy’s funeral and gravesite, please visit the Arlington National Cemetery website.
The Aftermath and Enduring Questions: Investigating the Assassination
The Warren Commission: Seeking Official Answers
In the immediate aftermath of the assassination, on November 29, 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson established the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. This body became known as the Warren Commission, named after its chairman, Earl Warren, the Chief Justice of the United States. President Johnson tasked the commission with investigating all aspects of the assassination and the subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, and to deliver its findings and conclusions.
The Warren Commission conducted an extensive investigation and, in 1964, concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of President Kennedy. This conclusion, however, has been a source of intense debate and skepticism for decades, fueling numerous alternative theories.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations: Reopening the Inquiry
In 1976, the U.S. House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) to re-examine the assassination, prompted by persistent doubts and allegations that previous investigations had not received full cooperation from federal agencies.
Note to the reader: Point 1B of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations findings initially suggested “a high probability that two gunmen fired” at President Kennedy. This conclusion stemmed from the purported discovery of a Dallas police radio transmission tape, which was interpreted as evidence of four or more shots fired in Dealey Plaza. However, subsequent analysis by acoustic experts conclusively discredited the tape, rendering it unreliable and negating the two-gunmen finding in Point 1B.
Despite this retracted finding, the HSCA report, issued on March 29, 1979, concluded that while Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots that killed President Kennedy, there was also a “probable conspiracy.” This conclusion, though controversial and debated, further complicated the question of “who assassinated John F. Kennedy?” and left room for ongoing speculation.
The Assassination Records Collection Act: Unveiling the Archives
To ensure transparency and facilitate further research, the U.S. Congress passed the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992. This act mandated the consolidation of all assassination-related materials under the supervision of the National Archives and Records Administration. This vast collection continues to be a resource for researchers and the public, allowing for ongoing examination of the events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the enduring question: Who was truly behind it?
While official investigations point to Lee Harvey Oswald, the lingering questions and the “probable conspiracy” finding by the HSCA ensure that the question of “who assassinated John F. Kennedy” remains a topic of intense historical and public interest, decades after that fateful day in Dallas.
