In the autumn of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his advisors were actively laying the groundwork for the upcoming 1964 presidential campaign. While an official announcement was pending, it was widely understood that President Kennedy would seek re-election, a prospect he approached with apparent confidence.
In late September 1963, President Kennedy embarked on a journey across nine Western states in under a week. Officially, this tour was designed to emphasize the importance of natural resources and conservation. However, it also served as a platform for JFK to test campaign themes for 1964, touching upon key issues such as education, national security, and the pursuit of world peace.
Texas Beckons: Campaign Preparations and Political Tensions
The following month, President Kennedy engaged with Democratic supporters in Boston and Philadelphia. On November 12th, a pivotal political strategy session took place, dedicated to planning for the approaching election year. During this meeting, President Kennedy underscored the critical need to secure victories in Florida and Texas and outlined his intentions to visit both states within the next two weeks.
Adding a poignant dimension to the Texas trip was the planned presence of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. This tour was to mark her first significant public appearances since the heartbreaking loss of their infant son, Patrick, in August. On November 21st, President and Mrs. Kennedy boarded Air Force One, commencing a two-day, five-city tour across Texas.
President Kennedy was acutely aware of internal divisions within the Democratic party in Texas, divisions that posed a potential threat to his chances of winning the state in 1964. A primary objective of his visit was to foster unity amongst Texas Democrats. Furthermore, he recognized the presence of a small yet vocal extremist element that was exacerbating political tensions within Texas. Dallas, in particular, was known to be a hotspot for such sentiments, underscored by the physical assault on US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson just a month prior, following a speech in the city. Despite these undercurrents of tension, President Kennedy seemed to welcome the opportunity to leave Washington, engage directly with the public, and enter the political arena.
The first stop on the Texas itinerary was San Antonio. A high-profile welcoming committee awaited the President, including Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough. Together, they accompanied President Kennedy to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication ceremony of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing to Houston, President Kennedy addressed the League of United Latin American Citizens and delivered remarks at a testimonial dinner honoring Congressman Albert Thomas, concluding the day in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth: A Rainy Morning and Warm Reception
Friday, November 22nd, dawned with a light rain in Fort Worth. Despite the weather, a substantial crowd of several thousand people gathered in the parking area outside the Texas Hotel, where the Kennedys had stayed overnight. A makeshift platform had been erected, and President Kennedy, foregoing any rain protection, emerged to offer brief remarks. “There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth,” he began, expressing his appreciation for their turnout. “Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it.” He then transitioned to discussing the nation’s imperative to maintain a position of strength in defense and space exploration, to foster continued economic growth, and to uphold “the willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership.”
The crowd’s response was overwhelmingly positive, radiating warmth as President Kennedy reached out to shake hands amidst a sea of smiling faces.
Returning inside the hotel, President Kennedy addressed a breakfast gathering of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. His speech centered on the crucial topic of military preparedness. “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: The Motorcade and Dealey Plaza
The presidential entourage departed the hotel and proceeded by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the short thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Upon arrival at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy disembarked and immediately approached a fence where a crowd of enthusiastic supporters had assembled. They spent several minutes greeting and shaking hands with the well-wishers.
The First Lady was presented with a bouquet of vibrant red roses, which she carried with her to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open-top convertible as the Kennedys joined them, taking the seats behind. With the rain having ceased, the protective plastic bubble top had been removed. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed in another vehicle within the motorcade.
The procession commenced its route from the airport, embarking on a ten-mile journey through the streets of downtown Dallas, en route to the Trade Mart, where President Kennedy was scheduled to deliver a luncheon address.
The Tragedy in Dealey Plaza: Assassination of a President
Large, excited crowds lined the streets of Dallas, enthusiastically waving to President and Mrs. Kennedy as the motorcade passed. Around 12:30 p.m., the limousine turned off Main Street into Dealey Plaza. As the vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository, the sound of gunfire suddenly echoed through the plaza.
Bullets struck President Kennedy, impacting his neck and head. He slumped towards Mrs. Kennedy. Governor Connally, seated in front of him, was also struck, wounded in his back.
The limousine accelerated rapidly towards Parkland Memorial Hospital, a short distance away. Despite immediate medical attention, there was little that could be done for President Kennedy. A Catholic priest was called to administer last rites. At 1:00 p.m. John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, was pronounced dead. Governor Connally, though seriously injured, would survive.
President Kennedy’s body was transported to Love Field and placed aboard Air Force One. Before the presidential plane departed, a somber Lyndon B. Johnson, standing in the confined and crowded compartment, took the oath of office, administered by US District Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m., marking the transfer of power amidst national tragedy.
Less than an hour prior to this, police had apprehended Lee Harvey Oswald, a recent employee of the Texas School Book Depository. He was detained in connection with the assassination of President Kennedy and the subsequent fatal shooting of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street shortly thereafter.
On Sunday morning, November 24th, Oswald was scheduled to be transferred from police headquarters to the county jail. Live television cameras were broadcasting the event to a shocked nation. Suddenly, viewers witnessed a man step forward, aim a pistol at point-blank range, and fire. The assailant was identified as Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner. Lee Harvey Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital, further deepening the national trauma and raising numerous questions.
National Mourning: The President’s Funeral
On the same day as Oswald’s death, President Kennedy’s flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol. It was transported on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by a solitary riderless black horse, a poignant symbol of mourning. At Mrs. Kennedy’s request, the procession and ceremonial details were modeled after the funeral of Abraham Lincoln, emphasizing the historical weight of the moment. Crowds lined Pennsylvania Avenue, many openly weeping as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours that President Kennedy’s body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, an estimated 250,000 people filed past to pay their respects, a testament to the profound impact he had on the nation.
On Monday, November 25, 1963, President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral service was attended by heads of state and representatives from over 100 countries, while countless millions more watched the televised proceedings around the world. Following the service, at the gravesite, Mrs. Kennedy and her husband’s brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame, a symbol of enduring remembrance.
Perhaps the most enduring and heart-wrenching images from that day were those of John F. Kennedy Jr., just three years old on that day, saluting his father’s casket, his daughter Caroline kneeling beside her mother at the president’s bier, and the extraordinary grace and dignity exhibited by Jacqueline Kennedy throughout the ordeal.
As the nation and the world grappled with the senseless act and struggled to articulate their grief and reflect on President Kennedy’s life and legacy, many recalled the hopeful and forward-looking 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
To delve deeper into the details of President Kennedy’s funeral and gravesite, resources are available at the Arlington National Cemetery website.
The Aftermath: Investigations and Lingering Questions
The Warren Commission: Seeking 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 widely 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 present its findings and conclusions.
The House Select Committee on Assassinations: Re-examining the Evidence
Decades later, in 1976, the US House of Representatives formed the House Select Committee on Assassinations. This committee was established to reopen the investigation into President Kennedy’s assassination, prompted by persistent allegations that previous inquiries had not received full cooperation from federal agencies and concerns about the completeness of the initial investigations.
Important Note: Point 1B in the findings of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations initially suggested “a high probability that two gunmen fired” at President Kennedy. This conclusion was largely based on the supposed 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 definitively proved the tape to be unreliable, effectively invalidating the finding in Point 1B.
The House Select Committee, which also investigated the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., released its report on March 29, 1979.
The Assassination Records Collection Act: Transparency and Access
Driven by the desire for transparency and public access to information, the US 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, ensuring that these historical records would be preserved and made available for future research and public scrutiny.
