MikhailT/lj-speech huggingface dataset:
Neither the Dallas police nor the FBI had yet learned the source of the handbill.
No one else was identified to the Secret Service through local inquiry as potentially dangerous,
nor did PRS develop any additional information between November 12, when Lawson left Washington, and November 22.
The adequacy of the intelligence system maintained by the Secret Service at the time of the assassination,
including a detailed description of the available data on Lee Harvey Oswald and the reasons why his name had not been furnished to the Secret Service,
is discussed in chapter 8.
An important purpose of the President's visit to Dallas was to speak at a luncheon given by business and civic leaders.
The White House staff informed the Secret Service
that the President would arrive and depart from Dallas' Love Field; that a motorcade through the downtown area of Dallas to the luncheon site should be arranged;
and that following the luncheon the President would return to the airport by the most direct route.
Accordingly, it was important to determine the luncheon site as quickly as possible, so that security could be established at the site and the motorcade route selected.
On November 4, Gerald A. Behn, agent in charge of the White House detail, asked Sorrels to examine three potential sites for the luncheon.
One building, Market Hall, was unavailable for November 22.
The second, the Women's Building at the State Fair Grounds,
was a one-story building with few entrances and easy to make secure, but it lacked necessary food-handling facilities
and had certain unattractive features, including a low ceiling with exposed conduits and beams.
The third possibility, the Trade Mart, a handsome new building with all the necessary facilities, presented security problems. It had numerous entrances,
several tiers of balconies surrounding the central court where the luncheon would be held, and several catwalks crossing the court at each level.
On November 4, Sorrels told Behn he believed security difficulties at the Trade Mart could be overcome by special precautions.
Lawson also evaluated the security hazards at the Trade Mart on November 13.
Kenneth O'Donnell made the final decision to hold the luncheon at the Trade Mart; Behn so notified Lawson on November 14.
Once the Trade Mart had been selected, Sorrels and Lawson worked out detailed arrangements for security at the building.
In addition to the preventive measures already mentioned, they provided for controlling access to the building, closing off and policing areas around it,
securing the roof and insuring the presence of numerous police officers inside and around the building.
Ultimately more than 200 law enforcement officers, mainly Dallas police but including 8 Secret Service agents,
were deployed in and around the Trade Mart.
The Motorcade Route.
On November 8, when Lawson was briefed on the itinerary for the trip to Dallas,
he was told that 45 minutes had been allotted for a motorcade procession from Love Field to the luncheon site.
Lawson was not specifically instructed to select the parade route, but he understood that this was one of his functions.
Even before the Trade Mart had been definitely selected, Lawson and Sorrels began to consider the best motorcade route from Love Field to the Trade Mart.
On November 14, Lawson and Sorrels attended a meeting at Love Field
and on their return to Dallas drove over the route which Sorrels believed best suited for the proposed motorcade.
This route, eventually selected for the motorcade from the airport to the Trade Mart, measured 10 miles and could be driven easily within the allotted 45 minutes.
From Love Field the route passed through a portion of suburban Dallas,
through the downtown area along Main Street and then to the Trade Mart via Stemmons Freeway.
For the President's return to Love Field following the luncheon, the agents selected the most direct route, which was approximately 4 miles.
After the selection of the Trade Mart as the luncheon site,
Lawson and Sorrels met with Dallas Chief of Police Jesse E. Curry, Assistant Chief Charles Batchelor,
Deputy Chief N. T. Fisher, and several other command officers to discuss details of the motorcade and possible routes.
The route was further reviewed by Lawson and Sorrels with Assistant Chief Batchelor and members of the local host committee on November 15.
The police officials agreed that the route recommended by Sorrels was the proper one and did not express a belief that any other route might be better.
On November 18,
Sorrels and Lawson drove over the selected route with Batchelor and other police officers, verifying that it could be traversed within 45 minutes.
Representatives of the local host committee and the White House staff were advised by the Secret Service of the actual route on the afternoon of November 18.
The route impressed the agents as a natural and desirable one.
Sorrels, who had participated in Presidential protection assignments in Dallas since a visit by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1936, as testified that the traditional parade route in Dallas was along Main Street, since the tall buildings along the street
gave more people an opportunity to participate.
The route chosen from the airport to Main Street was the normal one, except where Harwood Street was selected as the means of access to Main Street
in preference to a short stretch of the Central Expressway, which presented a minor safety hazard
and could not accommodate spectators as conveniently as Harwood Street.
According to Lawson, the chosen route seemed to be the best.
It afforded us wide streets most of the way, because of the buses that were in the motorcade.
It afforded us a chance to have alternative routes if something happened on the motorcade route. It was the type of suburban area a good part of the way
where the crowds would be able to be controlled for a great distance, and we figured that the largest crowds would be downtown, which they were,
and that the wide streets that we would use downtown would be of sufficient width to keep the public out of our way.
Elm Street, parallel to Main Street and one block north,
was not used for the main portion of the downtown part of the motorcade because Main Street offered better vantage points for spectators.
To reach the Trade Mart from Main Street the agents decided to use the Stemmons Freeway (Route No. 77), the most direct route.
The only practical way for westbound traffic on Main Street
to reach the northbound lanes of the Stemmons Freeway is via Elm Street, which Route No. 77 traffic is instructed to follow in this part of the city.
Elm Street was to be reached from Main by turning right at Houston,
going one block north and then turning left onto Elm.
On this last portion of the journey, only 5 minutes from the Trade Mart,
the President's motorcade would pass the Texas School Book Depository Building on the northwest corner of Houston and Elm Streets.
The building overlooks Dealey Plaza, an attractively landscaped triangle of 3 acres.
From Houston Street, which forms the base of the triangle, three streets -- Commerce, Main, and Elm --
trisect the plaza, converging at the apex of the triangle to form a triple underpass beneath a multiple railroad bridge
almost 500 feet from Houston Street.
Elm Street, the northernmost of the three, after intersecting Houston curves in a southwesterly arc
through the underpass and leads into an access road,
which branches off to the right and is used by traffic going to the Stemmons Freeway and the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike.
The Elm Street approach to the Stemmons Freeway is necessary
in order to avoid the traffic hazards which would otherwise exist if right turns were permitted from both Main and Elm into the freeway.
To create this traffic pattern, a concrete barrier between Main and Elm Streets presents an obstacle to a right turn
from Main across Elm to the access road to Stemmons Freeway and the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike.
This concrete barrier extends far enough beyond the access road to make it impracticable for vehicles to turn right from Main directly to the access road.
A sign located on this barrier instructs Main Street traffic not to make any turns.
In conformity with these arrangements, traffic proceeding west on Main is directed to turn right at Houston
in order to reach the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike, which has the same access road from Elm Street as does the Stemmons Freeway.
The planning for the motorcade also included advance preparations for security arrangements along the route.
Sorrels and Lawson reviewed the route in cooperation with Assistant Chief Bachelor and other Dallas police officials who took notes on the requirements
for controlling the crowds and traffic, watching the overpasses, and providing motorcycle escort.
To control traffic, arrangements were made for the deployment of foot patrolmen and motorcycle police at various positions along the route.
Police were assigned to each overpass on the route and instructed to keep them clear of unauthorized persons.
No arrangements were made for police or building custodians
to inspect buildings along the motorcade route since the Secret Service did not normally request or make such a check.
Under standard procedures, the responsibility for watching the windows of buildings was shared by local police stationed along the route
and Secret Service agents riding in the motorcade.
As the date for the President's visit approached,
the two Dallas newspapers carried several reports of his motorcade route.
The selection of the Trade Mart as the possible site for the luncheon first appeared in the Dallas Times-Herald on November 15, 1963.
The following day, the newspaper reported that the Presidential party
quote, apparently will loop through the downtown area, probably on Main Street, en route from Dallas Love Field, end quote.
on its way to the Trade Mart. On November 19, the Times-Herald afternoon paper detailed the precise route:
From the airport, the President's party will proceed to Mockingbird Lane to Lemmon and then to Turtle Creek, turning south to Cedar Springs.
and then west on Main, turning back to Elm at Houston and then out Stemmons Freeway to the Trade Mart.
Also on November 19, the Morning News reported that the President's motorcade would travel from Love Field along specified streets, then
Harwood to Main, Main to Houston, Houston to Elm, Elm under the Triple Underpass to Stemmons Freeway, and on to the Trade Mart.
On November 20 a front page story reported that the streets on which the Presidential motorcade would travel included "Main and Stemmons Freeway."
On the morning of the President's arrival,
the Morning News noted that the motorcade would travel through downtown Dallas onto the Stemmons Freeway, and reported that, quote, the motorcade will move slowly
so that crowds can get a good view of President Kennedy and his wife.
Dallas Before the Visit
The President's intention to pay a visit to Texas in the fall of 1963 aroused interest throughout the State.
The two Dallas newspapers provided their readers with a steady stream of information and speculation about the trip,
beginning on September 13, when the Times-Herald announced in a front page article that President Kennedy was planning a brief 1-day tour of four Texas cities
Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston
Both Dallas papers cited White House sources on September 26 as confirming the President's intention to visit Texas on November 21 and 22,
with Dallas scheduled as one of the stops.
Articles, editorials, and letters to the editor in the Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times-Herald after September 13
reflected the feeling in the community toward the forthcoming Presidential visit.
Although there were critical editorials and letters to the editors, the news stories reflected the desire of Dallas officials to welcome the President with dignity and courtesy.
An editorial in the Times-Herald of September 17
called on the people of Dallas to be "congenial hosts" even though "Dallas didn't vote for Mr. Kennedy in 1960,
may not endorse him in '64.
On October 3 the Dallas Morning News quoted U.S. Representative Joe Pool's hope
that President Kennedy would receive a "good welcome" and would not face demonstrations like those encountered
by Vice President Johnson during the 1960 campaign.
Increased concern about the President's visit was aroused by the incident involving the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai E. Stevenson.
On the evening of October 24, 1963, after addressing a meeting in Dallas,
Stevenson was jeered, jostled, and spat upon by hostile demonstrators outside the Dallas Memorial Auditorium Theater.
The local, national, and international reaction to this incident evoked from Dallas officials and newspapers strong condemnations of the demonstrators.
Mayor Earle Cabell called on the city to redeem itself during President Kennedy's visit.
He asserted that Dallas had shed its reputation of the twenties as the, quote, Southwest hate capital of Dixie, end quote
On October 26 the press reported Chief of Police Curry's plans
to call in 100 extra off-duty officers to help protect President Kennedy.
Any thought that the President might cancel his visit to Dallas was ended
when Governor Connally confirmed on November 8 that the President would come to Texas on November 21 and 22,
and that he would visit San Antonio, Houston, Fort Worth, Dallas, and Austin.
During November the Dallas papers reported frequently on the plans for protecting the President, stressing the thoroughness of the preparations.
They conveyed the pleas of Dallas leaders that citizens not demonstrate or create disturbances during the President's visit.
On November 18 the Dallas City Council adopted a new city ordinance prohibiting interference with attendance at lawful assemblies.
Two days before the President's arrival Chief Curry warned that the Dallas police would not permit improper conduct during the President's visit.
Meanwhile, on November 17
the president of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce referred to the city's reputation for being the friendliest town in America and asserted that citizens would, quote,
greet the President of the United States with the warmth and pride that keep the Dallas spirit famous the world over, end quote,
Two days later, a local Republican leader called for a "civilized nonpartisan" welcome
for President Kennedy, stating that "in many respects Dallas County has isolated itself from the main stream of life in the world in this decade.
Another reaction to the impending visit -- hostile to the President -- came to a head shortly before his arrival.
On November 21 there appeared on the streets of Dallas the anonymous handbill mentioned above.
It was fashioned after the "wanted" circulars issued by law enforcement agencies.
Beneath two photographs of President Kennedy, one full- face and one profile, appeared the caption, quote, Wanted for Treason,
end quote, followed by a scurrilous bill of particulars that constituted a vilification of the President.
And on the morning of the President's arrival, there appeared in the Morning News a full, black-bordered advertisement headed:
"Welcome Mr. Kennedy to Dallas," sponsored by the American Fact-finding Committee, which the sponsor later testified was an ad hoc committee
quote, formed strictly for the purpose of having a name to put in the paper, end quote,
Chapter 2. The Assassination: Part 2.
Visits to Other Texas Cities
The trip to Texas began with the departure of President and Mrs. Kennedy from the White House
by helicopter at 10:45 A.M., Eastern Standard Time, on November 21, 1963, for Andrews Air Force Base.
They took off in the Presidential plane, Air Force One, at 11 a.m., arriving at San Antonio at 1:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.
They were greeted by Vice President Johnson and Governor Connally, who joined the Presidential party in a motorcade through San Antonio.
During the afternoon, President Kennedy dedicated the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base.
Late in the afternoon he flew to Houston where he rode through the city in a motorcade,
spoke at the Rice University Stadium, and attended a dinner in honor of U.S. Representative Albert Thomas.
At Rice Stadium a very large, enthusiastic crowd greeted the President.
In Houston, as elsewhere during the trip, the crowds showed much interest in Mrs. Kennedy.
David F. Powers of the President's staff later stated that when the President asked for his assessment of the day's activities, Powers replied
quote, that the crowd was about the same as the one which came to see him before but there were 100,000 extra people on hand who came to see Mrs. Kennedy.
Late in the evening, the Presidential party flew to Fort Worth where they spent the night at the Texas Hotel.
On the morning of November 22, President Kennedy attended a breakfast at the hotel and afterward addressed a crowd at an open parking lot.
The President liked outdoor appearances because more people could see and hear him.
Before leaving the hotel, the President, Mrs. Kennedy, and Kenneth O'Donnell talked about the risks inherent in Presidential public appearances.
According to O'Donnell, the President commented that, quote,
if anybody really wanted to shoot the President of the United States, it was not a very difficult job
all one had to do was get a high building someday with a telescopic rifle, and there was nothing anybody could do to defend against such an attempt.
Upon concluding the conversation, the President prepared to depart for Dallas.
Arrival at Love Field
In Dallas the rain had stopped, and by midmorning a gloomy overcast sky had given way to the bright sunshine that greeted the Presidential party
when Air Force One touched down at Love Field at 11:40 a.m., Eastern Standard Time.
Governor and Mrs. Connally and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough had come with the President from Fort Worth.
Vice President Johnson's airplane, Air Force Two, had arrived at Love Field at approximately 11:35 a.m.,
and the Vice President and Mrs. Johnson were in the receiving line to greet President and Mrs. Kennedy.
After a welcome from the Dallas reception committee,
President and Mrs. Kennedy walked along a chain-link fence at the reception area greeting a large crowd of spectators that had gathered behind it.
Secret Service agents formed a cordon to keep the press and photographers from impeding their passage and scanned the crowd for threatening movements.
Dallas police stood at intervals along the fence and Dallas plain clothes men mixed in the crowd.
Vice President and Mrs. Johnson followed along the fence, guarded by four members of the Vice-Presidential detail.
Approximately 10 minutes after the arrival at Love Field, the President and Mrs. Kennedy went to the Presidential automobile to begin the motorcade.
Organization of the Motorcade
Secret Service arrangements for Presidential trips, which were followed in the Dallas motorcade,
are designed to provide protection while permitting large numbers of people to see the President.
Every effort is made to prevent unscheduled stops, although the President may, and in Dallas did, order stops in order to greet the public.
Men the motorcade slows or stops, agents take positions between the President and the crowd.
The order of vehicles in the Dallas motorcade was as follows:
Motorcycles. -- Dallas police motorcycles preceded the pilot car.
Manned by officers of the Dallas Police Department, this automobile preceded the main party by approximately quarter of a mile.
Its function was to alert police along the route that the motorcade was approaching and to check for signs of trouble.
Motorcycles. -- Next came four to six motorcycle policemen whose main purpose was to keep the crowd back.
The lead car. -- Described as a "rolling command car," this was an unmarked Dallas police car, driven by Chief of Police Curry
and occupied by Secret Service Agents Sorrels and Lawson and by Dallas County Sheriff J. E. Decker.
The occupants scanned the crowd and the buildings along the route.
Their main function was to spot trouble in advance and to direct any necessary steps to meet the trouble.
Following normal practice, the lead automobile stayed approximately 4 to 5 car lengths ahead of the President's limousine.
The Presidential limousine.
The President's automobile was specially designed 1961 Lincoln convertible
with two collapsible jump seats between the front and rear seats.
It was outfitted with a clear plastic bubbletop which was neither bulletproof nor bullet resistant.
Because the skies had cleared in Dallas, Lawson directed that the top not be used for the day's activities.
He acted on instructions he had received earlier from Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roy H. Kellerman, who was in Fort Worth with the President.
If the weather is clear and it is not raining, have that bubbletop off, end quote,
Elevated approximately 15 inches above the back of the front seat
was a metallic frame with four handholds that riders in the car could grip while standing in the rear seat during parades.
At the rear on each side of the automobile were small running boards, each designed to hold a Secret Service agent,
with a metallic handle for the rider to grasp.
The President had frequently stated that he did not want agents to ride on these steps during a motorcade except when necessary.
He had repeated this wish only a few days before, during his visit to Tampa, Florida.
President Kennedy rode on the right-hand side of the rear seat with Mrs. Kennedy on his left.
Governor Connally occupied the right jump seat, Mrs. Connally the left.
Driving the Presidential limousine was Special Agent William R. Greer of the Secret Service;
on his right sat Kellerman.
Kellerman's responsibilities included maintaining radio communications with the lead and follow-up cars,
scanning the route, and getting out and standing near the President when the cars stopped.
Motorcycles. -- Four motorcycles, two on each side, flanked the rear of the Presidential car.
They provided some cover for the President, but their main purpose was to keep back the crowd.
On previous occasions, the President had requested that, to the extent possible, these flanking motorcycles keep back from the sides of his car.
Presidential follow-up car.
This vehicle, a 1955 Cadillac eight-passenger convertible especially outfitted for the Secret Service,
followed closely behind the President's automobile.
It carried eight Secret Service agents -- two in the front seat, two in the rear, and two on each of the right and left running boards.
Each agent carried a .38-caliber pistol, and a shotgun and automatic rifle were also available.
Presidential Assistants David F. Powers and Kenneth O'Donnell sat in the right and left jump seats, respectively.
The agents in this car, under established procedure, had instructions to watch the route for signs of trouble,
scanning not only the crowds but the windows and roofs of buildings, overpasses, and crossings.
They were instructed to watch particularly for thrown objects, sudden actions in the crowd, and any movements toward the Presidential car.
The agents on the front of the running boards had directions to move immediately to positions just to the rear of the President and Mrs. Kennedy when the President's car slowed
to a walking pace or stopped,
or when the press of the crowd made it impossible for the escort motorcycles to stay in position on the car's rear flanks.
The two agents on the rear of the running boards were to advance toward the front of the President's car whenever it stopped or slowed down sufficiently for them to do so.
Vice-Presidential car.
The Vice-Presidential automobile, a four-door Lincoln convertible obtained locally for use in the motorcade,
proceeded approximately two to three car lengths behind the President's follow-up car.
This distance was maintained so that spectators would normally turn their gaze from the President's automobile by the time the Vice President came into view.
Vice President Johnson sat on the right-hand side of the rear seat, Mrs. Johnson in the center, and Senator Yarborough on the left.
Rufus W. Youngblood, special agent in charge of the Vice President's detail,
occupied the right-hand side of the front seat, and Hurchel Jacks of the Texas State Highway patrol was the driver.
Vice-Presidential follow-up car.