The Strange Saga of the JFK Assassination Car | Boundary Stones: WETA's Washington DC History Blog The Strange Saga of the JFK Assassination Car 11/22/2013 in DC by Patrick Kiger You may have assumed that the Presidential limosine that carried President Kennedy through Dallas on November 22, 1963 was taken out of service after the assassination... But that would be incorrect. Four more presidents used it afterwards. The photo above is from LBJ's term. (Photo source: Flickr user That Hartford Guy via Creative Commons license.) On Oct. 5, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson joined a visiting head of state, Philippines President Diosdad Macapagal, in a 25-minute noontime parade through downtown Washington . In the annals of Presidential events, it was unremarkable, save for one odd and unsettling detail. LBJ and Macapagal rode thorugh the capital's streets in the same customized black 1961 Lincoln limousine in which, not quite a year before, President John F. Kennedy had been killed by a sniper as he rolled in a motorcade through the streets of Dallas.

It may seem puzzlingly strange, even macabre, that LBJ — who had been riding two cars behind JFK in Dallas — would reuse the same car in which his predecessor had been slain. But apparently, the Secret Service decided that it was faster and more economical to recycle JFK's old Lincoln than it was to order the building of a new Presidential parade limousine. Those who'd seen JFK in the limousine in Dallas might not have recognized it. The navy blue Lincoln no longer was a convertible, having been equipped with a bulletproof metal-and-glass hardtop roof. There were numerous other security modifications as well, which bystanders couldn't see. The strange saga of JFK's recycled death car began a few years before, when the Secret Service decided to add a new car to the fleet of 10 1950 Lincolns that Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower had used, whose roofs had been modified to provide with extra headroom to accommodate the tophats that once were the fashion for chiefs of state. The President's new car started out as a stock 1961 Lincoln Continental 4-door convertible, manufactured at Ford's plant in Wixom, Mich. in January 1961.

The auto maker then sent it to another company, Hess & Eisenhardt, in Cincinnati, Oh., which customized it to serve as a parade limousine. That involved fairly radical alternations, including cutting the car in half and adding a 3-and-a-half-foot section to the middle. According to Popular Mechanics, the vehicle — code-named X-100 by the Secret Service — was the most sophisticated presidential limousine that had ever been built. Its equipment included a pair of radio telephones, interior floodlights, spotlight-illuminated flagstaffs on the fenders, and a rear seat equipped with a hydraulic lift capable of raising it 11 inches off the floor. But the car's crowning feature was its set of three removable roofs — a standard cloth convertible roof, another of lightweight metal, and a third of transparent plastic. The roofs were composed of multiple removable panels that could be used separately or in different combinations, depending upon the weather and the President's wishes. The designers' intention was to make the President more visible to spectators — a decision that would seem ill-considered after Nov. 22, 1963. For all its sophisticated features, the car was woefully short on protection against attack.

It wasn't armored, and even if the plastic bubbletop hadn't been removed that day because of the clearing skies over Dallas, the Warren Commission report would note that it "was neither bulletproof nor bullet-resistant." After the assassination, the limousine was scoured by investigators for evidence. The windshield, which had been hit by the third bullet fired by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald, was removed by the FBI and Secret Service, and became Exhibit (CE) 350 of the Warren Commission. You might suspect that after that, the car would have been set aside as an historical artifact. Instead, oddly, the fateful Lincoln was shipped back to Ohio, where Hess & Eisenhardt rebuilt it for further use, and then to Ford's experimental garage in Dearborn, Mich., where final touches were made. Reportedly, the $500,000 overhaul replaced 80 percent of the vehicle. According to a 1964 Associated Press dispatch , the customizers added 1,600 pounds of metal and other materials to the car, reinforcing the body with armor plate and replacing its glass with special panes that reportedly were capable of withstanding a direct hit from a 30-caliber rifle round.

The interchangeable roofs were replaced with a bulletproof hardtop and a 1,500-pound rear window that, at the time, was the largest piece of curved bullet-resistant glass ever fabricated, according to Popular Mechanics. Additionally, large metal handgrips were installed on each side of the back trunk so that, if needed, Secret Service agents could jump onto the vehicle while it rolled down the street. Special puncture-proof tires were mounted on the wheels. Finally, the rear compartment was refurbished, to eliminate any damage from JFK's killing. In 1967, the car got a second overhaul, which included another paint job — LBJ reportedly disliked the navy blue, so it was changed to black — an upgraded air conditioning system, and conversion of the fixed right-rear door window into one that could be rolled down. According to Popular Mechanics, the car also received structural reinforcments, a modification necessitated after a playful leap by LBJ caused the original rear deck behind the seat to collapse. After LBJ left office, his successor, Richard Nixon, who apparently was less security-conscious than LBJ, added yet another modification — a new glass roof with a hinged panel, so that the President could stand during parades.

X-100 continued to be used by Presidents until it was retired in 1977. It is now part of the collection at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn. Tags JFK's limo that he was assassinated in went on to serve 3 other presidents | Daily Mail Online comments The image of a smiling and waving John F Kennedy in his presidential limousine moments before he was assassinated is burned into the national consciousness. We all know the outcome of that tragedy, but one of the key pieces of evidence from the day - the Lincoln limousine - went on to serve four more presidents before it was finally retired in 1977. The car draws crowds at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan, where it ended its long journey. Historic artifact: The Kennedy Presidential limo is now drawing crowds at the Henry Ford Museum When President John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, he was riding in a motorcade through Dallas in the 1961 Lincoln Continental four-door convertible. Completely open at the top, the car, code-named X-100, had no armor or bullet-proof elements whatsoever, a fact incomprehensible today.

'The tires were not bulletproof. There was no bulletproof glass. It did have a removable plastic top, but, again, it was just Plexiglas,' Matt Anderson, curator at the Henry Ford Museum, told CBS. 'It was no, no bullet resistance in that material. It's amazing to think of it, but they just didn't anticipate that kind of problem.' RELATED ARTICLES Share this article Share Uncomfortable: President Lyndon, Johnson seen here in the Presidential limo with wife Ladybird, never liked traveling in the car in which President Kennedy had been killed The custom-built car cost $200,000 and had features including retractable steps for Secret Service agents and two radio telephones. Following Kennedy's assassination, the car was driven directly back to the White House so it could be examined as part of the investigation. 'They determined that the most practical thing to do was just to rebuild this existing car rather than to start from scratch, so, yes, they took the car down to the frame and rebuilt it as a true armored vehicle,' Anderson told CBS.

'The biggest change they made in modifying the car was putting in a permanent roof that could not be removed, and they surrounded the whole vehicle with bullet-resistant glass.' Third president: Nixon had a hole cut in the top of the car so he could stand to wave to crowds The White House approved a plan for a re-vamp of the car in December 1963. It was completely armored, a top was added and it was given a paint-job in 'regal Presidential Blue Metallic with silver metallic flakes that glitter under bright lights and sunshine.' Lyndon Johnson was two cars behind Kennedy the day of the assassination. After he was sworn in as president, he occasionally had to ride in the car. According to Anderson, he disliked the blue paint job the car had been given because it was too similar to the original color. Long service: Actor John Wayne campaigns with President Gerald Ford in the Presidential limo in 1976, the year before the car was retired from the Presidential fleet Unforgettable: Despite 50 years passing since Kennedy's death, the tragic day remains fresh in the collective consciousness of Americans It was promptly painted black, but Johnson was never comfortable riding in the car and avoided it whenever possible.

When President Nixon had use of the car, he had a hole cut in the roof as a hatch, so that he could stand up and wave at crowds. Presidents Ford and Carter also used the car, until it finally reached the end of the road and came to a stop at the Henry Ford Museum. JFK’s Lincoln limo served long after that fateful day in Dallas - NY Daily News John F. Kennedy’s Lincoln limousine served long after his assassination in Dallas JFK’s Lincoln limo served long after that fateful day in Dallas President John F. Kennedy's Lincoln limousine wasn't decommissioned after the president's assassination. In fact, it remained in service for another 13 years. (The Henry Ford) NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Thursday, November 21, 2013, 12:01 AM No other vehicle is as seared into the memory of a nation as the Lincoln limousine President John F. Kennedy rode in during his assassination on November 22, 1963, in Dallas. Five decades after those gunshots forever changed a nation, that same limo remains on display at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

"A lot of people assume it was destroyed, or locked away in some warehouse never to be seen again," Matt Anderson , the museum’s curator of transportation, told the News. Kennedy's presidential limousine was customized by the Hess & Eisenhardt Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Click here to see more rare photos of the limousine. The 1961 Lincoln’s incredible history continued long after the tragic events that unfolded in Dallas. Only five months after Kennedy’s assassination, the car was fully rebuilt, upgraded with bulletproof armor, and returned to the Presidential motorcade. It would remain in service for another 13 years. "It’s true," Anderson explained. "[The Lincoln] was fully rebuilt after the investigation and every subsequent President up to Gerald Ford used this vehicle." The car’s return to official duty didn’t go without a hitch, however. "Lyndon Johnson himself insisted the car be painted black," said Anderson. "I’ve read anecdotally that he was never comfortable riding in the car." Johnson and his wife, Lady Bird, were riding in the same motorcade in Dallas the day Kennedy was shot and killed.

Zapruder Film © 1967 (Renewed 1995) The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza This frame from the Zapruder film shows the presidential limo right after Kennedy was shot. First delivered to Kennedy in June of 1961, the Lincoln Continental convertible was originally painted a deep shade of midnight blue and given the code name of "X-100" by the Secret Service. The clean and elegant lines of the new Continental "was a big shift away from the aesthetics of the 1960s…it was full of youth and vigor," says Anderson. "I think this car is a very special case for a President and a vehicle matching perfectly." PHOTOS: RARE PHOTOS OF THE JFK PRESIDENTIAL LIMO While many people are surprised to learn the car wasn’t originally armor-plated, the Lincoln was still highly modified compared to a standard model. Built by a Hess & Eisenhardt of Cincinnati, Ohio, the Lincoln was cut in half and stretched by more than three feet. Special leather and seat padding was installed, along with a PA system, radio telephone, lights, sirens, and various externally mounted steps and grab-handles for Secret Service agents.

The car’s rear seat could also be raised more than 10 inches by hydraulics. In total, the modifications pushed the car’s normal base price, which was approximately $7,300, upwards to roughly $200,000. In today’s dollars, that comes out to about $1.5 million, according to Matt Anderson of The Henry Ford. JUSTIN NEWMAN/AP Secret Service agent Clint Hill jumped onto the back of the limousine after the shooting. Three types of tops were constructed for the Lincoln, though most history buffs (and conspiracy theorists) are most familiar with the clear Plexiglas roof – it was nearly used when rain threatened JFK’s trip to Dallas. "Standard procedure was to not use that top," explains Anderson. "So there was nothing unusual about it that day in Dallas." Neither the clear plastic top, nor any of the others, was bulletproof. After the assassination, the car was taken in a cargo plane and flown in convoy to Andrews Air Force Base. From there, it was taken directly the White House garage, where it was documented and analyzed. The car’s original windshield, including damage from bullets, remains in the National Archives in Washington, DC.

After months of examination by the Secret Service, FBI and Warren Commission, the Lincoln was returned to the firm of Hess & Eisenhardt for a complete rebuild. The Henry Ford Just six weeks before President Kennedy was assassinated he was photographed with Ethiopian emperor Hail Selassie I. Click here for more rare photos of John F. Kennedy and his limousine. Why wasn’t the car quietly removed from the motorcade, or destroyed? It was simply a matter of time and economic constraints, says Matt Anderson. "The short answer was expediency," and at the time the Presidential motorcade needed vehicles. "It could take 3-4 years to design and build one of these cars from scratch." The first major change was the fitment of a bulletproof and non-removable roof. Titanium plating was installed in the trunk and around the backseat area. The floor was reconstructed with a steel floor capable of withstanding grenades. Run-flat tires were fitted and all windows were equipped with massively thick bulletproof glass. A new and more powerful engine was installed to compensate for the extra weight this equipment added to the car. When it was complete, the car tipped the scales at about 10,000 lbs.

– roughly double the standard Continental’s curb-weight. The price had also grown, to approximately $500,000 (the equivalent of $3.8 million today). Not all of the new features were entirely focused on safety. A second air conditioning unit was installed in the trunk, to help keep rear occupants cool. Some modifications, made at the behest of other Presidents, would even undo some of the Lincoln’s arsenal of safety features. Lyndon B. Johnson insisted that the rear window could be raised or lowered. The Henry Ford After the assassination, the presidential limousine underwent a variety of modifications including armor in the rear passenger cabin. During his time in the car, Richard Nixon asked for a hatch to be built into the roof, so he could stand and wave from the vehicle. Both of these modifications remain on the car today. PHOTOS: CONCEPT CARS FROM THE 1950S AND 60S The Lincoln was never actually owned by the White House. Instead, it was leased from Ford Motor Company on an annual basis for a nominal fee. Once officially retired from the motorcade, the car took its place amongst the roughly 100 vehicles on permanent display at The Henry Ford.

It has been kept in perfectly preserved, though always static, condition for the last 35 years. "It’s quite a privilege and an honor to have this car in the collection," says Matt Anderson. "I don’t think you had to live through it to realize what a pivotal moment in history this vehicle represents." Tags: Did you find this article helpful? If so, please share it using the "Join the Conversation" buttons below, and thank you for visiting Daily News Autos . Join the Conversation: KENNEDY IS KILLED BY SNIPER AS HE RIDES IN CAR IN DALLAS; JOHNSON SWORN IN ON PLANE KENNEDY IS KILLED BY SNIPER AS HE RIDES IN CAR IN DALLAS; JOHNSON SWORN IN ON PLANE Gov. Connally Shot; Mrs.

Kennedy Safe President Is Struck Down by a Rifle Shot From Building on Motorcade Route--Johnson, Riding Behind, Is Unhurt By TOM WICKER Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES RELATED HEADLINES Texan Asks Unity: Congressional Chiefs of 2 Parties Give Promise of Aid President's Body Will Lie in State: Funeral Mass to Be Monday in Capital After Homage Is Paid by the Public Parties' Outlook for '64 Confused: Republican Prospects Rise -- Johnson Faces Possible Fight Against Liberals Leftist Accused: Figure in a Pro-Castro Group Is Charged -- Policeman Slain Dallas, Nov. 22--President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin today. He died of a wound in the brain caused by a rifle bullet that was fired at him as he was riding through downtown Dallas in a motorcade. Vice President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who was riding in the third car behind Mr. Kennedy's, was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States 99 minutes after Mr. Kennedy's death. Mr. Johnson is 55 years old; Mr. Kennedy was 46. Shortly after the assassination, Lee H.

Oswald, who once defected to the Soviet Union and who has been active in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, was arrested by the Dallas police. Tonight he was accused of the killing. Suspect Captured After Scuffle Oswald, 24 years old, was also accused of slaying a policeman who had approached him in the street. Oswald was subdued after a scuffle with a second policeman in a nearby theater. President Kennedy was shot at 12:30 P.M., Central standard time (1:30 P.M., New York time). He was pronounced dead at 1 P.M. and Mr. Johnson was sworn in at 2:39 P.M. Mr. Johnson, who was uninjured in the shooting, took his oath in the Presidential jet plane as it stood on the runway at Love Field. The body of Mr. Kennedy was aboard. Immediately after the oath-taking, the plane took off for Washington. Standing beside the new President as Mr. Johnson took the oath of office was Mrs. John F. Kennedy. Her stockings were spattered with her husband's blood. Gov. John B. Connally Jr. of Texas, who was riding in the same car with Mr.

Kennedy, was severely wounded in the chest, ribs and arm. His condition was serious, but not critical. The killer fired the rifle from a building just off the motorcade route. Mr. Kennedy, Governor Connally and Mr. Johnson had just received an enthusiastic welcome from a large crowd in downtown Dallas. Mr. Kennedy apparently was hit by the first of what witnesses believed were three shots. He was driven at high speed to Dallas's Parkland Hospital. There, in an emergency operating room, with only physicians and nurses in attendance, he died without regaining consciousness. Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Connally and a Secret Service agent were in the car with Mrs. Kennedy and Governor Connally. Two Secret Service agents flanked the car. Other than Mr. Connally, none of this group was injured in the shooting. Mrs. Kennedy cried "Oh no!" immediately after her husband was struck. Mrs. Kennedy was in the hospital near her husband when he died, but not in the operating room. When the body was taken from the hospital in a bronze coffin about 2 P.M., Mrs. Kennedy walked beside it. Her face was sorrowful. She looked steadily at the floor.

She still wore the raspberry-colored suit in which she had greeted welcoming crowds in Fort Worth and Dallas. But she had taken off the matching pillbox hat she wore earlier in the day, and her dark hair was windblown and tangled. Her hand rested lightly on her husband's coffin as it was taken to a waiting hearse. Mrs. Kennedy climbed in beside the coffin. Then the ambulance drove to Love Field, and Mr. Kennedy's body was placed aboard the Presidential jet. Mrs. Kennedy then attended the swearing-in ceremony for Mr. Johnson. As Mr. Kennedy's body left Parkland Hospital, a few stunned persons stood outside. Nurses and doctors, whispering among themselves, looked from the window. A larger crowd that had gathered earlier, before it was known that the President was dead, had been dispersed by Secret Service men and policemen. Priests Administer Last Rites Two priests administered last rites to Mr. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic. They were the Very rev. Oscar Huber, the pastor of Holy Trinity Church in Dallas, and the Rev. James Thompson. Mr. Johnson was sworn in as President by Federal Judge Sarah T. Hughes of the Northern District of Texas.

She was appointed to the judgeship by Mr. Kennedy in October, 1961. The ceremony, delayed about five minutes for Mrs. Kennedy's arrival, took place in the private Presidential cabin in the rear of the plane. About 25 to 30 persons--members of the late President's staff, members of Congress who had been accompanying the President on a two-day tour of Texas cities and a few reporters--crowded into the little room. No accurate listing of those present could be obtained. Mrs. Kennedy stood at the left of Mr. Johnson, her eyes and face showing the signs of weeping that had apparently shaken her since she left the hospital not long before. Mrs. Johnson, wearing a beige dress, stood at her husband's right. As Judge Hughes read the brief oath of office, her eyes, too, were red from weeping. Mr.

Johnson's hands rested on a black, leather-bound Bible as Judge Hughes read and he repeated: "I do solemnly swear that I will perform the duties of the President of the United States to the best of my ability and defend, protect and preserve the Constitution of the United States." Those 34 words made Lyndon Baines Johnson, one-time farmboy and schoolteacher of Johnson City, the President. Johnson Embraces Mrs. Kennedy Mr. Johnson made no statement. He embraced Mrs. Kennedy and she held his hand for a long moment. He also embraced Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Evelyn Lincoln, Mr. Kennedy's private secretary. "O.K.," Mr. Johnson said. "Let's get this plane back to Washington." At 2:46 P.M., seven minutes after he had become President, 106 minutes after Mr. Kennedy had become the fourth American President to succumb to an assassin's wounds, the white and red jet took off for Washington. In the cabin when Mr. Johnson took the oath was Cecil Stoughton, an armed forces photographer assigned to the White House. Mr. Kennedy's staff members appeared stunned and bewildered. Lawrence F.

O'Brien, the Congressional liaison officer, and P. Kenneth O'Donnell, the appointment secretary, both long associates of Mr. Kennedy, showed evidence of weeping. None had anything to say. Other staff members believed to be in the cabin for the swearing-in included David F. Powers, the White House receptionist; Miss Pamela Turnure, Mrs. Kennedy's press secretary, and Malcolm Kilduff, the assistant White House press secretary. Mr. Kilduff announced the President's death, with choked voice and red-rimmed eyes, at about 1:36 P.M. "President John F. Kennedy died at approximately 1 o'clock Central standard time today here in Dallas," Mr. Kilduff said at the hospital. "He died of a gunshot wound in the brain. I have no other details regarding the assassination of the President." Mr. Kilduff also announced that Governor Connally had been hit by a bullet or bullets and that Mr. Johnson, who had not yet been sworn in, was safe in the protective custody of the Secret Service at an unannounced place, presumably the airplane at Love Field. Mr. Kilduff indicated that the President had been shot once.

Later medical reports raised the possibility that there had been two wounds. But the death was caused, as far as could be learned, by a massive wound in the brain. Later in the afternoon, Dr. Malcolm Perry, an attending surgeon, and Dr. Kemp Clark, chief of neurosurgery at Parkland Hospital, gave more details. Mr. Kennedy was hit by a bullet in the throat, just below the Adam's apple, they said. This wound had the appearance of a bullet's entry. Mr. Kennedy also had a massive, gaping wound in the back and one on the right side of the head. However, the doctors said it was impossible to determine immediately whether the wounds had been caused by one bullet or two. Resuscitation Attempted Dr. Perry, the first physician to treat the President, said a number of resuscitative measures had been attempted, including oxygen, anesthesia, an indotracheal tube, a tracheotomy, blood and fluids. An electrocardiogram monitor was attached to measure Mr. Kennedy's heart beats. Dr. Clark was summoned and arrived in a minute or two. By then, Dr. Perry said, Mr.

Kennedy was "critically ill and moribund," or near death. Dr. Clark said that on his first sight of the President, he had concluded immediately that Mr. Kennedy could not live. "It was apparent that the President had sustained a lethal wound," he said. "A missile had gone in and out of the back of his head causing external lacerations and loss of brain tissue." Shortly after he arrived, Dr. Clark said, "the President lost his heart action by the electrocardiogram." A closed-chest cardiograph massage was attempted, as were other emergency resuscitation measures. Dr. Clark said these had produced "palpable pulses" for a short time, but all were "to no avail." In Operating Room 40 Minutes The President was on the emergency table at the hospital for about 40 minutes, the doctors said. At the end, perhaps eight physicians were in Operating Room No. 1, where Mr. Kennedy remained until his death. Dr. Clark said it was difficult to determine the exact moment of death, but the doctors said officially that it occurred at 1 P.M. Later, there were unofficial reports that Mr. Kennedy had been killed instantly. The source of these reports, Dr.

Tom Shires, chief surgeon at the hospital and professor of surgery at the University of Texas Southwest Medical School, issued this statement tonight: "Medically, it was apparent the president was not alive when he was brought in. There was no spontaneous respiration. He had dilated, fixed pupils. It was obvious he had a lethal head wound. "Technically, however, by using vigorous resuscitation, intravenous tubes and all the usual supportive measures, we were able to raise a semblance of a heartbeat." Dr. Shires said he was "positive it was impossible that President Kennedy could have spoken after being shot. "I am absolutely sure he never knew what hit him," Dr. Shires said. Dr. Shires was not present when Mr. Kennedy was being treated at Parkland Hospital. He issued his statement, however, after lengthy conferences with the doctors who had attended the President. Mr. Johnson remained in the hospital about 30 minutes after Mr. Kennedy died. The details of what happened when shots first rang out, as the President's car moved along at about 25 miles an hour, were sketchy.

Secret Service agents, who might have given more details, were unavailable to the press at first, and then returned to Washington with President Johnson. Kennedys Hailed at Breakfast Mr. Kennedy had opened his day in Fort Worth, first with a speech in a parking lot and then at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast. The breakfast appearance was a particular triumph for Mrs. Kennedy, who entered late and was given an ovation. Then the Presidential party, including Governor and Mrs. Connally, flew on to Dallas, an eight- minute flight. Mr. Johnson, as is customary, flew in a separate plane. The President and the Vice President do not travel together, out of fear of a double tragedy. At Love Field, Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy lingered for 10 minutes, shaking hands with an enthusiastic group lining the fence. The group called itself "Grassroots Democrats." Mr. Kennedy then entered his open Lincoln convertible at the head of the motorcade. He sat in the rear seat on the right-hand side. Mrs. Kennedy, who appeared to be enjoying one of the first political outings she had ever made with her husband, sat at his left. In the "jump" seat, directly ahead of Mr.

Kennedy, sat Governor Connally, with Mrs. Connally at his left in another "jump" seat. A Secret Service agent was driving and the two others ran alongside. Behind the President's limousine was an open sedan carrying a number of Secret Service agents. Behind them, in an open convertible, rode Mr. and Mrs. Johnson and Texas's senior Senator, Ralph W. Yarborough, a Democrat. The motorcade proceeded uneventfully along a 10-mile route through downtown Dallas, aiming for the Merchandise Mart. Mr. Kennedy was to address a group of the city's leading citizens at a luncheon in his honor. In downtown Dallas, crowds were thick, enthusiastic and cheering. The turnout was somewhat unusual for this center of conservatism, where only a month ago Adlai E. Stevenson was attacked by a rightist crowd. It was also in Dallas, during the 1960 campaign, that Senator Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife were nearly mobbed in the lobby of the Baker Hotel. As the motorcade neared its end and the President's car moved out of the thick crowds onto Stennonds Freeway near the Merchandise Mart, Mrs.

Connally recalled later, "we were all very pleased with the reception in downtown Dallas." Approaching 3-Street Underpass Behind the three leading cars were a string of others carrying Texas and Dallas dignitaries, two buses of reporters, several open cars carrying photographers and other reporters, and a bus for White House staff members. As Mrs. Connally recalled later, the President's car was almost ready to go underneath a "triple underpass beneath three streets--Elm, Commerce and Main--when the first shot was fired. That shot apparently struck Mr. Kennedy. Governor Connally turned in his seat at the sound and appeared immediately to be hit in the chest. Mrs. Mary Norman of Dallas was standing at the curb and at that moment was aiming her camera at the President. She saw him slump forward, then slide down in the seat. "My God," Mrs. Norman screamed, as she recalled it later, "he's shot!" Mrs. Connally said that Mrs. Kennedy had reached and "grabbed" her husband. Mrs. Connally put her arms around the Governor. Mrs. Connally said that she and Mrs. Kennedy had then ducked low in the car as it sped off. Mrs.

Connally's recollections were reported by Julian Reade, an aide to the Governor. Most reporters in the press buses were too far back to see the shootings, but they observed some quick scurrying by motor policemen accompanying the motorcade. It was noted that the President's car had picked up speed and raced away, but reporters were not aware that anything serious had occurred until they reached the Merchandise Mart two or three minutes later. Rumors Spread at Trade Mart Rumors of the shooting already were spreading through the luncheon crowd of hundreds, which was having the first course. No White House officials or Secret Service agents were present, but the reporters were taken quickly to Parkland Hospital on the strength of the rumors. There they encountered Senator Yarborough, white, shaken and horrified. The shots, he said, seemed to have come from the right and the rear of the car in which he was riding, the third in the motorcade. Another eyewitness, Mel Crouch, a Dallas television reporter, reported that as the shots rang out he saw a rifle extended and then withdrawn from a window on the "fifth or sixth floor" of the Texas Public School Book Depository.

This is a leased state building on Elm Street, to the right of the motorcade route. Senator Yarborough said there had been a slight pause between the first two shots and a longer pause between the second and third. A Secret Service man riding in the Senator's car, the Senator said, immediately ordered Mr. and Mrs. Johnson to get down below the level of the doors. They did so, and Senator Yarborough also got down. The leading cars of the motorcade then pulled away at high speed toward Parkland Hospital, which was not far away, by the fast highway. "We knew by the speed that something was terribly wrong," Senator Yarborough reported. When he put his head up, he said, he saw a Secret Serve man in the car ahead beating his fists against the trunk deck of the car in which he was riding, apparently in frustration and anguish. Mrs. Kennedy's Reaction Only White House staff members spoke with Mrs. Kennedy. A Dallas medical student, David Edwards, saw her in Parkland Hospital while she was waiting for news of her husband.

He gave this description: "The look in her eyes was like an animal that had been trapped, like a little rabbit--brave, but fear was in the eyes." Dr. Clark was reported to have informed Mrs. Kennedy of her husband's death. No witnesses reported seeing or hearing any of the Secret Service agents or policemen fire back. One agent was seen to brandish a machine gun as the cars sped away. Mr. Crouch observed a policeman falling to the ground and pulling a weapon. But the events had occurred so quickly that there was apparently nothing for the men to shoot at. Mr. Crouch said he saw two women, standing at a curb to watch the motorcade pass, fall to the ground when the shots rang out. He also saw a man snatch up his little girl and run along the road. Policemen, he said, immediately chased this man under the impression he had been involved in the shooting, but Mr. Crouch said he had been a fleeing spectator. Mr. Kennedy's limousine--license No. GG300 under District of Columbia registry--pulled up at the emergency entrance of Parkland Hospital. Senator Yarborough said the President had been carried inside on a stretcher.

By the time reporters arrived at the hospital, the police were guarding the Presidential car closely. They would allow no one to approach it. A bucket of water stood by the car, suggesting that the back seat had been scrubbed out. Robert Clark of the American Broadcasting Company, who had been riding near the front of the motorcade, said Mr. Kennedy was motionless when he was carried inside. There was a great amount of blood on Mr. Kennedy's suit and shirtfront and the front of his body, Mr. Clark said. Mrs. Kennedy was leaning over her husband when the car stopped, Mr. Clark said, and he walked beside the wheeled stretcher into the hospital. Mr. Connally sat with his hands holding his stomach, his head bent over. He, too, was moved into the hospital in a stretcher, with Mrs. Connally at his side. Robert McNeill of the National Broadcasting Company, who also was in the reporters' pool car, jumped out at the scene of the shooting. He said the police had taken two eyewitnesses into custody--an 8-year-old Negro boy and a white man--for informational purposes. Many of these reports could not be verified immediately.

Eyewitness Describes Shooting An unidentified Dallas man, interviewed on television here, said he had been waving at the President when the shots were fired. His belief was that Mr. Kennedy had been struck twice-- once, as Mrs. Norman recalled, when he slumped in his seat; again when he slid down in it. "It seemed to just knock him down," the man said. Governor Connally's condition was reported as "satisfactory" tonight after four hours in surgery at Parkland Hospital. Dr. Robert R. Shaw, a thoracic surgeon, operated on the Governor to repair damage to his left chest. Later, Dr. Shaw said Governor Connally had been hit in the back just below the shoulder blade, and that the bullet had gone completely through the Governor's chest, taking out part of the fifth rib. After leaving the body, he said, the bullet struck the Governor's right wrist, causing a compound fracture. It then lodged in the left thigh. The thigh wound, Dr. Shaw said, was trivial. He said the compound fracture would heal. Dr. Shaw said it would be unwise for Governor Connally to be moved in the next 10 to 14 days. Mrs.

Connally was remaining at his side tonight. Tour by Mrs. Kennedy Unusual Mrs. Kennedy's presence near her husband's bedside at his death resulted from somewhat unusual circumstances. She had rarely accompanied him on his trips about the country and had almost never made political trips with him. The tour on which Mr. Kennedy was engaged yesterday and today was only quasi-political; the only open political activity was to have been a speech tonight to a fund-raising dinner at the state capitol in Austin. In visiting Texas, Mr. Kennedy was seeking to improve his political fortunes in a pivotal state that he barely won in 1960. He was also hoping to patch a bitter internal dispute among Texas's Democrats. At 8:45 A.M., when Mr. Kennedy left the Texas Hotel in Fort Worth, where he spent his last night, to address the parking lot crowd across the street, Mrs. Kennedy was not with him. There appeared to be some disappointment. "Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself," the President said good-naturedly. "It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it." Later, Mrs.

Kennedy appeared late at the Chamber of Commerce breakfast in Fort Worth. Again, Mr. Kennedy took note of her presence. "Two years ago," he said, "I introduced myself in Paris by saying that I was the man who had accompanied Mrs. Kennedy to Paris. I am getting somewhat that same sensation as I travel around Texas. Nobody wonders what Lyndon and I wear." The speech Mr. Kennedy never delivered at the Merchandise Mart luncheon contained a passage commenting on a recent preoccupation of his, and a subject of much interest in this city, where right-wing conservatism is the rule rather than the exception. Voices are being heard in the land, he said, "voices preaching doctrines wholly unrelated to reality, wholly unsuited to the sixties, doctrines which apparently assume that words will suffice without weapons, that vituperation is as good as victory and that peace is a sign of weakness." The speech went on: "At a time when the national debt is steadily being reduced in terms of its burden on our economy, they see that debt as the greatest threat to our security.

At a time when we are steadily reducing the number of Federal employees serving every thousand citizens, they fear those supposed hordes of civil servants far more than the actual hordes of opposing armies. "We cannot expect that everyone, to use the phrase of a decade ago, will 'talk sense to the American people.' But we can hope that fewer people will listen to nonsense. And the notion that this nation is headed for defeat through deficit, or that strength is but a matter of slogans, is nothing but just plain nonsense." John F. Kennedy assassinated - Nov 22, 1963 - HISTORY.com John F. Kennedy assassinated Publisher A+E Networks John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, is assassinated while traveling through Dallas, Texas, in an open-top convertible. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy rarely accompanied her husband on political outings, but she was beside him, along with Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, for a 10-mile motorcade through the streets of downtown Dallas on November 22. Sitting in a Lincoln convertible, the Kennedys and Connallys waved at the large and enthusiastic crowds gathered along the parade route.

As their vehicle passed the Texas School Book Depository Building at 12:30 p.m., Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired three shots from the sixth floor, fatally wounding President Kennedy and seriously injuring Governor Connally. Kennedy was pronounced dead 30 minutes later at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital. He was 46. Vice President Lyndon Johnson, who was three cars behind President Kennedy in the motorcade, was sworn in as the 36th president of the United States at 2:39 p.m. He took the presidential oath of office aboard Air Force One as it sat on the runway at Dallas Love Field airport. The swearing in was witnessed by some 30 people, including Jacqueline Kennedy, who was still wearing clothes stained with her husband’s blood. Seven minutes later, the presidential jet took off for Washington. The next day, November 23, President Johnson issued his first proclamation, declaring November 25 to be a day of national mourning for the slain president. On that Monday, hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Washington to watch a horse-drawn caisson bear Kennedy’s body from the Capitol Rotunda to St. Matthew’s Catholic Cathedral for a requiem Mass.

The solemn procession then continued on to Arlington National Cemetery, where leaders of 99 nations gathered for the state funeral. Kennedy was buried with full military honors on a slope below Arlington House, where an eternal flame was lit by his widow to forever mark the grave. Lee Harvey Oswald, born in New Orleans in 1939, joined the U.S. Marines in 1956. He was discharged in 1959 and nine days later left for the Soviet Union, where he tried unsuccessfully to become a citizen. He worked in Minsk and married a Soviet woman and in 1962 was allowed to return to the United States with his wife and infant daughter. In early 1963, he bought a .38 revolver and rifle with a telescopic sight by mail order, and on April 10 in Dallas he allegedly shot at and missed former U.S. Army general Edwin Walker, a figure known for his extreme right-wing views. Later that month, Oswald went to New Orleans and founded a branch of the Fair Play for Cuba Committee, a pro-Castro organization.

In September 1963, he went to Mexico City, where investigators allege that he attempted to secure a visa to travel to Cuba or return to the USSR. In October, he returned to Dallas and took a job at the Texas School Book Depository Building. Less than an hour after Kennedy was shot, Oswald killed a policeman who questioned him on the street near his rooming house in Dallas. Thirty minutes later, Oswald was arrested in a movie theater by police responding to reports of a suspect. He was formally arraigned on November 23 for the murders of President Kennedy and Officer J.D. Tippit. On November 24, Oswald was brought to the basement of the Dallas police headquarters on his way to a more secure county jail. A crowd of police and press with live television cameras rolling gathered to witness his departure. As Oswald came into the room, Jack Ruby emerged from the crowd and fatally wounded him with a single shot from a concealed .38 revolver. Ruby, who was immediately detained, claimed that rage at Kennedy’s murder was the motive for his action. Some called him a hero, but he was nonetheless charged with first-degree murder.

Jack Ruby, originally known as Jacob Rubenstein, operated strip joints and dance halls in Dallas and had minor connections to organized crime. He features prominently in Kennedy-assassination theories, and many believe he killed Oswald to keep him from revealing a larger conspiracy. In his trial, Ruby denied the allegation and pleaded innocent on the grounds that his great grief over Kennedy’s murder had caused him to suffer “psychomotor epilepsy” and shoot Oswald unconsciously. The jury found Ruby guilty of “murder with malice” and sentenced him to die. In October 1966, the Texas Court of Appeals reversed the decision on the grounds of improper admission of testimony and the fact that Ruby could not have received a fair trial in Dallas at the time. In January 1967, while awaiting a new trial, to be held in Wichita Falls, Ruby died of lung cancer in a Dallas hospital. The official Warren Commission report of 1964 concluded that neither Oswald nor Ruby were part of a larger conspiracy, either domestic or international, to assassinate President Kennedy.

Despite its seemingly firm conclusions, the report failed to silence conspiracy theories surrounding the event, and in 1978 the House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded in a preliminary report that Kennedy was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy” that may have involved multiple shooters and organized crime. The committee’s findings, as with those of the Warren Commission, continue to be widely disputed. Related Videos November 22, 1963: Death of the President - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum November 22, 1963: Death of the President November 22, 1963: Death of the President Shortly after noon on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as he rode in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Texas. By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were preparing for the next presidential campaign. Although he had not formally announced his candidacy, it was clear that President Kennedy was going to run and he seemed confident about his chances for re-election.

At the end of September, the president traveled west, speaking in nine different states in less than a week. The trip was meant to put a spotlight on natural resources and conservation efforts. But JFK also used it to sound out themes—such as education, national security, and world peace—for his run in 1964. Campaigning in Texas A month later, the president addressed Democratic gatherings in Boston and Philadelphia. Then, on November 12, he held the first important political planning session for the upcoming election year. At the meeting, JFK stressed the importance of winning Florida and Texas and talked about his plans to visit both states in the next two weeks. Mrs. Kennedy would accompany him on the swing through Texas, which would be her first extended public appearance since the loss of their baby, Patrick, in August. On November 21, the president and first lady departed on Air Force One for the two-day, five-city tour of Texas. President Kennedy was aware that a feud among party leaders in Texas could jeopardize his chances of carrying the state in 1964, and one of his aims for the trip was to bring Democrats together.

He also knew that a relatively small but vocal group of extremists was contributing to the political tensions in Texas and would likely make its presence felt—particularly in Dallas, where US Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson had been physically attacked a month earlier after making a speech there. Nonetheless, JFK seemed to relish the prospect of leaving Washington, getting out among the people and into the political fray. The first stop was San Antonio. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Governor John B. Connally, and Senator Ralph W. Yarborough led the welcoming party. They accompanied the president to Brooks Air Force Base for the dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center. Continuing on to Houston, he addressed a Latin American citizens' organization and spoke at a testimonial dinner for Congressman Albert Thomas before ending the day in Fort Worth. Morning in Fort Worth A light rain was falling on Friday morning, November 22, but a crowd of several thousand stood in the parking lot outside the Texas Hotel where the Kennedys had spent the night. A platform was set up and the president, wearing no protection against the weather, came out to make some brief remarks.

"There are no faint hearts in Fort Worth," he began, "and I appreciate your being here this morning. Mrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes longer, but, of course, she looks better than we do when she does it." He went on to talk about the nation's need for being "second to none" in defense and in space, for continued growth in the economy and "the willingness of citizens of the United States to assume the burdens of leadership." The warmth of the audience response was palpable as the president reached out to shake hands amidst a sea of smiling faces. Back inside the hotel the president spoke at a breakfast of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, focusing on military preparedness. "We are still the keystone in the arch of freedom," he said. "We will continue to do…our duty, and the people of Texas will be in the lead." On to Dallas The presidential party left the hotel and went by motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base for the thirteen-minute flight to Dallas. Arriving at Love Field, President and Mrs. Kennedy disembarked and immediately walked toward a fence where a crowd of well-wishers had gathered, and they spent several minutes shaking hands.

The first lady received a bouquet of red roses, which she brought with her to the waiting limousine. Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, were already seated in the open convertible as the Kennedys entered and sat behind them. Since it was no longer raining, the plastic bubble top had been left off. Vice President and Mrs. Johnson occupied another car in the motorcade. The procession left the airport and traveled along a ten-mile route that wound through downtown Dallas on the way to the Trade Mart where the President was scheduled to speak at a luncheon. The Assassination Crowds of excited people lined the streets and waved to the Kennedys. The car turned off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12:30 p.m. As it was passing the Texas School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza. Bullets struck the president's neck and head and he slumped over toward Mrs. Kennedy. The governor was also hit in the chest. The car sped off to Parkland Memorial Hospital just a few minutes away. But little could be done for the President. A Catholic priest was summoned to administer the last rites, and at 1:00 p.m. John F.

Kennedy was pronounced dead. Though seriously wounded, Governor Connally would recover. The president's body was brought to Love Field and placed on Air Force One. Before the plane took off, a grim-faced Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the tight, crowded compartment and took the oath of office, administered by US District Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m. Less than an hour earlier, police had arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a recently hired employee at the Texas School Book Depository. He was being held for the assassination of President Kennedy and the fatal shooting, shortly afterward, of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street. On Sunday morning, November 24, Oswald was scheduled to be transferred from police headquarters to the county jail. Viewers across America watching the live television coverage suddenly saw a man aim a pistol and fire at point blank range. The assailant was identified as Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner. Oswald died two hours later at Parkland Hospital.

The President's Funer al That same day, President Kennedy's flag-draped casket was moved from the White House to the Capitol on a caisson drawn by six grey horses, accompanied by one riderless black horse. At Mrs. Kennedy's request, the cortege and other ceremonial details were modeled on the funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Crowds line d Pennsylvania Avenue and many wept openly as the caisson passed. During the 21 hours that the president's body lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda, about 250,000 people filed by to pay their respects. On Monday, November 25, 1963 President Kennedy was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. The funeral was attended by heads of state and representatives from more than 100 countries, with untold millions more watching on television. Afterward, at the grave site, Mrs. Kennedy and her husband's brothers, Robert and Edward, lit an eternal flame. Perhaps the most indelible images of the day were the salute to his father given by little John F. Kennedy Jr.

(whose third birthday it was), daughter Caroline kneeling next to her mother at the president's bier, and the extraordinary grace and dignity shown by Jacqueline Kennedy. As people throughout the nation and the world struggled to make sense of a senseless act and to articulate their feelings about President Kennedy's life and legacy, many recalled these 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. The Warren Commission On November 29, 1963 President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy. It came to be known as the Warren Commission after its chairman, Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States. President Johnson directed the commission to evaluate matters relating to the assassination and the subsequent killing of the alleged assassin, and to report its findings and conclusions to him. The Warren Commission's report is available here .

The House Select Committee on Assassinations The US House of Representatives established the House Select Committee on Assassinations in 1976 to reopen the investigation of the assassination in light of allegations that previous inquiries had not received the full cooperation of federal agencies. Note to the reader: Point 1B in the link below to the findings of the 1979 House Select Committee on Assassinations states that the committee had found "a high probability that two gunmen fired" at the president. This conclusion resulted from the last-minute “discovery” of a Dallas police radio transmission tape that allegedly provided evidence that four or more shots were fired in Dealey Plaza. After the report appeared in print, acoustic experts analyzed the tape and proved conclusively that it was completely worthless—thus negating the finding in Point 1B. The committee, which also investigated the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., issued its report on March 29, 1979. To see the report, click here . Assassination Records Collection Through the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act of 1992, the US Congress ordered that all assassination-related material be housed together under supervision of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Learn more about the collection here . Arlington National Cemetery To learn more about President Kennedy's funeral and grave site, go to the Arlington National Cemetery website. President Kennedy Limousine Research - The Henry Ford Auxiliary jump seats for extra passengers Two radio telephones Interior floodlights In 1963 the car's grille was replaced by one from a 1962 model and 'sombrero'-style wheel covers like those of the 1957 Lincoln Premiere were added. Trunk lid grab handles for Secret Service agents were affixed as well. What happened to the car after President Kennedy's assassination? The X-100 was impounded for evidence in the weeks following the assassination on November 22, 1963. Soon after plans were made to modify the car in Cincinnati, Ohio and then return it to Washington D.C. What was "Project D-2" or the "Quick Fix"? Following the assassination of President Kennedy, a committee was formed (originally comprised of thirty people) of six people representing the Secret Service, Army Materials Research Center, Hess & Eisenhardt and Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.

The White House approved a plan for a revamp of the X-100 around December 12, 1963. Work was completed May 1, 1964 and extensive testing was performed in Cincinnati, Ohio and Dearborn, Michigan before the car was delivered to the White House in June. Costs have been estimated to exceed $500,000 and were shared by Ford Motor Company, some Ford suppliers and the federal government. Basic elements of the revamp included: Complete re-armoring of rear passenger compartment Addition of permanent non-removable top ("greenhouse") to accommodate transparent armor Replacement of engine with hand-built, high compression unit, providing approximately 17 percent more power Addition of second air conditioning unit in trunk Addition of certain electronic communication devices Reinforcement of some mechanical and structural components, e.g. front wheel spindles and door hinges, to accommodate additional weight Complete re-trimming of rear compartment, eliminating damage resulting from the assassination New paint treatment, "regal Presidential Blue Metallic with silver metallic flakes that glitter under bright lights and sunshine" (May 1, 1964 report by Willard C. Hess of Hess & Eisenhardt) What was "Project R-2"?

The X-100 underwent major modifications again in January 1967. These were also completed by Hess & Eisenhardt and included: Revision of air conditioning system for greater cooling capacity Conversion of right rear door, which had been 1 13/16” bullet-proof glass, to drop-glass actuated by heavy duty power regulator assembly Reinforcement of deck lid with fiberglass to accommodate additional weight Stripping of entire car to bare metal in order to remove dents and repaint body Minor changes, such as addition of roof mounted grab handles In the following ten years, other minor modifications were made as well. Front bumper guards were added and their built-in red flasher lights were replaced with red lights in the grille. During President Nixon’s stay in office, the large one-piece glass roof was replaced with one with a smaller glass area and a hinged panel. This would permit the president to stand during parades. When was the car retired? Although other presidential parade cars were built in 1968 and 1972, it was used occasionally by Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Carter. The X-100 remained in service until early 1977.

The car is now exhibited to the public at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Related Content

Question: What make of car was JF Kennedy traveling in when he was shot dead?
Answer: LINCOLN