Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas: Death
of a President in Dallas

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In This Exhibit:   Death of a President in Dallas  |  Spindletop and the Texas Oil Boom  |  Galveston Hurricane of 1900  |  Texas Tornadoes  |  Man on the Moon  |  UT Sniper  |  Texas City Disaster  |  New London School Explosion  |  Waco  |  HOME

Death of a President in Dallas

One of the most devastating political episodes to make international news in the 20th century was the assassination in 1963 of the President of the United States. President John F. Kennedy had flown to Texas with stops planned in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, and Austin, but he was shot while riding in an open car traveling in a motorcade through downtown Dallas. It is difficult to imagine now, but there was no news footage of the shooting. The famous film of the event and other images from that day were all taken by spectators. The situation quickly changed as television networks began airing live reports from Dallas.   

Television was still an emerging news medium, and this incident became a turning point for where Americans sought information. CBS correspondent and Texan Dan Rather was on the ground in Dallas and first reported Kennedy’s demise, with Texan television news anchor Walter Cronkite delivering the grim message to the nation from the news desk in New York.

Photograph of a yellowed front page of a newspaper, Houston Chronicle Memorial Edition, with a montage of headlines about the Kennedy assassination from previous issues of the newspaper. November 22-26, 1963, Memorial Edition, Houston Chronicle.

November 22 -26, 1963, Memorial Edition, Houston Chronicle.  Click or tap on image to view larger version.
 




A black and white photograph of a motorcade reconstruction of the day of the assassination with people riding in a convertible and bystanders standing on the grass. Reconstruction US Secret Service view of car; 2 and 3 shots. Dallas Police Department photos accompanying Attorney General’s Office John F. Kennedy assassination investigation files, 1964/30-057.

Reconstruction US Secret Service view of car; 2 and 3 shots. Dallas Police Department photos accompanying Attorney General’s Office John F. Kennedy assassination investigation files, 1964/30-057. Click or tap on image to view larger version.

For a more in-depth look at TSLAC’s materials related to the JFK assassination, visit  https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lobbyexhibits/jfk.

 


 

A brown front cover of a notebook with the binding at the top, meant to be read vertically rather than horizontally, with a type written label title with the text KENNEDY, JOHN FITZGERALD ASSASINATION NOVEMBER 22, 1963 INVESTIGATION BY J.E. BILL DECKER, SHERIFF DALLAS COUNTY, TEXAS “Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Assassination, November 22, 1963, Investigation” by J.R. Bill Decker, Sheriff, Dallas County, Texas, 1963. A type written transcript with a date of December 3, 1963 and four hole punches at the top. “Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Assassination, November 22, 1963, Investigation” by J.R. Bill Decker, Sheriff, Dallas County, Texas, 1963. A type written transcript investigation page with a date of December 5, 1963 and four hole punches at the top. “Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Assassination, November 5, 1963, Investigation” by J.R. Bill Decker, Sheriff, Dallas County, Texas, 1963.

“Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Assassination, November 22, 1963, Investigation” by J.R. Bill Decker, Sheriff, Dallas County, Texas, 1963. Kennedy, John Fitzgerald assassination (November 22, 1963) investigation by J.E. Bill Decker, Sheriff (Dallas County), 1963, Texas Attorney General’s Office John F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Files, 1989/041-238b. Image 1 Cover, Image 2 Investigation Page Dated December 3, 1963 and Image 3 Investigation Page Dated December 5, 1963. Cover and investigation pages. Click or tap on links and images to view larger versions.

At the time, surprisingly, killing a U.S. president was not a federal crime. Texas law enforcement had jurisdiction and was responsible for the investigation. Among the many items compiled during the investigation is a report by the Dallas County Sheriff Bill Decker on his department’s part in the security operations involving the president. Documents in this report include transcripts of the Dallas Police Department’s radio transmissions on the day of the assassination.
 


 

A magazine with a black and white cover showing a drawing of JFK with the presidential seal in the background and the text Four Dark Days in History. A Photo History of President Kennedy's Assassination.“Four Dark Days in History magazine, 1963. Dorsey Hardeman personal papers, 1963, 1965, 2021/096. 

“Four Dark Days in History magazine, 1963. Dorsey Hardeman personal papers, 1963, 1965, 2021/096. Click or tap on image to view larger version.

As the nation mourned the loss of the president, media outlets published commemorative magazines and newspapers memorializing the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. His presidency was quickly mythologized as a too-brief golden era, and Kennedy himself was compared with the legendary figure King Arthur.
 


 

A brown colored ticket with the text The state democratic executive committee Texas Welcome Dinner in honor of President John Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson Municipal Auditorium City of Austin seven-thirty o’clock Friday Evening November 22, 1963 Admit one Optional Dress No. D10214. Texas Welcome Dinner ticket, #010214, 1963. Kennedy-Johnson Welcome Dinner Ticket: November 22, 1963, unprocessed collection, 2-22/744.

Texas Welcome Dinner ticket, #010214, 1963. Kennedy-Johnson Welcome Dinner Ticket: November 22, 1963, unprocessed collection, 2-22/744.

Click or tap on image to view larger version.
 

The president’s trip to Texas was meant to be an informal launch of his reelection campaign. The president, first lady, and vice president were meant to appear at several events, including a fundraising dinner organized by the Texas State Democratic Executive Committee on November 22, 1963.

 


 

A report with a light green cover and black text with the Texas state seal on the cover and the text of “Texas Supplemental Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Serious Wounding of Governor John B. Connally, November 22, 1963,” October 5, 1964.

“Texas Supplemental Report on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Serious Wounding of Governor John B. Connally, November 22, 1963,” October 5, 1964. Court of Inquiry:  Investigation of Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Investigation of Lee Harvey Oswald, Texas Attorney General’s Office John F. Kennedy Assassination Investigation Files, 1989/081-235. Click or tap on image to view larger version.

After examining police reports and evidence from the day of the assassination, the Texas Attorney General’s Office published a formal supplemental report for Governor John Connally on October 5, 1964. This report was intended to be a supplement to the report of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, also known as the Warren Commission. 

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