Extra! Extra! Eyes of the World on Texas: Death
of a President in Dallas
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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.
November 22 -26, 1963, Memorial Edition, Houston Chronicle. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
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.
“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.
“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.
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.
“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.