TSLAC Displays Unique Items from Texas’ Investigation into President Kennedy’s Assassination

Thursday, October 10, 2013 • Austin, TX • News Release

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) will join the nation in observing the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination with a special exhibit that revisits the unforgettable events in Dallas, November 22-24, 1963.

Texas Investigates: the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Wounding of Governor John B. Connally opens to the public Tuesday, October 22, in the lobby of the Lorenzo de Zavala State Archives and Library Building, where it will remain through February 14, 2014.

“After 50 years of intense scrutiny, the events of November 1963 remain a topic of interest and fascination for the American public,” said Jelain Chubb, State Archivist. “This exhibit will provide a look at how Texas state government responded to this national tragedy.” At the time, Kennedy’s assassination was considered a homicide and Texas law enforcement authorities led the criminal investigation. It was not until 1965 that the assassination of a president and vice-president became a federal crime.

The exhibit features materials gathered and created by the Texas Attorney General and the Department of Public Safety in the course of their investigations into the assassination of the president and the subsequent murder of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby. Among the items on display will be: an aerial photograph detailing Oswald’s escape route, the 25-page Dallas Police Department inventory of items taken from Oswald after his arrest and confiscated from his residence, and a 1964 report by Texas Attorney General Waggoner Carr that supplemented the federal government’s official Warren Commission report.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the suit of clothing Governor Connally wore that day and which indicates the positions of his injuries. The suit was used as evidence in both the state and federal investigations. In January 1964 the Governor donated his clothing to the State Archives where, due to public interest, it was displayed for a brief time. This exhibit is the first public viewing of the suit since March 30, 1964.

TSLAC’s Lorenzo de Zavala Building is located at 1201 Brazos St., Austin, across the east entrance to the State Capitol. From October 22, 2013 to February 14, 2014 the public may view the exhibit in person, for free, at any time during the lobby’s operating hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

On Saturday, October 26, TSLAC will open its lobby during the Texas Book Festival from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and everyone will be welcome to view Texas Investigates free of charge.

On Thursday, November 7 at 6:00 p.m. TSLAC will welcome John Slate, Dallas City Archivist, who will present “JFK at 50: The John F. Kennedy/Dallas Police Department Collection in the Dallas Municipal Archives.” The presentation will take place at the Lorenzo de Zavala Building and is free and open to the public.

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Photos Attached

Caption 1: Bullet hole next to clothier’s label inside the suit coat worn by Governor John Connally, November 22, 1963. Photo courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Caption 2: Bullet hole above cuff of shirt worn by Governor John Connally, November 22, 1963. Photo courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Caption 3: Suit and shirt worn by Governor John Connally on November 22, 1963, in TSLAC's conservation lab, where the clothing is being prepared for public exhibition.