Cedar Rapids Mayor Robert M. L. Johnson - Freed WC Records

Cedar Rapids Mayor Robert M. L. Johnson Freed Warren Commission Records

Robert M. L. Johnson was the mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa from 1962-1969.

After he retired Mayor Robert Johnson wrote letters to the Editor in the Cedar Rapids Gazette, “taking on whatever that excuse for a city council is now,” but it was while mayor that he wrote the letter that had more influence than any other, one to President Johnson asking for him to release the Warren Commission records that were going to be sealed for 75 years.

Apparently Mayor Johnson’s letter to the President single handedly led to the public release of many of the Warren Commission records that were printed by the government in addition to the 26 encyclopedia sized volumes of Warren Report supporting documents and testimony.

Although I have been reading about the assassination of President Kennedy since 1969 and have read through the 26 volumes when I was in college, the story of Cedar Rapids Mayor Johnson and his role in freeing the remaining Warren Commission records was new to me.

I first heard about when Jim Lesar was a guest on Len Osanic’s Black Op Radio Show (#565) on February 9, 2012, and Lesar touched on a number of topics, including the letter he wrote to the US Archivist, the 50,000 pages of CIA assassination documents still withheld under the JFK Act and the status of his Morley vs. CIA FOIA suit regarding the George Joannides records.

Lesar is director of the Assassination Archives and Research Center (AARC), a successor to the Committee to Investigate Assassinations, which was founded in the late 1960s by attorney Bernard Fensterwald, and played a major role in the passage of the JFK Act of 1992. According to that law, all government records related to the assassination must be made public by 2017 unless the President approves their withholding.

The ARRC works closely with the Mary Ferrell Archives, a non-profit org that has scanned and posted over 700,000 pages of assassination documents that have thus far been released.

But there are many more records that have not been released and according to Lesar there has been no review of the CIA records labeled “NBR” or Not Believed Relevant, which include the Joannides records that clearly should have been labeled relevant to the assassination.

George Joannides was the CIA officer who ovesaw the anti-Castro Cuban group known as the DRE – the Student Revolutionary Directorate, who interacted with the accused assassin of President Kennedy in New Orleans in the summer before the assassination.

Following a suit in 2003, the Court of Appeals in 2007 ordered the CIA to search for relevant records, while the CIA acknowledged that George Joannides was called out of retirement to work with the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) in a covert capacity. The CIA refuses to release the records even though they are nearly fifty years old and Joannides has since passed away.

Lesar is currently working on a response to the CIA’s most recent brief in the case that has been dragging on now for nearly a decade.

President Obama’s first action as President was to proclaim a policy of openness. "Knowledge of our history is an essential feature of democratic accountability,” and establish the National Declassification Center (NDC), assigned to declassify 400,000,000 pages of secret documents by 2013. The 50,000 pages of CIA records and other JFK assassination records are being intentionally excluded from this declassification process despite the immense public interest as well as the approaching 50th anniversary of the assassination.

Lesar argues that these records should be available to part of the public debate that will be generated by the anniversary.

While on the Black Op Radio show Lesar asked listeners to help put the pressure on the government to release the files by writing their representative in Congress

According to Lesar, one person can make a difference, and he cited one citizen, Mayor R. M. Johnson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who personally got many of the Warren Commission records released by writing a single, but convincing letter to President Johnson.

Jim Lesar has a lot of good things going, especially Morley vs. CIA suit, and a D.C. conference planned for the 20th anniversary of the JFK Act in October, but I was particularly interested in the statement he made that “one citizen, Mayor R. M. Johnson of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, got most of the Warren Commission records released.”

After decades of study and research, and as one of the leaders of the free the JFK Files movement since the 1980s, I was a bit startled that the Cedar Rapids Mayor had something to do with the Warren Commission records, and wondered if Mayor Johnson had any association with Art Collins, Collins Radio Company and the “Liberty” radio relay station, which was located in Cedar Rapids.

As the military defense contractor responsible for the radio communications aboard Air Force One, some suspect that the existing taped records of radio communications were recorded there – and the still missing, unedited tapes may be located there somewhere among the old Collins Radio record archives.

So I found it quite ironic that the original AF1 tapes - the single most significant still withheld government record in the assassination of President Kennedy, may be located somewhere in the hometown of Mayor Johnson, the one single person who did the most to get the most significant assassination records released.

After learning this I called Jim Lesar on the phone and he said he too had the same thought. We were wondering if there was a connection between the Cedar Rapids Mayor Johnson and local industrialist Art Collins, whose Collins Radio is suspected by some as being the military defense contractor who had possession of the single most significant piece of evidence in the case – the now missing Air Force One radio transmission tapes.

Lesar said he didn’t know the answer, but he did send off a letter to Collins Radio – now Collins Rockwell and asked them if they still had a copy of the Air Force One radio transmission tapes. No harm in asking.

I related to Lesar how I too had established telephone and email contact with Collins Radio and Rockwell International library and archivists who were always friendly at first and indicated that what I asked for was something that they just might have a copy of, only to have them get back to me cold and apparently scolded. They’d “clam up” as Lesar put it.

But I wanted to know what did the Mayor of Cedar Rapids have to do with the release of the Warren Commission records?

Lesar explained that when Mayor Johnson learned that the Warren Commission was going to seal most of its records for 75 years, he wrote a very persuasive letter to President Johnson, telling him what a mistake it would be to keep those records from the public. Lesar has a copy of the letter but it is stored away and inaccessible at the moment, but I quickly found a reference to it on line.

David Wise wrote about it and quoted portions of the letter in a 1968 Saturday Evening Post article “Secret Evidence on the Kennedy Assassination.”

David Wise is the co-author (with Thomas Ross) of The Invisible Government, one of the most significant and influential books ever written about the CIA and US intelligence agencies, and he also exposed the billions of dollars that the National Recon Office had “lost” in an article published in one of the last issues of John F. Kennedy, Jr.’s George Magazine.

In his 1968 Saturday Evening Post “Secret Evidence in the Kennedy Assassination” article Wise dated Mayor Johnson’s letter as January 4, 1965, and quotes him:

“As one who read and believed the Warren Report on the assassination of President Kennedy, I am disturbed and chagrined that...you would permit a 75 year cloak of secrecy to fall over the facts. May I suggest that if there is true justification for withholding from the public the facts of one of the most tragic events of our time, it is also incumbent upon our national leadership to make it clear why…”

David Wise reported that, “The mayor’s letter hit the White House like a bombshell. McGeorge Bundy, then the President’s national security advisor, immediately ordered the Justice Department to find a way around the 75-year rule. On January 26, 1965, Attorney General Nicholas de B. Katzenbach drafted a letter to the Archives and eight agencies that had made investigatory reports to the Warren Commission.”

“Although Katzenbach said it was ‘undoubtedly necessary to withhold certain of the commission’s papers from the public at this time,’ he told the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Service and the other agencies concerned that earlier disclosure should be considered in light of ‘the very special nature of the Warren Commission’s investigation and the desirability of the fullest possible disclosure of all the findings.’”

“In April, Katzenbach submitted a memorandum to Bundy proposing a set of guidelines to govern the release of the commission files, and the White House approved. Government departments were ordered to begin reviewing the documents. The guidelines provide that the Warren files may remain closed: when existing laws require it; when national security is involved; when disclosure might be ‘detrimental’ to law enforcement; when the identity of confidential sources might be revealed; and when disclosure might ‘be a source of embarrassment to innocent persons.’”

“On April 20, (1965) Bundy wrote back to the mayor of Cedar Rapids, predicting that ‘the vast bulk of the material’ in the Archives would be ‘made available’ as soon as the agencies and the Archives staff had finished sifting through the files.”

FULL LETTER and LBJ Response (Thanks to Rex Bradford and Mary Ferrell Archives)
https://www.maryferrell.org/mffweb/archive/viewer/showDoc.do?docId=62238&relPageId=134

Jan 6, 1964

Mr. President:

As one who read and believed the Warren Report on the assassination of President Kennedy I am disturbed and chagrined that you would permit a government agency to dictate to you what will be done with testimony and exhibits for the next 75 years.

Knowing that you believe in the public’s right to know – a statement you have often made – it intrigues me that you would permit a 75 year cloak of secrecy to fall over the facts involved in the Kennedy assassination.

The decision of the National Archives Bureau to withhold from the public “off the record testimony and exhibits of the Warren Commission for 75 years” is inexplicable and inexcusable and gives cause to doubt the veracity of the published Warren Commission report.

I believe in national security but I fail to see the relationship between the facts of the Kennedy assassination and the security of the nation at this time.

May I suggest that if there is true justification for withholding from the public the facts of one of the most tragic events of our time, it is also incumbent upon our national leadership to make it clear why.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Secrecy creates fear.

Respectfully submitted,

Signed

Robert H. L. Johnson
Mayor

The President
The White House
Washington 15, D.C.

Copies sent to:

Hubert Humphrey, the Vice President elect
Earl Warren, Chief Justice
B/B/ Hickenlooper, U.S. Senator
Jack Miller, U.S. Senator
John C. Culver, U.S. Congressman
American Society of News Editors
Associted Press Manging Editors Association
National Association of Broadcasters
Director of National Archives
Harry Boyd, Editor, Cedar Rapids Gazzette
Kenneth McDonald, Edito, Des Moins Register
Wm. B. Quarton, GM WHT Stations
Redd Gardner, GM KCRG Stations
US News & World Report

Honorable Robert M. L. Johnson
Mayor of Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Dear Mayor Johnson,

Thank you for writing me concerning the records of the Presidents Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy which have now been deposited with the National Archives of the United States.

The Commission’s Report of its findings and conclusions and the 26 additional volumes containing the testimony, depositions, affidavits, copies of investigative reports and of the documentary and photographic exhibits on which the findings were based, contain the relevant facts concerning the assassination of President Kennedy. No pertinent facts have been withheld and none are now cloaked with secrecy. Since no transcript was made of “off the record” testimony, publication of this evidence is, of course, impossible.

The Commission records in the National Archives will be administered under the same laws, executive orders and regulations that apply to other Government archives. Restrictions on use of any unpublished records of the Commission are not necessarily imposed because of consideration of national security. As in the case of all such investigations, numerous innocent persons having no connection with the subject of the investigation are involved in the reports. It would be quite impossible to release information of this nature that would needlessly embarrass or damage innocent third parties. For this reason, as well as the fact that the techniques and sources of investigatory agencies must be protected, reports of investigation and similar materials are withheld from use, except with the permission of the originating agency, for a period of 75 years.

The application of this policy to the records of the Commission appears to me to be required by the public interest.


CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA MAYOR ROBERT M. L. JOHNSON RIP

Colorful former mayor, Robert M.L. Johnson, passes away at 88
In City Hall on April 13, 2009 at 6:27 pm

Former Mayor Robert M.L. Johnson died Monday. The funeral home’s death notice says he died of a sudden illness. He was 88.

Johnson held the mayor’s post from 1962 through 1967 at a time when the city turned its attention to urban renewal in the downtown and to building an Interstate through the city.
“He was the strongest mayor we ever had,” Don Salyer, who served as the city’s director of planning and redevelopment for 37 years until the mid 1990s, said Monday.

“He laid out policies and programs and followed through on them,” Salyer remembered. “He took charge. He was a man of action so to speak…There was nothing wishy-washy about him, let’s put it that way.”

Johnson was first elected to city office as public safety commissioner, but Jerry Elsea, a beat reporter for The Gazette at the time who went on to be the newspaper’s editorial page editor for some years, remembered that Johnson lost the backing of voters after he touted such ideas as one-way streets in the downtown. Johnson, though, reemerged quickly and was elected mayor.

Elsea remembered Johnson’s time in office as an era of strong leadership at City Hall. The city leaders at the time — they included two future mayors, Frank Bosh and Don Canney, in addition to Johnson — was sufficiently strong, Elsea said, that it allowed Cedar Rapids to put off the idea of changing its commission-style government with full-time mayor and commissioners for years. In 2006, the city did change to a part-time council and full-time city manager, a move, by the way, Johnson supported then and in 1996 when voters rejected the idea.

Elsea said Johnson was at the epicenter of this group of City Hall leaders back in the 1960s who he said made some “wise and far-seeing decisions,” decisions that featured the kind of contentious public hearings that come with matters like urban renewal.
“It was a pretty colorful time for a reporter, because Johnson was not shy about giving his opinions,” Elsea remembered. “He was a colorful character and it was a colorful era for the town.”

Johnson first came to public life in Cedar Rapids as a local radio and television newscaster.

While mayor, he ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress in 1966 as a Republican against incumbent John Culver. Later, he served in the Iowa House of Representatives. In 1971 and 1972, he served as city manager of the city of Marion.

Johnson, who resided at Cottage Grove Place, 2115 First Ave. SE, was a tireless writer of letters to The Gazette’s editorial pages over the years and had frequent contact with reporters and others in his retirement.

Former Mayor Don Canney, who was the city’s public improvements commissioner during part of Johnson’s time as mayor and then became mayor in 1969, on Monday called Johnson “a good friend.”

“We disagreed on a lot of things, but as gentlemen,” Canney said. “I really admired him, and he did a darn good job as mayor.”

Canney said he and Johnson talked on the phone just a month ago. “We talked about how we both we’re getting along,” Canney said.

Two months ago, Johnson took time with a reporter, too, tickled, he said, to see that local artist Fred Easker was painting a landscape for the interior of the new federal courthouse now going up downtown.

Johnson wanted to point out that Easker was a Jefferson High School student back in the mid-1960s when Johnson was mayor and decided the city needed a city flag. Easker came up with the winning design.

Johnson said he was also proud that he initiated the charcoal portraits of the city’s mayors that now hang outside the council chambers in what is now the empty, flood-damaged City Hall. He also held a contest for a city song.

He said the city band always used to play the song at the end of their concerts, but then he said that gave way over the years.

Johnson said he asked the band why it stopped playing the song, and he said he was told, “The minute we start to play it people start to leave.”

White House Phone Call Records 11/22/63

BK Notes: This document is important because it gives the exact times that LBJ and RFK talked on the telephone between AF1 at Love Field and DC before the plane took off. It also gives exact times for other phone calls that are referenced on the AF 1 Radio Tapes.

FAX COVER SHEET – P. 001/003
RECEIVE MAR -5 1997
ASSASSINATION RECORDS REVIEW BOARD

LARGE PICTURE OF THE WHITE HOUSE

TELEPHONE NUMER (202) 465-2150
FAX NUMBER (202) 395-4076
SECURE FAX NUMBER (202) 757-1269

Number of Pages including this 3 Date: March 5, 1997

To: Ron Haron Fax # 202-724-0457

From: LtCol Raths

Message: Info you requested.

WHITE HOUSE TELEPHONE CALLS 11/22/63

UNCLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL
Declassified BY CDR, WHCA on 3 FEB 96

SENT
WHCA

1966 DEC 29 21 31

EEA 712
PP WTE 19
DE WTE 2 841

FROM: COL. ALBRIGHT, CO WHCA
TO : MR. JACOBSEN, LBJ RANCH
CITE: CAP661353

C O N F I D E N T I A L UNCLASSIFIED

THE FOLLOWING LIST OF TELEPHONE CALLS WERE RECORDED BY
THE WHTE HOUSE SWITCHBOARD ON 22 NOVEMBER 1963. THE ATTORNEY
GENERAL (REFERRED TO AS AG IN THE LISTING) WAS INVOLVED IN 16 CALLS DURING THE DAY IN QUESTION. OF THESE 15 CALLS TWO (2) WERE WITH vp JOHNSON.

NOV 22

934 A MCCONE CLD BUNDY MTG LW OK
949 A MANATOS CLD PMG OK
1200 P BUNDY CLD MCNAMARA OK
200 P MCCONE CLD AG OK
205 P CELEBREZZE CALLED FELDMAN IN JAPN UNTIL 29TH
208 P MRS. SHRIVER CLD AG OK
210 P SECYBALL WANTS RUSK EN ROUTE FR HONOLULU ON PLANE OK
212 P SHEPARD CLD AG RES OK
214 P JEHOVER CLD AG OK
215 P AG CLD MCNAMARA GENERAL TAYLOR’S OFFICE OK
220 P SENKENNEDY CLD AG OK
225 P CAPTSHEPARD CLAD AG OK
230 P BUNDY CLD BALL OK
231 P REARDON CLAD AG RES COULD NOT REACH CA
246 P BUNDY CLD BALL OK
249 P AG CALD SHEPARD OK
256 P VP CLD AG OK (Checkmark next to this entry)
259 P AG CLD KATZENBACH OK
302 P AG CLD VP OK (Checkmark next to this entry)
307 P BELL CLD BUNDY O/O WT MISS BOYCE OK
308 P BUNDY CLD AG OK
310 P SHRIVER A2362 CLD AG OK
310 P PNG CLD DUNGAN MTG LU 322P TOLD SECY OK
315 P AG CLD MCNAMARA OK
320 P MCNAMARA CLD AG OK
322 P BUNDY CLD BALL OK
330 P BALL CALD BUNDY OK
331 P BALL CLAD BUNDY OK
335 P MCCONE CLD MCNAMARA OK
340 P MCCONE CLAD GILPATRIC
350 P RUSK CALD BALL OK

page 2

405 P SHRIVER CLD AG OK
410 P BUNDY CLAD BALL OK
403 P JEHOOVER CLD AG OK (Time out of sequence?)
410 P MCNAMARA CLD AG ON PH 415 P OK
418 P AMB DUKE CLD SGT CHANCE OK
420 P MCNAMARA CLD MISS NOVELLA 187X2001 OK
434 P WIESNER RES CLD GILPATRIC OK
435 P MCNAMAR CLD MRS. RX EL-6-7872
435 P DR. WIESNER RES CLD MCCONE BY ON PH LW 445 P OK
436 P BUNDY CLD MCNAMARA ON OTHER LINE NM
454 P BUNDY CLD MCNAMARA OK
505 P AMBTHOMPSON CLAD MCCONE OK
510 P BUNDY CLD MCNAMARA OK
512 P BSMITH CLD BALL OK
600 P STAATS CLD WMHOPKINS OK
600 P STAATS CLD GORDON RES OK
602 P HOPKINS CLD STAAATS OK
605 P MCCONE CLD BUNDY OK
725 P BUNDY CLD BALL OK
735 P GOV HARRTMAN 333 5362 CLD R DAVIS FE-7-2998 BY 756P OK
816 P DESAUTELS CLD GORDON RES OK
821 P HARRIMAN CLD SCHLESINGER FE-3-3931 LW AT RES OK
952 P CHAYES 182X4242 CLD BALL X2149 OK
1116 P CHASE CLD BALL RES OK
1100 A MANATOS CLD STAATS ON HILL TESTIFYING LW LP STAATS RC
MANATOS OUT TO LUNCH LW
1154 P A W JENKINS X2171 CLD DESAUTELS BY 1156A LW
1208 P GORDON CLD BELL LW
244 P BALL CLD BUNDY LW
400 P REARDON CLD CELEBREZZE WILL LOC LW
422 P BILL HADDAD NYC CLD AG NO DOES NOT WANT TO TALK TO ANYONE
430 P MC NAMARA CLD BUNDY 0/0 LW
750 P BALL OFO CLD RUSK ON PLANE BY
1050 P MAJOR COOK CLD AMB DUKE EN ROUTE TO AIRPORT LW AT RES

DTG: 2822432 DEC 66

GPS: 492

UNCLASSIFIED
CONFIDENTIAL

Many thanks to Doug Horne for providing this document.
BK Notes: I will scan and post this doc here ASAP.

Off the Tapes - What's Missing from AF1 Radio Tapes

OFF THE TAPES – What’s Missing from the AF1 Radio Tapes
By William Kelly

At first analysis, it seemed quite clear that if McGeorge Bundy, the President’s national security advisor in the Situation Room at the White House, told those aboard Air Force One that the culprit in the assassination was arrested and there was no conspiracy before the accused assassin was even charged with a crime, then this was a premature announcement that had to stem from close to those who had President Kennedy killed.

This was first brought out by Philadelphia attorney Vincent Salandria and reinforced by E. Martin Schotz and others who immediately suspected that the assassination was not only a conspiracy but a coup with origins within the government itself.
1) Salandria, Tales of the Tapes.

Salandria was basing much of his analysis on the early and first hand accounts of T. H. White, William Manchester and Pierre Salinger, all of whom read and quoted from transcripts of the recorded Air Forced One radio conversations though they never heard the Air Force One radio tapes, something we can do now.

CONSOLONG THE STRICKEN & GUIDING THE QUICK

Theodore.H. White, author of the The Making of the President series of books, who first described Jackie Kennedy’s “Camelot,” wrote in The Making of a President 1964, "There is a tape recording in the archives of the government which best recaptures the sound of the hours as it waited for leadership. It is a recording of all the conversations in the air, monitored by the Signal Corps Midwestern center ‘Liberty,’ between Air Force One in Dallas, the Cabinet plane over the Pacific, and the Joint Chiefs’ Communications Center in Washington….On the flight the party learned that there was no conspiracy, learned the identity of Oswald and his arrest; and the President’s mind turned to the duties of consoling the stricken and guiding the quick."
2) White, T. H. Making of a President 1964.

NO CONFEDERATES

According to the analysis of E. Martin Schotz and Vincent Salandria (in History Will Not Absolve Us, 1996), "And yet the White House had informed President Johnson and the other occupants of Air Force One, all of them witnesses to the hail of bullets which had poured down on Dealey Plaza, that as of the afternoon of the assassination there was to be no conspiracy and that Oswald was to be the lone assassin. If White’s report were correct this would mean that federal officials in Washington were marrying the government to the cover-up of Oswald as the lone assassin virtually instantaneously. This could have occurred only if those federal authorities had had foreknowledge that the evidence would implicate Oswald and that he would have ‘no confederates.’ An innocent government could not have reacted in such a fashion internally."
3) History Will Not Absolve Us. (1966)

William Manchester, personally selected by Jackie Kennedy to write the definitive story of the assassination, wrote in The Death of the President: “Aft of the cockpit Signalman John Trimble was too busy to brood. He had three phone patches going to the communications shack, and he was using Hanson's UHF and VHF sets, yet it wasn't enough. Every official in Washington it seemed, wanted to talk to Air Force One...Several conversations were trivial....Lem Johns was forwarding instructions to the White House Communications Agency, and Bill Moyers was talking to Walter Jenkins and Mac Bundy. (Ted Clifon talked to Bundy, too, asking again whether an international plot was emerging. It was not a discreet inquiry. Trimble's patches were not secure. They could be bugged. Bundy replied crisply that the Pentagon was taking its own steps.) But the bulk of the verbal traffic was about President Kennedy...” (p. 341) - Death of a President, Manchester. (Footnote 9 - p. 371). “That Friday Lyndon Johnson did not know that John Kennedy had ordered the taping of all Angel conversations while the plane was in flight. On April 21, 1964, this writer learned that the Love-to-Andrews tape still existed. Since security was not involved, it was first thought that a complete transcript of it would serve as a useful appendix to this book. Presidential consent was withheld, however. On May 5, 1965, the author was permitted to read an edited transcript at the White House. Doubtless the tape will be available to future historians.”
4) William Manchester, Death of the President.

Pierre Salinger, the President’s Press Secretary, also obtained a transcript that contained information not on the existing tapes. Salinger was on the cabinet plane (tail #86972) over the Pacific with Secretary of State Dean Rusk and a half dozen other to members of the administration, on their way to Japan for a summit. Salinger begins his memoirs, On Instructions of My Government by relating the story of how he first learned the President had been shot and what occurred over the ensuring next few hours while they were in the air.
5) Pierre Salinger, On Instructions of My Government.

All three say that they were permitted to read a transcript of the radio communications, but not permitted to hear the actual tapes, and all three relate information that isn’t on the existing tapes we have today, which of course should raise many questions.

In his book Pierre Salinger wrote:

By 7 A.M., our sleek blue and white presidential Boeing 707 jet was lifting off Hickam Field, headed for Wake Island and Tokyo…I was immersed in my reading sometime later when I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up. It was Robert Manning, the Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. “The Secretary wants to see you up forward,” he said. Up forward was the private cabin reserved for the President, but used on this trip by the Secretary of State as the senior officer aboard.

In an oral history of Kennedy administration, Manning later recalled that he had heard the wire service machine bells sound, which meant there was in important bulletin forthcoming, and he read the first news reports of the President being shot in Dallas and gave it to Dean Rusk, the Secretary of State.
6) Oral History of JFK Administration, Manning, Robert

Salinger:

I found the Secretary, grave-faced, holding a yellow piece of paper in his hand. I recognized it instantly as coming from the plane’s teletype machine. Because this plane was used a great deal by the President, it carried sophisticated communications equipment not usually carried on commercial airliners. One of these extra communications items was a newspaper teletype. The other members of the Cabinet on the trip were already in the cabin. There was Secretary of the Treasury Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Interior Stewart Udall, Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, and Secretary of Labor Willard Wirtz.

As we waited for Myer Feldman of the White House staff and Walter Heller, the chairman of the President’s Council on Economic Adivisor’s, I looked over Secretary Rusk’s shoulder.

The words on the page were badly scrambled – but what I managed to read was unbelievable.

UPI-207
BULLET NSSS
PRECEDE KENNEDY
X DALLAS, NTEXAS, NOV 22 (708LASTTHREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AT PRESIXENT KENNEDY’S MOTORCADE TODAY IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS
HSQETPEST
VVUPLF208
P
KENNEDY WOUNDED PERHAPS FATALLY BY VASSASSINS BULLET
HS139PEST’SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Salinger:

I kept reading it over and over again as Feldman and Heller pushed their way into the cabin. The words stayed on the paper. They would not go away.

Secretary Rusk read us the last brief bulletin.

“My God!” gasped Orville Freeman...Then there was an interminable silence as each man became lost in his private sorrow.

“We’ve got to turn back right now,” I said to Secretary Rusk.

“That’s right, but we have to verify this somehow. Get us in communication with the White House and see if you can get Admiral Felt at CINCPAC...”

I pushed my way through the forward door of the cabin into the communications section of the plane. “Get the White House and Admiral Felt,” I ordered the communicators, Sergeants Walter C. Baughman and Darrell Skinner.

In less than a minute, from almost 6000 miles away, I was talking to the White House Situation Room, the operating nerve center of the nation.

“Situation Room, this is Wayside [my code name]. Can you give me latest situation on Lancer [the President’s code name’?

The answer came right back: “He and Governor Connally have been hit in car in which they were riding.”

I replied: “Please keep us advised. Secretary Rusk is on this plane headed for Japan. We are returning to Honolulu. Will be there in about two hours. We will need to be advised to determine whether some members should go direct to Dallas.”

I put the microphone down and told Sergeant Baughman to keep the line open and working on our call to Admiral Felt and stepped back into the cabin to report to Secretary Rusk. He promptly ordered the plane to turn around.

The radio operator called me forward almost immediately to take a call from the Situation Room:

“AP bulletin is just coming in. President hit in the head. That just came in.”

“Understand. President hit in the head,” I replied, heading back to Secretary Rusk’s cabin.

We were then 1200 miles from Wake Island and 800 miles from Hawaii. Secretary Rusk had swiftly taken control of the situation. If the President lived, he felt it was essential that certain members of the party on the plane go immediately to Dallas, to his side. Others should get back to Washington as soon as possible. The Secretary decided that he, Bob Manning, and I should go to Dallas, and that the others on the plane should go back to the Capital.

Communications were established with Admiral Harry D. Felt…..The plane roared through the early morning skies. We were informed that a jet had been set up for a trip to Dallas, if necessary. I got two more messages. The first was from “Stranger.” He said our plane was to turn around and go back to Washington...
7) Salinger, Pierre

On the Clifton/Raab Tape Patch #2b

[14:44]
Radio Operator - Go ahead, please
White House Sit Room - Wayside? Wayside? This is Stranger. Do you read me? Over.
Salinger - This is Wayside. Go ahead.
WH - Kilduff asked that all cabinet members return to Washington immediately. Over.
Salinger - We are enroute to Honolulu, where we have ah....Washington. Over
WH - Roger Roger, will they notifiy us of time of arrival and location? Over [15:21]
Salinger - Roger, Roger, we do not have any firm....as to the exact status...go...Dallas...Wayside....go ahead.
WH - Wayside this is Stranger, I'll get that information...over….
8) Kelly Transcript of AF1 Radio Communications

THE MISSING CODE BOOK

Salinger:

My report of these messages seriously troubled Secretary Rusk. He wanted to know who Stranger was.

Aboard every presidential jet there is usually a White House codebook. We searched for it for about five minutes, but there was none aboard this plane.

“We have to know who Stranger is,” Secretary Rusk said. “We don’t know what is happening in Dallas. Who is the government now?”

And certainly this was a question running through everybody’s mind. We had no further word on President Kennedy. Was his shooting an isolated event or part of a national or international conspiracy? Certainly, if the latter were true, our own plane was not immune to attack because any foreign power which had planned the shooting of the President would certainly not be unaware of the fact that six of his ten Cabinet members were in an airplane high over the Pacific.

The decision was made that I was to break the code and find out the identity of Stranger...
9) Salinger.

[17:20]
- Liberty?
- Go ahead.
- 86972, 86972 Andrews.
- 86972 You are loud and clear.
- Roger. Give me the name, the real name of Stranger please...from the White House.
- Roger. Say again the name. What is the name sir? Stranger.
- Stranger – S-T-R-A-N-G-E-R
- SAM Command Post is on will you give them a call?
- ....Mr. Jackson from the state department.
- We are returning to Hickham field...three zero Zulu...We are standing by for more information...
- Stand by for just a moment sir.
- Roger, Roger Seven two, Let us know when you are going to leave Hickham and what your destination is.
- Okay we will keep you advised, have Wayside give them a call.
- That's a Roger 72.
- 86972 – Andrews.
- Andrews.
- Roger. In reference to request. A Major Harold R. Patterson, Major Harold R. Paterson. (is the identity of Stranger.)
10) Kelly Transcript of Air Force One radio communications.

Salinger:
In a minute, I got the answer back. Stranger was Major Harold R. Patterson, a high-ranking officer in the White House Communications Agency. He was, at the time of his transmission to our plane, in Washington D.C. I knew Patterson well. He was one of the most trusted members of the White House staff and he would not have sent us the message without very clear instructions….11)

Today, Major Harold “Pat” Patterson recalls the situation well, [and in a telephone conversation], confirmed what is related in Salinger’s account, except Patterson also recalls, when asked his identity, telling Salinger to check the code book in the safe on the plane, and then only identifying himself when the code book was found missing. That only one exchange that is not on the existing tape. 12) Kelly.

The oddest thing about all of this is White, Manchester and Salinger have the highest, almost impeccable credentials as respected journalists, but none of the most significant things they say are actually on the existing radio tapes.

White – “They learned the identity of Oswald, there was no conspiracy, ,”
Manchester – Bundy to Clifton – ‘the military were taking their own steps.’”
Patterson – “I told them to check the code book in the safe on the plane.”

Salinger also says that it was while they were in the air enroute to Washington they learned Oswald was a suspect and there was no conspiracy.

Salinger:

The messages kept coming off the wire service machine and finally one started grinding out the story of Lee Harvey Oswald and his previous life in Russia and his membership in the Fair Play for Cuba Committee. This went against all the preconceived theories we had established.

“If this is true,” Secretary Rusk said, “this is going to have repercussions around the world for years to come.” His words were prophetic because even today, only in the United States is the report of the Warren Commission, fixing the sole responsibility on Oswald, widely believed…..It took us only eight hours and thirty-one minutes to make the non-stop flight from Honolulu to Andrews Air Force Base. We arrived there at 12:31 A.M., Washington time, and stepped out of the plane into a barrage of lights from television cameras… [End Salinger]
13) Salinger.

And all three journalists – White, Manchester and Salinger said they were provided official transcripts of the Air Force One radio communications that they read and accurately quoted or paraphrased. White and Manchester said that they were permitted to read the transcripts while visiting the LBJ White House, and Salinger said while writing his book he was given a copy of the transcript by the White House Communications Agency (WHCA), and when he was finished with it he passed it on to the JFK Library, where it subsequently had disappeared when Salandria asked for it.
14) Salandria.

And unfortunately, there is no longer "a tape recording in the archives of the government," other than an officially released edited tape that does not contain any of the significant information referred to by White, Manchester, Salinger or Patterson.

The original, unedited tape recordings of the Air Force One radio transmissions, which President Kennedy personally ordered to be recorded for posterity, cannot be located among the “archives of government” despite an Act of Congress, a Assassinations Records Review Board (ARRB) subpoena and numerous Freedom of Information Act requests. Our government seems to have simply lost the recordings, with no records being kept of their whereabouts or destruction, if in fact they were destroyed.
15) See: ARRB Final Report (p. 116) WHCA.

The recent discovery of an unofficial, though still severely edited, but longer copy of the Air Force One radio transmission tapes, changes all that. The new tapes, found among the effects of the President’s military aide, the late Gen. Chester Clifton, is a better quality recording, longer, and contains “patches” of conversations not on the officially released recording.
16) LBJ Library Tape 1 1975; Clifton/Raab Tapes 2/3, 2012

So we now have two edited versions of the tape recordings that the transcripts (read by White, Manchester and Salinger) were ostensibly based on. Since much of what they say are not on the existing tapes, they must have been intentionally edited out from the tape released to the public and from the copies given to Gen. Clifton, which also contained conversations not on the official tapes released by the LBJ Library.


1) Salandria, Vincent. Tale of the Tapes.
2) White, T. H.. Making of the President 1964.
3) Scholtz, E. M. History Will Not Absolve Us
4) Manchester , William. The Death of a President.
5) Salinger, Pierre. On Instructions of my Government
6) Manning, Robert. Oral History of the Kennedy Administration
7) Salinger.
8) Kelly, William. Transcript of LBJ/Clifton Air Force One Radio Transmission Tapes
9) Salinger.
10) Kelly, Wm. Transcript of LBJ/Clifton AF1 Radio Transmission Tapes
11) Salinger.
12) Kelly. Wm. Phone interview with Pat Patterson. February, 2012
13) Salinger.
14) Salandria, Vincent. Tale of the Tapes
15) ARRB Final Report (P. 115) WHCA See below.
16) LBJ Library Tape 1 1975; Clifton/Raab Tape 2/3 2012

Off the Ticker - Early UPI & AP Wire Service Reports

OFF THE TICKER – Early reports of the shooting, death of the President and arrest of Oswald came off the UPI & AP Wire Service bulletins sent via teletype.

Besides the key conversations that are missing from the edited Air Force One radio recordings, it is now also apparent that most of the major players learned of the assassination from the wire service tickertape reports.

The only exceptions are those who were tuned in to the “Charlie” channel used by the Secret Service and heard SS Agent Kellerman yell, “Lawson, he’s hit!.” Those who were listening to this channel included Air Force One pilot Col. Swindel, those agents at the Dallas Sheraton Hotel communications command center and any others who had access to the special motorcade “Charlie” channel. After that initial burst, the UPI & AP wire service reports became the primary source of assassination information for everyone. 1)

Although some of the wire service reports were read directly over the sideband radio, it wasn’t from the White House Situation Room that Air Force One and the Cabinet plane (86972) learned of the shooting, Kennedy’s death and Oswald’s arrest and his background, it was direct from the “wire service machine” aka “the ticker” or the UPI and AP teletype machines on board the planes.

And even if Air Force One and 86972 – the Cabinet Plane learned these details from the White House Situation Room, the Situation Room personnel probably learned those details from the wire service teletype and not from any official source in Dallas.

Reel 1 Side One –
Patch 5 (630)

- White House, Situation Room, do you read m
- White House, White House, this is Wayside, do you read me?
- This is White House. I read you loud and clear Wayside. Over.
- Can you give me the latest situation on President? Over.
- You want the Situation Room?
- Repeat that.…..
- This is Crown, This is Crown. Do you want Situation Room?
- I want the Situation Room That’s affirmative. Roger.
- Stand by Please.
- Wayside, Wayside, this is Crown. Situation Room is on. Go ahead.
- Situation Room. This is Waysdie, do you read me? Over.
- This is the Situation Room. I read you. Go ahead.
- Give me all available information on President. Over.
- All information on President follows. Ah, ….He and Governor Connally were hit in the car in which they were riding. We do not know how…..no information. Mister Bromley Smith is back here in the Situation Room now. We are getting our information over the tickers. Over.
- That is affirmative. That is affirmative.
2) Kelly Transcript

TAPE #1 – Serial Patch 6

- 26000, Andrews, I have the White House
- Okay, thank you.
- And I want to keep this frequency open
- The frequency has been taken
- …give, a copy
- Roger.
- 86972 is good and readable. I have a party on that wants to talk to you. Stand by.
- Standing by.
- Hello? What is your name again?
- Jackson.
- Mr. Jackson?
- Yes.
- Okay. Hold on line one. 86972, Andrews, I have a Mister Jackson on. Will you give him a call, please?
- Okay.
- Roger. This is Colonel Toomey. Go ahead.
- Colonel Toomey, this is Murray Jackson. The President of the United States has been shot and seriously wounded in Dallas, Texas. The President of the United States, John F. Kennedy has been shot and seriously wounded in Dallas, Texas. Governor Connally was also shot at the same time. Would you please get the message to Secretary of State Rusk, and I will stand by. Over.
- Roger, Murray. We have already received the news. We have the UPI on….
3) Kelly Transcript.

In fact, news of Oswald’s arrest was announced over the radio and wire service reports before 26000 – Air Force One even left Dallas.
4) Kelly Time Chart Chronology of Events.

We also know that the White House Situation Room, the White House Communications Center, Andrews Operations Center as well as those on Air Force One and 86972 all first learned of the assassination from the wire service reports and not from emergency communications.

Just as Manning on 86972 had heard the UPI bells that warned him of a special news bulletin, the White House Communications Switchboard learned the President had been shot from the same source.
5) Manning, Robert. Oral History.

Reel 1 Side One – Patch 5 (630)

- White House, Situation Room, do you read m
- White House, White House, this is Wayside, do you read me?
- This is White House. I read you loud and clear Wayside. Over.
- Can you give me the latest situation on President? Over.
- You want the Situation Room?
- Repeat that.…..
- This is Crown, This is Crown. Do you want Situation Room?
- I want the Situation Room That’s affirmative. Roger.
- Stand by Please.
- Wayside, Wayside, this is Crown. Situation Room is on. Go ahead.
- Situation Room. This is Waysdie, do you read me? Over.
- This is the Situation Room. I read you. Go ahead.
- Give me all available information on President. Over.
- All information on President follows. Ah,….He and Governor Connally were hit in the car in which they were riding. We do not know how…..no information. Mister Bromley Smith is back here in the Situation Room now. We are getting our information over the tickers. Over.
6) Kelly, Wm. Transcript.

The “tickers” are the AP – Associated Press and UPI – United Press International wire service teletypes that went out to ever newspaper, radio and television newsroom in the United States and most of the world.

TEN BELLS

In his White House Communications Agency (WHCA) after-action report, Communications Specialist 4th Class Witte reported: “I was wandering about the Comm Center as usual picking up little bits of information about how the place worked when I was attracted by a series of 5 bells on UPI. I looked over PFC Russell’s shoulder to see what was about to appear.”
6) Witte, SP4. WHCA Report of 11/22/63.

When I worked on a story with Bill Vidka at WMMR radio news office in Philadelphia, a series of bells alerted him to turn on a tape machine, and he explained that it was the UPI wire service alert for a special news bulletins. Bob Chockrum notes that, “Ten bells are for a news flash, five for a bulletin, four for urgent and three for advisory.”
7) Cockrum, Robert. Re: First UPI teletype as portrayed in Bishop, Jim. The Day Kennedy Was Shot.

Just as the wire service bells has alerted Robert Manning aboard the cabinet plane, the wire service bells got the attention of CS4 Witte in the White House Communcations Room.

“There was nothing for what seemed like a long time,” Witte later reported, “but was probably less than ten seconds, and then, on a line, in a shaky hand came UPI’s bulletin heading ‘….Dallas, with Kennedy….’ The text consisted of five words on line, gabled, misspelled and unsteady, ‘Kennedy, Connelly shot, possibly fatally.’ And then nothing.”

Witte: “Russell jumped and said ‘hey you guys, look at this!’, The guys were Sgts Dreyllinger and Bodensteinger who were standing by the TWX. Dreylinger and Bodensteiner laughed slightly, as one would at a bad joke (which, it turned out, is what they thought it was). I went around to check the patch board to make sure someone hadn’t plugged UPI onto a different machine and put a piece of our gear at the other end of the monitor I had been watching in order to see what kind of action they could get out of duping a couple of new bodies in the Comm Center (It had been a slow afternoon). For a full minute people just walked around in circles, Russell and I affirming that we had actually seen the bulletin come in on the monitor (although admitting the possibility that someone at UPI might be wanting to lose his job in a hurry), and the rest of the Comm Center personnel becoming more and more convinced that the bulletin was real. AP came in with a confirming bulletin in about 70 seconds after UPI. Someone called the Duty Officer.”
8) Witte.

SGT Bodensteiner: “I was working on a circuit near our UPI and AP news monitors when one of the other operators, who had been reading the news, told me that the President had been shot. My first reaction was that I thought he was only joking. He then told me to come and read it on the UPI monitor myself. This still didn’t convince me that it was true, thinking that he could have easily typed it on the machine himself as a joke. I no sooner had told him that wasn’t a very nice rumor to start when I saw a more detailed item come over our AP monitor. We then told the other operators and the D.O. was notified.”
9) Bodensteiner. WHCA Report

Specialist First Class Chief Operator Carriger: “Someone handed me a bulletin from UPI stating that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Tex. I immediately called Sgt. Tucker and passed info to her. Her immediate reaction was “Oh, you’re kidding me”, repeated several times. After I had somewhat convinced her that info received over UPI news ckt., she said she would pass to Major Patterson.”
10) Carriger. WHCA Report.

According to Salinger, the Cabinet plane (86972) only had UPI but the Communications Room at the White House had had both.

As David Lifton points out both AP and UPI “wires are primary sources — as important as the 26 volumes, but this statement only applies to the first few hours, and to the pursuit of any hypothesis in which a dynamic or fast breaking situation is being tracked or analyzed for unexpected developments. One thing I can say: once one starts to go down this path, it becomes an entire research project, because much of the major network broadcast material becomes irrelevant… But I can assure you that both are critical to understanding the event.”

“Understanding the chronology of both of these wire services is critical to understanding how the media was ‘played’ on November 22, 1963,” says Lifton. “ Of course, there were probably certain other ‘media assets’ that were utilized that day, but I have focused on the two wire services because of the major role they played in determining the radio and TV ‘network coverage’ that emanated from New York UPI.”
11) Lifton, David.

The first news of the shooting to come out of Dallas was the report by Merriman Smith, which was sent out on the UPI teletype wire five minutes after the shooting and was read in newsrooms around the world as well as by Manning aboard 86972, and was considered a bad joke in the White House Communications Center.
12) WHCA Reports.

The first report from Merriman Smith came from the front seat of the Press Pool car in the motorcade, which had a radio-telephone that Smith used to immediately call the Dallas UPI office to report “three shots had been fired at the President as he rode in a motorcade in downtown Dallas,” adding “no casualties,” and while AP reporter Jack Bell in the backseat tried to get the phone from Smith, Smith asked the Dallas UPI to read back his report. By the time Bell got the phone it had gone dead, giving UPI the initial scoop on the story of the century.

First UPI "A" wire transmission read: Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI) – THREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AT PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S MOTORCADE TODAY IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS. JT1234PCS –


(NOTE: "1234 PCS" means "12:34 Central Standard time. The initials on the typed line specifying the time of transmission are those of the teletype operator.)

David Lifton: “The first transmission was the result of Merriman Smith excitedly talking to (Wilborn Hampton) at the UPI Dallas office, which means it went from his lips to UPI's Wilborn Hampton, who took the call; then to staff editor Don Smith, who actually wrote the copy (along with Hampton); and then it was handed to teletype operator Jim Tolbert, who actually punched out the words onto perforated paper, and fed the punched paper-tape into the teletype machine, pressing ‘send’ at 12:34 PM CST.”

The ‘JT’ before the time of 1234 are the initials of Jim Tolbert, the UPI teletype operator in Dallas.

Then came another, five minutes later, and that reads as follows: 12:39 PM CST UPI A8N DA URGENT 1st Add Shots, Dallas (A7N) XXX DOWNTOWN DALLAS. NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ON MAIN STREET, JUST EAST OF AN UNDERPASS LEADING TOWARDS THE TRADE MART WHERE THE PRESIENT WAS TO MA FLASH FLASH KENNEDY FLASH
KENNEDY SERIOSTY WOUNDED PESTSSSSSSS HS 138/
SSSSSSSSSSS MAKE THAT PERHAPS PERHAPS SERIOUSLY WOUNDED
HSQEOPEST SSSSSSSSSSSSSS
GJ OWHL W WOUND HQ139PESTXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
SERIOUSLY WOUNDED PERHAPS SERIOUSLY PERHAPS FATALLY BY ASSASSINS BULLET HS139PESTSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS JT 1239PCS
13) Lifton, David

In response to Jim Bishop (in The Day Kennedy Was Shot) 2008 former UPI editor Bob Cockrum wrote: “I was reading the page on which you have UPI copy from the Kennedy assassination. You have – ‘It was a teletype bulletin but the operator who sent it must have been confused or upset:’ And then you have the garbled transmission of a story from Hanover, Germany, and Dallas. It looks like what that actually is, is a wire fight within the New York office before they actually let Dallas start sending direct. But on the sending teletype there is a ‘break’ key which can be held down and interrupt anything that is going out on the same wire in the same bureau or another one. I imagine there was plenty of confusion; it appears the teletype operator ‘HS’ broke into the story for the bulletin. But then the Germany story is restarted and HS breaks in again, ‘moring’ off the story. He is either extremely nervous or maybe the Germany story is not totally broken off ... or his keyboard/transmitter is not working properly. All the S's you see would actually have been ringing the teletype bell - the bell is made to ring by going to the upper rail (upper case) on the all caps teletype keyboard, but it didn't shift like it was supposed to, so it came out a bunch of S's. In some cases there are fewer S's than standard (10 bells for a flash, five for a bulletin, four for an urgent, three for an advisory) but then you have that long string after the last entry. The HSQETPEST after the "bulletin precede" translates to the operator's initials (who may have been a reporter/editor and not a regular teletype operator) then it should have shifted to the upper rail for numbers 1:35 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.”
14) Cockrum, Robert.

A detailed account of the goings-on at the UPI office were published in a book a few years back--"Kennedy Assassinated" by Wilborn Hampton, who was actually on the phone with Merriman Smith.
15) Hampton, Wilborn. Kennedy Assassinated.

Sixth Floor Oral History profile: Wilborn Hampton - The youngest United Press International (UPI) reporter at the Dallas bureau, Hampton took the call from Merriman Smith in the motorcade with word of the president's shooting. Hampton spent time that weekend at Parkland Memorial Hospital and Dallas City Hall, where he attended Oswald's midnight press conference. Years later, while serving as a longtime editor at The New York Times, Hampton wrote a series of young adult history books, including Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns: A Reporter's Story (1997). Recorded November 23, 2009.
16) Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas, Texas.

Hampton: Certainly I will never forget where I was that day. I was standing by the news desk in the Dallas office of United Press International, mostly trying to stay out of the way. I had been working at U.P.I. for only two months. News agencies like U.P.I. and the Associated Press, U.P.I.’s chief rival, provide news stories to newspapers and television and radio stations. It was my first job after finishing the University of Texas in Austin that summer, and I was still learning the ropes.

It had been very hectic in the office for the previous two days. President John F. Kennedy was making a highly publicized trip to Texas, going to five cities and making a major speech in Dallas. The Presidential visit was what was called in those days a fence-mending trip. The Texas governor, John B. Connally, and the state’s senior senator, Ralph Yarborough, were involved in a political feud that even Kennedy’s vice president, Lyndon B. Johnson, who was also from Texas, couldn’t patch up. So Kennedy himself was coming to the state to try to reconcile them. Connally, Yarborough, and Johnson were all traveling with the President in a public display of unity.

Everybody in the Dallas office had been busy on the story. Everybody, that is, except me. Since I was the most inexperienced reporter on the staff, I did not have a lot to do with covering Kennedy’s trip. As a result, I had felt like a fifth wheel around the office since the President had arrived in Texas.

The only part I had played so far in covering the President’s visit was to take some dictation over the telephone the previous day from Merriman Smith, who was U.P.I.’s chief White House reporter. But that was about to change in the next couple of minutes. In fact, my whole life was about to change.

Merriman Smith was known to everyone by his nickname, Smitty, and he had been covering Presidents since Roosevelt. Since he was the senior White House reporter, Smitty always traveled with the President and always rode in the press car in Presidential motorcades, right next to the car phone, which was still a rare enough item to be considered modern technology. After taking the dictation from him, I gave Smitty’s notes to Preston McGraw, who was known as Mac, to turn into a news story.

Everyone else had worked late the previous night. But when I had asked Jack Fallon, the U.P.I. division news manager, if he wanted me to stay and help out too, he told me no, I could go on home. It was a disappointment to me.

So, there I was, standing by the news desk, while there was a lull in the Dallas office. President Kennedy had arrived at Love Field, the Dallas airport, on a five-minute flight from Fort Worth, and he was at that moment driving through downtown Dallas in a motorcade on his way to the Trade Mart, where he was to make his speech. Governor Connally was riding with him.

There had been a flurry of activity in the office with the President’s takeoff from Fort Worth, where he had spent the previous night, and his arrival in Dallas. Although Dallas was considered hostile political territory to Kennedy, a large crowd turned out to greet him at Love Field. Jackie Kennedy was given a bouquet of roses and both the President and the First Lady went over to shake hands with some of the people at the airport.

And all along the motorcade route through downtown Dallas, thousands of people lined the sidewalks along Main Street to see the President as he drove by. Smitty had even called in from the telephone in the press car to dictate a paragraph to Jack Fallon about how surprisingly large the crowds were.

But the office was quiet now, everyone relaxing for a few minutes until the President arrived at the Trade Mart, and the frenzy of covering an American President would resume.

So I was alone as I stood by the news desk that day. I was wondering whether I should offer to get sandwiches for the rest of the office from the diner across the street, and whether I would get to stay and help out that night when the President flew on to Austin, the last stop on his trip.

Suddenly the telephone rang. I picked up the receiver and answered, "U.P.I."

I immediately recognized Smitty’s voice from the day before. But this time Smitty was shouting.

"Bulletin precede!" Smitty yelled. "Three shots were fired at the motorcade!"
17) Hampton, Wilborn.

UPI Teletype input device, similar to the one used by the Dallas UPI office on 11/22/63

Overview KENNEDY ASSASSINATED!
The astonishing story of a cub reporter who was there on the day that the President died.
On November 22, 1963, the phone rang in the Dallas U.P.I. office. Wilborn Hampton, a cub reporter, answered and heard these words: "Three shots fired!" It was the voice of the U.P.I. White House reporter. The gunshots had been fired at President Kennedy—and young Hampton was the first to receive the news. This is his story, a riveting account of a young man swept into the white-hot core of a tragedy that would shake the world. It is also a minute-by-minute chronicle of how reporters collected the facts of the major news story of the twentieth century. KENNEDY ASSASSINATED! will leave readers with an unforgettable sense of the shock, grief, and enduring loss that every American experienced that day.

ARTHUR W. BALES, JR. CWO USA, Trip Officer (WHCA) wrote in his report at the end of the day: “The motorcade then departed for the trip through downtown Dallas and to the Trade Mart. In the WHCA Communications Car were: A telco driver; the undersigned WHCA Advance Officer; the WHCA Courier, Mr. Gearheart; and the Telco special representative (or ‘Shadow’), Mr. Herb Smith. We were approximately six cars and two (Press and Staff) buses behind the President. The motorcade had just passed the last buildings on the route before entering the freeway to the Trade Mart. The WHCA Communications Car was around two corners from and not in sight of the President’s car. Three explosions were heard, and I thought that they were backfires from vehicles up ahead. Herb Smith remarked that firecrackers were inappropriate for the occasion. Then the USSS Agent riding with the President announced on the FM “Charlie” radio,’Lawson, he’s hit’. The motorcade came to an abrupt halt with one bus and the WHCA car still around two corners from the President. Realizing that emergency communications facilities may be required on the spot, I instructed the driver to get Mr. Gearhart immediately to the vicinity of the President and to keep him there regardless of my own location. I, with the Telco representative, Mr. Smith, then started running toward the scene of the shooting. As we rounded the first corner the motorcade suddenly raced away. I commandeered a police car and instructed the driver to take us immediately to the Parkland Hospital. We arrived short minutes after the President.”

“The Parkland Hospital: The very limited telephone facilities at the hospital were tired up by the members of the Press Pool. I immediately seized all but one line (leaving Merriman Smith on the one most remote from the Emergency Rooms) and established direct circuits to the Signal Board in Washington; the Dallas White House Bd; and to the Signal board via the Dallas and Fort Worth White House Boards. I assigned police officers to guard these phones and instructed the individual Signal Operators in Washington who were on these circuits to handle no other calls, but to guard these lines exclusively.
17) Bales, Arthur W., Jr. CWO USA, WHCA Report of 11/22/63

Merriman Smith was at Parkland, on the phone to UPI New York, and Bales worked around him, and noted Smith’s presence on the phone at Parkland in his report.

Merriman Smith and JFK

In an unofficial history of UPI it is noted: “The press car followed the limousine as it raced to Parkland Hospital. As (Merriman) Smith ran up to the limousine parked at the emergency entrance, he saw Kennedy face down on the back seat, with Jacqueline Kennedy cradling her arms around the president's head. Smith saw a secret service agent he knew and asked him about Kennedy. The agent, Clint Hill, responded: "He's dead." Smith went inside, found a phone and reached Fallon, who dictated the flash: "Kennedy seriously wounded, perhaps seriously, perhaps fatally by assassins bullet." When White House deputy press secretary Malcolm Kilduff gave official word at the hospital that Kennedy was dead, Hampton, Joe Carter and Preston McGraw set up a three-man relay between a pay phone and the news conference -- one at the conference, one running between and a third dictating to the bureau. That was backed up by Virginia Payette on a second phone and Smith, who had found a third line. Smith then went back to Air Force One, and witnessed the swearing-in of Lyndon Johnson as president. Smith's account of the assassination won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting.”
18) Illustrated History of UPI.

While the early reports Smith filed from the radio phone in the Press Pool Car in the motorcade and from Parkland Hospital went through the Dallas UPI office, he later began reporting directly to the New York UPI office.

After Smith filed his first emergency bulletin from the Press Pool Car radiophone, keeping the phone from the AP pool reporter in the back seat, AP photographer Alkins, who took a photo of the President’s car in front of the TSBD, immediately called his office and the AP wire reported the attack on the president a few minutes after the UPI report.

The AP wire starts with its very first transmission at 12:40 CST (from AP photographer James W. Altgens who said he saw blood on the President’s head. Altgens said he heard two shots but thought someone was shooting fireworks until he saw the blood on the President. Altgents said he saw no one with a gun.

BULLETIN Dallas. Nov. 22 (AP) PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS SHOT TODAY JUST AS HIS MOTORCADE LEFT DOWNTOWN DALLAS. MRS. KENNEDY JUMPED UP AND GRABBED MR. KENNEDY. SHE CRIED, “OH, NO!” THE MOTORCADE SPED ON D 1240 PCS NM
19) Lifton, David. Re: AP Wire Report.

While UPI scooped AP on the first story, AP was the first to report Oswald’s arrest.

2:35 PM CST - First AP Story Naming Oswald
3:22 PM CST- Second AP Story Naming Oswald
(with more definite link between LHO & JFK slaying)

3:46 PM CST - First UPI mention of Oswald
(now portrayed as JFK's assassin, and linked to FPCC)

2:35 PM CST – First AP Story naming Oswald
(but not yet making definitive connection with JFK assn)

2:35 AP Dallas, Tex., Nov. 22 (AP) -- The Dallas Police Department today arrested a 24 year-old man, Lee H. Oswald, in connection with the slaying of a Dallas policeman shortly after President Kennedy was assassinated. He was also being interrogated to see if he had any connection with the slaying of the President. Oswald was pulled screaming and yelling from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas.

3:22 PM CST – Second AP Story naming Oswald
(With more definite link between LHO & JFK slaying)

3:22 AP ((Called by AP "first lead arrest"; this is 1st AP mention of LHO))

Dallas, Nov. 22 (AP) -- A 24-year-old man who said two years ago he wanted Russian citizenship was questioned today to see whether he had any connection with the assassination of President Kennedy. He was identified as Lee Harvey Oswald of Forth Worth. He was pulled screaming and yelling from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas shortly after a Dallas policeman was shot to death. On Nov. 1, 1959, Oswald told the U.S. Embassy in Moscow he had applied for Soviet citizenship. He said he had been a tourist in Russia since October 13, that year. Oswald was reported to have a Russian wife. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirmed that the man held in Dallas was the same Oswald and said his mother was being taken to Dallas Police headquarters to see him.

First UPI mention of LHO (3:46 PM CST) now portrayed as JFK’s assassin, and linked to FPCC.

Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI)--Police today seized Lee H. Oswald, identified as chairman of a "Fair Play for Cuba Committee," as the prime suspect in the assassination of President Kennedy. Police said Oswald, 24, was accused in the slaying of a Dallas policeman shortly after the shooting of the President. Police Capt. Pat Gannaway said the suspect was an employee in the building where a rifle was found. Gannaway said the suspect had visited Russia and was married to a Russian. This was not immediately confirmed.
20) Lifton, David; Mack, Gary.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion it is apparent that there were a number of significant conversations between those aboard Air Force One and other locations that were intentionally edited out of the existing tape recordings released to the public.

From the existing recordings and later reports it is also clear that other than those who heard the initial “Charlie” channel radio report from Kellerman, most every major player learned of the shooting, the death of the president and the arrest of Oswald from the AP and UPI wire service reports and not from any other source.

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS AND REPORTS

Love Field, Dallas – 86972 – 26000 – AF1 – Andrews – Chronology

12:30 PM – CST – President Kennedy is shot while riding through Dealey Plaza.

12:30.30 PM – CST – SA Kellerman, in the front seat of the President’s car calls in over “Charlie” channel “Lawson, he’s hit.”

12:30.30 PM – CST – UPI reporter in the White House Pool Car in the motorcade calls UPI Dallas office and reports “Three shots fired….”

12:34 PM – CST First UPI "A" wire transmission: Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI) – THREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AT PRESIDENT KENNEDY’S MOTORCADE TODAY IN DOWNTOWN DALLAS. JT1234PCS - 1234PCS means 12:34 Central Standard time.

12:39 PM CST UPI A8N DA URGENT 1st Add Shots, Dallas (A7N) XXX DOWNTOWN DALLAS. NO CASUALTIES WERE REPORTED. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED NEAR THE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ON MAIN STREET, JUST EAST OF AN UNDERPASS LEADING TOWARDS THE TRADE MART WHERE THE PRESIENT WAS TO MA FLASH FLASH KENNEDY FLASH…

12:41 PM CST BULLETIN MATTER Dallas-FIRST ADD KENNEDY SHOT X X X SPED ON. MM 12:41 PCS A NM

Dallas CST Andrews EST – Military Time – Andrews Log

1:00 PM CST (2:00 PM EST) –1400 - Col. Hornbuckle Puts Andrews Wing on Alert
1:20 PM CST (2:20 PM EST) - 1420 Andrews ordered to pick up LeMay at Toronto
1:35 PM CST (2:35 PM EST) – UPI FLASH PRESIDENT KENNEDY DEAD
1:46 PM CST (2:46 PM EST) - 1446 LeMay’s C-140 Departs Andrews for Toronto
1:46 PM CST (2:46 PM EST) – 1446 Cabinet Plane 86972 Turns Around
1:50 PM CST (2:50 PM EST) P/U for LeMay changed from Toronto to Wairton, CA.
2:00 PM CST (3:00 PM EST) - 1500 Flight Plan filed for AF1.
2:35 PM CST (3:35 PM EST) - FIRST AP Story naming Oswald. (but not yet making definitive connection with JFK assn)
2:35 CST AP Dallas, Tex., Nov. 22 (AP) -- The Dallas Police Department today arrested a 24 year-old man, Lee H. Oswald, in connection with the slaying of a Dallas policeman shortly after President Kennedy was assassinated. He was also being interrogated to see if he had any connection with the slaying of the President. Oswald was pulled screaming and yelling from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas.
2:43 CST - WFAA and WBAP radio named Oswald. WBAP's David Daniel interrupts for word from Dallas Police of the arrest of "a 24-year-old man, Lee H. Oswald" in connection with the shooting of Dallas Police Officer J.D. Tippit. He's being questioned to see if he has any connection with JFK assassination. "Oswald was pulled screaming and yelling" from the Texas Theater in the Oak Cliff section of Dallas. After a pistol is taken from him during a scuffle, he's quoted as saying, "It's all over now."
2:47 PM CST (3:47 PM EST) 1545 26000 departs Dallas as AF1 ETA Andrews 6:05
3:09 PM CST (4:09 PM EST) 1609 – 86972 Departs Hickam ETA Andrews 12:24
3:22 PM CST Second AP story w/ more definite link between LHO & JFK slaying.
3:22 AP CST - 1st AP mention of LHO
3:08 PM CST UPI’s completely false version of the theater arrest.
3:22 PM CST Second AP Story Naming Oswald with link between LHO & JFK slaying.
3:23 PM CST - NBC television network coverage mentioned Oswald's name
3:25 PM CST (4:25 PM EST) 1625 – LeMay dep Wairton ETA Andrews 5:15 EST
3:46 PM CST First UPI mention of LHO portrayed as JFK’s assassin, linked to FPCC.
3:50 PM CST (4:50 PM EST) 1650 26000 AF1 requests Steps, Lift Truck.
4:00 PM CST (5:00 PM EST) 1700 – LeMay destination DCA not ADW/Andrews
4:00 PM CST (5:00 PM EST) 1700 – AF1 Requests Ramps & Press Fence
4:12 PM CST (5:12 PM EST) 1712 – LeMay lands at DCA
4::41 PM CST (5: 41 PM EST) 1740 – AF1 4 A.P. Cars, Ramp Confirmed.
5:04 PM CST (6:04 P.M. EST) 1800 – AF1 Lands at Andrews 2300 – 2304 Zulu (GMT)
5:30 PM CST (6:30 PM EST) 1830 – AF2 (LBJ’s Plane) Lands at Andrews
11:37 PM CST (12:37 AM EST) 0937 – Andrews Log: 86972 Cabinet Arrives Andrews

[BK Notes: Many thanks to David Lifton and Gary Mack for supplying accurate times of the UPI and AP wire service reports, and their analysis]

Off the Ticker Notes

1) The WHCA After-Action Report of AF1 radio operator John Trimble indicates that when Trimble learned of the assassination and informed Col. Swindel, Swindel already knew “from other sources.” From The Flying White House, we learn that other source was “Charlie” channel, the Secret Service and motorcade radio frequency.
2) Kelly, Wm. Transcript
3) Kellly, Wm. Transcript
4) Kelly Time Chart Chronology of Events
5) Manning, Robert. Oral History of Kennedy Administration
6) Witte, SP4. WHCA Report of 11/22/63
7) Bishop, Jim. The Day Kennedy Was Shot; Cockrum, Robert, response.
8) Witte.
9) Bodensteiner. WHCA Report
10) Carriger. WHCA Report
11) Lifton, David. Email exchange.
12) WHCA Reports
13) Lifton, David.
14) Bishop, Jim. The Day Kennedy Was Shot; Cockrum, Robert. UPI
15) Hampton, Wilborn. Kennedy Assassinated.
16) Sixth Floor Museum, Dallas, Texas.
17) Bales, Arthur W. Jr. CWO USA, WHCA Report of 11/22/63
18) Illustrated History of UPI.
19) Lifton, David. Re: AP Wire Report.
20) Lifton, David; Mack, Gary.

WHCA Comm Center After Action Reports

White House Communications Agency (WHCA) Communications Center Swtichboard
Radio Operators After Action Reports
[BK Notes: Many thanks to Doug Horne for providing these records]

THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 1, 1997


Ronald G. Haron
Senior Attorney
Assassinations Records Review Board
600 E. Street 2nd Floor
Washington D.C. 20530

Dear Mr. Haron,

White House Communications Agency (WHCA) has searched their files for assassination-related records and was able to locate several statements from WHCA personnel who were on duty at various locations at the time of the assassination of President Kennedy. These statements were found in a folder titled “PRES KENNEDY ASSASSINAITON”. Copies of the statements are attached. There is no other assassination related material in the folder, except the list of telephone calls recorded by the White House switchboard on 22 November 1963, previously forwarded to your office.

The WHCA has completed its assassination-related records search.

Sincerely
SIGNED
Gregory G. Raths
LtCol USMC
Assistant Chief of Staff
White House Office

STATEMENTS [BK Notes: These statements are in the order in which they were in the file except for Trimble has been moved from third to the end]

CWO Arthur W. Bales, Jr.
WHCA Trip Officer for Presidential Visit to Dallas, Texas

SSG Brazell, Chief Switchboard Operator
White House Switchboard in Dallas, Texas

MSG Tarbell, Chief Switchboard Operator
Signal Switchboard, Washington, D.C.

SFB Carriger, Chief Operator,
Communications Center, Washington D.C.

SP4 Witte, Operator, Communications Center
Washington D.C.

SGT Bodenstiner, Operator, Communications Center,
Washington D.C.

MSG John Trimble, Radio Operator
Aboard AF-1 for flight from Dallas, Texas to Washington D.C.

THE WHITE HOUSE
COMMUNICATIONS BRANCH
SUBJECT: Sequence of Events – 22 November 1963
TO: Commanding Officer, WHCA

Following is approximately the sequence of events, as recalled by the undersigned, in Dallas, Texas, 22 November 1963

1. Prior Communications Arrangements: The Dallas White House had been established in the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel, and Communications facilities included a one-position switchboard with 3 dial trunks, 2 LD’s 3 tie lines to the Fort Worth White House Bd, 1 tie line to the Sheraton-Dallas Hotel Bd., 3 extensions to Love Field, 4 extensions to the Dallas Trade Mart (site of the President’s scheduled speech), secure teletype equipment, and radio and phone patch facilities to cover the motorcade.

2. Planned schedule of Events: The undersigned was to cover the President’s arrival at Love Field, and, with the Special WHCA Courier, travel in the motorcade and cover all stops to include the President’s departure from Dallas. SSGT Robert D. Brazell, with six men, were manning the Dallas White House; and seven men, making the Texas circuit aboard the Press Plane, were to remain at Love Field, as they would not be needed in Dallas. A recoding technician, Specialist John Muhlers, was set up and stationed at the Dallas Trade Mart to record the President’s speech and to furnish audio feeds to the various news media.

3. The arrival and Motorcade: Air Force One landed and the President spent some time shaking hands and greeting the large crowd at Love Field. The motorcade then departed for the trip through downtown Dallas and to the Trade Mart. In the WHCA Communications Car were: A telco driver; the undersigned WHCA Advance Officer; the WHCA Courier, Mr. Gearheart; and the Telco special representative (or “Shadow”), Mr. Herb Smith. We were approximately six cars and two (Press and Staff) buses behind the President. The motorcade had just passed the last buildings on the route before entering the freeway to the Trade Mart. The WHCA Communications Car was around two corners from and not in sight of the President’s car. Three explosions were heard, and I thought that they were backfires from vehicles up ahead. Herb Smith remarked that firecrackers were inappropriate for the occasion. Then the USSS Agent riding with the President announced on the FM “Charlie” radio, :Lawson, he’s hit”. The motorcade came to an abrupt halt with one bus and the WHCA car still around two corners from the President. Realizing that emergency communications facilities may be required on the spot, I instructed the driver to get Mr. Gearhart immediately to the vicinity of the President and to keep him there regardless of my own location. I, with the Telco representative, Mr. Smith, then started running toward the scene of the shooting. As we rounded the first corner the motorcade suddenly raced away. I commandeered a police car and instructed the driver to take us immediately to the Parkland Hospital. We arrived short minutes after the President.

4. The Parkland Hospital: The very limited telephone facilities at the hospital were tired up by the members of the Press Pool. I immediately seized all but one line (leaving Merriman Smith on the one most remote from the Emergency Rooms) and established direct circuits to the Signal Board in Washington; the Dallas White House Bd; and to the Signal board via the Dallas and Fort Worth White House Boards. I assigned police officers to guard these phones and instructed the individual Signal Operators in Washington who were on these circuits to handle no other calls, but to guard these lines exclusively. I then ordered six lines in to the hospital from the Dallas White House Board and informed appropriate White House Aides of my actions. I then checked back with the Dallas White House and learned that SSGT Brazell had, on is own initiative, ordered in an additional switchboard position, 3 additional dial trunks, 4 trunks to Washington, and had alerted Telco to the possibility of further TTY facilities being required. I instructed SSGT Brazell to direct for of the seven men (Press Plane Riders) at Love Field to report to me at the hospital, and the other three report to him at the hotel. The six lines to the hospital, the four trunks to Washington, and the additional TTY facilities were cancelled before completion. As the WHCA personnel arrived from Love Field, they replaced the police officers who had been guarding the seized telephone lines. At the appropriate time I instructed Mr. Gearhart to remain with the President Johnson, and they left shortly for Love Field. I remained at the hospital and later went to the field with (the body of) President Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy, instructing the WHCA personnel to remain at the hospital until released by the White House Staff personnel who were remaining there a while longer. Meanwhile, I had advised Captain Stoughton, WHCA Photographer, and SP5 Muler (Recording – stationed at the Trade Mart) of President Johnson’s return to Air Force One: enabling Captain Stoughton to be the only photographer aboard when the President took his oath of office. Muler recorded the proceedings, and the tape was returned to Washington via Colonel McNally aboard the Press Plane.

ARTHUR W. BALES, JR.
CWO USA
Trip Officer

Brazell
DALLAS

PHYSICAL SITUATION

1.1-Position 555 PBX trunking to Washington through Ft. Worth with no direct connection to Washington.
2.3 city dials
3.3 LD toll terminals
4.Radio on top of PBX

CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

1.Complete relaxation waiting for parade to arrive at luncheon site.
2.(1230) Sudden blaring of radio “Lead us straight to the hospital he’s been shot – repetition “He’s been shot.”
3.Realization of inadequate facilities to handle any emergency of this type.
4.Placed order for additional 555 position, additional dial trunks and more extensions in the room even before the party arrived at the hospital.
5.Party reached hospital and all dial trunks lit up immediately.
6.Direct connection set up immediately between Agent directly outside of emergency room and Mr. Behn in his office in Washington which became the Washington Command Post and clearing house. Ordered to monitor the circuit which was done to the best of ability on top of moving regular traffic.
7.Calls from members of the President’s family bridged into the Behn-Emergency room focus. (E.g. Attorney General asking whether a priest had been called.)
8.Constant advisement on the location of the Vice President.
9.Made arrangements with police to have WHCA Press Plane party rushed to hotel for use as needed.
10.Dispatch of part of this contingent to assist at the hospital on CWO Bales’ orders.
11.Mr. Kilduff ordering return of delegation enroute to Japan immediately upon perceiving seriousness of the situation. Placing of this in the hands of the WHCA Duty Officer in Washington.
12.Answering calls with extension on top of PBX; then routing them to proper spot. Utilized radio man Lukens on “hold and wait” calls.
13.President Johnson returns to aircraft.
14.Second peak of calls for day doing such things as finding Judge Sarah T. Hughes to swear the President in and finding someone in the Department of Justice to dictate the oath of office. Vice President Johnson personally spoke to the clerk In Judge Hughes’ Office.
15.By this time the telephone company had performed a near miracle and installed the second 555 position with three additional dial trunks on it.
16.An effort was being made to bring up four full periods back to Washington but desisted when it became obvious that the need for them was almost over.
17. As a general comment: enough traffic passed through that one position 555 as should normally have gone through a 3-position PBX at full throttle.

SSgt Brazell

PS: The Switchboard operator recalls placing a call from Attorney General to Air Force One prior to the swearing in ceremonies; he does not know to whom he spoke but feels it was to the Vice President.

On November 22, 1963 the first indication of any sort of trouble in Texas was a short UPI release which came in on the printer in the Comm Center at approximately 12:30 p.m. stating that the President had been shot in Dallas, Texas. We here at the Washington Switchboard had heard nothing of any trouble. However, shortly after we received this we received an incoming call from Agent Emory Roberts in Dallas asking for Chief Wildy and then right after this call another call from Mr. Bales at the hospital in Dallas, asking us to stay on the line and keep the circuit open. One operator did just that. We actually did not get official word of the assassination. Just information via radio, and of course, many rumors as to who had been killed or wounded. First reports had it that an Agent had been shot along with the President. Of course, not having any official word, we could not give out any information.

As the minutes passed it became more and more apparent that what was just rumor was not fact and at approximately 2:05 p.m. official word was released that President Kennedy had been shot and killed while riding in a motorcade in Dallas. Immediately after the announcement, the switchboard went completely wild with everyone attempting to call out and anxious wives trying to call in to find out if their husbands were all right. The Sterling Exchange within a short time became overloaded and we could not dial out. The focal point for calls here at the White House was John McNally’s office in the East Wing with Senators and Congressmen proceeding there. It soon became apparent that one line off of our board could not handle traffic so five (5) additional temporary lines were asked for and were installed at 1645 to Mr. McNally’s office.

We had no direct lines to Dallas, Texas off our board. We had full period loops to Fort Worth, Texas and they worked Dallas off their board. They only had a two position 555 and could not really handle too large volume of traffic. They were able to advise us when the oath of office was administered to President Johnson and when Air Force 1 took off from Dallas. As soon as it was ascertained where the body of President Kennedy was to be taken we started asking for lines to that location. One line to the Naval Medical Center was installed at 1850 and an additional line to same location was put in at 2052. During the time that Air Force 1 was enroute back here, we had a constant phone patch up to them with President Johnson calling various people here in D.C. and in Texas.

At this time we only had one line off our board to the President’s residence on 52nd Street, N.W. It was decided that this would not be sufficient to handle traffic so five additional lines were installed to that location at approximately 2200. Also at the same time, we had President Johnson’s commercial phone disconnected at this residence.

The personnel on duty here at the Signal Switchboard on the day shift of course did not leave at 3:00 p.m. when the shift ordinarily ends, but stayed on duty until approximately 7:00 p.m. with the exception of my self and I went home at 11:00 p.m. after a long and hectic day.

Never in all my experience on the switchboard have I ever seen a board so busy for such a great length of time. It was an experience which all of us here at the Switchboard do not want to happen again at least in our lifetime.

(Sgt. Tarbell)

RESUME OF EVENTS OF 22 NOV 1963:

Someone handed me a bulletin from UPI stating that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas, Tex. I immediately called Sgt. Tucker and passed info to her. Her immediate reaction was “Oh, you’re kidding me”, repeated several times. After I had somewhat convinced her that info received over UPI news ckt., she said she would pass to Major Patterson.

Next I took bulletin to Mr. Harmon, the Duty Officer. He was on phone at the time trying to get verification and amplification of facts. All later releases were passed to Mr. Harmon to centralize all info.

We were working Dallas via TWX. We immediately called Dallas and kept them “up” on the TWX. We next attempted to get a full period on-line ckt. with Dallas. I don’t recall if this project was completed. Next, we re-activated full period on-line ckt. to Ft. Worth. This took approx. two hours to complete due to the fact the circuit had been released to Telco earlier.

Comm Center personnel were calling in for instructions. Advised to “stick close to phone” and if anything developed, we would advise. Some of the evening trick personnel reported for duty as much as one and a half hours early and some of the day trick personnel stayed on duty until President Johnson returned to Wash, D.C.

There were no increases in traffic during this time. However, later that night, we started reviving messages of condolences from various heads of State.

During return flight of AF-1 from Dallas, we were working the aircraft via KW-7. The operator aboard the aircraft was so busy that he could not attend the ckt. We attempted to relay three or four messages of condolences to AF-1 (one of the messages was from Queen Elizabeth) but were unable to ascertain that the message was received.

Polly Yates, Asst. to General Clifton

We informed Polly Yates of situation. She said if were unable to get a receipt for the messages, she would see that they were available for delivery upon PRES US arrival in Wash. D.C. We did not get any acknowledgements of receipt and Miss Yates was so informed.



SFC CARRIGER

SP4 Witte
22 NOV 63 IN COMMCENTER

I was wandering about the Comm Center as usual picking up little bits of information about how the place worked when I was attracted by a series of 5 bells on UPI. I looked over PFC Russell’s shoulder to see what was about to appear. There was nothing for what seemed like a long time, but was probably less than ten seconds, and then, on a line, in a shaky hand came UPI’s bulletin heading “….Dallas, with Kennedy….” The text consisted of five words on line, gabled, misspelled and unsteady, “Kennedy, Connelly shot, possibly fatally.” And then nothing.

Russell jumped and said “hey you guys, look at this!”, The guys were SGTS Dreyllinger and Bodensteinger who were standing by the TWX. Dreylinger and Bodensteiner laughed slightly, as one would at a bad joke (which, it turned out, is what they thought it was). I went around to check the patch board to make sure someone hadn’t plugged UPI onto a different machine and put a piece of our gear at the other end of the monitor I had been watching in order to see what kind of action they could get out of duping a couple of new bodies in the Comm Cener (It had been a slow afternoon). For a full minute people just walked around in circles, Russell and I affirming that we had actually seen the bulletin come in on the monitor (although admitting the possibility that someone at UPI might be wanting to lose his job in a hurry), and the rest of the Comm Center personnel becoming more and more convinced that the bulletin was real. AP came in with a confirming bulletin in about 70 seconds after UPI. Someone called the Duty Officer. A couple of people, including myself began to ring up the trip sites and put them in uppers. Someone in the front office began to call up off duty personnel and have some of them report to the Comm Center. SFC McCullough began to get the suitcases down from above the ECTRRM gear. I spent the rest of the afternoon passing general info and info from the news services to the trip sites.

Patrick and I went home at the usual time, more to get us out of the way than for any other reason.

SGT Bodensteiner 22 NOV 63 in comcen

Resume of events in Commcen - 22 Nov ’63

I was working on a circuit near our UPI and AP news monitors when one of the other operators, who had been reading the news, told me that the President had been shot. My first reaction was that I thought he was only joking.

He then told me to come and read it on the UPI monitor myself. This still didn’t convince me that it was true, thinking that he could have easily typed it on the machine himself as a joke. I no sooner had told him that wasn’t a very nice rumor to start when I saw a more detailed item come over our AP monitor. We then told the other operators and the D.O. was notified.

The next hour or so was spent mostly between watching the news for the latest developments and informing our personnel that were out at the various trip sites on this tour of the President.

The rest of the day followed the general routine for a normal day, except for the atmosphere of tragedy and the conversation among the operators on duty.

Most of the operators on the day shift stayed over three to four hours after the normal shift change in case of any unexpected occurrence.

SGT BODENSTEINER

TRIMBLE - AF1 Radio Operator

22 November 1963

After an overnight at Ft. Worth, Air Force One departed Carswell AFB at 1125 AM (Local Time) for Dallas. After a short flight we arrived at Dallas and blocked in at 1140 AM.

After the rain storm of the previous night the sun seemed particularly bright as the President and First Lady deplaned to the warm greeting of what was probably the largest crowd of the Texas tour. The Last we were to see of them together was when they departed the airport in their open car.

The first indication that anything was amiss came when one of the WHCA representatives, Theron Burgess, who was on duty at the airport, told me that someone in the motorcade had been hurt. My first reaction was that one of the Secret Service Agents had fallen from the car. About 15 minutes later we were told the ready the airplane for immediate take-off. At this time we were not told why we were leaving or what our destination would be. No information was forthcoming at this time and since we at least needed a destination for flight clearance purpose Col. Swindal asked me to check with the switchboard. After identifying myself to the switchboard operator he told me that the President had been shot and that no other information was available. This was relayed to Col. Swindal although he had just heard it himself from another source.

My communications equipment had been on since receiving the immediate take-off order. I had cleared a voice and teletype frequency with Andrews Airways. Even though I was using the call sign AF 26000 and could not tell the reason for clearing a voice frequency, Andrews cooperated fully. I was making periodic signal checks with Andrews when someone entered the airplane and said the President was dead.

All the chatter ceased and I think we were all numb and did out jobs automatically as we waited --- waited for the body to arrive from the hospital; waited for President Johnson; and finally for the judge to arrive and perform the swearing-in ceremony.

We departed Dallas at 1447 Dallas time for the three hour flight to Washington.

I was busy every minute of the trip and had three phone patches going simultaneously for much of the time. The normal HF air to ground communications had to yield to higher priority traffic. Some position reports were sent, some were not. Quite a bit of time was spent by Dr. Burkley and General Clifton in the air and General Heaton on the ground concerning removal and preparation of the body after reaching Andrews.

My circuits were in continuous use and Andrews always had a waiting list of various officials who wanted to communicate with the airplane. Due to the limited facilities on both ends, many times I had to decide who we would talk with next. I had a good knowledge of the Kennedy team and don’t think I made any mistakes in this respect.

We had been cleared to an altitude of 29,000 feet upon leaving Dallas. I was able to send one of the few position reports over Nashville and found that we were then at 41,000 feet because of winds and weather.

About this time I received a call from the rear of the plane saying that President Johnson wanted a phone patch with Mrs. Rose Kennedy. I immediately seized my best frequency and placed the call through Andrews and the WHCA switchboard. A short time later both the President and Mrs. Johnson offered their condolences to Mrs. Rose Kennedy. These Mrs. Kennedy accepted in a strong, clear voice.

A few minutes later I placed a call, again through the WHCA switchboard to the wife of Governor Connely in Dallas. Both the President and the First Lady talked with Mrs. Connely and assured her that the Governor would be all right.

The rest of the flight was about as hectic as the first. We landed at Andrews and blocked in at 1805 local time.

A large crowd and many bright lights were visible when the doors were opened. Mrs. Kennedy was scheduled to leave by another exit but insisted on being lowered to the ramp with the remains. She entered the ambulance and accompanied the body out of sight.

After President Johnson made his very short talk and departed, I remember thinking what irony that this terrible thing had to happen at all --- but to have it happen in the United States. Somehow it was still unbelievable.

JOHN C. TRIMBLE
MSGT, WHCA