Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989, November 24, 1963, Image 32

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Medford mail tribune., November 24, 1963, Image 32

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Newspaper Page Text2 J) SUNDAY. NOVEMBER 24, 1963 MEOFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON Merriman Smith Describes Events in Dallas and Washington D. C. EDITOR'S NOTE: Merri- Smith, UPI White House re porter since 1941? was on the scene in Dallas Friday when President Kennedy was assas sinated. Smith was in the mo torcade not far from Kenne dy when the shooting took place. He followed the Presi dent's car to the hospital and the death. He was there for the iwea.ring.in of President Johnson in an Air Force jet and came on back to Wash ington aboard the aircraft bearing' the new President and the body of the slain Kennedy. He was the only news agency reporter on the aircraft. By MERRIMAN SMITH UPI White House Reporter - . y ? m J . 4 ? if,- 7 ' ? - y- y, -D AY " v , I'? -".""-.J Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson flanked by his wife, Lady Bird (left) and the widow of assassinated President John F. Ken nedy (right) is sworn in as President of the United States by Federal District Judge Sarah T. Hughes of Dallas aboard the Presi dential plane prior to returning to Washington. (UPI) , . Highlights of L. AUSTIN, Tex. (UPI)-High-i lights in the life of President Lyndon B. Johnson: 1908 Born Aug. 27, near John- son City, Tex., eldest son of Samuel Ealy Johnson Jr. school teacher, and member of the . Texas Legislature, and Re bekah Baines Johnson. 1913 Entered public school at Johnson City, was graduated in spring of 1924. ; 1924 Began work at $1 per day o n a road-building gang. Had urge to travel and wanted .to see the West. Worked his way ' to California where he worked in Imperial Valley. Lat er returned to Texas and re sumed work on roadbuilding gang. 1927 Decided to go to col- Kennedy Highlights WASHINGTON (UPD- High lighls of President Kennedy's career: May 29, 1917 Born in Brook' line, Mass., the second of nine children of former Ambassador to Great Britain Joseph P. Ken nedy and his wife, Rose. .. lino Graduated from Har vard cum laude with a bachelor of science degree. 1940 Published best selling book, "Why England Slept." 1911-45 Served in the U.S. Navy. Rose to rank of lieuten ant in command of a PT boat. In 1943 was badly injured when his boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer off the Solo mon Islands. 1947-1953 Served as a U.S. congressman from Massachu setts. 1952 ' Elected to the Senate, defeating Republican Sen. Hen ry Cabot Lodge. 1953 Married Jacqueline Bou vier In Newport, Rhode Island. 1954- 1955 Spent six months in hospital undergoing and con valescing from major surgery on a back injury agRravalod by the sinking of his PT boat. Oregon Reacts With Shock, Sorrow at JFK Assassination By United Press International ' From the governor to the man on the street, Oregon re acted wllh shock and then sor row to the assassination of President Kennedy. "Deep shock that such a thing could liappen in the United Slates," was expressed by Port land Mayor Terry Schrunk. Oili er jmlillc.il leaders of both parlies echoed his sentiments. "This dastardly act has brought severe shock, great grief and deep sorrow," said Gov. Mark Hatfield in proclaim ing Monday a day of mourning. All slulc and public offices Will be closed that day. All classes In Oregon public schools and state institutions of higher education also will be cancelled Monday. The manager of the Portland Retail Trade Bureau, Harrison King, said a number of major department stores and other re tailers will observe the closure, "in deference to the funeral of President Kennedy." Churches and synagogues be gan to fill rapidly as news of Ihe President's slaying spread Friday. A special mass at Ihe Cathedral of Immaculate Con ception In Portland was tele vised locally. Classes at Portland Stale and Reed Colleges were canceled lege. Enrolled In Southwest Texas State Teachers College, ban Marcos, Tex., in February. Worked as janitor, door-to-door salesman and other odd jobs to pay for education. 1928 Had to leave college when money ran out. Took a job teaching school at Tulia, Tex. Used first pay check to buy athletic equipment for un derprivileged Latin American children. 1929 Returned to college. 1930 Graduated from South west Texas State in August. Took job teaching school in Houston, Tex. 1932 Went to Washington, D.C., as secretary to Rep. Rich ard Kleberg, D-Tcx., remaining in that post until 1935. 1950 Won Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles In Cour- age." 1958 Narrowly missed win ning the Democratic vice presi dential nomination, losing in a close contest to the late Sen. Estes Kefauver, D-Tenn. 1957 Became the father of his first child, Caroline. 1958 Won reelection to the Senate by an overwhelming vote. I960 On July 14, he won the Democratic presidential nomina tion on the first ballot. 1900 In November he defeat ed Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency in a close-fought battle that gave Kennedy a final edge of scarce ly 100,000 ballots. 1901 Became tne lamer oi a son, John Jr. loot In April look lull re sponsibility for the ill-fated Cu ban invasion staged by dissi dent exile groups. 1D62 in uciobcr torccci itus sla to withdraw missiles it had secreted in Cuba. 1963 Assassinated Nov. 22. when the news was received. "Political science profs can't teach you anything at a time like this; there's nothing to say," said one student. There wore periods of prayer In many private colleges. The Portland waterfront sud denly went quiet at 1 p. m. About 700 longshoremen slopied work after covering hatches lo prevent rain damage. Expressions of sorrow came from political groups ranging from the conservative Young Americans for Freedom lo Ihe lilieral Portland Students for Peace. Shooting "Shocking" "I think this was a stupid and shocking thing, one that any in telligent and patriotic citizen would deplore," said George Burgess, new assistant western regional chairman of the YAF, The Portland Students for Peace issued a statement mour ning the slaying. It said the President had "shown himself to be an undaunted supporter of the cause of world peace." News nf Ihn aminn. lion brought most civic, govern mental anu sports activities lo a halt. The stale legislature recessed Indefinitely nftpr prayers lor President Johnson. B. Johnson's Life 1934 Married Claudia (Lady Bird) Taylor on Nov. 17. Attend ed night -school at Georgetown, Tex., law school. 1935 Named Texas adminis trator of the National Youth Administration by President Roosevelt. 1937 Successfully sought 10th congressional seat without oppo sition and remained there until elected to U.S. Senate in 1948. 1940 Masterminded coneres- sional campaign and Instrumen tal in retaining Democratic leadership in House. 1941 Sought seat in U.S. Sen ate vacated bv death of Sen. Morris Sheppard. Lost to Gov. W. Lee (Pappy) O'Daniel bv 1,311 votes. 1941 Within hours after cast ing vote to declare war on Ja pan and Germany, was In uni- lorm. He was first member of Congress to enter active duty. Received Silver Star for gallan try in action on a flight over new liuinea. 1942 Returned to Congress when FDR ordered all mem bers of the Congress in the armed forces to return to their offices. 1948 Made second trv for Senate. Defeated Former Gov. Coke Stevenson in an unusually tight election. Out of about one million votes cast, Johnson won by a majority of 87 votes. 1950 Became chairman of the armed services preparedness subcommittee. 1951 Unanimously elected party whip. Won praise of col leagues for his work and ability a "can-do man. - ....-I , -i. imp mi nun 'f ' l " 1 ' T I I . . J If if In) C-5' I Ally. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy holds Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy's hand as they sorrowfully watch Ihe body of Ihe assassinated President being removed from the plane following arrival in Vahinglon, D.C. (UPI) 1953 Named minority leader when Democrats lost control of Senate by a single vote. 1954 Re-elected to U.S. Sen ate for second term. 1955 Elected majority lead er of Senate, the youngest (46) majority leader in history. Steered Senate to impressive record. Suffered heart attack July 2. After hospitalization in Washington, recuperated on his Texas ranch and returned to Senate Dec. 12. 1956 Southern Democrats launched a drive to win presi dential nomination for Johnson at national convention. 1957 Steered throueh nassaee of first civil rights bill in 75 years. 1958 President Eisenhower Invited Johnson to go before United Nations to throw his sup port behind the U.S. resolution calling for peaceful exploration of outer space. 1959 Texas Legislature pass es so-called "Johnson for Pres ident" bill, a statute permitting him to have name on 1060 Tex as ballot for re-election to Sen ate and for president at the same time. 1960 Lost out in bid for pres idency to Kennedy. Accepted vice presidential nomination and won re-election as senator from Texas and the vice presidential post. 1961 Resigned from U.S. Sen ate and took oath as vice pres ident ot united states. 1963 Became 36th President of United States when Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. WASHINGTON (UPI)-It was a balmy, sunny noon as we motored through downtown Dal las behind President Kennedy. The procession cleared the cen ter of tne business district and turned into a handsome high way that wound through what appeared to be a park, I was riding in the so-called White House press "pool" car, a telephone company vehicle equipped with a mobile radio telephone. I was in the front seat between a driver from the telephone company and Mal colm Kilduff, acting White House press secretary for the President's Texas tour. Three other pool reporters were wedged into the back seat. Suddenly we heard three loud, almost painfully loud cracks. The first sounded as if it might have been a large fire cracker. But the second and third blasts were unmistakable. Gunfire. The President's car, possibly as much as 150 or 200 yards ahead, seemed to falter briefly. We saw a flurry of activity in the Secret Service follow-up car behind the Chief Executive's bubble-top limousine. Fourth In Line Next in line was the car bearing Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Behind that, an other foUovAip car bearing agents essigned to the vice president's protection. We were behind that car. Our car stood still for prob ably only a few seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime. One sees history explode before one's eyes and for even the most trained observer, were is a limit to what one can com prehend. I looked anead at me rresi- dent's car but could not see him or his companion, Gov. John B. Connally of Texas. Both men had been riding on the right side of the bubble-top limousine from Washintgon. I thought I saw a flash of pink which would have been Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy. Everybody in our car began shouting at the driver to pull up closer to the President's car. But at this moment, we saw the big bubble-top and a motorcycle escort roar away at high speed. We screamed at our driver, "get going, get going." We ca reened around the Johnson car and it's escort and set out down the highway, barely able to keep In sight of the President's! car and the accompanying Se cret Service follow-up car. M.. h fl if I f I k - :fi i 1 1 .Lrr4 V j; u uL if afJz til mm I MiBMiiiMiWT Flag at the White House flies They vanished around a curve. When we cleared the same curve we could see where we were heading Parkland Hospital, a large brick struc ture to the left of the arterial highway. We skidded around a sharp left turn and spilled out of the pool car as it entered the hospital driveway. I ran to the side of the bubble-top. The President was face down on the back seat. Mrs. Kenne dy made a cradle of her arms around the President's head and bent over him as if she were whispering to him. Gov. Connally was on his back on the floor of the car, his head and shoulders resting in the arms of his wife, Nellie, who kept shaking her head and shaking with dry sobs. Blood oozed from the front of the governor's suit. I could not see the President's wound. ' But I could see blood spattered around the interior of the rear seat and a dark stain spread ing down the right side of the President's dark gray suit. Radioed First Report From the (telephone car, I had radioed the .Dallas bureau of UPI that three shots had been fired at the Kennedy mo torcade. Seeing the bloody scene in the rear of the car at the hospital entrance, I knew I had to get to a telephone im mediately. Clint Hill, the Secret Service agent in charge of the detail assigned to Mrs. Kennedy, was leaning over into the rear of the car. 'How badly was he hit, Clint?" I asked. "He's dead," Hill replied curt ly. . I have no further clear mem ory of the scene in the drive way. I recall a babble of anx ious voices, tense voices Where in hell are the stretch ers .. . get a doctor out here . he's on the way . . . come on easy there." And from some where, nervous sobbing. I raced down a short stretch of sidewalk into a hospital cor ridor. The first thing I spotted was a small clerical office, more of a booth than an office. In side, a bespectacled man stood shuffling what appeared to be hospital forms. At a wicket much like a bank teller's cage, I spotted a telephone on the shelf. "How do you get outside?" I gasped. "The President has been hurt and this is an emer gency call." "Dial nine," he said, shoving, (he phone toward me. Dictated Fast Bulletin It took two tries before I suc cessfully dialed the Dallas UPI number. Quickly I dictated a bulletin saying the President had been seriously, perhaps fa tally, injured by an assassin's bullets while' driving through the streets of Dallas. Litters' bearing the President and the governor rolled by me as I dictated, bul my back was to the hallway and I didn't sec them until they were at the en trance of the emergency room about 75 or 100 fect away. I knew they had passed, how ever, from the horrified expres sion that suddenly spread over the face of the man behind the wicket. Outside the door of the emer gency room, I watched a swift and confused panorama sweep before me. Kilduff of the White House I press staff raced up and down 1 the hall. Police captains barked at each other, "clear this area." j Two priests hurried in behind a Secret Service agent, their nar-, row purple stoles rolled up tightly in their hands. A police I lieutenant ran down the hall: with a large carton nf blood for ! the transfusions. A doctor came j in and said he was responding I at half staff Friday after news to a call for "all neurosur geons." Given Last Sacrament The priests came out and said the President had received the Last Sacrament of the Roman Catholic Church. They said he was still alive, but not con scious. Kilduff and Wayne Hawks of the White House staff ran by me, shouting that Kilduff would make a statement shortly in the so-called nurses room a floor above and at the far end of the hospital. I threw down the phone and sped after them. We reached the door of the conference room and there were loud cries of "quiet!" Fighting to keep his emotions under control, Kilduff said "President John Fitzgerald Kennedy died at approximately one o'clock." I raced into a nearby office. The telephone switchboard at the hospital was hopelessly jammed. I spotted Virginia Pay ette, wife of UPI's Southwestern Division manager and a veter an reporter in her own right. I told her to try getting through on pay telephones on the floor above. Frustrated by the inability to get through the hospital switch board, I appealed to a nurse. She led me through a maze of corridors and back stairways to another floor and a lone pay booth. I got the Dallas office. Virginia had gotten through be fore me. Selected for Poof I ran back through the hospi tal lo the conference room where Jiggs Fauver of the White House transportation staff grabbed me and said Kilduff wanted a pool of three men im mediately to fly back to Wash ington on Air Force One, the presidential aircraft. "He wants you downstairs, and he wants you right now," Fauver said. Charles Roberts of Newsweek magazine, Sid Davis of West inghouse broadcasting and I implored a police officer to take us to the airport in his squad car. As we piled out of the car about 200 yards from the presi dential aircraft, Kilduff spotted us and motioned for us to hur ry. We trotted to him and he said the plane could take two pool men to Washington; that Johnson was about to take the oath of office aboard the plane and would take off immediately thereafter. I saw a bank of telephone booths beside the runway and asked if I had time to advise my news service. He said, "but for God s sake, hurry." Then began another telephone nightmare. The Dallas office rang buhy. I tried calling Wash ington. All circuits were busy. Then I called the New York bureau of UPI and told them about the impending installa tion of a new president aboard the airplane. Aboard Air Force One on which 1 had made so many trips as a press association re porter covering President Ken nedy, all of the shades of the larger main cabin were drawn and the interior was hot and dimly lighted. ! Kilduff propelled us to the President's suite. Room Was Crowded j I wedged inside the door and , began counting. There were 27 people in this compartment. Johnson stood in the center with his wife. Lady Bird. U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes, 67, a kindly faced woman stood with a small black Bible in her hands, wail-: ing to give the oalh. Mrs. Kennedy, who was com posing herself in a small bed room in the rear of the plane, appeared alone, dressed in the same pink wool suit she had that President Kennedy has been worn In the morning when she appeared so happy shaking hands with airport crowds at the side of her husband. She was white-faced but dry eyed. Friendly hands stretched toward her as she stumbled slightly. Johnson took both of her hands in his and motioned her to his left side. Lady Bird stood on his right, a fixed half smile showing the tension. ' Johnson nodded 'to ' Judge Hughes, an old friend of his family and a Kennedy . ap pointee. : : "Hold up your right hand and repeat after me," the woman jurist said to Johnson. Outside a jet could be heard droning into a landing. Takes Solemn Oath Judge Hughes held out the Bible and Johnson covered it with his large left hand. His right arm went slowly into the air and the jurist began to in tone the constitutional oath, "I do solemnly swear I will faith fully execute the office of Pres ident of the United States. . ." The brief ceremony ended when Johnson in a deep, firm voice, repeated after the judge, ". . .and so help me God." Johnson turned first to his wife, hugged her about the shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. Then he turned to Ken nedy's widow, put his left arm around her and kissed her cheek. As others in the group some Texas Democratic House mem bers, members of the Johnson and Kennedy staffs moved to ward the new President, he seemed to back away from any expression of felicitation. The two-minute ceremony concluded at 3:38 p.m., EST and seconds later, the President said firmly, "Now, let's get air borne." Col. James Swindal, pilot of the plane, a big gleaming silver and blue fan-jet, cut on the star board engines immediately. Sev eral persons, including Sid Da vis of Wcstinghouse, left the plane at that time. The White House had room for only two pool reporters on the return flight and these posts were filled by Roberts and mc, al though at the moment we could find no empty seats. Took High Altitude At 3:47 p.m., EST, the wheels of Air Force One cleared the runway. Swindal roared the big ship up to an unusually high cruising altitude of 41,000 feet where at 625 miles an hour, ground speed, the jet hurtled toward Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington. When the President's plane reached operating altitude, Mrs. Kennedy left her bedchamber and walked to the rear com partment ot the plane. This was the so-called family living room a private area where she and Kennedy, family and friends had spent many happy airborne hours chatting and dining to gether. Kennedy's casket had been placed in this compartment, carried aboard by a group of Secret Service agents. Mrs. Kennedy went into the rear lounge and took a chair beside the coffin. There she re mained throughout the flight. Her vigil was shared at times by four staff members close to the slain Chief Executive Da vid Powers, his buddy and per sonal assistant: Kenneth P. O'Donnell. appointments secre tary and key political adviser; Lawrence O'Brien, chief Ken nedy liaison man with Congress nd Brig. Gen. Godfrey Mc- Hugh, Kennedy's Air Force aide. Makes First Statement As the flight progressed, John- ! son came up to the table where i Roberts and I were try ing lo re assassinated in Dallas, Tex. (UPI) cord the history we had just witnessed. , "I'm going to make a short statement In a few minutes and give you copies of it," he said. "Then when I get on the ground I'll do it over again." It was the first public utter ance of the new Chief Exeu live, brief and moving: "This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. For me it is a deep personal tragedy. I know the world sharps the sor row that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help and God's." When the plane was about 45 minutes from Washington, the new President got on a special radio-telephone and placed a call to Mrs. Rose Kennedy, the late President's mother, "I wish to God there was something I could do," he told her, "I just wanted you to know that." Then Mrs. Johnson wanted to talk to the elder Mrs. Kennedy. Gives Love And Prayers "We feel like the heart has been cut out of us," Mrs. John son said. She broke down for a moment and began to sob. Recovering in a few seconds, she added, "our love and our prayers are with you." Thirty minutes out of Wash ington, Johnson put in a call for Nellie Connally, wife of the seriously wounded Texas gov ernor. The new President said to the governor's wife: "We are praying for you, darling, and I know that every thing is going to be all right, isn't it? Give him a hug and a kiss for me." It was dark when Air Force One began to skim over the lights of the Washington area. The plane touched down at 5:59 p.m. EST. Roberts and I stood under a wing and watched the casket being lowered from the rear of the plane and borne by a com plement of Armed Forces body bearers into a waiting hearse. We watched Mrs. Kennedy and the President's brother, Atty. Gen. Robert F. Kennedy, climb into the hearse beside the cof fin. Roberts and I were given seats on another 'copter bound for the White House lawn. In the compartment next to ours in one of the large chairs. be side a window sat Theodore C. Sorensen, one of Kennedy's closest associates with the title of special counsel to the Presi dent. He had not gone to Texas with his chief but had come to the air base for his return. Sorensen sat wilted in the large chair, crying softly. The dignity of his deep grief seemed to sum up all of the tragedy and sadness of the pre vious six hours. As our helicopter circled in the balmy darkness for a land ing on the White House south lawn, it seemed incredible that only six hours before, John Fitzgerald Kennedy had been a vibrant, smiling, waving and active man. OPENS HOSPITAL OFFICE DALLAS nionr.m .t,,hn Connally's staff has opened a icmporary governor s office on the first floor of Parkland Hos pital, where Connally is recov ering from grievous wounds. A spokesman for Connally said the temporary office wiil be in operation indefinitely or until the governor recovers enough to return lo Auslin.