2 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
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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
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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.
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j; u uL if afJz til
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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.