FRIDAY, 21 NOVEMBER, 2003
The President's final hours, 40 years later - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - Before September 11, 2001, the oft-asked question of those of a certain age was, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" It didn't need any explanation as to which Kennedy, as there were two Kennedy's shot in the 1960s, the other being Robert F. Kennedy, the Attorney General who at the time was running to become president of the United States. No, everyone remembers where they were when John F. Kennedy was shot that November day in Dallas. As macabre as it may sound, when terror struck the United States on September 11th, 2001, that event became a marker for this generation. No one forgets where they were or what they were doing, when events like the Kennedy assassination or September 11th affect the collective consciousness.
This Saturday, the 22nd of November, is the 40th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Murdered at the prime of his life and the height of his political career, those days in Dallas seemed to signal much more than the death of a man. The murder of Kennedy seemed to trigger a shift in the mood of America. It may be rather odd that someone not old enough to have been there can make such pronouncements, but the overwhelming consensus of those who were there, all point that through the death of one man, so much changed.
It doesn't matter what you think of Kennedy, his politics or his life, but the fact that many keep their memories of those November days, is testament to the fact that it was such a milestone, not only historically but personally for many people. The coverage given for this anniversary alone is testament to the enormity of what is being marked. Collective moments like the Kennedy assassination or September 11th bind the populace as never before or since. In those days following Kennedy's murder, as in those days after September 11th, a seemingly varied and diverse people, for brief fleeting moments were one. It didn't matter the colour of your skin, or the religion that you practiced, as all in 1963 America seemed to come together united in their grief.
The Kennedy assassination has gone beyond a historical event that took place as the President was riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas. It has been revised over and over, and has filtered through the ever sceptical gaze of those who believe in a conspiracy theory or two. It's gone from being historic to become fiction to become mythic, to become forever revisited over and over again, whether on film, television or books. The literature on the murder of President Kennedy is enormous, as is the public's continuing fascination to this day. Innocence was lost that day in Dallas. America aged. Whatever the overstatement or understatement, how America viewed itself and its leaders changed dramatically so.
Revisiting the Kennedy assassination at this juncture is done through a remarkable new book by Nellie Connally, the former First Lady of Texas, who is the last living survivor who was in the car with President Kennedy when he was murdered. From Love Field: Our Final Hours with President John F. Kennedy does away with a lot of the mystique and grandeur associated with the event as writ above. Mrs. Connally, the wife of then Texas governor John Connally, takes us through the logistics of what became that final car ride for the President. It's a very personal account, because her husband, Governor Connally was also wounded. And though he survived, for a spouse, the event was just as affecting.
Connally, with the assistance of Mickey Herskowitz, opens her book with an account of the ride past the now-infamous Texas School Book Depository. She had just turned to tell the President, "You certainly can't say that Dallas doesn't love you!" whereupon a moment later, a terrifying noise erupted: the first gunshot, which struck President Kennedy. Shocked and horrified, seeing Kennedy out of the corner of her eye, soon after grab his throat; she turned her attention to her husband who was struck not long after. The ride to Parkland Memorial Hospital is discussed, as is the traumatic nature of the hours following. Naturally, Connally's thoughts lay with her husband, but the enormity of the situation also made her realise that she was operating through a sphere that essentially revolved around the slain president.
Connally does a superb job in recounting the events in which she lived amongst. The posttraumatic stress was as you can imagine difficult, and she includes such recollections, such as discovering a two-inch streak of grey hair that grew at the back of her head. Her work however, valuable as it is to the capturing of history, is slightly rather anaemic to warrant an entire book. The book itself is already rather small in size. Mrs. Connally's documenting of history is valuable, as is the inclusion of essays written by her three children, who children at the time, also share their personal memories of those events. (Her eldest son John III represented the Connally's at the funeral of John F. Kennedy.)
However following all that (including certain passages and or thoughts which appear at least twice, again), there is the inclusion of at least 30 pages of both transcribed and reprinted notes, which Mrs. Connally had made following the assassination for posterity's sake for her successors. This is all and well, however, the first half of the book has been a narrative written from these said notes. One wonders why the editors chose to tell a story and then choose to include the primary documents from which the narrative is written from. Also, following this, there is included the text of two speeches that President Kennedy was to have delivered. Whilst useful documents of history, or more appropriately non-history as they were not delivered, there is no explanation from the author or her co-author, nor from the editors or publishers as to their inclusion. These rather odd inclusions make for a book that is a fascinating and engrossing read until half way. After that, to the average reader it's just footnotes or source material that makes for nothing more than valuable further research.
On an appearance on the Imus in the Morning program, the presidential historian Michael Beschloss had an eerie item to share this past Tuesday. Lyndon Johnson was to have introduced President Kennedy at a dinner that evening in Austin, with the line: "Mr. President, I'm glad you made it out of Dallas alive."
By the way, Nellie Connally is scheduled to make an appearance on the Imus in the Morning program with Don Imus, this Friday, the 21st, which will be simulcast on MSNBC.
From Love Field: Our Final Hours with President John F. Kennedy, by Nellie Connally and Mickey Herskowitz, is published by RuggedLand and is $36.95 CDN ($24.95 USD). (ISBN: 1590710142).
Questions and comments may be sent to: editor@thecommentary.ca