DAY TWO
NOVEMBER 22, 1963
11
Fort Worth
Hotel Texas
Sound asleep in my room at the Hotel Texas, immediately next door to President and Mrs. Kennedyâs suite on the eighth floor, I am jolted awake by the ringing of the telephone at six oâclock sharp. Itâs the White House switchboard with the wake-up call I requested last night. Prompt and reliable as usual. Other than being famished, I feel refreshed and ready for the day.
I order room serviceâpoached eggs, home fries, bacon, toast, orange juice, milk, and coffee. If yesterday was any indication of how today will go, itâs hard to say when I will have the opportunity to eat next.
I hear voices outside and walk over to the window. It is raining lightly, and although itâs still dark outside, hundreds of people are gathering in the parking lot across the street, around a small stage. Everyone is dressed in rain gear and most have umbrellas. There is nowhere to sit, and the president isnât going to appear for at least another two hours.
Unbelievable.
While waiting for my breakfast to arrive, I shave, shower, and get dressed.
After devouring my breakfast, I go over the dayâs schedule again. Itâs a repeat of yesterdayâjust different cities, different speech sites, and we end the day at Vice President Johnsonâs ranch. Iâve never been there before and I always find it interesting to see presidents and vice presidents on their home turf. Thatâs where they feel most comfortable, and when they are out of the public eye you usually get a better picture of what theyâre really like.
Knowing Mrs. Kennedy, I am almost certain she will not join the president for the hastily scheduled outdoor speechâespecially since itâs raining. Yesterday was an unremitting baptism to campaigning, and while she held up remarkably well, it was obvious she was exhausted by the time we got to Fort Worth. Since she doesnât intend to go to the Chamber of Commerce breakfast, either, presumably she will take the opportunity to sleep in. Still, I need to check in with Kellerman and make sure nothingâs happened overnight that I should know about.
I quickly pack up my things so my suitcase is ready to go before I leave my room. Someone from the White House baggage detail will pick up my bag, make sure itâs on Air Force One and will be at the LBJ Ranch this evening when we arrive. At least I donât have to worry about my luggage.
I check the closet, the bathroom, and every drawer to make sure I havenât left anything. Double-check my pocketsâcommission book, wallet, sunglasses, the dayâs schedule. Revolver in my holster.
We have set up a security post outside the presidentâs suite with a small table and a telephone thatâs connected to the White House switchboard, and when I emerge from my room, Roy Kellerman and Agent Emory Roberts, the supervisor of the 8:00â4:00 shift, are there waiting to escort President Kennedy outside to the parking lot speech site.
Shortly after 8:30 A.M., the president comes out of the suite with his two closest aides, Ken OâDonnell and Dave Powers.
âGood morning, gentlemen,â the president says brightly, with a big smile on his face.
âGood morning, Mr. President,â we reply in unison.
The overwhelming and enthusiastic reception the president received yesterday in three Texas cities was clearly invigorating, and today he appears to be well rested and eager for more of the same. The only difference today, if it continues to rain, may be that the tops will need to be on the cars. But, as we saw last night, even rain doesnât seem to deter his supporters.
Kellerman and Roberts get in the elevator with the president and his aides and they proceed down to the lobby. Once in the lobby, the other agents on the shift will move in, providing a loose wall of last-defense security around the president.
As I knock on the door to check on Mrs. Kennedy, I hear a roar of screams and thunderous applause coming from outside.
Inside the suite, George Thomas, President Kennedyâs valet, is busy packing the presidentâs things, while Mary Gallagher is helping Mrs. Kennedy. There is no hurry because Mrs. Kennedy isnât going to the Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Her next function will be the motorcade to Carswell Air Force Base and the flight aboard Air Force One to Dallas. She peers out the window to watch whatâs going on down below, careful to keep her face hidden behind the curtain.
More applause, and then the presidentâs voice ascends from the loudspeakers.
âThere are no faint hearts in Fort Worth!â he declares.
A voice calls out amid the applause and laughter, âWhereâs Jackie?â
Thereâs a brief pause. âMrs. Kennedy is organizing herself. It takes her a little longer, but of course she looks better than we do when she does it.â The crowd loves it.
In order to give Mrs. Kennedy as much privacy as possible, I return to the security post in the hallway outside the suite.
Soon Agent Paul Landis joins me.
âItâs a madhouse down there,â he says. âFive thousand people outside in the rain, and another twenty-five hundred in the Grand Ballroom. The president is in there now.â
About five minutes later, the security phone rings.
âAgent Hill,â I answer.
âClint, itâs Duncan.â Bill Duncan is the senior advance agent for the Secret Service in Fort Worth. âIâm down here at the breakfast with the president. He wants you to bring Mrs. Kennedy down, right now.â
I pull out her schedule, and right next to the breakfast listing she has made a check mark in red pencil and written: JBK wonât attend.
âBut Mrs. Kennedy isnât intending on going to the breakfast.â
âThe president just told me to tell you to get her down here now. Everyone is waiting for her.â
âOkay, Bill. Weâll be right there.â
I walk into the suite and call out, âMrs. Kennedy? The president wants you down at the breakfast. Are you ready?â
âCome on in, Mr. Hill,â she replies from the bedroom.
Sheâs standing in front of the mirror, running a comb through her hair. She is dressed in her pink suit with the navy collarâone of her favoritesâbut I can tell sheâs not nearly ready. Clearly thereâs been a misunderstanding about her appearance at the breakfast.
âGood morning. I hope you slept well,â she says cheerfully.
âWeâve got another long day ahead,â I say. I donât want to rush her, but the presidentâs message was clear. âDid you know that the president is waiting for you at the breakfast?â
She looks at me quizzically. âI wasnât planning on going to the breakfast.â
âI know, Mrs. Kennedy, but I just got an urgent message that the president wants you down at the breakfast, right now.â
She seems a bit surprised. âOkay, I just need to put on my hat.â
Mary Gallagher helps her adjust her hat, pinning it on just so.
âOh, and my gloves . . .â
I look at my watch. Itâs been seven minutes since Duncan called. Finally sheâs ready, and Paul Landis and I escort her down to the mezzanine level. I lead the way, walking briskly, with Mrs. Kennedy following and Landis behind her. The instructions are for us to proceed through the kitchen and enter the Grand Ballroom through a rear door. When we arrive at the door to the ballroom, I peek in to see what is happening. The room is filled to capacity with finely dressed women and men seated at rows and rows of long, narrow tables, and the master of ceremonies is drawling through the introductions of the dignitaries seated at the head table. Thereâs Vice President and Mrs. Johnson, the Connallys, and a litany of local politicians and their wives. As soon as the MCâs finished, I step into the doorway so he can see Mrs. Kennedy behind me.
His face lights up as if all his prayers have been answered and gleefully announces, âAnd now the event I know all of you have been waiting for!â
As Mrs. Kennedy walks into the room, all 2,500 people jump to their feet, applauding and cheering. The suddenness of the noise appears to startle Mrs. Kennedy, and it gives me goose bumps.
The room is so jam-packed, I canât believe the fire marshal would allow this many people in here. My goal is to get her as quickly to the dais as possible, following the narrow, clear path, without giving anyone the opportunity to grab her attention. Beneath the reverberating sounds of clapping hands, low voices divulge the impression sheâs already making. âOh, isnât she lovely?â âMy, sheâs even prettier in person!â âLook at that stunning suit!â
Everyone at the head table is standing as well, and as she walks across the raised stage, she looks out to the audience and smiles in appreciation of the rousing ovation. The president seems relieved that sheâs finally hereâalbeit twenty minutes late.
The people in the audience are buzzingâthey donât care that sheâs late. They know what a rare opportunity this is to see the handsome president and his wife together, not whizzing by in a motorcade, but right here in the same room.
President Kennedy is introduced and he steps up to the podium.
âTwo years ago, I introduced myself in Paris by saying that I was the man who had accompanied Mrs. Kennedy to Paris.â Holding back ...