Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (02 of 26): Hearings Vol. II (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Mr. HILL. It is a 1955 Cadillac, nine-passenger touring sedan. It is a
convertible type.
Mr. SPECTER. Was that automobile flown in specially from Washington for
the occasion?
Mr. HILL. Yes; it was, sir.
Mr. SPECTER. Do you know how that automobile was transported to Dallas,
Tex.?
Mr. HILL. Generally, it is flown in a C-130 by the Air Force. I am not
sure how on this particular occasion.
Mr. SPECTER. Will you describe, in a general way, the composition of
the crowds en route from Love Field down to the center of Dallas,
please?
Mr. HILL. Well, when we left Love Field, we went away from the crowd
to get to the exit point at Love Field, and there were no crowds at
all, and then we, departing Love Field, found the crowds were sporadic.
There were people here and there. Some places they had built up and
other places they were thinned out. The speed of the motorcade was
adjusted accordingly. Whenever there were large groups of people,
the motorcade slowed down to give the people an opportunity to view
the President. When there were not many people along the side of the
street, we speeded up. We didn't really hit the crowds until we hit
Main Street.
Mr. SPECTER. What is your best estimate of the maximum speed of the
automobile from the time you left Love Field until the time you arrived
at downtown Dallas?
Mr. HILL. I would say we never ran any faster than 25 to 30 miles per
hour.
Mr. SPECTER. What is your best estimate of the minimum speed during
this same interval?
Mr. HILL. Twelve to fifteen miles per hour. We did stop.
Mr. SPECTER. On what occasion did you stop?
Mr. HILL. Between Love Field and Main Street, downtown Dallas, on the
right-hand side of the street there were a group of people with a long
banner which said, "Please, Mr. President, stop and shake our hands."
And the President requested the motorcade to stop, and he beckoned to
the people and asked them to come and shake his hand, which they did.
Mr. SPECTER. Did the President disembark from his automobile at that
time?
Mr. HILL. No; he remained in his seat.
Mr. SPECTER. At that time what action, if any, did you take?
Mr. HILL. I jumped from the followup car and ran up to the left rear
portion of the automobile with my back toward Mrs. Kennedy viewing
those persons on the left-hand side of the street.
Mr. SPECTER. What action was taken by any other Secret Service agent
which you observed at that time?
Mr. HILL. Special Agent Ready, who was working the forward portion of
the right running board, did the same thing, only on the President's
side, placed his back toward the car, and viewed the people facing
the President. Assistant in Charge Kellerman opened the door of the
President's car and stepped out on the street.
Mr. SPECTER. What action was taken by Special Agent McIntyre, if you
know?
Mr. HILL. I do not know.
Mr. SPECTER. How about Special Agent Landis?
Mr. HILL. I do not know.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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