Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)United States. Warren Commission
History
Warren Commission (04 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)
United States. Warren Commission
Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963 -- Assassination; Oswald, Lee Harvey
Governor CONNALLY. That purportedly quoted me about not wanting the
President to ride in a motorcade or caravan in Dallas. That is very
true. But the implication was that I had some fear of his life, which
is not true.
The reason I didn't want him to do it at the time it came up was simply
we were running out of time, and that, I thought, we were working him
much too hard. This again was before the change, moving San Antonio to
Thursday instead of having it all on one day, and I was opposed to a
motorcade because they do drain energy, and it takes time to do it, and
I didn't think we had the time.
But once we got San Antonio moved from Friday to Thursday afternoon,
where that was his initial stop in Texas, then we had the time, and I
withdrew my objections to a motorcade.
The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much, Governor.
Governor CONNALLY. Thank you, sir.
TESTIMONY OF MRS. JOHN BOWDEN CONNALLY, JR.
The CHAIRMAN. Mrs. Connally, would you mind telling us the story of
this affair as you heard it, and we will be brief, and we will start
right with the shooting itself, and Mr. Specter will also examine you.
Would you raise your right hand and be sworn, please? Do you solemnly
swear the testimony you are about to give before this Commission will
be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you
God?
Mrs. CONNALLY. I do.
The CHAIRMAN. Will you sit, please?
Mr. SPECTER. Are you the wife of Governor John C. Connally?
Mrs. CONNALLY. No, I am the wife of Governor John B. Connally.
Mr. SPECTER. Mrs. Connally, tell us what happened at the time of the
assassination.
Mrs. CONNALLY. We had just finished the motorcade through the downtown
Dallas area, and it had been a wonderful motorcade. The people had been
very responsive to the President and Mrs. Kennedy, and we were very
pleased, I was very pleased.
As we got off Main Street--is that the main thoroughfare?
Mr. SPECTER. That is the street on which you were proceeding through
the town, yes.
Mrs. CONNALLY. In fact the receptions had been so good every place that
I had showed much restraint by not mentioning something about it before.
I could resist no longer. When we got past this area I did turn to the
President and said, "Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love
you."
Then I don't know how soon, it seems to me it was very soon, that I
heard a noise, and not being an expert rifleman, I was not aware that
it was a rifle. It was just a frightening noise, and it came from the
right.
I turned over my right shoulder and looked back, and saw the President
as he had both hands at his neck.
Mr. SPECTER. And you are indicating with your own hands, two hands
crossing over gripping your own neck?
Mrs. CONNALLY. Yes; and it seemed to me there was--he made no
utterance, no cry. I saw no blood, no anything. It was just sort of
nothing, the expression on his face, and he just sort of slumped down.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account