This week marks the 60th anniversary of the death of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963. Did you know that JFK’s final flight occurred less than an hour before his assassination and was only a 30-mile, 13-minute flight aboard SAM 26000, the customized Boeing 707 that served as Air Force One?
JFK’s Last Flight: A 13-Minute Jaunt Less Than Hour Before His Death
President Kennedy and the First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy arrived in Texas on November 21, 1963 for a two-day, five-city tour. Texas was deemed a must-win state and there was much bickering within the Democratic Party that Kennedy sought to assuage on the trip.
His first stop was San Antonio, then Houston. On the morning of November 22nd, he began his day in Fort Worth, making remarks at a breakfast held by the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. Then he traveled to Carswell Air Force Base where he made a 30-mile, 13-minute flight to Dallas Love Field (LUV) aboard Air Force One.
He was greeted by a cheering crowd at Love Field and welcomed by Vice President Lyndon Johnson and Governor John Connally. The President and Mrs. Kennedy took a seat with Governor Connally and his wife in an open convertible.
Less than 40 minutes later, as the presidential motorcade turned down Elm Street and passed Dealey Plaza, gunfire suddenly erupted from the Texas School Book Depository. The Governor was shot, the President was shot and killed.
* * *
It is interesting to ponder whether JFK might have survived had he flown into DFW (then not even a concept) instead of LUV. Dallas-Fort Worth International opened in 1974. The truth is he probably would have still eventually taken the same route down Harwood Street, with a right on Main Street, right on Houston Street, left on Elm Street, and then through Dealey Plaza where he was shot. Nevertheless, it’s still interesting to ponder.
I’ve visited Dealey Plaza, The Grassy Knoll, and the Texas School Book Depository. It’s amazing to think about what happened there and while I am a strong skeptic of most conspiracy theories, the assassination of President Kennedy always makes me wonder. For 60 years the nation has wondered…
While we live in a very turbulent and partisan period in American history, I am thankful it has been 60 years since a President was assassinated (thankfully, President Reagan survived the attempt against his life). We tend to think of America as a place that grows more dangerous as time goes on and in some ways it does, but let’s not forget that the US has a rich history of gun violence and presidential assassination and assassination attempts, including four sitting presidents that were killed.
So much of the world has changed, but in some ways, nothing has changed. It remains a dangerous place indeed…
image: Kennedy Library
“Dealey Plaza where he shot” – where he WAS shot
“Did you that” – did you KNOW that
Sorry, can’t help it in a serious piece like this.
Lukas- 100% agree. Matthew really needs a copy editor-the quality of his writing has really decreased over the past couple years.
No, no he doesn’t. People make mistakes, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. You clowns want to cry about everything. It took NOTHING away from the story. Last I checked this is a free site, you didn’t pay for the content.
Stop being dicks about everything.
These Grammar Police ran the projector and were the hall monitors in 3rd grade.
It’s all right – I appreciate the corrections.
Interesting article. Thank you, Matthew. And don’t worry about the angst over a couple of dropped words. I wrote for newspapers for 40 years and learned that a lot of people out there thrive on locating minor mistakes. I came to understand that I made their day if they could find a misplaced comma.
Another conspiracy theory by Matthew?! :p See paragraph 2. JFK did not die and his death was faked? He arrived in Texas in 1973, which was about 5 years after LBJ left the White House?!
Jokes aside, the forerunner of DFW did exit. The Greater Southwest International Airport was an airport used by the airlines and was on the southern grounds of what is now DFW. There are now just a few traces of the airport, namely a tiny bit of runway at the end of Amon Carter Blvd.
At least now, Dallas Love Field is DAL, not LUV (though LUV is the ticker symbol of Southwest Airlines, which is based in Dallas). Has it changed, or is this a slip?
Re: “I am thankful it has been 60 years since a President was assassinated.”
There are many polite law-abiding people who ordinarily would never wish illness or death upon their worst enemies who passionately believe that another POTUS deserved to be assassinated between January 21, 2017 and January 19, 2021 and that former POTUS still deserves the same fate. If nothing else he’s directly responsible for the deaths (murder) from COVID of many people who clearly would have survived had his response to COVID been more appropriate.
You’re disgusting for posting this.
Mikwalen: The truth apparently hurts you more than anyone else. Typical Trump supporter, nothing of value or substance, just personal insults. Nothing I wrote is even remotely disgusting, I simply pointed out the FACT that many people thought Trump deserved to be assassinated and offered one reason for those thoughts. His and his supporters’ words and actions are infinitely more repulsively disgusting: threatening a judge and his clerk, often with anti-Semitic threats, fomenting an insurrection, indictments and convictions for all sorts of violent crimes. Please crawl back under whatever rock you crawled out from.
There are a lot of new eyewitness reports coming out, one especially from a secret service agent on detail there that day who has remained quiet all these years. There is no question, there was more than one shooter. And Oswald was set up.
I was in Dealey Plaza the day the Trump fans were throwing a rally for JFK Jr. to reincarnate. I was there laughing at them, not supporting them, but it’s safe to say this little corner of downtown has a rich history of conspiracy theories.
Was that a real thing?
Yes it was!
Google “JFK, Jr. lives.”
It’s crazy town!