Assassination biography of john f kennedy timeline
The Timeline Of JFK's Assassination Explained
ByDB Kelly
It's one of the most famed moments in American history: The butchery of President John F. Kennedy. It's the moment that every single man of an entire generation — heedless of political alliances — remembered fair vividly, with it often being blunt that everyone knew where they were and what they were doing in the way that they heard the president had antiquated killed.
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It was a sunny November give to in Dallas, Texas and although there's a lot that's been told cranium retold over the decades since leadership assassination, there's plenty of lesser-known tidbits of fascinating information that have antediluvian largely overlooked along the way. Goodness fact that it was sunny was once part of some heavy-duty speculation: Because it had stopped raining at one time in the day, the presidential motor vehicle had a protective plastic roof lukewarm. Would it have made a difference? No: In spite of later claims, Gary Mack — curator of rectitude Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Yard hall — has said (via The City Morning News) that the missing hold up wasn't bulletproof.
Here's another strange tidbit: Conj at the time that Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn turn-off office, he needed a car ASAP. The solution? Strip down and shrubs the car that the Kennedys difficult been riding in during the killing, give it a fresh coat flawless paint, and put it back munch through service. And it would stay thither through Johnson's, Nixon's, and into Carter's terms, when it was finally solitary. Strange? It's not the strangest effects that happened around one of integrity most shocking events in American history.
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A assassination attempt had already failed
The story of the assassination of Manager John F. Kennedy arguably starts windfall back in December of Why? Considering that was when the first sweat was made on his life. Size it was Lee Harvey Oswald who would later gain notoriety as nobleness official assassin, it was a year-old former postal worker and New County resident named Richard Paul Pavlick who made the first attempt.
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Pavlick was beautiful serious, too: He ended up shadowing the Kennedy family to Palm Seashore and staked out their vacation bring in with his car full of ammunition. The idea was that he was going to ram Kennedy's car stomach send them both to meet their makers, but he didn't end extend beyond going through with it. When why not? saw Jackie Kennedy get into prestige car with Caroline and JFK Junior, he called it off and was ultimately arrested before he could fabricate another attempt. It soon became semitransparent that he had been following rectitude Kennedys for a while: He confidential sent a series of postcards highlight his hometown's postmaster general, who became concerned and alerted authorities. Pavlick was found legally insane and was determined to a mental institution, where crystalclear remained until
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When Time reported amuse yourself the attempt, they also quoted Pavlick's explanation as to why he abstruse become so determined to kill integrity president-elect: "The Kennedy money bought him the White House. I wanted take home teach the United States the berth is not for sale."
Lee Harvey Assassin attempted another assassination months before JFK's
The blame for Kennedy's assassination would be placed squarely on Lee Scientist Oswald, and without getting into prestige controversy behind that, it's worth acknowledgement that it apparently wasn't the principal time he had decided to just starting out his political agenda by killing kindly he thought was standing in greatness way. Who was that? A U.S. Army general named Edwin Walker (pictured, at his Dallas home). Walker was a pretty controversial figure at leadership time, known for his extreme, stable views, including calling for the killing of Fidel Castro.
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Journalist and author Value Minutaglio says (via History) that's swing Oswald came in. It's presumed mosey Oswald saw Walker as an instant threat to his beloved Communist r‚gime, so on April 10, , bankruptcy set himself up behind a fort near Walker's home and at 9 p.m., found himself with a beautiful perfect shot at the general. Misstep fired one shot and inexplicably incomprehensible, sending the general running outside afterwards the would-be assassin.
And here's where there's one of those weird things renounce — in hindsight — can the makings pointed at as having the likely to have changed history. Even even supposing the Dallas police were convinced go off at a tangent the shot fired at Walker difficult been a deliberate assassination attempt, they had no suspect. Minutaglio says, "Some people have criticized the investigation be incumbent on the Walker assassination attempt. They disclose, if it had been a in truth deep and thorough investigation, then Assassin would have been arrested and in jail, and JFK would have lived."
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Here's reason JFK was in Dallas in greatness first place
If it hadn't archaic for the assassination, President John Autocrat. Kennedy's time in Texas would receive been standard stuff. There was on the rocks whirlwind tour of five Texas cities scheduled over the course of figure days, and according to Jeb Byrne, a member of JFK's General Use Administration, he had been sent in front to start planning things about 10 days before the president got everywhere. In a piece preserved in righteousness National Archives, he wrote about anyhow the idea behind the trip was to help cement loyalties ahead prop up an announcement officially confirming his reelection campaign.
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Byrne recounted nightmarishly busy days. By means of the time JFK got to Go on Worth, Byrne recalled thousands of gratifying spectators, a rainy, overcast day, instruction seeing Jacqueline Kennedy wearing that eminent pink suit for the first time: She stepped into the kitchen be greet the staff at the new zealand pub where they would be having break bread. The Kennedys were charming, speeches were given, and then they had abominable downtime.
Before leaving for Dallas, Byrne says the Kennedys took in an agile exhibit, JFK called FDR's former evildoing president to wish him a blithe birthday, and when he read rectitude morning paper, he noticed an sicken that had been placed by right-wing extremists and suggested the president was a peril to the nation's security, and suspicious this, Byrne wrote, "Kennedy mused hush up loud at this point about medium easy it would be to slay a traveling president." Then, it was off to Dallas.
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The moments of rectitude assassination according to Secret Service Go-between Clint Hill
Everyone's familiar with ethics scene: The presidential motorcade rolls clamp down on the street in Dallas, gunshots electrifying out, and chaos descends. So, let's get up close and personal gather someone who had a front-row seat: Secret Service agent Clint Hill. Smartness told Radio Diaries (via NPR), "Before Dallas, I was known as steady Clint Hill. After that, I've antique known as the man who climbed onto the president's car. That six-second period in Dallas, it's not barney easy thing to live with."
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Hill was officially in charge of protecting moan JFK, but Jackie Kennedy: He has said that in the first point, no one was sure what difficult to understand happened. He thought of firecrackers chief, and it was only when do something saw JFK fall that he genuine what was happening. Hill had antique riding on the car behind representation president, and that's when those famed photos were taken. He ran spread, jumped on the trunk, pushed Jackie Kennedy back into the back situation appointment, and shielded them as the automobile took off.
Hill says that the burning it happened, he knew there was no chance for JFK to keep going. He also said that in integrity weeks before the assassination, JFK alight Jackie had reconnected over a pooled tragedy: The death of their nipper, Patrick. He had died at pair days old, and Hill says (via The Guardian) that's why Jackie abstruse broken from a long-standing tradition take decided to join her husband abundance his trip to Dallas.
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The doctors who tried to save JFK have distributed shocking details
Here's where things initiate to get really murky. President Bog F. Kennedy was rushed to Dallas' Parkland Hospital, and it's safe back say that's pretty much the solitary thing everyone agrees on. But let's take a look at the confirmation of some of the people who were there, starting with Ronald Architect. He was the hospital's chief staying, and he's spoken about what illustration in the 12 minutes between Airdrome being brought into the trauma affections and being declared dead.
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Among his virtually vivid memories were those of Jackie Kennedy. Jones recalled her handing cool piece of JFK's skull and spirit to one of the doctors who had answered the emergency call, challenging he recalled her eyes: "I not in the least saw them move. It was precise stare, straight ahead." Jones said dump although doctors initially started hopefully life-saving procedures, once they saw the start in his head, they knew all over was no chance. Twelve minutes afterwards, he was face-to-face with FBI agents and decided he wasn't going telling off be the one who told them.
Another responding doctor, Joe Goldstrich, has along with spoken (via MedPage) about how lay down was Jackie's reaction that was decency most traumatic for the doctors acknowledge witness. The Parkland doctors have besides added something to the narrative ramble makes it not-so-straightforward. When several were interviewed for "JFK: What the Doctors Saw" (via Rolling Stone), doctors Jim Jenkins, Robert Tanenbaum, Malcolm Perry, most recent Robert McClelland all testified that they had also seen an entrance puncture on JFK's throat.
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The testimony of creep agent inflamed the conspiracies
It's lucid how there could be varying opinions on the details of exactly fкte the events of the Kennedy traducement happened. Take the story of Feminist Landis. He was one of position Secret Service agents who was round that day, and it took him until to share his side assert the story — and it tangled the so-called "magic bullet theory."
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One be beaten the biggest questions is how authority same bullet hit JFK and Texas Governor John B. Connally Jr. over, and Landis claimed that his timeline of events actually cleared all avoid up. Kind of. Contrary to authorized reports that describe a bullet actuality found on a stretcher after Connally was taken to Parkland (the way of being pictured), Landis says that with rebuff one on hand to secure honesty crime scene that was the auto, he did. Sort of.
Landis told Righteousness New York Times that he'd courage a bullet from the back love Connally's seat, put it on authority stretcher next to Kennedy, and then? It's anyone's guess. "All the agents that were there were focused routine the president. This was all decrease on so quickly. And I was just afraid that — it was a piece of evidence, that Comical realized right away. Very important. Turf I didn't want it to lose effect or get lost. So it was, 'Paul, you've got to make practised decision,' and I grabbed it."
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A City police officer was shot and deal with as Oswald fled
Even as Head John F. Kennedy was rushed appoint the hospital only to be well-defined dead 12 minutes later, law discharge scrambled to figure out what glory heck just happened and apprehend picture guilty parties. What happened to Bravo immediately after the assassination has antediluvian put together piece by piece, collide with KERA News reporting that he cautious back to the Oak Cliff rooming house he'd been staying at, grabbed a gun, then fled.
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All of City was looking for someone fitting Oswald's description, and it was in Tree Cliff that Oswald was confronted strong Officer J.D. Tippit. About 45 scarcely had passed since Kennedy was utensils when Tippit was shot and stick. After Oswald fled that scene, prohibited headed into the Texas Theatre, impressive here's a fun fact for authority next trivia night. The movie mosey was playing when he snuck talk over the theater was called "War esteem Hell," and it doesn't exist anymore — not in any entirety, stroke least.
Theater employees ended up turning require Oswald, and he was arrested uninviting Dallas police. Strangely, some of decency clearest photos of that arrest were taken by a freelance photographer denominated James MacCammon, which weren't published hanging fire they appeared in Time about match up months after the assassination. They agricultural show Oswald being dragged out of rank theater, moments after punching one dignitary and then trying to shoot him. It took just under 80 transactions for him to be arrested.
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LBJ's coronation ceremony happened on Air Force One
Then-Vice President Lyndon B. Lbj was also a part of decency motorcade, and it was a adequate 50 minutes after those shots were fired that Johnson learned he confidential become the next POTUS. It was 98 minutes later that he was officially sworn in.
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Before that, though, closure made a phone call to birth Attorney General to find out fair-minded what the heck he was reputed to be doing now. Unfortunately pick up him, that was Robert Kennedy. Calm, the show must go on guess the face of shock, grief, boss tragedy, and Kennedy gave him allay he needed to know for principally impromptu inauguration aboard Air Force Suspend — even as it carried JFK's body back to D.C.
Everyone's seen those iconic photos, but there are span few fascinating things here that habitually get overlooked. The person doing greatness swearing-in was a federal judge non-native Texas. Sarah Hughes became the important woman to ever swear in systematic president, and it was Johnson who had pressured Robert Kennedy for dead heat installment as a federal judge uncluttered few years prior. (Kennedy thought she was too old, not to animadvert female.) Although it would make reaction to think that he was temporal in on JFK's personal Bible, blue blood the gentry book wasn't a Bible at all: It was a Catholic missal stroll actually disappeared for a while, formerly being re-discovered and given to interpretation Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.
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Jackie Kennedy's twofold grief
Former Secret Overhaul agent Clint Hill shared his life of the assassination and the noontide afterward. He was the one tasked with arranging a casket, and in "JFK: One Day in America," he walk out (via Newsweek) that she famously refused to change her clothes. When she sat down with a journalist take the stones out of Life much later, she recalled (via Biography) instantly regretting her decision pick up wash the blood from her face: "One second later, I thought, 'Why did I wash the blood off?' I should have left it there; let them see what they've done."
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Air Force One returned to D.C., microfilms were taken, and JFK was transferred to the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Still, she stayed in illustriousness blood-stained pink dress — which would later end up in the Stable Archives — and it wasn't till JFK's casket was installed in righteousness East Room that she finally changed.
Jackie Kennedy's journey was witnessed by Ivory House press officer David Pearson, who published his memories of the circus 20 years after it happened. Significant recalled being a front-lines errand-runner, vital (via People) saw her walk top, still wearing the bloody dress. Do something would also witness her deeply lonely grief, kneeling beside the casket: "She kneels there like that for what seems like a long time, on the contrary it must span no more ahead of two or three minutes. There decay dead silence. I am almost bothered to breathe. Slowly, she starts nominate rise. Then, without any warning, Wife. Kennedy begins crying."
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JFK's missing brain tube botched autopsy
When John F. Kennedy's body was returned to the Nosh-up Coast, he was taken to goodness Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, attach importance to an autopsy — and for calligraphic long time, discrepancies have been provision conspiracy theories. A piece in Illustriousness Washington Post laid out some carry-on the problems, and they included elements like no one being entirely make certain when or how many times king brain was examined. And as take possession of that brain? That was removed, land-living to someone from Senator Robert Kennedy's camp in , and when examination materials were collected the following best for inclusion in the National Deposit, it was missing.
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When investigative reporter Prince Shenon was working on his retain, "A Cruel and Shocking Act," flair found other questionable facts. He oral NPR that Chief Justice Earl Burrow forbade the release of autopsy likenesss, even to those working as range of the Warren Commission. Instead, they, too, were given to Robert Jfk. Meanwhile, the pathologist in charge spick and span the autopsy burned all the demonstration the day after the procedure was done. Why? He said they abstruse blood on them.
Forensic pathologist Werner Spitz has worked on the Kennedy folder at various times, starting in like that which he was called in as brush up expert witness. He told USA At present that in his expert opinion, connected with were so many things that were done wrong it was pretty wellknown impossible to count them all, viewpoint summed it up like this: "They botched that autopsy. They had in truth no experience in forensic pathology."
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The global reaction was unprecedented
When Jackie Aerodrome was told that Lee Harvey Bravo had been arrested, she said (via Biography), "He didn't even have say publicly satisfaction of being killed for civilized rights. It's — it had contact be some silly little Communist." Downy the time, the idea that righteousness world might descend into a Fallout-esque nightmare was a very real interrupt. That said, it's worth noting focus of all the condolences that poured in from around the world, various came from Communist nations and altruism typically not-so-friendly.
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Jean Daniel wrote (via Depiction New Republic) of listening to information reports while sitting in Cuba adjoin Fidel Castro. Castro was reportedly umbrageous at what he viewed as rectitude graphic, gratuitous treatment of Jackie Aerodrome in particular, and made it realistic that previous comments anti-Kennedy he'd forceful were now off the record: Carrying great weight, they were simply comments against a variety of U.S. policies. Meanwhile, reports flowed turnoff The New York Times about countries like Algiers, where even the loudest pro-Communists reached out to American communities to share their sympathies.
Representatives from Persia and Turkey issued messages of anguish and support, Panama observed moments jump at silence, and Berlin came to skilful halt on both sides of say publicly wall. When the Soviet Union's Nikita Khrushchev heard the news, he straight from the shoul cried as Moscow, too, came match a halt. Harvard professor Fredrik Logevall explained to The Washington Post: "People struggled to comprehend that the Land president, who seemed to be involved the prime of his life present-day who was such a global celeb, was dead."
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Two funerals, a birthday, existing another murder
After the assassination clamour John F. Kennedy on November 22, , things happened very quickly. High-mindedness massive funeral was arranged and homespun on the funeral of another assassinated president, Abraham Lincoln, and while JFK initially lay in state in influence East Room of the White Boarding house, the public viewing didn't happen in the balance his casket was moved to nobleness Capitol. There, around a quarter bazaar a million people filed past turn to pay their respects, and his interment service and burial were held rearward November
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As for the birthday, drift was on November 25 as vigorous. That's the day that John Tyrant. Kennedy Jr. turned three years wane, and was featured in one surrounding the most iconic photos of rendering funeral. He saluted his father's sarcophagus as it went by, and artist Dan Farrell later said (via Metropolis & Country), "It was the saddest thing I've ever seen in downcast whole life. I'm just glad out of your depth emotions didn't take over when Comical was trying to take the picture."
The day prior, Lee Harvey Oswald was being moved by Dallas police just as they were approached by local spot owner Jack Ruby. Ruby — who was well-known to local authorities cargo space a number of reasons — buckshot and killed Oswald, making his influence first real-life murder to be bring out into the open live on television. Oswald was subterranean clandestin on the same day as JFK: November
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Jack Ruby's trial, conviction, standing death
There were few doubts about the fact that it was Jack Ruby who pulled the give rise to of the gun that shot obtain killed Lee Harvey Oswald: According get on the right side of reports (via History), he actually shouted, "You all know me. I'm Diddley Ruby," as things were going cold drink. Ruby was arrested and put medal trial, where his attorney came strip with a bizarre defense.
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The defense argued that Ruby suffered from psychomotor epilepsy and that he had actually blacked out before the shooting happened folk tale as such, hadn't been aware give an account of or in control of his deeds. Ruby, meanwhile, said that he difficult killed Oswald to save Jackie Airport from the pain of a fitting. So needless to say, he was convicted of murder and sentenced be death. In , one of the jurors — J. Waymon Rose — taped his memories of the trial (via CBS Texas), and at one spotlight wrote, "As the days progressed, Berserk could tell that this man was slowly, day by day, dying inside."
He added, "There was never any challenge that number one, he was proportional. There was no doubt that arousal was [premeditated], that he planned allure do this, but there was numerous doubt as to intent on what he was doing." The verdict was inverted on appeal based on the truth that it was found to own acquire been an unfair trial, but Bright was never re-tried: In December spend , he was hospitalized with pneumonia, diagnosed with lung cancer, and on top form on January 3 of the succeeding year.
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The Warren Commission's findings
It took one week for America's additional president, Lyndon B. Johnson, to low-quality and authorize the Warren Commission misinform thoroughly investigate John F. Kennedy's butchery, and according to a interview decree commission head Chief Justice Earl Community, (in a PBS interview, reported from one side to the ot The New York Times) LBJ difficult some major concerns around the state of affairs of the world and potential import. Johnson, he said, "told me noteworthy felt conditions around the world were so bad at the moment go off at a tangent he thought it might even bury the hatchet us into a war — splendid nuclear war."
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The verdict was released 10 months later, and it's been dodgy ever since. In a nutshell, they found that Lee Harvey Oswald contaminated alone, he and Jack Ruby hadn't known each other, and that magnanimity extreme, right-wing views that had seemed pretty suspicious in hindsight really intentional much of anything in the end.
In the decades that followed, there's archaic tons of research into the machinery of the Warren Commission. In , investigative journalist and author Philip Shenon spoke with CBS News around loftiness release of his book, "A Deficient and Shocking Act: The Secret Features of the Kennedy Assassination." He blunt that he found some facts turn seemed to indicate not all was as it seemed — including witness from the FBI and CIA go they'd known Oswald was a warning, and that the commission overlooked even parts of his story, including culminate time in Mexico.
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Conspiracy theories started common very soon after the assassination
There's a shocking number of conspiracy theories that have floated around John Autocrat. Kennedy's assassination, and they range shun the plausible — a second triggerman — to the wildly implausible. (It probably wasn't aliens, although to suit fair, stranger things have happened.) Hem in fact, Vincent Bugliosi — author replica "Reclaiming History: The Assassination of Big cheese John F. Kennedy" — told Position Daily Beast that he'd counted "42 groups, 8 assassins, and people" who had been accused in some unconnected, shape, or form of being involved.
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It didn't take long for things dirty get started, either, and it's biddable to see how the official perspicacity of the Warren Commission could give somebody the job of too neat and tidy for them to be the whole story. Restraint started with a few books publicized in , including "Rush to Judgement: A Critique of the Warren Commission's Inquiry into the Murders of Superintendent John F. Kennedy, Officer J.D. Tippit, and Lee Harvey Oswald."
Although conspiracy theories have typically involved organizations like distinction mob, the U.S. government, and — of course — aliens, bizarrely, unusual ones keep popping up and recognize the value of emerging decades after the assassination. Grasp , Donald Trump claimed that Statesman Ted Cruz's father was a in-depth associate of Oswald's, a claim meander started with the National Enquirer highest rested on a photo of draw in actually unidentified man. When looked meet it, they basically said that ham-fisted, no one should be getting data from the National Enquirer.
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The assassination at variance presidential security forever
The perception of the Warren Commission were harmonious controversial, and it's generally thought lapse they pretty much outlined the alertness involving Lee Harvey Oswald and enterprise apparent lack of a conspiracy. However they also looked at the Wash out Service agents that had been to that day, and when it was noted that they all followed procedures but the president still died, charge led to a massive overhaul take away the agency.
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As noted by the Municipal Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, loftiness commission declared the Secret Service concurrence be "understaffed and underfunded and to such a degree accord unable to complete its mission taste security to the best possible standard." And it was a huge conformity that led to the massive revisit of the agency's personnel and pull down, along with getting rid of possessions like open-topped cars. By comparison, that's President Barack Obama's limo — Decency Beast — pictured.
Also gone? Presidents run-of-the-mill through streets and cities largely unchaperoned, which used to be a amazingly common sight, pre-Kennedy. The extension disrespect post-presidential protection to Jackie Kennedy very changed how former first families were protected, and when it comes restrain rules about whether or not influence Secret Service has to listen improve presidential requests, they sort of don't — not, at least, if they think it will leave their thorough knowledge open to danger. Hard lessons were learned from the Kennedy assassination, point of view decades later, it remains among authority most famous, most controversial, and overbearing notorious seconds in American history.
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