One of the worst days in our nation's history. I remember it well.

THE WAYBACK MACHINE --

What crossed the wire when JFK was shot

In the moments after President Kennedy was assassinated, news services scrambled to figure out exactly what happened. OTIS HART got his hands on the original AP bulletins and recounts the drama.

Published Wednesday, November 22, 2006

By OTIS HART

First came the shots, then the chaos.

The day was Nov. 22, 1963, a Friday -- exactly 43 years ago. President John F. Kennedy was in Dallas, stumping for local Democrats and preparing for a re-election bid. He was on route to the Dallas Trade Mart, where he was to give a speech.

AP Senate reporter Jack Bell was traveling behind the president in the media pool car, along with United Press International correspondent Merriman Smith and White House press secretary Malcolm Kilduff. The motorcade was coasting through Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas when, at 12:30 p.m. CST, gunfire rang out. Kennedy had been shot.

The president's car raced toward Parkland Hospital, with the pool car trying to keep up. Bell and Smith lunged for the car's only phone. Smith triumphed; UPI was the first to announce to the world that three shots had been fired at the president's motorcade.

Before Bell could call the AP's Dallas bureau, the phone went dead. Luckily for the AP, photographer James W. "Ike" Altgens, still at the scene, had called Dallas bureau chief Robert Johnson. Based on Altgens' account, Johnson wrote the first bulletin at 12:40 p.m. CST announcing President Kennedy had been shot:


BULLETIN

DALLAS, NOV. 22 (AP) _ PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS SHOT TODAY JUST AS HIS MOTORCADE LEFT DOWNTOWN DALLAS. MRS. KENNEDY JUMPED UP AND GRABBED MR. KENNEDY. SHE CRIED, OH, NO!" THE MOTORCADE SPED ON.

___

One minute later, Johnson added further details:


AP PHOTOGRAPHER JAMES. W ALTGENS SAID HE SAW BLOOD ON THE PRESIDENT'S HEAD.

ALTGENS SAID HE HEARD TWO SHOTS BUT THOUGHT SOMEONE WAS SHOOTING FIREWORKS UNTIL HE SAW THE BLOOD ON THE PRESIDENT.

ALTGENS SAID HE SAW NO ONE WITH A GUN.

___

Bell, meanwhile, had finally found a phone.

AP REPORTER JACK BELL ASKED KENNETH O'DONNELL, PRESIDENTIAL ASSISTANT, IF KENNEDY WAS DEAD. O'DONNELL GAVE NO ANSWER.

KENNEDY WAS REPORTED TAKEN TO PARKLAND HOSPITAL, NEAR THE DALLAS TRADE MART, WHERE HE WAS TO HAVE MADE A SPEECH.

BELL SAID KENNEDY WAS TRANSFERRED TO AN AMBULANCE. HE LAAAAAAAAAAA

The gravity of the situation was obviously hitting home in the Dallas bureau. Johnson pushed his way through typos to keep the information coming.

BELL SAID KENNEDY WAS TRANSFERRED TO AN AMBULANCE. HE LAY ON A SEAT OF THE CAR. BLOOD STAINEEZWWC ... RFMTHING.

BELL REPORTED THREE SHOTS WERE FIRED AS THE MOTORCADE ENTERED THE TRIPLE UNDERPASS WHICH LEADS TO THE STEMMONS FREEWAY ROUTE TO PARKLAND HOSPITAL.

___

PANDEMONIUM BROKE LOOSE AROUND THE SCENE.

THE SECRET SERVICE WAVED THE MOTORCADE ON AT TOP SPEED TO THE HOSPITAL.

EVEN AT HIGH SPEED IT TOOK NEARLY FIVE MINUTES TO GET THE CAR TO THE AMBULANCE ENTRANCE OF THE HOSPITAL.

REPORTERS SAW KENNEDY LYING FLAT ON HIS FACE ON SATF HIS CAR.

___

At 1:32 P.M. CST, a newsflash hit the wires.

FLASH

DALLAS

DALLAS--TWO PRIESTS WHO WERE WITH KENNEDY SAY HIS IS DEAD OF BULLET WOUNDS.

___

One minute later, a proper bulletin was sent around the world.

BULLETIN

DALLAS, NOV. 22 (AP) - TWO PRIESTS STEPPED OUT OF PARKLAND HOSPITAL'S EMERGENCY WARD TODAY AND SAID PRESIDENT KENNEDY DIED OF HIS BULLET WOUNDS.

___

Then, as President's death was slowly sinking in across America, the AP issued the definitive, unattributed truth.

BULLETIN

DALLAS, TEX., NOV. 22 (AP) _ PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY, THIRTY-SIXTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, WAS SHOT TO DEATH TODAY BY A HIDDEN ASSASSIN ARMED WITH A HIGH-POWERED RIFLE.

___

Otis Hart is an asap reporter. AP archivist Valerie Komor assisted with this report.


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Breukelen advocaat Reviewed by Breukelen advocaat on . Nov. 22, 1963: Assassination of President John F. Kennedy One of the worst days in our nation's history. I remember it well. THE WAYBACK MACHINE -- What crossed the wire when JFK was shot In the moments after President Kennedy was assassinated, news services scrambled to figure out exactly what happened. OTIS HART got his hands on the original AP bulletins and recounts the drama. Published Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Rating: 5