Lyndon Johnson

Vice President Johnson was riding two cars behind the Kennedys with Lady Bird, Texas Senator Ralph Yarborough and Secret Service Man Rufus Youngblood. "I was startled by the sharp report or explosion," Johnson wrote the Commission, "but I had no time to speculate as to its origin because Agent Youngblood turned in a flash, immediately after the first explosion, hitting me on the shoulder, and shouted to all of us in the back seat to get down. Almost in the same moment in which he hit or pushed me, he vaulted over the back seat and sat on me. I was bent over under the weight of Agent Youngblood's body. I remember attempting to turn my head to make sure that Mrs. Johnson had bent down. Both she and Senator Yarborough had crouched down at Agent Youngblood's command." "He's Gone." At the hospital, Johnson was escorted into a tiny room by Secret Service men and told to stay there--no matter what. There he learned of Kennedy's death.

"It was [White House Aide] Ken O'Donnell who, at about 1:20 p.m., told us that the President had died," said Johnson. "I think his precise words were, 'He's gone.' I found it hard to believe that this had happened. The whole thing seemed unreal--unbelievable. A few hours earlier, I had breakfast with John Kennedy; he was alive, strong, vigorous. I could not believe now that he was dead. I was shocked and sickened.

"It is, of course, difficult to convey an accurate impression of the period of time that we were in the hospital room.

We were all stunned. I suppose we were in a state of shock and there was no time for the shock to wear off sufficiently so that the magnitude of our personal loss of this great man and good friend could express itself in words or in surface feelings. I .suppose, actually, that the only outlet fdr the grief that shock had submerged was our sharp, painful and bitter concern and solicitude for Mrs. Kennedy."

Later, aboard Air Force One, the air of unreality and disbelief persisted. Said Johnson: "We were ushered into the private quarters of the President's plane. It didn't seem right for John Kennedy not to be there. I told someone that we preferred for Mrs. Kennedy to use these quarters."

Bravery, Nobility, Dignity. From the plane, Johnson phoned Bobby Kennedy in Washington, and they decided that the presidential oath of office should be administered at Dallas' Love Field. Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach dictated the oath to a secretary aboard the plane. Dallas Judge Sarah Hughes, who was to administer the oath, arrived, and Lyndon recalled: "A few minutes later Mrs. Kennedy and the President's coffin arrived. Mrs. Johnson and I spoke to her. We tried to comfort her, but our words seemed inadequate. About a half-hour later, I asked someone to find out if Mrs. Kennedy would stand with us during the administration of the oath. Mrs. Johnson went back to be with her. Mrs. Kennedy came and stood with us during the moments that the oath was being administered. I shall never forget her bravery, nobility and dignity."

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