Texas, 22 November 1963. Friday. John Kennedy was in Texas the day before. There was a pre-election trip that would touch the city of Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth and Dallas. Was a politically complicated, the southern States were not very in tune with the reforms that Kennedy wanted to implement. A month before a’ prominent Democrats Adlai Stevenson, over the years 50 contentions in vain for the White House to Eisenhower, It was heavily attacked, getting even spit. Fort Worth, hours 7.30. George Thomas, Valet Kennedy woke the President bringing you breakfast: coffee and croissants. John read the Dallas Morning News on which pages a sportswriter invited him to talk about vela if he was going to receive applause. If he had touched on topics like Cuba, civil rights, taxes and Viet Nam would have been highly likely that someone would shoot against presidential Brigantine. In a special page, an article on payment, Instead, posed provocative questions that Kennedy's allegations of perceived pro-communism. These things they irritated the President who failed to use his usual ironic tone to defuse. Kennedy became then the shower and shave and wore steel chest. Then a Pierre Cardin shirt and then a gray suit blue, shoes, of which the left had an orthopedic sole raised six millimetres. During those operations felt the mobs under the window. Came out to greet all those people waiting in the square below. In those moments was also requested Mrs. Kennedy, But John had this to say “Mrs. Kennedy is preparing, do you need some time, but then will look better than all of us”. Following a breakfast at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce where he reiterated concepts such as “It won't be easy but we are still the keystone in the Arch of freedom and I think we will continue to do our duty”. At the end of the ceremony the President of the’ Assembly handed him a gift of a cowboy hat. Kennedy looked at him and then said she would wear at the White House. At 9.30 Jacqueline Kennedy was ready and all dressed in pink reached the hall of Texas Hotels. Talking with her husband reveals the fear of bombings during the bathrooms of crowd that loved John. Kennedy said if someone wanted to kill him rather annoyed could safely do it off a building with a sniper rifle and you couldn't do anything to avoid an episode like that. A little later they took l’ plane that would lead them to Dallas. During that brief trip there was talk of strange atmosphere that reigned among the inhabitants of the city. John turned to his staff questions to try and understand the causes. The plane landed all’ Airport Love Field at 11.40. Just landed Kennedy crossed the airfield and went to the crowd and waved doling out handshakes. Then he climbed with his wife and the Governor Connelly on limousine Lincoln Continental discovery. In tow was a Cadillac with eight secret service agents, then a third car with Vice-President Johnson with his wife and Deputy Yarborough, a’ stock car of the Vice-President, three other passenger cars and three coaches with various authorities and journalists. The sides of the Lincoln Continental carrying the President traveled Dallas motorcycle police officers. The procession headed then towards the city center. L’ reception was very composed and lukewarm, non-hostile. The presidential couple saluted the crowd sometimes bushier, sometimes more rada. At one point Kennedy did stop the car and got out to greet a line of boys. Then the cortege resumed and it came near the Dealey Plaza. The presidential car veered right and then curved to the left past the Texas School Book Depository continuing toward an overpass. The car slowed to 18 kilometers per hour. At 12.30 echoed through a quick succession of shots. A bullet struck him in the throat, a second back, a third struck him in the head, opening the skull. Some fragments of his head flew on the trunk of’ car, and Jacqueline was caught by a desperate how crazy trying to retrieve them clambering on the back of the car. Meanwhile the car gathers speed and headed at the time of’ Hospital, the Parkland Hospital. At 13.30 Texas time President Kennedy was pronounced dead. That same day on’ AirForce One back in Washington with the body of the President, Lyndon Johnson uttered the oath formula with which became the 36 President of the United States, beside him there was Jacqueline with her husband's blood still stained pink dress. John Kennedy loved most of all a poem by Alan Seeger that his wife often read:
I have an appointment with death
Maybe it will happen that take me by the hand
And lead me to his dark earth
And I close my eyes and choke the breath…
But I have an appointment with death
At midnight in a city that is blazing
When spring returns to the North this year
And I'm faithful to their word
I will certainly all’ appointment
His brother Robert at the Democratic Convention 1964 remembered John quoting Shakespeare
“When he dies
pick it up and snap it in little stars,
He will make the vault of heaven so beautiful
that the entire world will love the night
and not love the dazzling sun”
Kennedy's death provoked a feeling of bewilderment, for many it was as if l’ America had lost the innocence of those who went missing in’ illusion of the new frontier. JFK was the change, a new way of seeing the world, impersonating l’ architect who designed a repositioning of the values. History records a jarring comparison of the power of his image and the results of his thousand days in the White House. Lyndon Johnson was the one who took all he had promised JFK in civil rights reform. How then testified her brother Robert with his commitment, Kennedy was learning from his mistakes, as the Bay of pigs page, and his untimely end failed to test him for a second term.
Hector Parker
