In a Private Collection Since its Discovery by Raab, the Tape Goes on Sale as the Nation Marks the Anniversary of President Kennedy’s Death
A Treasure of American History
Douglas Brinkley: “You can’t write about the Kennedy assassination without grappling with the contents of this tape. This is a very serious find.”
The Raab Collection announces that it is offering for sale the original audiotape from on board Air Force One immediately following President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, first discovered by Raab to great public reception in 2011. The audiotape is the earliest and complete version of the radio traffic as Air Force One carries the body of President Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson from Dallas to Andrews AFB on that fateful day, November 22, 1963. It’s a crucial addition to the historical record, and the only one of its kind in private hands.
“This a powerful moment in American history, one with long-ranging consequences. It is an incredible object, a unique discovery, and a reminder of our journey as a nation,” said Nathan Raab, president of The Raab Collection and author of the bestselling book, The Hunt for History.
JFK’s Assassination
President Kennedy was shot while riding in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas, at 12:30 pm CST on Friday, November 22, 1963. The president was rushed to Parkland Hospital, where all efforts failed to save him. After he was pronounced dead around 1 pm, his body was flown back to Washington aboard Air Force One, on board which were his wife Jackie and his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. Upon landing, President Kennedy’s body was taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where an autopsy was performed, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on the 25th.
Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, had been arrested on the 22nd but was himself shot and killed two days later by Jack Ruby. Mysterious circumstances around both murders, as well the lack of, or loss of, related recordings and transcripts have fueled conspiracy theories for more than sixty years.
Aboard Air Force One
In a photograph that has become iconic, President Johnson took the Presidential Oath of Office aboard Air Force One enroute from Dallas to Washington D.C. During that flight, aides communicated with the White House Situation Room, discussing the grim logistics at hand: disposition of JFK’s body, where it should be taken and how it should be removed from the plane and transported; plans for where Mrs. Kennedy would be taken; and attempts to organize a conversation about a presidential autopsy.
These conversations were recorded, and an edited version was released by President Johnson. The very nature of its having been edited and condensed bolstered claims that something was being hidden from the American public. The Assassination Records Review Board carried out an extensive search for the unedited audio but failed to locate it; the original was presumed lost or destroyed.
The Discovery
In 2011, Raab discovered, at the bottom of a box of JFK memorabilia being sold at auction, two identical reel-to-reel audiotapes that had once been in the possession of senior military aide General Chester (Ted) Clifton. Clifton was in the Dallas motorcade and was aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963. He retained his position for a while in the Johnson administration, serving until August 3, 1965. After his death, when his personal effects were sold, the two audiotapes surfaced. Each contained more than two hours’ worth of audio from Air Force One, much more content than had been heard by anyone in decades.
When The Raab Collection announced the discovery, media outlets from around the world covered the news. On CNN, historian Douglas Brinkley said, “You can’t write about the Kennedy assassination without grappling with the contents of this tape. This is a very serious find.”
The Raab Collection donated one tape to the National Archives, which has since digitized the audio and made copies available to three NARA repositories.
The other original was acquired privately. Now, after more than a decade, it returns to the market, the only one that will ever be available for sale. To learn more, Nathan Raab is available for interviews.
