A Historical Treasure: The Unedited Original “Air Force One to White House” Kennedy Tape from Immediately After the Assassination

In the 1970s the National Archives released an edited tape of conversations on board Air Force One on November 22, 1963. This had been assumed to be the only surviving version, as all efforts to find the earlier one ended in failure.

 

The discovery of this crucial piece of history also cast light on the later creation of the highly edited version released to the public in the days of the Johnson administration. There was no record of the continued existence of the original, and its discovery more than a decade ago led a whirlwind of news reports and contributions to scholarship.

 

The foremost new addition to the historical record in one the most important events in history, this tape predates the previously known National Archives version, is significantly longer, and contain new names and incidents.

 

This is the only original of this historic tape in private hands; the only other original known to exist is in the National Archives, specifically the President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection, and was donated by Raab as part of a settlement that confirmed this tape’s right to remain in private hands. That copy has been put into permanent storage, meaning this is the only one that will ever see the light of day.

 

The assassination of John F. Kennedy:
a pivotal event in 20th Century political and social history

President Kennedy was murdered while riding in a motorcade in Dallas at 12:30 pm CST on Friday, November 22, 1963. Several photos and films captured the assassination, including the famous Zapruder Film. JFK was rushed to Parkland Hospital, where a tracheotomy and other efforts failed to keep him alive. 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 his body was taken to Bethesda Naval Hospital, where an autopsy was performed, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday the 25th.

Meanwhile, Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested around 2 pm at the Texas Theatre in the Oak Cliff suburb of Dallas and charged with murdering a police officer named J.D. Tippit. Protesting that he was “a patsy,” Oswald was paraded in front of the world’s gathering cameras and accused of murdering President Kennedy as well. He was interrogated throughout the weekend, though no recordings or transcriptions were made. During an intended transfer to county facilities on Sunday morning the 24th, Oswald was shot and killed on live television in the basement of the Dallas Police station. His murderer was a local nightclub owner with alleged connections to organized crime named Jack Ruby. People were stunned and there was a wide-spread call for investigation of the Kennedy assassination and aftermath.

The Discovery of the earlier Air Force One Assassination tape, not previously known to exist

The prevailing state of affairs had been that the LBJ tape is the only one that exists, that it was edited from original tape that was presumed lost or destroyed, and that the public would never learn anything else.

Who possessed the newly discovered tape, one that is longer than the LBJ Library tape

President Kennedy never appointed a chief of staff, but the man who undertook many of the responsibilities of that office was his senior military aide Chester (Ted) Clifton. Clifton was in the Dallas motorcade and was aboard Air Force One on that fateful day and involved in the discussions. Following the assassination, he was in charge of dealing with military and national security affairs in the aftermath. He retained his position for a while in the Johnson administration. He served from January 20, 1961 to his retirement on August 3, 1965.

The recordings

The ARRB established that the White House Communications Agency (WHCA) was responsible for communications between Air Force One, the White House Situation Room, and other sites on the day of the assassination. It tape-recorded those actual communications. Its recording from November 22, 1963 was used to create an original WHCA Air Force One Assassination tape and it labeled the tape as “For General Clifton.” It is the first identifiable White House version of the tape produced and was made prior to General Clifton’s retirement in August.

The Johnson Library edited version

During the Johnson presidency, at some time between the end of 1965 and January 1969 when LBJ left the White House, a different, shorter and edited version was created. In this edited version, many deletions were made from the first Air Force One Assassination tape. This edited version went back to Texas with LBJ (leaving no version in the White House records), and it was given by him to the Johnson Library, where it resides today. This version is the one made available to the public in the 1970s.

The loss and/or destruction of the earlier Air Force One Assassination tape

The earlier tape never resurfaced after 1965-6 and the very existence of the first Air Force One Assassination tape was forgotten. Over the years all efforts to find the tape or other original version proved fruitless. They are no longer with the White House Communications Agency, where they were created.

General Clifton’s first Air Force One Assassination tape rediscovered

General Clifton’s effects were disposed of by his heirs, and his original Air Force One Assassination recording was among them. The reappearance of this tape was a major event in the Kennedy assassination case. Raab had the tapes professionally digitized, so they are now in both digitized and reel-to-reel form.