Five Days in November
By Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill
4/5
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About this ebook
On November 22, 1963, three shots were fired in Dallas, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the world stopped for four days. For an entire generation, it was the end of an age of innocence.
That evening, a photo ran on the front pages of newspapers across the world, showing a Secret Service agent jumping on the back of the presidential limousine in a desperate attempt to protect the President and Mrs. Kennedy. That agent was Clint Hill.
Now Hill commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the tragedy with this stunning book containing more than 150 photos, each accompanied by his incomparable insider account of those terrible days. A story that has taken Hill half a century to tell, this is a “riveting, stunning narrative” (Herald & Review, Illinois) of personal and historical scope. Besides the unbearable grief of a nation and the monumental consequences of the event, the death of JFK was a personal blow to a man sworn to protect the first family, and who knew, from the moment the shots rang out in Dallas, that nothing would ever be the same.
Clint Hill
Clint Hill is the New York Times bestselling author of Mrs. Kennedy and Me; Five Days in November; Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford; and My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy. A United States Secret Service Agent from 1958 to 1975, Clint Hill was assigned to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and was in the motorcade in Dallas on November 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For his courage and swift actions that day, Hill received the nation’s highest civilian award for bravery. Starting out as a Special Agent, Clint Hill served as Agent in Charge of the First Lady Detail, the Vice Presidential Protective Division, the Presidential Protective Division, and when he was retired in 1975, he was Assistant Director responsible for all protective activity. Hill married coauthor Lisa McCubbin in 2021. Find out more at ClintHillSecretService.com.
Read more from Clint Hill
Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for Five Days in November
64 ratings9 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Written by Secret Service agent for Jackie Kennedy. Easy to read, good photographs, gripping.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a highly personal, insider account of those historical five days as Hill details the events while acting in his role as Secret Service for Mrs. Kennedy. While the text is highly charged with Hill's emotions and his duty as a Secret Service agent, the text coupled with the photographs provide a unique account of the events that have been hashed and rehashed by numerous individuals before him. Yes, it gets a little tedious to have Hill explain, innumerable times, of the enormous task the security detail faced, not just during the trip to Texas, but the delivery of the body back to Washington D.C. and the funeral services, but one can not help but appreciate just how personal the events are for Hill, even fifty years later. I do like how in the epilogue he points to one picture that he says should refute the "grassy knoll" shooter debate. Overall, a lovely commemorative book to mark that historic event.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This takes you through the days before the assassination of President Kennedy and the days after. It gives you a first hand look at death of the president and trying to get his body from Texas, back to Washington D.C. and how the beautiful casket used to transport the body was too big to fit through the plane door and they had rip the handles off. Clint Hill was one of secret service agents assigned to the motorcade on that fateful day. He is the one you see climbing on the back of the car in which Kennedy was riding, in the films after the shots were fired.After returning to Washington, D.C. he is the one to escort Jackie back out to Arlington National Cemetery at midnight after the funeral, when Jackie can't sleep. A very moving book.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5It is extremely difficult to read this book, as the scans stop short of the right-hand edge of every page. Sometimes it's possible to guess what the missing words might be, but at other times it's an impossible task, and really detracts from the enjoyment and excitement of reading Hill's account of the assassination and its aftermath.
Very disappointing, Scribd! - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5good
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Readable, real, and personal. This book provides a glimpse back to those dark days in November from an insiders point of view.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Clint Hill was one of the agents assigned to protect Jackie Kennedy in this book he takes us through the events leading up to the assassination of President Kennedy and the immediate aftermath. This is a very detailed account, as a Secret Service agent he had to take detailed notes of times and events. The book also has more than 150 photos. The photos aren’t captioned but the narrative on the pages relates to the photos.
Besides detailing the events we can see the emotional impact the events had on the agents and the Kennedy’s loved ones and close friends. We can feel Mr. Hill’s grief over the loss of President Kennedy, his sorrow at seeing the pain First Lady Kennedy was feeling, having spent everyday with her he knew her better than most people, and his deep guilt at failing to protect the president.
He touches briefly on the conspiracy theories and explains his viewpoint and his feelings on learning Oswald was shot and killed.
Fascinating book that I recommend to anyone wanting to get a personal insider view of JFK and Jackie. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book was so well-written that it managed to capture the mood of America during a 30 year old period of time. The photographs were tasteful, revealing and free from the usual captioning which detracts from the flow of the story.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a well written and very informative book with its detailed descriptions of those "Five Days in November." It is a book filled with candidness and displayed by many iconic photographs. Clint Hill, Secret Service agent, reveals his vivid memories of those days surrounding the assassination of President John F Kennedy, who died at the early age of 46. Clint Hill has clearly lived through much pain, anger, and frustration, and has felt a sense of failure because of that tragic day in Dallas - "If only I had reacted quicker, run faster." He was there when those three shots were fired - a day that ended the age of innocence. November 21, 1963 - November 25, 1963 - It started with such high expectations, hope, and promise, as President and Mrs Kennedy, with their young son, John, awaited the presidential helicopter, to begin the trip to Texas. Nothing could appease the tearful little John as his Mummy and Daddy boarded Air Force One and he begs to go with them. There is a last hug for little John and the President asks Mr Foster "take care of John for me, won't you, Mr Foster?" - a very emotional good-bye. And the story unfolds through the events that led up to that tragic day in history - a day the world stopped for four days, and continues as the courageous widow leads the walking funeral procession of the slain President. Jacqueline Kennedy displayed model, grace and dignity, and was a pillar of strength to the nation during this time.President Johnson had declared November 25, 1963, a national day of mourning in the United States. Mrs Kennedy was able to orchestrate and add her personal touches throughout that historic day from the music played to the bagpipers, who marched ahead of the horse drawn caisson. I'm so glad I read this very touching book, which added so much dimension to the events, as they unfolded through those five days. Completely absorbing and wonderfully written. 5 stars.
Book preview
Five Days in November - Clint Hill
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titleIn memory of
President
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
May 29, 1917–November 22, 1963
Author’s Note
For the sixtieth anniversary, and for the sake of history, we wanted to include some perspective that wasn’t in the original edition of this book published in 2013.
It was intentional to place the photographs alongside the text, without captions. The idea is for the reader to be fully immersed in the moment: feeling, seeing, and hearing what is happening as it is happening. Each photograph is described within the narration, but for more detailed information, captions are listed on pages 253-267.
And while the facts and narrative remain the same, there are questions readers may have at the end of this five-day story. What happened after the assassination and how was it investigated? What about all the conspiracy theories that continue to be debated and dissected to this day? And what happened to Clint Hill?
To answer those questions, we’ve included a new afterword.
Contents
Introduction
DAY ONE: NOVEMBER 21, 1963
1. Leaving the White House
2. Air Force One
3. San Antonio Arrival
4. San Antonio Motorcade
5. Brooks Air Force Base
6. Kelly Air Force Base
7. Houston Airport Arrival
8. Rice Hotel
9. Houston Coliseum: Congressman Albert Thomas Dinner
10. Fort Worth: Carswell Air Force Base Arrival
DAY TWO: NOVEMBER 22, 1963
11. Fort Worth: Hotel Texas
12. Dallas: Love Field Arrival
13. Dallas Motorcade
14. The Shots
15. Parkland Hospital
16. A New President
17. Return to Washington
DAY THREE: NOVEMBER 23, 1963
18. Autopsy at Bethesda Naval Hospital
19. Return to the White House
20. Choosing a Burial Site
DAY FOUR: NOVEMBER 24, 1963
21. Final Private Moments
22. President Kennedy Lies in State
DAY FIVE: NOVEMBER 25, 1963
23. Procession to the White House
24. Walking to St. Matthew’s
25. The Salute
26. Burial at Arlington Cemetery
27. Return to the White House
Epilogue
Afterword
Acknowledgments
About Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin
Photo Captions
Photo Credits
Introduction
It makes no difference how old you are, or what you have experienced, there are times in your life that affect you so deeply that, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to erase them, your mind will never let the memories fade. For me, there were five days in November 1963, when I was thirty-one years old, that are seared into my mind and soul. In the blink of an eye, everything changed, and in the fifty years since, those days remain the defining period of my life. As fate would have it, the photos snapped by journalists, witnesses, and bystanders during those five days are like the scrapbook that is in my mind. I was thrust onto the pages of history and have spent the majority of my life keeping silent about what I witnessed.
Recently, however, I have come to realize that the grief I’ve held inside for half a century is shared by nearly everyone who was alive at that time, and that those days marked a defining period not just for me but for all of us. It has been a reluctant journey, but now, despite how painful it is, still, to relive those days, I understand that my memories are important to history.
President Kennedy’s election in 1960 coincided with the blossoming of a new era in American history. There was a marked difference between the outgoing leader—seventy-year-old President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five-star general, a grandfatherly figure—and the incoming forty-three-year-old President John F. Kennedy, with his quick wit and charismatic smile. In his eloquent and stirring inaugural address, President Kennedy stated, Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans . . .
His words rang true to those of us in that younger generation. We could see his vision. Financially, we were doing better than our parents had done, the economy was growing, and even for those who were struggling, there was hope and promise ahead.
This was also the beginning of the television age—a time when Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver idealized the wholesome traditional families of the 1950s, while the nightly news brought images of civil rights clashes into people’s living rooms. The presidential debates between Kennedy and Nixon were the first ever shown on television, and the stark contrast between the younger, handsome Kennedy’s charming ease and Nixon’s apparent discomfort arguably tipped the election in Kennedy’s favor in the last critical weeks of the election.
President Kennedy recognized the power of television and its ability to connect him with the American people. He was the first president to conduct live televised press conferences without delay or editing, and people loved them. His quick-witted bantering with the press was so entertaining that college students and shift workers would rush home to tune in, while housewives scheduled their ironing in front of the television.
The American public was also enamored with the president’s beautiful young wife, Jacqueline, and their two children, Caroline and John. Clothing manufacturers produced copies of the first lady’s classic suits and pillbox hats so the average American woman could dress in Jackie style,
while the press clamored for photos and tidbits of information about the family’s private activities. With their family’s private plane, and homes in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach, the Kennedys’ lifestyle was one that most Americans could only dream about. People couldn’t get enough of them. They were more popular than any television or movie stars; Jack and Jackie Kennedy were American royalty.
As the young American president and his elegant wife traveled outside the country, their popularity spread around the world. It was awe inspiring to see hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions, of people in foreign countries standing along a motorcade route just to get a glimpse of this man whose vision for freedom, liberty, and peace resonated with people of all walks of life, of all different races and religions. As the first Catholic American president, Kennedy was held in especially high esteem by fellow Catholics, and his photograph hung prominently in living rooms, shops, and restaurants around the world.
During the Kennedy administration, I was an up-close-and-personal witness to what later would be called Camelot.
On November 21, 1963, I accompanied President and Mrs. Kennedy to Texas as part of their Secret Service detail. As Special Agent in Charge of the First Lady’s Detail, it was my responsibility to protect Jacqueline Kennedy, and I was with her constantly.
On November 22, when shots were fired during the motorcade in Dallas, there was a Secret Service agent who jumped on the back of the car, attempting to protect President and Mrs. Kennedy.
That was me.
Unbeknownst to me, an Associated Press photographer named James Altgens was on Elm Street in Dealey Plaza at the time of the assassination. He heard the shots, saw me run, and snapped a photo just as I climbed onto the back of the presidential limousine. That evening, and the next day, this photograph ran on the front pages of newspapers all over the world. From that point on, I would forever be known as the Secret Service agent who jumped on the back of the car. And while that photo has become one of several iconic images that were captured on film during those pivotal days—moments of a national tragedy frozen in time—none of them standing alone tell the whole story.
On November 22, 1963, three shots were fired in Dallas, and the world stopped for four days. For an entire generation, it was the end of the age of innocence.
—Clint Hill
DAY ONE
lineNOVEMBER 21, 1963
photophotophoto1
Leaving the White House
The day we left for Texas begins like countless other presidential trips. People hustling through the halls to get last-minute changes to speeches typed; secretaries and press staff clamoring to be added to the manifest of authorized personnel; the presidential staff and assistants coordinating all the details for the president and the first lady. Everyone wants to make sure this trip goes without a hitch. Not only because this unofficial start to the 1964 campaign is critically important politically, but also because First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy will be accompanying her husband on the three-day swing through the Lone Star State. Mrs. Kennedy prefers to stay out of politics and, in the three years of the administration thus far, never before has she traveled with the president on a domestic political trip. This is a first. As the Special Agent in Charge of Mrs. Kennedy’s Secret Service Detail, it is my job to make sure nothing happens to her.
As with every trip the President of the United States takes, the schedule is planned to the minute. The political staff has designed the trip to maximize President Kennedy’s exposure to the press and the general public, while simultaneously adding funds to the campaign coffer: grand Air Force One arrivals with plenty of pomp and circumstance; multiple motorcades through the main streets of each city; and breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners reserved for deep-pocketed donors.
Typical politics.
It was just yesterday that I returned to Washington with Mrs. Kennedy. She’s spent the past several days riding her beloved horse, Sardar, at the Kennedys’ newly finished residence near Middleburg, Virginia. After reviewing the typewritten schedule for the trip to Texas, she made some handwritten notes—both for her benefit and mine—about a couple of events she will not attend, and one in which she plans to make a short speech in Spanish. She uses her initials—JBK—for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. This is typical of the way she and I operate. We have been together for three years, day in and day out, and have developed a trusting and comfortable relationship. While she prefers to be spontaneous, she knows I don’t like surprises, and she knows that the more information she gives me in advance, the smoother things will go.
She also recognizes how important this trip is to her husband’s reelection bid and she is eager to make a good impression. But when I see the rigorous schedule that’s planned, I am concerned about her physical and emotional stamina.
It has been less than four months since Mrs. Kennedy gave birth to a baby boy—Patrick Bouvier Kennedy—who lived for just two days. The trauma of losing this son has taken its toll on both the president and Mrs. Kennedy. He, being President of the United States, has had no choice but to carry on—the world does not stop because of the death of a president’s son. She, on the other hand, after spiraling into a deep depression, has finally started to return to her normal activities. The three-week cruise in the Mediterranean on the yacht Christina, back in October, helped her immensely, and I must admit, it was nice for me, too.
The death of Patrick was hard on all of us who are close to the family. And while the president and Mrs. Kennedy appear to be much closer since the tragedy—going so far as to hold hands in public—I know how stressful campaigning can be, and I certainly don’t want anything to happen that might send her back to those dark days of depression. She’s only just begun to smile again.
This morning, I arrive at the White House at eight o’clock, drop off my luggage with the transportation department in the West Wing basement, and head straight to my office. It isn’t really an actual office, but a corner of the Map Room where I’ve set up a desk and a typewriter. Space in the White House is at a premium. Sitting at my desk, I have a clear view of the hallway and elevator that lead to the Kennedys’ private residence.
Looking over Mrs. Kennedy’s schedule, I realize there is a mistake. Her schedule indicates Air Force One will arrive at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, while my schedule, which is far more detailed with Secret Service agents’ assignments and hotel room numbers for everyone in the presidential party, indicates we land at San Antonio International Airport. I am almost certain that my schedule has the correct information, but to verify, I call Eve Dempsher. As the secretary to Jerry Behn, the Special Agent in Charge of the White House Secret Service Detail, Eve has every detail for the trip at her fingertips.
Sure enough, Eve says, we are landing at San Antonio International Airport. Whoever typed up Mrs. Kennedy’s schedule made an error. It happens. But at least now I feel comfortable with the schedule.
The buzzer system sounds three times, indicating the president is moving throughout the residence, and moments later, President Kennedy walks out of the elevator. Seeing me through the doorway, he calls out, Good morning, Clint.
Good morning, Mr. President,
I answer, as I snuff my cigarette into the already full ashtray on my desk.
The president strides toward my open door and says, Clint, just so you know, John will be riding with us to Andrews.
Yes, sir. I figured that might be the case. I’ll make sure Agent Foster is aware.
It has almost become routine for two-year-old John Jr. to ride along on the helicopter to Andrews Air Force Base whenever the president departs for a trip, and Agent Bob Foster is one of three agents on the Secret Service detail for the children—the Kiddie Detail. John loves helicopters. I mean, he really loves helicopters. Recently, Mrs. Kennedy told me she wouldn’t be at all surprised if John becomes a pilot when he grows up. His excitement is contagious, and no one gets a bigger kick out of it than his father. Due to the demands of the job, President Kennedy’s time with his son is often limited, and the short rides in the chopper together are precious.
President Kennedy’s schedule is light this morning, with just one official meeting in the Oval Office—five minutes allotted for the U.S. ambassadors to the African republics of Upper Volta and Gabon. White House photographer Cecil Stoughton is summoned to take a photo as a memento for the guests, and a visual document of the meeting. Who could imagine that this mundane photo of President Kennedy sitting