JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(02:44:53) Shot opens to Governor JOHN and NELLIE CONNALLY with John testifying that JFK was visiting Texas during his assassination to boost his political popularity, thinking ahead to the 1964 election, he gets fairly detailed in describing JFK's political motivations and says that he, himself, disagreed with JFK visiting at that time (02:47:00) Deputy Chief Counsel GARY T. CORNWELL asks if John Connally was delaying his visit to Texas why didn't JFK just come on his own - John gives long winded explanation that JFK really wanted to gain the support of Connally's constituency and could only do so by letting Connally host him (02:49:00) Cornwell asks why didn't JFK just turn to Vice President Johnson as a native Texan to set him up in Texas - John explains this wouldn't have been enough, they wanted the involvement of the state party machinery (02:50:50) Cornwell asks when it was finally decided that JFK was going to visit - John gives the story of this moment and the initial plans he discussed with JFK
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(02:54:05) Cornwell confirms the negative political climate in 1963 concerning JFK's support and asks what did John expect to gain out of JFK's visit - John gives a lengthy answer in which he says that the state of Texas is always a hospitable one, he expected to gain more support of the more liberal, JFK supporting democrats, and that he also expected to gain nothing at all from the visit, or at least this did not motivate his reception of it (02:57:25) Cornwells asks for more details about the preparation for JFK's visit after it was officially decided he was to visit Texas - John gives another lengthy response in which he tells the committee about how he really advised JFK as to how to approach his visit, disuading him from too many fund raising dinners which Texans would see as the "financial rape of the state", he also mentions seeing Johnson after meeting with JFK and he explains that Johnson was upset at not first being consulted (before JFK) about planning the visit - John then talks a little bit about the groups of people JFK was to meet, who he describes as moderates and conservatives, business people, who did not support JFK (03:04:40) John explains at length that JFK's trip to Texas was not about resolving differences within the Democratic party involving Senator YARBOROUGH (?) and Vice President LYNDON JOHNSON and goes on to explain how compromises and shifts in plans were made to accomodate everybody's agendas
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(03:08:00) Cornwell introduces exhibit of blow up of cover page of the Dallas Morning News from September 26, 1963 which has the first article mentioning JFK's future visit, describing it as a political one, Cornwells asks if John was aware of this article or similar publicity and if he knew who made it public - John says he was familiar with articles but did not know who made JFK's trip public (03:10:15) Cornwell asks who was involved in planning the trip - John says every one in his office and goes on to list names - Nellie responds "she was shining up that mansion (governor's) like you never saw" in preparation - John goes on to describe the intricacies of planning JFK's visit, how they dealt with local politics of conflicting city interests and how they agreed on having Austin be the center of the visit and what was to go on there, also John explains that he wanted JACKIE KENNEDY to come (03:15:04) Cornwell asks what John's initial proposed plan to JFK was regarding the visit - John gives a futher explanation of the planning of the visit, how they tried to set up an agenda that would have JFK appearing before various non-political oroganizations with the intent of increasing his fan base, John also describes numerous changes that would take place in the plans as different things came up which would place JFK in a different place at a different time
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(03:19:15) John describes the actual visit to Texas and the activities it included (03:20:15) Cornwell asks if JFK's meeting with civic and business groups was met with resistance - John responds that there were other events for more diverse crowds (03:21:20) Cornwell asks who had had disagreements with JFK's agenda in Texas - John responds that JFK's people and his own people were in conflict at times over little details of the trip, then suddenly off-handedly John says the motorcade in Dallas was one of those points of conflict, sort of the climax, John adds, of tension between the groups (03:23:08) Cornwell asks why John opposed the motorcade in Dallas - John says that he thought it would be too tiring for JFK who already had a jam packed schedule and goes on to give a convincing description of the energy involved and the experience of being in a motorcade, John says his other reason for his not wanting a motorcade was the fear of embarrassing demonstrations or groups of picketers slandering the president, he decribes one such protestor on the Dallas motorcade and JFK's reaction to him
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(03:28:45) Cornwell asks Nellie where she had come from before meeting JFK at the San Antonio airport - Nellie responds she came from Austin and that right before leaving she had been working on getting the carpet cleaned at the governor's mansion (03:30:10) Cornwell asks Nellie to describe the meeting of JFK and Jackie at the airport - Nellies says she was excited , Nellie says she "felt like the mother of everybody", she wanted all of her state to welcome them, she goes on to describe the plane's landing and her's and the crowd's reaction at that moment (03:31:35) John and Nellie describe the reception and activies in San Antonio which all went very well (03:33:30) Cornwell asks if JFK gave his sentiments during the first leg of the trip as to how it was going - Nellie says he said it was going well (03:34:51) John describes Jackie's reaction to the trip, he says at the beginning she seemed stiff and reserved but by the second day she seemed to enjoy herself much more
JFK Assassination Hearings - John & Nellie Connally (Part II)
(03:37:30) Cornwell asks if the dispute between Senator Yarlborough and Vice President Johnson came up at all - John says it was an issue in Houston where Yarlborough refused to ride in a car with Johnson, John goes on to say that the next day, after the press made mention of the dispute, JFK told John that today Yarlborough was to ride in a car with Johnson or he was to walk (this gets a good laugh) (03:40:30) John feels the need to voice a defense of his home town Fort Worth where JFK and company stayed the first night, because the hotel accomodations there were attacked in the press as "sordid" - he gives a detailed decription of the lengths gone to to beautify the room JFK was to sleep in (03:42:30) Cornwell asks for and receives a description of the morning's events in Fort Worth on the infamous day (03:44:15) Cornwell asks if on the way, via Air Force One, to Dallas John had any concerns about the motorcade or visit - John responds not really, mentions a derogatory ad in the morning paper about the visit, he then goes on to describe the landing and reception at the airport (03:45:59) Cornwells asks for details about the party's boarding the limosine and the beginning of the motorcade - John begins his description and is cut off by the end of the tape