Sept. 24, 1964 - President Johnson received from the hands of Chief Justice Earl Warren today a presentation copy of the Warren Commission’s report on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In a letter of thanks released later, the President told the Chief Justice: “The commission, I know, has been guided throughout by a determination to find and tell the whole truth of these terrible events. This is our obligation to the good name of the United States of America and to all men everywhere who respect our nation — and above all to the memory of John F. Kennedy.”
Those words reflected one major hope — that the Warren Commission report would minimize, if not end, the belief that is widespread in foreign countries that the full truth of the assassination has been withheld.
Accounts of the report will appear in Monday morning’s newspapers. Since the report is for automatic release at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, reports on it will be heard on television and radio that night.
The President will probably dip deeply into the report at the LBJ Ranch at Johnson City, Texas, over the weekend.
The report is expected to find that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin of Mr. Kennedy and that Jack Ruby was acting alone when he murdered Oswald.
One victim of the assassin’s rifle was in the White House today as Mr. Johnson’s guest. He was Governor John Connally of Texas, who arrived this week to talk politics with his old friend.
This afternoon, Gov. Connally, who was wounded in the chest, wrist, and leg by one of the assassin’s bullets last Nov. 22, spoke to reporters in the White House lobby, and the subject of the report was raised.
Mr. Connally had not seen it, but said, “I don’t think there will be any surprises.”
The tall, gray-haired Governor said he was pretty much recovered from his wounds and felt “wonderful,” although his wrist was still a bit stiff and there was “a little deadness there, still.”
Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s
Comments