European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 25, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse                              November 1964 the stars and stripes 3 the Warren commission testimony statement sent to chief Justice Johnson recalls tragic events of 22 Washington ing Are the recollections of presi Dent Johnson regarding the events of As sent to the Warren commission july together with a Brief covering text of the letter my dear chief Justice i have in the enclosed to set Forth my recollection of the tragic events of november am conscious of the limitations of my Narra i had no in the difficult and critical Days follow ing the assassination of presi Dent to record my in recollection at this late Date is necessarily income of seme interest i fully realize the great importance of your and i have As Best i to set Forth the events and my Impre Slons As they remain in my mind at this Al though i fear that they will be of Little use to 1 Hope that they May be of some t Hope that you and the Mem Bers of your As Well As the devoted members of the staff who have worked so Lonija and diligently on this undertake will accept my thanks and Good Lyndon text of the statement of the president Friday november 22 began with a reception in the longhorn room of the hotel Tex fort president and i Kennedy and Johnson and i had spent the night in that then president Kennedy i and i went to a parking lot across from the hotel where a speakers stand had been set up and we addressed a crowd that was Gath end we then returned to the hotel and had after at about i we motored to the fort Worth Johnson and i then 1 went aboard air Force ii for the trip to we arrived at love Field in As i just shortly after agents Youngblood and Johns and two other agents were with walked to area we disembarked from the plane i promptly after it came to a Stop at love we were met by a committee of local officials and after greeting Johnson and together i with the special walked i Over to the area where president and Kennedy would diem we were followed by the reception president Kennedy plane arrived about 3 or 10 minutes after air Force the president and Kennedy disembarked and they greeted us and the people in the reception i then the president and Kennedy walked along the shaking hands with people in the i crowd that had mrs Johnson and i followed along the greeting this people and Zehak ing this took 5 or 10 min As i Ralph Yar and i then entered the car which had been provided for us in the it was Lincoln Continental convertible i think that our car was the fourth in the we were the second car behind the presi dents the Driver of the car in which Johnson and i were Riding was Hurchel who is a member of the Texas state Highway agent Youngblood was sitting next to him in the front i was sitting behind agent Youngblood Johnson was next to me and senator Yarborough was on the left of the rear that just behind the at As we left love Field and proceeded through the Les populated the crowds were i that Johnson and i and senator Yarborough commented upon the Good spirit and obvious Good wishes of the As we drove closer to the crowds became quite we made several stops As a result of stops by the automobiles ahead of i did not get out of the but on occasion a few people broke from the crowd and ran and i Shook hands with several people on these turned right the motorcade proceeded Down main Street and then turned right on it then turned into which is a i beyond the intersection of main and the crowd on Elm Street was As the motorcade proceeded Down Elm Street to the Point where the assassination it was travelling at a Speed which i should estimate at 12 or 13 Miles an after we had proceeded a Short Way Down Elm i heard a Sharp the crowd at this Point had become somewhat the Vic presidential car was then about three car lengths behind president Kennedy with the presidential followup car pushed get out of the go into the not to and to stay close to him and the other when the car came to a a cordon of agents formed around and we walked rapidly into the Hospital and then we went into a room because of the method which agent Youngblood directed for leaving the car and entering the i did not see the presidential car or any of the persons n in the Hospital room to which Johnson and 1 were the shades were drawn i think by agent in addition to two or three other agents were As i we got our first specific report from Emory one of the agents from the wite House he told us that president Kennedy had been very badly injured and that his condition was quite he said that he thought we should make plans to get Back to Washington president Johnson tragic Day i asked about governor Connally and was told that had been but that his wound was not i was told that Kennedy and Connally were uninjured and that no one else he been Johnson and i asked ii we could see Kennedy and agent Youngblood told me that i could not leave the and 1 followed his Johnson was allowed to leave for this at some time during these Kenneth con Grussman Jack Congress Man Homer and Cliff Carter came into the room it was Ken Odonnell a about told us that the president 1 think Hii precise words were Hes Odonnell said that we should return to Washington and that we should take the presidents plane for this i found it hard to believe tha this had the whole thing seemed unreal Una Clive a few hours i had breakfast with John Kennedy he was could not believe now thut he i was shocked and when Odonnell told us to let on the plane and go Back to i asked about Odonnell told me that Kennedy would not leave the Hospital without the presidents and urged again thai we go ahead and take air Force i and return to i did not want to go and leave Kennedy in this i said but f agreed that we would Board the air plane and wait until Kennedy and the presidents body were brought aboard the it of difficult to convey an accurate impression of the period of time that we were in the Hospital we were All 1 supposed we were in a state of Shock and there was no time for the Shock to Wear off sufficiently so that the magnitude of our personal loss of this great Man and Good Friend could express itself in words or in surface outlet for be administered to me immediately or after we returned o and that he would All i thereafter talked with my Corgi Bundy and Walter both of whom urged that he return Washington should of be i told them i was waiting for Kennedy and or the presidents body to be laced on the and would of return prior to that oath dictated i our conv Raaon was interrupted to allow the attorney general to come Back on the he said that the oath hould be administered to me before taking off for and that it should k Admani Elered by a judicial Fleer of the United shorty the Deputy a Storey dictated the form of oath to one f the secretaries aboard tha i of Sarah an id Friend who is judge of the i strut court in we telephoned Jingo Hughes the was not Cut she returned the Call in a few minutes and said she would be at the air plane in 10 i asked that Orrun cements be made to permit her to have Access to die words inadequate that the Only outlet for the grief that shuck had submerged was our and bolter concern and solicitude for despite my awareness of the reasons for Odonnell in which i think he was owned by one or More of the Secel service that we Board he leave Dallas and o to Washington without was determined that we would not return until Kennedy was and that we would carry the presidents body Back with us if she we left the room and were ushered by a cordon of agents n cars which were awaiting at agent Youngbloos entered one car and Johnson agent Younglood and i were sitting in the a c k seat and congressman Thornberry was in the front picked him few minutes later Kennedy and he presidents coffin Johnson and i poke to we tried to cohort out our words seemed she went into the private quarters of the i estimate that Kennedy and he coffin arrived about half Lour after be entered the ust after about a half hour later i asked someone to find out if Kennedy would stand with us during he administration of Johnson went Back to be with Kennedy and stood with us during moments that the oath was being i shall never forget her and in told Fiat the oath we administered at Johnson and Kennedy Wen at my Side As judge Hughes administered the oath of Comfort Given i was startled by the Sharp report or but i had no time to speculate As to its origin because agent Youngblood turned in a immediately after the first hitting me on the and shouted to All of us in the Back seat to get i was pushed Down agent almost in the same moment in which he hit i or pushed to vaulted Over i the Back scat and sat on i i was Bent Over under the weight of agent Youngbloos of Ward Johnson and senator 1 t i remember attempting to turn my head to make sure that Johnson had Bent both she and senator Yarborough had crouched Down at agent bloods at some time in this sequence of i heard other exploit was impossible for me to Tell the direction from which the explosions i Felt the automobile sharply t and in a moment or 0 so agent Youngblood released me i ascertained that Johnson senator Yarborough were All i heard agent Young blood speaking Over his radio i asked him what had he sold that he e was not sure but that he Hac r Learned that the motorcade was a going to the i did not Sec anything t h a e was going on in and around the e presidents 1 when we arrived at the hos agent Youngblood told we started away from the congressman Albert Thomas came up to the he s u w congressman Thornberry i dont think he saw me and he asked the congressman to wait for at my the car stopped and picked Herr up and he sat in the front seat with congressman Thornberry i am sure this didst Lake As much As a congressman Thornberry then climbed Over and got into the Buck seat with when we got to the we proceeded to drive to the ramp leading into the and we entered the we were ushered into the pro Vale quarters of the presidents it didst seem right for John Kennedy not to be told someone that we preferred Tor Kennedy to use these shortly after we boarded the i called Robert Kennedy the presidents brother and the attorney i know How  he and wanted to say something tha would Comfort despite i he discussed the practice problems at hand problems o special urgency because we i not at that time have any info motion at to the motivation o the assassination or its possible the attorney get Crol said that he would like to look into the mutter of we Che the oath of office As plane took off promptly after the swearing in i then called president Kennedy Rose she had previously been advised of the i told her of our grief and of our sorrow for i gave the Telephone to who also tried to bring a word of Comfort to the presidents i then called Nellie the governors and told her of our concern for her and and tried to give her some i then asked general the military aide to the to Call Mcgeorge Bundy in Washington to instruct him to ask the Cabinet members who were on their Way to Japan to return when we landed at the Andrews air Force i made a Short statement for the radio and in my i asked for gods help that i should not prove unworthy of the responsibility which Fate had thrust upon Lyndon