John F. Kennedy in In the President`s Secret Service, by Ronald Kessler
On Crime:
After assassination, Secret Service bolstered security
Before a presidential trip, at least eight agents fly to the intended destination. That is in contrast to the two-man advance team sent for Pres. Kennedy's trip to Dallas. Back then, the Secret Service had about 300 special agents, compared with 3,404
today.In contrast to the cursory look given to Kennedy's planned Dallas parade route, the Secret Service's Forensic Services Division now creates virtual 3-dimensional models of buildings along a motorcade route so that agents will know what to expect
and can plan what to do at spots where the motorcade may be more vulnerable to attack.
In contrast to the open car Pres. Kennedy used, the presidential limousine now is a closed vehicle. Known affectionately as "the Beast," the 2009 Cadillac now in
use was put into service for Barack Obama's inauguration. The Beast lives up to its moniker: the vehicle is armor-plated & can take a direct hit from a bazooka or grenade. The car's doors are eighteen inches thick, and its windows are five inches thick.
Source: In the President`s Secret Service, by R. Kessler, p. 65-8&81
Jun 29, 2009
On Crime:
Warned before assassination to avoid Dallas as too dangerous
Kennedy was rash when it came to security. Before his trip to Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, he received warnings about possible violence there. UN Ambassador Adlai Stevenson called a Kennedy aide and urged him to tell the president not to go to Dallas.
He said he had just given a speech in Dallas and had been confronted by demonstrators who'd cursed at him and spat on him. Sen. Fulbright also warned Kennedy. "Dallas is a very dangerous place. I wouldn't go there. Don't you go."
Source: In the President`s Secret Service, by Ron Kessler, p. 12-13
Jun 29, 2009
On Principles & Values:
Double life as charismatic leader and cheating husband
Agents assigned to guard Kennedy soon learned that he led a double life. He was the charismatic leader of the free world. But in his other life, he was the cheating, reckless husband whose aides snuck women into the White
House to appease his sexual appetite. Besides one- night stands, Kennedy had several consorts within the White House. One was Pamela Turnure, who had been his secretary when he was a senator, then Jackie's press secretary in the White House.
Two others, Priscilla Wear and Jill Cowen, were secretaries; "neither did much work," says a former Secret Service agent. "We had radio contact with Jackie's detail in case she came back." One afternoon, Kennedy was cavorting in the pool with young women
when Secret Service agents on Jackie's detail radioed that she was returning to the White House unexpectedly. "Jackie was expected back in ten minutes, and JFK came charging out of the pool," says an agent.
Source: In the President`s Secret Service, by Ron Kessler, p. 11-12
Jun 29, 2009
On Principles & Values:
Insisted on low-security open convertible despite risks
Kennedy aides told the Secret Service that the president wanted to ride in an open convertible, according to the Warren Commission Report. If it had rained, Kennedy would have used a plastic top that was not bulletproof. Kennedy himself told agents he di
not want them to ride on the small running boards at the rear of the car. At 12:30 PM, shots resounded in rapid succession from the Texas School Book Depository. A bullet entered the base of the back of the president's neck. Another bullet then struck hi
in the back of the head, causing a massive, fatal wound.[Two Secret Service agents were in the limousine], but neither could immediately leap to Kennedy's assistance, as would have been the case if agents had been allowed to ride at the rear of the
car. The "kill shot" to the president's head came 4.9 seconds after the first shot that hit him. If agents had been allowed on the rear running boards, they would have pushed the president down and jumped on him to protect him before the fatal shot.
Source: In the President`s Secret Service, by Ron Kessler, p. 13-14
Jun 29, 2009
Page last updated: Feb 22, 2019