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Published: April 5th 2012
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I think we left our hotel this morning to make the long walk to Dealey Plaza with the same enthusiasm and anticipation that many left their homes nearly 50 years ago to share in a city’s presidential visit. We also left with the sound of our bar girl ringing in our ears – don’t walk from the hotel to the CBD. We felt that it was only 2 miles – what could go wrong? A nice walk down through an industrial area, past a trailer park, turn right at the Bail Bond lawyer’s office and straight past the City Jail with the sounds of a basketball match emanating from the courts behind the walls. Most tourists do not get to share in these highlights.
If I am going to be selfish, today was my day and Narelle even labelled it as such. On the walk in I thought of all the people who in 1963 left their daily lives to venture downtown to see President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s motorcade; many may have followed a similar path as the one we followed today. Just on 50 years ago Dallas had their day in the spotlight and sadly since then the city
has been associated with one of the great crimes of the 20
th Century. It was supposed to be a day of joy but it ended in sorrow and a nation stripped of a youthful President. I am not sure why I have been drawn to this event or the man at the centre of it all but I can honestly say that visiting Dallas has been high on my ‘to do’ list for a number of years and JFK has been a man that I have studied and read about. I have stood and reflected at his grave twice and visited his Presidential Library in Boston. I even crossed the Atlantic to share in an exhibition on Camelot and Jackie in 2002. Today may have been my end point.
The underpass that is stamped on the photos and home movies from that auspicious day and where the motorcade sped was actually our entry point into Dealey Plaza. Today it is a not so well-trodden path and our pace quickened as the light grew dimmer; but then we emerged into the sunshine on the other side and into the Plaza and it was all there. The Grassy Knoll was to
my left, the Texas Depository Building across the way and there was the famous turn into Elm Street. It was all there in colour – perhaps my biggest surprise. Was it not meant to be in grainy black and white? And in slow motion? I have watched the videos and documentaries so knew where everything was supposed to be but it all seemed surreal and small. So off I went exploring – I walked up the infamous knoll and looked out over the railway fence behind; could someone have really shot from there? I used my phone to download photos as I walked. The area has not changed in 50 years – the steps are still steps and the fences are still in place. I could visualise where people ran to or took cover – the Newman’s sheltering their boys at the kerbside as all hell broke loose or the small platform where Abraham Zapruder stood with his 8mm camera and captured 30 seconds of film that no Hollywood director could ever reproduce.
Dealey Plaza is today a place of National Importance and apart from two large and slightly crass ‘X’ on the road signifying where the second and
third shots impacted, not much has changed. Even the potholes have not been fixed – as they are right by the second X they may never be.
The Texas School Book Depository Building is now a City Administration building – the famous sign on the ground floor sadly discarded when the building changed owners. Thankfully for future generations someone found that sign and it hangs on a wall in the 7
th Floor Gallery; it is not well signposted so if you do go make the extra effort to go upstairs. I must admit I did not even think there was a 7
th Floor – the 6
th dominates everything. Our journey up to that floor was very different to Lee Harvey Oswald’s in 1963. We went by lift, bought a ticket and did not take a high powered rifle. The museum is stunning. They have packed comprehensive displays into the former warehouse space and they give you an audio tour to accompany what you are reading. There are also videos on Kennedy’s politics, the Lincoln inspired funeral, the lengthy investigation and his legacy. I really enjoyed the legacy one as I guess that is why I am drawn to him
– I could not have been swayed by him when he was alive as I was not born until 1971. This video was introduced by the most famous of US News anchor-men Walter Cronkite – he of the breaking news “From Dallas, Texas, the flash apparently official President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time- 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago.” Remember this was a time when breaking news did not mean visual pictures at first as they would have to wait for the lamps to warm up in the cameras. By the time Cronkite mentioned this flash the pictures were running and everyone could see the great man suppress his emotions and tell the news. He put this day down as the news event that changed news broadcasting forever. If you watch one thing on YouTube today watch this – it is a captivating TV moment.
If Lee Harvey Oswald was the killer his snipers nest above Dealey Plaza was well thought out. It sits right above Elm Street and gave him ample time to watch the motorcade progress towards him and then make the slow turn onto Elm. You can stand next to
this area and peer through the glass at the boxes that hid him from view and gave him a ledge to fire from. The trees may have grown up but not enough to hide the road or diminish the viewpoint that he would have had. It is an eerie view – like looking down at a familiar moment in time; but one that has long passed. Today it is just a steady procession of modern day cars all following that same route down Elm Street towards the underpass. We will never know Oswald’s motive or the reasons why he was the only suspect as within 48 hours nightclub owner Jack Ruby had shot him – all captured live on network TV; it all added to the mystery and intrigue that still exists today. You find as many people who feel he did it as others who say he did not. The more I read and digest the more I start to believe that he pulled off one of the great crimes on his own – wouldn’t whoever did this want to tell the world? Wouldn’t someone have broken ranks by now and spilled the real story? But then again I
could be wrong. I recently read Stephen King’s book 11-22-63; a wonderful time travel inspired book in which he sets out to stop the assassination. It is King at his best. It is a book driven on changing time and what consequences the world may have seen if Kennedy lived – and not all were good.
So my lifelong ambition to visit the site of Kennedy’s Assassination has been ticked off. It seems a bit macabre to have such a site on any kind of personal list but to me the attraction was too much and I had to see it first-hand. It is a site of great importance and a chapter of history that will never close. The hundreds of people there today that I shared it with will (I am sure) be saying the same thing tonight all over Dallas. Oh my – the conspiracy bug will be fed for ever.
On a different note the greatest reaction we got today was from the girl at the bar who not only saw us coming for more drinks but when she heard that we did not follow her instructions and walked into the city said “y’all did whaaat?” I am not sure two people have crossed the bridge that way for many a year – which may be the reason that A. we got lots of stares and B. there were no real footpaths. Perhaps we will taxi tomorrow…our relief was also sated by another new beer “Mama’s Lil Yella Pils” and the most magnificent view back over the Dallas CBD.
A wonderful and very special day.
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