Stateside Stories

This week, Donald Trump officially began his second term. Many of us felt total despair, wondering how he was able to serve a second term at all. As dark as his swearing in may have been, there was arguably one president whose term started in an even more morbid way. That was Lyndon Johnson, who became president in November 1963 after John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. He did not take the oath of office in the normal, ceremonious way that other presidents did. Rather than a day of celebration, his swearing in was a day of shock, grief and devastation.

John Kennedy’s assassination was a truly shocking event. Whilst touring Texas (Johnson’s home state), he was shot several times by assassin Lee Harvey Oswald at approximately 12:30 pm. He was rushed to hospital, but it was obvious that the shot to his head was unsurvivable. He was confirmed dead at 1:20 pm, and shortly after his death was announced on live TV by famed news reporter Walter Cronkite, making the entire nation stand still. Johnson and his family were in the car directly behind Kennedy’s motorcade when the assassination occurred, and would have witnessed the entire thing. The Johnson family were prsent in the hospital wehen the news of Kennedy’s death broke. Everybody struggled to process the horrible turn of events. However, as tragic as the event was, emotion had to be put aside for practical matters. The country needed a leader to function, and as the vice president at the time of Kennedy’s death, it was up to Johnson to take the lead.

Just two hours after Kennedy’s death, Johnson was on board Air Force Force, preparing to take his oath of office. It was decided that everyone in the Kennedy administration needed to leave Dallas as quickly as possible for their safety. Johnson and many others were driven in unmarked police cars to Dallas Love Field after leaving the hospital, where Air Force One was waiting for them. The casket containing Kennedy’s body was also on board the aircraft, a grim reminder of what had just occurred. Before the plane could take off, Johnson had to be sworn in. He chose close friend judge Sarah T. Hughes to administer the presidential oath. To this day, she is the only woman to ever do so.

Many people from Kennedy’s administration were present when Johnson took the oath of office. The most notable presence was that of Jackie Kennedy, who stood directly next to Johnson. She was visibly shaken, and was still covered in her husbands’s blood. She was in the motorcade next to Kennedy when he was shot, and could only watch in horror as her husband’s body slumped into her lap, parts of his brain scattered everywhere. Now, she had to watch whilst Johnson was sworn in to take his place. There are rumours that she was forced to be there against her will by Johnson himself, who allegedly always hated the Kennedy family. Whether this was actually true remains up for debate, especially as the vast majority of those involved are no longer alive to tell their sides of the story.

Shortly after being sworn in, Johnson and his new team prepared a statement that he would make once he had landed in Washington DC. Air Force One landed shortly after 6pm, and Johnson gave the following statement: “This is a sad time for all people. We have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. For me, it is a deep personal tragedy. I know that the world shares the sorrow that Mrs. Kennedy and her family bear. I will do my best. That is all I can do. I ask for your help—and God’s.” The statement has since been criticised for being too brief and flippant.

The 22nd November 1963 is still considered one of the darkest days in American history. Many believe that Kennedy’s death and Johnson’s swearing in marked the end of the ‘good’ 1960’s, and introduced a new era of war, economic collapse and general discontent. Indeed, after becoming the president, Johnson dramatically escalated the war in Vietnam, despite objection from members of the public. There have been many conspiracy theories surrounding Kennedy’s death. Some people even believe that Johnson played a role in the tragedy. The Warren Commission, which was opened in 1964 to investigate Kennedy’s death, claimed that there was no conspiracy behind it, and that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. Even so, strange occurrences such as Kennedy’s brain vanishing in 1966 have made many believe that there was more to it. Regardless of what you believe about the assassination, everyone can agree that Johnson’s swearing in was indeed the darkest in American history.