Clint Hill - Mrs. Kennedy and Me - An Intimate Memoir

With everyone on board, Air Force One was wheels up for Love Field in Dallas, and fifteen minutes later we were there.

There was a large crowd waiting behind a chain-link fence as Air Force One pulled up to its arrival point at Love Field. I checked my watch and noted the arrival time in the little black datebook I always carried: 11:40 A.M. Central Standard Time.

President and Mrs. Kennedy exited the plane, USAF 26000, through the rear doors and as they walked down the stairs, the crowd was delirious. Flags were waving, people were applauding and calling out—it was another exuberant welcome in yet another Texas city. At the bottom of the steps, Vice President and Mrs. Johnson and Dallas mayor Earle Cabell and his wife were there to greet President and Mrs. Kennedy. I stood an arm’s length away as Mrs. Cabell presented Mrs. Kennedy with a large bouquet of red roses.

It seemed strange to have the vice president and his wife continually greet the Kennedys at each arrival point in Texas. In this case they had just seen each other a few minutes earlier in Fort Worth. But this was the beginning of a campaign and strange things are done strictly for the photo opportunity. Our destination in Dallas was the Trade Mart, where 2,600 people had paid to have lunch with President and Mrs. Kennedy, and to hear him speak. It would have been much quicker to drive direct from Fort Worth to the Trade Mart in Dallas. Instead we drove from the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth to Carswell Air Force Base, boarded Air Force One, flew to Love Field in Dallas, then drove to the speech site. All of this to get a photo of President and Mrs. Kennedy coming off Air Force One in Dallas and to have a motorcade for maximum exposure. It seemed like a waste of time and money to me, but then politics and security really don’t mix well. Kind of like oil and water.

As soon as they had gone through the receiving line, the president looked toward the crowd.

Without hesitating, the president headed straight for them. I waited for Mrs. Kennedy’s reaction, and with her red roses in her arms, off she went behind him to greet the public. Paul and I stayed as close to Mrs. Kennedy as possible, looking into the crowd for any telltale sign of trouble. She and the president moved along the fence line shaking hands for about five minutes, much to the great delight of the people who had come to greet them.

Finally, they took their places in the presidential limousine—SS-100-X. Mrs. Kennedy sat in the left rear seat, the president in the right rear. After they were seated, Governor and Mrs. Connally folded down the jump seats—with Mrs. Connally directly in front of Mrs. Kennedy, and the governor directly in front of President Kennedy.

Agent Bill Greer was in the driver’s seat. A native Irishman, and a Catholic, Greer and the president had become good friends in the past three years. Greer spoke with a bit of a brogue, and had a great sense of humor. But most important, he knew SS-100-X better than anyone. He had driven it in motorcades all over the world, and knew how it handled in every type of situation. When Greer was driving, there was no question the president was in good hands.

ASAIC Roy Kellerman was the last one in the car, as he took his place in the right front passenger seat. I was standing next to Mrs. Kennedy, my right hand holding on to the door, scanning the crowd, as Bill Greer started driving forward.

ASAIC Kellerman radioed to base and all units, “Lancer and Lace departing.”

It was 11:55 A.M. in Dallas.

Leading the motorcade, ahead of SS-100-X, was an unmarked sedan, driven by Dallas police chief Jesse Curry, with our advance agent Win Lawson in the front passenger seat. The only way Bill Greer knew where to go was to follow the lead car.

I jogged alongside 100X, next to Mrs. Kennedy, until Greer started picking up speed and the crowds had dissipated on our way out of Love Field. Then I dropped back and jumped onto the left running board of Halfback.

Driver Agent Sam Kinney was at the wheel of the Secret Service follow-up car. His job was to stay as close as possible to the presidential vehicle—keeping no more than five feet between the two cars—at all times. Both Kinney and Greer were highly experienced, and they had been working together as a team for a long time.

Assistant to the Special Agent in Charge Emory Roberts was the supervising agent sitting in the right front seat of the follow-up car. In the rear passenger compartment were George Hickey, responsible for the AR-15; Glen Bennett from the Protective Research Section, handling intelligence; and presidential assistants Ken O’Donnell and Dave Powers. Manning the running boards were Agents Jack Ready and Paul Landis on the right side, responsible for the right side of the presidential vehicle. On the left side were Tim McIntyre and myself, responsible for our side. Specifically, I was responsible for Mrs. Kennedy.

We traveled on Mockingbird Lane to Lemmon Avenue with four Dallas police motorcycle officers riding alongside the presidential vehicle, two on each side. The purpose is to create an extra barrier between the president and the crowd, but presidents generally do not like this arrangement because of the loud noise emanating from the motorcycles. It makes conversation within the vehicle very difficult.

The number of spectators was quite few as the motorcade began its journey toward downtown Dallas, and Agent Lawson, in the lead car, had Chief Curry increase the speed. Bill Greer followed the lead, and as 100X increased speed, so did Halfback. Agent Kinney was keeping the two cars very close together. He kept his eyes on the back of the presidential vehicle and the gap between the two was never more than five feet.

Amazing, I thought. I wonder how many times Sam has done this and never had an accident.

The closer we got to downtown Dallas, the larger the number of spectators became. Groups formed along the way, some bearing signs, one of which read PLEASE MR. PRESIDENT STOP AND SHAKE OUR HANDS! President Kennedy could not turn down an opportunity like this, so he requested Bill Greer stop the car.

Suddenly the people with the sign charged toward the car. Roy Kellerman bolted out of the front seat of 100X, and those of us on the follow-up car jumped off and moved to our designated positions. It was our job to deny access to the presidential vehicle, but the president was standing up, smiling, shaking as many hands as he could. Loving every minute.

Mrs. Kennedy looked more uncomfortable when the people came at the car, but she went right along with it, smiling, waving, and shaking hands when we stopped.

It was always interesting to watch how different agents maneuvered themselves to get off or on the follow-up car while it was moving. Successfully going from a moving vehicle—the follow-up car—onto a fixed, stationary surface—the street—was a real challenge. The faster the vehicle speed, the more difficult it became. You had to have great balance and quick feet or you would end up going head over heels onto the street. To get from Halfback to the presidential vehicle while both were moving meant throwing yourself forward with your feet and legs going a similar speed as the vehicles. Not easy to do.

And when you dropped back to the follow-up car, you had to time it right, and jump with confidence, because if you fell, there was a damn good chance you were going to get run over.

The crowds became denser as we neared the center of town. People were yelling and clapping, waving banners and signs—it was an enthusiastic reception. Between the noise of the motorcycles, and the people, you could hardly hear yourself think. I didn’t like being so far behind Mrs. Kennedy in this situation so I made a sudden decision and jumped off Halfback, ran to catch up to 100X, and leapt onto the rear step of the car. The president glanced back at me, but he didn’t say anything. I knew he didn’t want us on the back of the car, but I had a job to do. I would answer later if necessary.