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STORY: Newly discovered audio recordings captured by the White House Communications Agency on the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated have been released by the U.S. National Archives.
The two-hour twenty minutes of recordings contains radio traffic between the White House, Air Force One, and a variety of government and military officials as news spread about President Kennedy's shooting, and subsequent death.
U.S. Secretary of State Dean Rusk was aboard an official flight to Tokyo, when the White House contacted an official code-named "Wayside" aboard his flight.
"Wayside, Wayside, this is Situation Room. I read from the AP bulletin. Kennedy apparently shot in head. He fell face-down in back seat of his car. Blood was on his head. Mrs. Kennedy cried, 'oh, no,' and tried to hold up his head. Connally remained half-seated, slumped to the left. There was blood on his face and forehead. The President and the Governor were rushed to Parkland Hospital, near the Dallas Trade Mart, where Kennedy was to have made a speech. Over."
Later, the White House confirms to the flight that President Kennedy is dead.
"This is Situation Room. Relay following to Wayside: We have report quoting Mr. Kilduff in Dallas that the President is dead - that he died about 35 minutes ago. Do you have that? Over."
The flight is ordered to return to Washington as soon as possible.
Later, an official aboard Air Force One, parked on the tarmac in Dallas, tells an official at the White House that they are waiting for a judge to arrive to swear-in Lyndon B. Johnson as the next president of the United States.
"We're waiting for the swearing-in at the plane before take-off."
While in flight, an official aboard Air Force One discusses plans with a White House official. They discuss bringing President Kennedy's body to Bethesda Naval Medical Center, after Air Force One Arrives at Andrews Air Force Base. Kennedy was placed into a heavy metal casket, and officials were concerned about the weight of the casket aboard a helicopter.
"Watchman, it's been arranged to helicopter the body to Bethesda. Over," an official at the White House says.
"This is Watchman. Don't take a chance on that. Also have a mortuary-type ambulance standby in case the helicopter doesn't work," the official aboard Air Force One says.
Still aboard Air Force One, President Lyndon B. Johnson calls JFK's mother, Rose Kennedy, at her home in Massachusetts.
"I wish to God there was something I could do, and I wanted to tell you that we are grieving with you," President Johnson says.
"Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I know. I know you loved Jack, and he loved you," Rose Kennedy says.
The recordings were discovered by the Raab Collection, which deal in historical autographs, and was donated to the U.S. National Archives. The Raab Collection discovered two 1/4 inch open-reel audiotapes among the papers and other memorabilia of Army General Chester "Ted" Clifton, Jr., who served as a senior military aid to President John F. Kennedy.
