Why JFK Ignored His Warnings: Was Told to Avoid Dallas
When commemorating the 60th anniversary of the JFK assassination most Americans will ponder the usual questions: How many gunmen were there? Was there a conspiracy involved? Was the Warren Commission right or wrong? These fascinating unknowns still occupy the minds of people during this time of year. However, after 60 years, it’s time to shift gears and look at other key elements of the tragedy.
The following three questions are rarely discussed, but are very intriguing. Ponder this: (1) Did President Kennedy receive serious warnings about Dallas, (2) If so, what were they, and (3) Why did he ignore them? The responses to these questions are quite alarming. They are answered by the people who were extremely close to the president, and knew him best. In addition, things that came close to preventing the assassination are also examined.
First, let’s review some of the warnings that JFK received:
Pierre Salinger: The president’s press secretary may have given the president his strongest warning against Dallas. According to a video interview, Salinger said, “I received a letter from a lady in Dallas saying, ‘tell the president not to come to Dallas (because) somebody’s going to be out to kill him.’ I was stunned by this letter and went to see the president. I said, look this is a warning, I mean, you really got to be careful when you go to Dallas.” In his book, With Kennedy, Salinger stated there were general concerns about Kennedy’s safety at this time. “The president, however, was the last person in the world to be concerned about his personal safety.” Salinger continued, “On several occasions, the subject had come up in discussions with him, he always replied, ‘If anyone is crazy enough to want to kill a President of the United States, he can do it. All he must be prepared to do is to give his life for the president’s.’” Prophetically, that’s exactly what happened — a mentally disturbed Lee Harvey Oswald traded his life for JFK’s.
Evelyn Lincoln: President Kennedy’s secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, warned him about the Texas trip after she received news from multiple sources. One source was her husband, Harold Lincoln (nicknamed “Abe”). Abe told her that he heard about an assassination attempt that was to take place in Dallas. In a video interview (see YouTube), Mrs. Lincoln stated that when she told JFK, he replied, “‘Mrs. Lincoln, I can’t live a life where I’m afraid to go out into the public. Do you know if they (assassins) want to get me, they can get me in church? I’m still going to Dallas.’” Ironically, a man named Abe Lincoln had indirectly warned the President of the United States about a possible assassination attempt.
Adlai Stevenson: On October 24, 1963, shortly before JFK arrived in Dallas, United Nations Ambassador Adlai Stevenson went to Dallas to speak. As stated in the book, “The President’s Secret Service”, the Ambassador ran into thousands of picketers and a raunchy crowd. One man screamed, “Kennedy will get his reward in hell and Stevenson is going to die.” After his speech, a woman hit him over the head with her picket sign. Upon arriving back to Washington, Stevenson warned Arthur Schlesinger (Kennedy’s speechwriter), that Kennedy should not go to Texas, especially Dallas. “There was something very ugly and frightening about the atmosphere,” Stevenson told Schlesinger. It is believed that Schlesinger did not pass along the message.
Senator William Fulbright: Shortly before President Kennedy left for Texas, Arkansas Senator, William Fulbright spoke to him about his trip, but more specifically, Dallas. In, “The Morning Record Newspaper”, Fulbright told Kennedy, “Dallas is a very dangerous place. I wouldn’t go there. Don’t you go.”
Byron Skelton: The Texas Democratic Chairman couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen to President Kennedy if he went to Dallas. As stated in, “The Death of a President”, Skelton sent a letter to the president’s brother, Bobby Kennedy, on Nov. 4, 1963. The chairman stated that he would “feel better if the president’s itinerary did not include Dallas.” Bobby knew that Skelton was not a melodramatic man. However, just a few weeks earlier, the Secret Service had cancelled JFK’s trip to Chicago because of serious threats. Bobby knew that his brother wasn’t going to allow for a second cancellation. Still concerned, he forwarded the letter to one of JFK’s closest aide, Kenneth O’Donnell, who was responsible for his schedule. Later, O’Donnell wrote that advising the president to avoid Dallas based on “a letter” would have been a waste of time.
Billy Graham: As quoted in his book, Just as I am — the Autobiography of Billy Graham, Graham recalled, “I unaccountably felt such a burden about the presidential visit to Dallas that I decided to phone our mutual friend, Senator Smathers, to tell him I really wanted to talk to the president. Instead, he sent me a telegram that the president would get in touch with me directly. Graham continued, “He thought I wanted to talk about the president’s invitation to another golf game in Florida that weekend. But all I wanted to tell him and the president was one thing — “Don’t go to Texas!” Unfortunately, the evangelist wasn’t able to reach JFK in time.
More Reasons Why Kennedy Ignored Warnings
Was JFK careless for ignoring the warnings he received? That’s debatable. In his defense, he tried to use sound logic behind his thoughts. First of all, he believed that no one could be totally protected no matter how much security he had. Secondly, Kennedy was a war hero who had escaped death overseas during WWII. Now, as the commander-in-chief, he more than likely believed that he could safely attend a peace-time-event in his own country.
Other leaders also encouraged President Kennedy to show bravery when he traveled. According to documents in the JFK Library, Louisiana Congress-man, Hale Boggs asked the chief executive to come to New Orleans in 1962 (despite warnings advising him not to go). Boggs told the president, “If the time ever comes when the President of the United States can’t go to any city in the United States, then our country has ceased to be the hope of man-kind. I said, if you can go to South America, then you can certainly go any place in the United States.” Boggs continued, “And if you think it might be bad to go (and maybe have a few signs), how bad do you think it would be if the word got out that you would not go? And of course he (JFK) just said, ‘Well, I’m going’ and there wasn’t any further discussion about it. That ended it.”
Before JFK went to Dallas, he was well exposed to the public in other cities. In the New Orleans trip, he was in a motorcade route thru the city. On November 18, 1963 (4 days before Dallas) he rode through Tampa, Florida, and even stood up in his car. There were threats made before these trips, but nothing ever became of them. The success of these trips without incident, probably lead Kennedy to believe that an open top motorcade through Dallas would be fine as well.
After Kennedy made the commitment to go to Texas, it would have been difficult for him to justify a cancellation. The purpose of the trip was to help raise funds for the Democratic Party and to settle some conflicts within the party. He also needed to campaign in a state that he barely carried in the last election. If he were to lose Texas in 1964, it would probably cost him the election. Under these circumstances, it appeared that traveling to Texas was imperative.
Things That May Have Prevented the Tragedy
Finding a Reason Not to Go
Initially, President Kennedy did not want to go Dallas. According to his best friend in the senate, Senator George Smathers, he wanted to find a reason to get out of it. In the PBS documentary, The Kennedys, Smathers stated that the president told him that he didn’t want to get involved in the fights and conflicts within the Texas Democratic Party (esp. between Vice-President Johnson and Governor Connally). According to Smathers, Kennedy said, “‘Gee, I really hate to go to Texas. I got to go to Texas next week and it’s just a pain in the rear end. I don’t want to go down to that mess. I hate to go. I wish I could think of a way to get out of it.’” This clearly indicates that personally, Kennedy did not want to go — however politically, he had to.
Using the Protective Bubble Roof over the Limousine
The Secret Service considered using a protective bubble roof over the president’s car. However, Kennedy elected not to use it. The bubble roof sometimes created a warm and stuffy environment and was used mostly for bad weather. Also, JFK was campaigning for the 1964 election and knew that being more visible would mean — more votes. In addition, contrary to popular belief, the cover was not bullet proof according to the Ford Motor Company, the maker of the roof. Still, the bubble top covering may have created an opaque sun glare that may have prevented the assassin from getting a clear view. The bubble top would not have stopped the shooting, but it may have prevented a mortal wound.
Making a Visit to Texas — but not Dallas
JFK’s trip to Texas was a state tour, not just a visit to Dallas. The 2-day excursion was to include: Houston, San Antonio, Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin (in that order). According to her book, Kennedy and Johnson, Evelyn Lincoln stated that members of the White House staff were very leery of the Texas trip. “Advance reports from our staff and from many people gave us cause to worry about the tense climate in Texas, and most especially in Dallas,” Lincoln stated. “Dallas was removed and then put back on the planned itinerary several times. Our own advance man urged that the motorcade not take the route through the underpass and past the book depository, but he was overruled.” Ironically, Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Dallas and worked at the book depository. Thus, the president’s motorcade route was the ideal setup for an assassination.
The Evangelist, Billy Graham
Perhaps the one person who had enough influence to prevent the Texas trip was the Evangelist, Billy Graham. JFK respected Graham’s spiritual advice very much, and even invited him to the White House during the Cuban Missile crisis. At other times, Kennedy would ask Graham theological questions. He believed that Graham was a man of God, and that his messages were from God. Therefore, the minister would have dissuaded the chief executive against Texas, and Kennedy probably would have canceled his trip (or at least Dallas). However, as stated earlier, the evangelist’s message did not reach the president in time.
Conclusion:
It has been well documented that President John F. Kennedy was warned several times not to go to Dallas. This lines up with the serious issues he was dealing with at the time. He was the first U.S. President to take a bold stance on civil rights, which angered many southerners. He was also confronted with the uncertainties of the cold war with Russia and Cuba. These issues alone made his presidency a very dangerous one. However, the leader of the free world, decided that he could not live his life in fear.
The tragedy in Dallas, on November 22, 1963, has led many people to wonder, “Why?” Why didn’t President Kennedy listen to his advisors and cancel the trip? Why didn’t he use the protective bubble over the car? Why wasn’t Dallas taken off of the itinerary permanently? These questions appear to be legitimate. However, hindsight is 20/20 — we always know what should have been done — after the fact. But this approach is usually not a fair way to judge a situation, especially in this case.
Some people have partially blamed President Kennedy, himself, for being careless about his security. They believed that his warnings should have been enough to steered him away from Dallas. However, he does not deserve such criticism. Keep in mind, he really didn’t want to go to Texas, but went because he was under enormous politically pressure. In addition, several presidents before him, had ridden safely in open top vehicles. If placed in his shoes, the majority of people would have made the same decision that JFK did.
In the final analysis, nobody can be blamed for the Kennedy assassination except for Lee Harvey Oswald, and the people who may have been associated with his actions.
