Jackie Kennedy Made This Bold Statement Shortly After JFK’s Passing, According to a Journalist on the Scene
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Jackie Kennedy fearless statement in the hours after John F. Kennedy’s death is being resurfaced in an upcoming documentary.
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A trailer for the upcoming second installment of National Geographic’s One Day In America series gave viewers a look inside the former president’s death from the perspective of journalists and bystanders who were in Dallas on November 22, 1963. JFK: One Day In America is set to release on Hulu and Disney+ on November 6.
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In the trailer for the series several witnesses recall the former first lady’s actions in the moments after shots rang out in Dallas, claiming the life of her husband. Clint Hill, the U.S. Secret Service agent assigned to Jackie who famously jumped on to the back of the presidential limousine to shield the first lady, recounted, “I jumped to the rear bumper. Mrs. Kennedy was screaming, ‘I love Jack.’ I wasn’t fast enough.’”
In the hours that followed, Jackie remained in the now-unforgettable pink Chanel suit that was left covered in her husband’s blood after she held his body in the backseat of the car until they reached a hospital.
“Mrs. Kennedy came forward and I can see blood on her dress, where she cradled the President’s head in her lap and she said, ‘Let them see what they have done,’” a journalist who was working in Dallas that day recalls in the documentary.
This story of Jackie’s poignant assertion has gone through several iterations over the last number of decades. Jackie herself told a version of this to Life magazine in the years after JFK’s assassination. She recalled arriving on board Air Force One with her husband’s casket, finding a change of clothes there and washing JFK’s blood from her face.
“One second later, I thought, ‘Why did I wash the blood off?’ I should have left it there; let them see what they’ve done,” she said, opting not to change out of her blood-stained suit.
Ever aware of the power of imagery, Jackie remained in the suit in images of Lyndon B. Johnson being sworn into office on board the plane — a grim reminder of the slain former president. Reportedly, when offered the option to exit the plane without being photographed, she again insisted, “We’ll go out the regular way. I want them to see what they have done.”
Before you go, click here to see photos of JFK and Jackie O.’s grown-up grandkids.
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