November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy drives through downtown Dallas, Texas, in a motorcade at low speed. Lincoln convertible.
Alongside his wife, Jackie, he greets the crowd that has gathered in force to cheer on the 35th.e President of the United States came here to begin his campaign for re-election the following year.
It’s hot, the atmosphere is heavy, but the head of security, Roy Kellerman appreciates the presence of photographers and onlookers, they form a rampart around the President against a possible attacker. “We are never safe from an unbalanced gesture” assures Patrick Jeudy, the documentary filmmaker.
12:30 p.m., a first detonation rings out, Kennedy is hit in the throat but no one seems to realize what has just happened. Second detonation a few seconds later, it is Governor John Connally, sitting in the lead car, who is hit in the chest. Finally, a new shot hits the President in the head, part of his skull is blown away. It is shock, the car finally accelerates to arrive six minutes later at Parkland Hospital… But the doctors will be unable to do anything to save Kennedy. When two priests come out of the emergency room, the message is clear, the President is dead! It is barely after 1 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 1963.
How did the Americans present in Dallas perceive this tragedy? What did they understand by witnessing live the assassination of John F. Kennedy by Lee Harvey Oswald? How did this crime come to disturb this moment of jubilation for many people who had come with their families, like Cheryl, a young journalist who exclaimed when she saw the presidential couple pass by a few seconds before the tragedy: “My God, how happy they look”?
Each witness wrote their account of the assassination, each reconstructed their truth with part of their own memories but also thanks to the films and photos taken by these anonymous people on the side of the road.
Mary Ann Moorman’s Polaroid, Abraham Zapruder’s Amateur Film, Elements of History
In this crowd, Jean Hill and Mary Ann Moorman came to take pictures of the parade. The fiancé of one of them, Billy Martin, was one of the bikers following the President. Less than ten feet from the car, they immortalized this moment on Polaroids…. Jean Hill remembers, “when he passed in front of us, I was afraid he was going to turn his back on us, so we called out to him and said, ‘We want to take your picture.’ And the moment he looked up, the shot rang out and he collapsed.” It was at this precise moment that her friend Mary took a photo in which they discovered, stunned, Kennedy collapsing on Jackie.
A historic photo, but the investigators will not take into account the testimony of the two young women and the Polaroid will not be included in the file.
At the same time, Abraham Zapruder, a Dallas ladies’ clothing manufacturer, stood on a low wall and triggered the camera he had just purchased. He filmed the procession for only a few seconds before turning off his camera at the last detonation and exclaimed: “They killed him!”
Traumatized by the scene he had just witnessed, he first thought of destroying his film. Finally, the 26 seconds of footage were purchased for more than $150,000 by the newspaper “Life” and his film became a key piece of the FBI investigation with its 486 frames. Two of them, those showing the bullet hitting the President’s head, disappeared.
Watch the documentary “Dallas, a special day” in replay on our website here.
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