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Remembering JFK; Eyewitness to the Assassination; Air Force One's Role on Day of JFK's Death

Aired November 22, 2013 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR:

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a special Friday. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Because 50 years ago today, the nation suffered one of the most heartbreaking yet unifying events in modern history, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The 35th president was in the Oval Office for a mere 1,000 days. But in that short time, his Camelot captivated the country.

A wall of admirers lined the streets of Dallas to see him and his wife driven through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, November 22nd, 1963. And then at the age of 46, he was gunned down. The nation wept. People went home. Schools closed for days. The country was at a virtual standstill as the president was laid to rest.

And as flags at the White House and the Capitol building today fly at half-staff, President Obama has declared this day one of remembrance. And so now 50 years later, the city of Dallas, for the very first time, is recognizing the event that scarred it for generations. A ceremony that marked the moment of the nation's loss with silence is winding down.

And at Arlington National Cemetery, where President Kennedy is buried, and an eternal flame burns, a wreath was laid today, this week, in commemoration.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN F. KENNEDY, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: First, examine our attitude towards peace itself. Too many of us think it is impossible. Too many think it is unreal. But that is a dangerous, defeatist belief. It leads to the conclusion that war is inevitable, that mankind is doomed, that we are gripped by forces we cannot control. We need not accept that view. Our problems are manmade, therefore they can be solved by man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Although the president is running behind schedule, he pauses momentarily to shake a few hands.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Kennedy has been assassinated. It's official now. The president is dead.

JACQUELINE KENNEDY, FORMER FIRST LADY: I want to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the hundreds of thousands of messages, nearly 800,000 in all. The knowledge of the affection in which my husband was held by all of you has sustained me. Whenever I can bear to, I read them.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Wow. Fifty years ago today. And when John F. Kennedy's body was lying in state, in the Capitol Rotunda, 250,000 people went to visit him.

And when you look at polls, 50 years later, JFK still looms large in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Look at this. Today, he is the most popular president of the last half century. This is according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll with a whopping 90 percent approval rating.

So let's take you now to Dallas, to Ed Lavandera and John King, who are both standing by for me where that observance, that commemoration is just now ending.

And, John King, to you first, in just watching all of this today, the weather, it's just nasty. But looking at the crowds, people in their ponchos, you know, they wanted to be there. This is very personal for so many Americans. And when you look at the poll numbers, I mean people still, 50 years later, have such a connection with this president.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Such a connection, Brooke, in part because of what you mentioned I think at the top of the hour. He served just 1,000 days. So we don't know how President Kennedy would have chartered the course in Vietnam. We don't know if he would have been successful in getting the civil rights bill through that President Johnson later did get through. We don't know a lot. There's so many what ifs about what would have happened in the end of that first term, the final year and a half of that first term. And, of course, he was favored for re-election in a second term. So I think people project their hopes and their aspirations on a president who was such an hopeful, inspirational and aspirational leader. So people look back fondly at the promise of Jack Kennedy.

You mentioned that poll. I was studying the Gallup polls of those days as part of our preparing for this coverage. And people were so optimistic about the country at that time. They thought the economy was getting better. Even though it was part of the Cold War, they thought America was growing in strength and prominence around the world. So it was a hopeful time, which was a reflection of the optimism of the president of those days. and I think that is why, when people look back 50 years later, they project such high hopes and have such fine memories.

BALDWIN: And, Ed Lavandera, I know your colleague to your left is from Massachusetts. You, my friend, are from Texas. You grew up in Dallas. Just talk to me about the evolution of the city because I know Dallas really struggled with how to handle the tragedy that happened on the city streets 50 years ago.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've talked a lot about that. And I think the fact that it's been 50 years and it took that long for the city of Dallas to do an official ceremony commemorating this anniversary, any of the anniversaries, and it's finally happened. But I'm also struck by the way this one event changed so many lives of so many people in this city.

We saw the widow of J.D. Tippit, the Dallas Police officer that was killed shortly after by Lee Harvey Oswald, who at the time didn't even know -- he had known that there had been a shooting attempt on the president's life here in Dealey Plaza and that they were being warning to be on the lookout, but he had no idea that it was Lee Harvey Oswald who was walking toward his police car.

And then, you know, I've spoken with the emergency room doctor who treated President Kennedy at Parkland Hospital. And imagine a young doctor in the emergency room and he's in this crowded room full of people, Jackie Onassis standing there in the pink suit covered in blood. The president's body there. This is a young E.R. doctor, and how that changed the course of his life for 50 years. It's incredible, the profound effect that this event had on not only the president and his family, but so many people's lives here in Dallas as well.

BALDWIN: Just - I sat with my mother last night. She was telling me the story when she was 13 and was in junior high in Miami and remember, you know, when it happened.

John King and Ed Lavandera, thank you so much.

And speaking of the poignance of today's remembrance, let me turn to someone who was there, who was at Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963. She is Toni Glover. She is now known as one of the few living eyewitnesses to that Kennedy assassination. And she joined me a couple of days ago and now she is joining me live from Dallas.

So, Toni, we talked a couple of days ago. There was some trepidation in your voice over whether or not this would be too emotional for you. You weren't sure if you would get on the airplane. You were there. You went to Dealey Plaza. What was it like?

TONI GLOVER, EYEWITNESS TO JFK ASSASSINATION: Well, I'm not in as good of shape as I was the last time I talked to you. It's difficult being here. I did not go to the plaza during the ceremony. I -- it's kind of a personal thing. And there were thousands of people. So I'll go by a little bit later.

I did go by last night. And the faces of the people who are old enough to remember that day are haunted. They -- the emotion is just beneath the surface. And it overflows at times. You know there's a - there's a pretty simple chemical reason why we remember things that were filled with, you know, emotion. But those feelings are not simple.

And I'm taken back to Walter Cronkite taking his glasses off and glancing up at the clock. I -- I'm trying to write about this, and it's helping -- it's helping somewhat. People ask me why witnesses cry when we talk about it. And part of that is that we relive it when we talk about it. The shock and the pain. And even if you were a long way off, even if you didn't see what happened, you were part of it just by being there. And you feel -- as silly as it may sound, if you were there, you participated in some way and --

BALDWIN: It's not silly at all.

GLOVER: You want to -

BALDWIN: It's not silly at all. And you were a - you were an 11-year- old little girl. You begged your mom, please let you see the president.

GLOVER: Yes.

BALDWIN: And you did. And you were there at the corner of Elm Street. And you saw President Kennedy. And then what did you see?

GLOVER: I saw people burst into tears. I -- even though, as I said, up on the corner where I was, we weren't really sure what had happened. But everyone knew it was tragic. And he was so loved. And he had looked in our eyes. He had waved. He had been so alive. And then he was gone in an instant.

I will tell you that there's not a person that was on that street that at some point has not wondered why we didn't stop it. Why we couldn't have done something to stop it. And, of course, there was nothing anybody could have done. But that doesn't stop the feeling. They just get all tangled up.

BALDWIN: I think there are many people very emotional today who were there and who were not, and you are one of the few, Toni, surviving eyewitnesses. But here's what I was think about is, as time passes and there are eventually no one - there's no one -- we basically have to rely on history books, you know, to -- and the pictures and the videos. How do you think this is passed down to future generations, this feeling that you're showing me?

GLOVER: I am trying to do that in the book that I'm writing. And I've started calling it "Being There." I'm trying to explain or try to shed some light on what it was like for witnesses. This was -- this was a shock and devastating to every person in the United States. But it didn't happen to the country. It happened to us one at a time. It cut into us one at a time. And for those of us on the street, it was just a little bit more severe because of all those feelings that, I was there, I was a participant somehow, I didn't stop it. So the only thing I can do is try to leave behind a record of what the people on the street felt.

BALDWIN: Right, what you saw, what you felt that day, and we thank you so much for again rejoining me today to share with me and all of us what you saw then and what you saw today.

Toni Glover, in Dallas. Toni, thank you.

GLOVER: Thanks.

BALDWIN: It is hard to even fathom a president dead, a vice president getting hastily sworn in. You may know what happened in Dallas 50 years ago, but you may be surprised to see what took place on Air Force One in the hours after the death of JFK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Fifty years ago, after the shooting, President Kennedy's body was taken to Air Force One. And our Martin Savidge takes a look at what exactly happened inside this cramped and overheated space on one of the darkest days in our nation's history.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The peaceful transition of power for the mightiest nation in earth took place not in the White House or even in Washington, but on a plane. Window shades drawn for fear of snipers. The air conditioning off to save fuel. The scratchy audio captured on a dictation machine.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Preserve -

LYNDON JOHNSON, FORMER U.S. PRESIDENT: Preserve -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Protect -

JOHNSON: Protect -

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Defend -

JOHNSON: And defend -

SAVIDGE: Built the year before, President Kennedy's Air Force One was the first presidential jet. Jackie Kennedy hired the designer who came up with its distinctive paint scheme, still used today.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: Roger command post. Air Force One has landed 1738 ZULU.

SAVIDGE: That day in Dallas, as the first couple set off into the adoring crowd, the crew monitored their progress on the plane's radios.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: Roger, you are loud and clear. I will be monitoring this frequency.

SAVIDGE: It wasn't long before they knew something was terribly wrong.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: This is the situation room. I read you.

SAVIDGE: The president had been shot.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: We have report quoting Mr. Kilduff in Dallas that the president is dead.

SAVIDGE: In an instant, Air Force One transformed into a command center. And as far as anyone knew, was the only safe place for a possibly still targeted vice president.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: Do you have any passengers onboard?

Roger, forty plus.

SAVIDGE: But to the frustration of many, Lyndon Johnson, code name "volunteer," refused to take off until he took the oath of office.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: We are waiting for a judge to appear for a swearing in.

That is for volunteer, is that right?

Yes, we are having (INAUDIBLE) here before we take off Jerry.

SAVIDGE: Meanwhile, determined the president's body should not travel in the baggage compartment, the crew struggled to make space in the plane. Historian Jeff Underwood recalls what had to be done.

JEFF UNDERWOOD, HISTORIAN: So they pulled these four seats out. Then they took a saw and they cut off the bulkhead right across here. And the line is still there.

SAVIDGE: The president's casket was rushed up the plane's stairs, while up forward, people pressed into the sweltering space to bear witness.

UNDERWOOD: And then the photographer was cramped up on the little couch that's right here in the corner, and pushed themselves up into the corner.

SAVIDGE: Jackie Kennedy insisted on being present. The photographer careful to frame the shot so not to show the blood of her husband on her clothes. Finally, it was time to go.

JFK AIR FORCE ONE COCKPIT TAPE: Can you tell me in regards to uh, one and two uh, the top people?

Roger, the president is on board. The body is on board. And Mrs. Kennedy is on board.

SAVIDGE: With that, Air Force One took off, signaling its departure in long standing Secret Service code that on this terrible day seemed so fitting, "angel is airborne."

Martin Savidge, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BALDWIN: And don't forget to watch "The Assassination of President Kennedy." It is a film by Tom Hanks. And you can see it here on CNN tonight, 10:00 Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Question, does your future in flight include a loud, (INAUDIBLE) conversation with the person seated next to you, or maybe it's a ticket with an extra quiet free zone? Hmm, these scenarios are fueling a huge debate after the FCC announced it might lift the in- flight cell phone ban. So, the proposal here would allow phone calls once a plane reaches that 10,000 feet mark. But many people, let me be honest, myself included, passengers, flight crew unions think cell phone usage in flight is just a bad idea. So, from the end of quiet flights to the possibility of more airline fees, very few are actually giving the FCC's plan two thumbs up.

So let's discuss, maybe there are some pros here. I'm open to the cons. Commercial airline pilot and blogger for askthepilot.com Patrick Smith, and Paul Hudson, president of flyersrights.org.

Gentlemen, wonderful to have both of you on.

And, Paul, let me just begin with you, because you are the closest person we can find who doesn't actually entirely despise this idea. So tell me, someone who has been on five planes this week, why this idea may not be entirely insane.

PAUL HUDSON, PRESIDENT, FLYERSRIGHTS.ORG: Well, of course, the primary concern is safety. Assuming that is satisfied, the next concern is privacy. Everyone has been disturbed by other people's cell phone conversations. However, on long-haul flights, especially, people may need or very much want to be able to have a phone conversation. There could be an old-fashioned phone booth or privacy in the back of the aircraft. But the idea of having unrestricted cell phone use in the passenger cabin, I think, for most passengers, would be a nonstarter.

BALDWIN: OK, an old-fashioned phone booth. That's one idea.

Patrick, tell me why this is a bad idea, as a current pilot, by the way.

PATRICK SMITH, ASKTHEPILOT.COM: Well, that's true. Well, I think the upsides to the idea are obvious, but so are the downsides. I mean it adds another potential stress factor into the air travel experience, which is already stressful for a lot of people. For me, when I fly as a passenger, it's interesting because the airplane cabin is often the quietest and most peaceful part of the whole experience. U.S. airports are just so loud with our infatuation with public address announcements and TV news monitors of a certain network at every gate and people are crying (ph) -

BALDWIN: Hey, we're happy they play CNN at the airports.

SMITH: But, you know what, you or -- what you or I think about this really doesn't matter. We are moving towards some version of onboard cell phone use. Remember, it wasn't that long ago we still had smoking on airplanes. So anything is possible. I don't think it's going to be a free-for-all, anybody can use their phone at any time. Maybe we have to have a sequestration where there are sections of the cabin for chattering and sections for non-chattering, akin to the old smoking, nonsmoking.

BALDWIN: But how would that work? And let me just - get -- bring Paul, this could be to either of you, how would that work? Because I'm either thinking, you know, you would have the quiet free zone. So does that mean I have to pay more money for my peace and quiet, or would it be the reverse, Paul?

HUDSON: No, I think it has to be the reverse. The cell phone conversation has to be the exception. It has to be in an area that is segregated or quiet. On Amtrak trains now we have quiet cars, but there's no way to do that on a typical aircraft. So you would have to have sound-proof areas that were not disturbing to other people.

And we had a situation with seat back phones you may recall some years ago. Those did not work out. A, they were too expensive. B, they didn't work often, and c, they were disturbing to other people.

BALDWIN: Maybe it's just me, Patrick. You fly a lot. I fly a lot as well. And it's funny talking to business travelers and they almost, you know, despise the existence of wi-fi. They were like, this is - this was the last bastion of quiet, this abyss, you know, away from communication and here we are possibly talking about talking.

SMITH: Oh, I don't know, I always thought that wi-fi on airplanes was a great idea. I mean customer satisfaction onboard -- onboard satisfaction, you know, it's all about the art of distracting people. And what a better way than allow people to surf the web. Cell phones are another issue.

And, meanwhile, remember -- people need to remember, this is all still in the proposal stage. None of this is finalized. We're a long way from that. And as it stands right now, you can't use a cell phone on an airplane. It simply won't work. So airlines are going to have to invest in the kind of technology that will allow you to use phones in some capacity, which brings us to the next conversation, which is, how is that cost passed along to passengers? And that's going to be a point of real contention. And, you know, that's not entirely fair. You can hardly blame airlines for looking for other streams of revenue when fares are as cheap as they are. I think it's lost on a lot of people that flying today costs about half as much on average as it did 30 years ago, and fares have dropped about 18 percent in the past 13 years alone.

BALDWIN: I just know people are so sick and tired of the little fees, but I guess if this - if it does go through, people will just have to pay to talk and go away in a little quiet corner I suppose. Patrick Smith and Paul Hudson, thank you both very much.

Coming up next, a CNN exclusive report here. A big question we've been asking on this network, was Kendrick Johnson murdered? Is the answer in this video? The parents who lost their teenage son want answers. A leading expert reveals this new shocking information about this video. Details that could help in this mysterious death case.

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