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CNN Live Saturday

Crowds Gather In Dallas To Pay Homage To President Kennedy

Aired November 22, 2003 - 14:0   ET

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

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


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Dallas remembers four decades after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. President Bush says the sense of loss defies the passing of years. He said America still misses our 35th president.
The Kennedy family members visited the president's grave at Arlington National Cemetery today. Our Kelly Wallace reports that thousands are gathering to remember the grim events in Dealey Plaza. She joins us now live. Hello Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Catherine. The biggest crowds really gathered just about a half hour ago, that is at 12:30 p.m. Central time, 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, the time 40 years ago today when the shots rang out and President Kennedy was assassinated. Police have barricaded this section of Elm Street, and this is the place where the presidential motorcade passed through.

Again, when President Kennedy was shot. Many people were coming here today to remember the late president, expressing a number of emotions. But also many people coming, lots of speeches, conspiracy theorists and others who simply do not believe that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, could have caused such a national tragedy. We wanted to get a sense of why some people have come here today. Right now I'm joined by Suzy (ph) from Grand Prairie, Texas, just outside Dallas she came here with her family. Suzy why did you want to come here today?

SUZY: To educate some of the educational for my family I have three children. They study it in school and we've come maybe five times during this year and they just learn a new thing everybody time they're up here. Very nice.

WALLACE: And your daughter, Stormy. Stormy what do you learn by coming here?

STORMY: I just learn different things every time I come, and it's very interesting to see that nobody knows yet who killed John F. Kennedy.

WALLACE: You don't believe there's still an answer about what happened here?

STORMY: No, I don't.

WALLACE: I want to walk over here and get some thank you very much, I want to come over here and talk to Pat Luther from Buffalo, Missouri. Is that right? Why did you come here and travel so far to come here today? PAT LUTHER, BUFFALO MISSOURI: Well, we are here with a convention, but I wanted my students with me here to see a little of history being made. And relive a little bit myself of what happened that day. I was in high school sitting in study hall. I looked across in the principal's office, she got a phone call, and she started crying. She immediately came over to study hall and announced that this had happened. And it was a very emotional thing, and it will always stick in my mind.

WALLACE: And do you think you know what happened 40 years ago?

LUTHER: He was shot; we know that, he's no longer with us. He was a very good president, very amazing things that he did. And what could he have done if he lived?

WALLACE: Pat Luther, thank you very much. So a number of viewpoints, Catherine, and most people, though, according to polls still have questions believing a greater conspiracy at work 40 years ago. Back to you.

CALLAWAY: Thank you, Kelly Wallace in Dallas. And we will bring you a special report on the Kennedy assassination at the bottom of the hour right here on CNN it is called "JFK: 40 Years Later."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




Kennedy>


Aired November 22, 2003 - 14:0   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Dallas remembers four decades after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. President Bush says the sense of loss defies the passing of years. He said America still misses our 35th president.
The Kennedy family members visited the president's grave at Arlington National Cemetery today. Our Kelly Wallace reports that thousands are gathering to remember the grim events in Dealey Plaza. She joins us now live. Hello Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Catherine. The biggest crowds really gathered just about a half hour ago, that is at 12:30 p.m. Central time, 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, the time 40 years ago today when the shots rang out and President Kennedy was assassinated. Police have barricaded this section of Elm Street, and this is the place where the presidential motorcade passed through.

Again, when President Kennedy was shot. Many people were coming here today to remember the late president, expressing a number of emotions. But also many people coming, lots of speeches, conspiracy theorists and others who simply do not believe that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, could have caused such a national tragedy. We wanted to get a sense of why some people have come here today. Right now I'm joined by Suzy (ph) from Grand Prairie, Texas, just outside Dallas she came here with her family. Suzy why did you want to come here today?

SUZY: To educate some of the educational for my family I have three children. They study it in school and we've come maybe five times during this year and they just learn a new thing everybody time they're up here. Very nice.

WALLACE: And your daughter, Stormy. Stormy what do you learn by coming here?

STORMY: I just learn different things every time I come, and it's very interesting to see that nobody knows yet who killed John F. Kennedy.

WALLACE: You don't believe there's still an answer about what happened here?

STORMY: No, I don't.

WALLACE: I want to walk over here and get some thank you very much, I want to come over here and talk to Pat Luther from Buffalo, Missouri. Is that right? Why did you come here and travel so far to come here today? PAT LUTHER, BUFFALO MISSOURI: Well, we are here with a convention, but I wanted my students with me here to see a little of history being made. And relive a little bit myself of what happened that day. I was in high school sitting in study hall. I looked across in the principal's office, she got a phone call, and she started crying. She immediately came over to study hall and announced that this had happened. And it was a very emotional thing, and it will always stick in my mind.

WALLACE: And do you think you know what happened 40 years ago?

LUTHER: He was shot; we know that, he's no longer with us. He was a very good president, very amazing things that he did. And what could he have done if he lived?

WALLACE: Pat Luther, thank you very much. So a number of viewpoints, Catherine, and most people, though, according to polls still have questions believing a greater conspiracy at work 40 years ago. Back to you.

CALLAWAY: Thank you, Kelly Wallace in Dallas. And we will bring you a special report on the Kennedy assassination at the bottom of the hour right here on CNN it is called "JFK: 40 Years Later."

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




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