Description: Kennedy John

JFK Assassination Teletype from Seattle

Original teletype roll from United Press International (UPI) reporting the assassination of 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. The teletype begins with reports of the motorcade encountering peaceful protesters, but then quickly devolves into the panic-stricken moments following the shooting in as close to real-time as possible. Single continuous roll, 8.5" x 142". Tape repair to approximately the first 12 inches, not affecting the assassination reporting.

Nearly everyone alive on November 22, 1963 remembers where they were when upon hearing the news that President Kennedy was dead. This teletype roll—the very source of the report remembered by everyone—freezes that pivotal moment in time, the defining moment of a generation and the nation.

John F. Kennedy’s assassination in Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963 shocked the world. This teletype roll records various media reports filtering in. Typed quickly by hand and sent via telephone lines to newsrooms across the country, the repeated typographical errors testify that this report is as close to real-time as 1963-vintage technology would allow. Throughout the length of the roll, reports are repeated, incorrect information amended, stories rewritten, and language condensed. As important as the subject matter, the technology also shows how print, radio, and television newsrooms operated in the early 1960s.

Partial Transcript

Regarding the protesters:

“One man perched on the roof of his car had hellt [sic] the President a sign saying that because of Kennedy’z ‘socialist beliefs,’ .;. ‘I hold you in complete contempt’...A woman a few blocks later held up a sign saying ‘Can the Clan.’”

On the shooting of Texas Governor John Connally:

“Bill Stinson, an assistant to Gov. Connally, saidn [sic] he talked to the governor in the hospital operating room. He said the governor was shot just beltw [below] the smouder [shoulder] blade in the back. Stineon [sic] said he askee [asked] Connally how it happened... ‘I don’t know I guess from the back. They got the President too’... The vice president...was reported badly shocked by the shooting. Dontors [doctors] were trying to keep him as quiet as possible. He was under heavy secret service and police protection... Malcolm Kilduff, an assistant press secretary, nsaid me [said he] ‘cannot say’ whether the president is alive and ‘cannot say where he was hit. There are too many stories’... As the president fought for his life, speciakists [specialists] arrived at the hospital. Nkne [one], a Dr. Wilson, identified himself as a neurosurgeon. vvTelevision newsman Mal Cough said he looked up just after the shot was fired and saw a rifpe [sic] being withdrawn from a 5th or 6th floor window of a nearby building (the Texas Book Depository).”

And the inevitable report of Kennedy's death:

“Flash. President Kennedy Dead!... Bulletin. 2nd lead assassination by Merriman Smith UPI White House Reporter. Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI) President Kennedy was assassinated today in a burst of gunfire in downtown Dallas. Texas Governor John Connally was shot down with him...The death of President Kennedy throws the command of UnitadnStates [sic] government and its nuclear deterrent into the hands of Lyndon Johnson, until now vice president under Kennedy...1st add 2nd lead... The president, cradled in his wife’s arms, had been rushed in his blood-spattered limousine to Parkland Hospital and taken to an emergency room. An urgent call went out for neurosurgeons and blood. The president, 44 years old, was shot once in the head. Connallyn [sic] was hit in the head and wrist. Police found a foreign-make rifle. Sheriff’s officers were questioning a young man picked up at the scene...”

Later in the day, the Soviet reaction:

“The official Soviet news agency, Tass, said it believed the assassination was carried out ‘from among the extreme right wing elements’... Initial comments from individual Russians...deplored the shooting...”

Many of the reports reflect the international implications of Kennedy’s assassination, including the passing of the presidency (and the nation’s nuclear arsenal) to Vice President Lyndon Johnson; reactions from the Soviets and other United Nations’ diplomats; Pope Paul praying for the president; the curtailing of government, stock market, and business activities; Johnson’s swearing-in; chasing the assassin; the disposition of the body; and a discussion of Kennedy’s wounds.

John F. Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, served in both the House of Representatives and the Senate before defeating Richard Nixon in the 1960 presidential election by a narrow margin. He was the youngest person elected to the presidency, as well as the only Catholic president. A Cold War president, Kennedy presided over the building of the Berlin Wall, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and escalation of American involvement in Vietnam. As violence increased during the fight for Civil Rights, Kennedy was forced to launch initiatives that eventually became part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, shepherded through Congress by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon B. Johnson. Kennedy also pledged that America would land on the moon within the decade, and established the Peace Corps, both of which, like his civil rights initiatives, were linked to Cold-War goals. Many conspiracy theories still surround his November 22, 1963 assassination.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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