A longer version of the Air Force One recordings from the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas have been located and are for sale. The recordings provide an additional 30 minutes of never before heard audio.
The newly discovered tapes are two hours long, and predate the official recordings that are housed in the National Archives outside Washington and the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Texas. The original shorter recording was believed to be the only existing audio from that day, and has been the basis of studies and reports conducted on the happenings surrounding the assassination.
The DailyMail reports that the new tapes were acquired by the Raab Collection, a historical documents dealer located in Philadelphia. Nathan Raab, vice president of the Raab Collection, said “'As Americans have looked to the history of the Kennedy assassination in search of answers, somewhere in an attic there existed a tape made years before the only known surviving version, of the conversations on Air Force One on that fateful day.”
The tape, which is still in its original box, has a hefty asking price of $500,000. The tape still has its original title on it, “Radio Traffic involving AF-1 in flight from Dallas, Texas to Andrews AFB on November 22, 1963,” and has a typewritten label proving it was made by the White House Communications Agency for Army Gen Chester 'Ted' Clifton Jr.
While the tapes will be sold to a private buyer, a copy will be donated to the National Archives and the John F. Kennedy Library by the Raab Collection.
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The tapes are considered the “highlight” of Ted Clifton’s estate. Ted Clifton was the senior military aide for Kennedy and was a part of his motorcade on November 22, 1963. Along with the tapes are other recordings, videos, and documents from his time serving both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. The estate was put to sale after the death of Clifton’s wife in 2009.
The tapes show that there was some debate as to which hospital Kennedy’s body would go to for autopsy, and whether or not wife Jackie Kennedy would accompany it.
Most notably, however, the tape clarifies on the whereabouts of Kennedy’s “nemesis” Air Force General Curtis LeMay, who would later come under much suspicion in regards to the assassination. He is not referenced in the original, shorter version of the audio from that day. Raab said how the conversation on the tapes definitively pinpoints LeMay’s location at the time of the assassination.
Aside from the location of LeMay, the public shouldn’t expect other answers too quickly. Raab said “It took decades to analyze the shorter, newer version and it will take years to do the same here”.
While the newly found tapes will offer new information about the assassination of JFK, the uncut and original recordings, which reportedly last for about 4 hours, have yet to be located.
“That this tape even exists will change the way we view this great event in history,” said Raab.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.gobdawpaddy | Nov 23, 2011, 06:29 AM EST
Yes Stan, he was taken to Parkland Memorial in Dallas and there was much controversy over why an autopsy was not performed there. Conspiracy theorist quote doctors at Parkland stating that the wounds shown in autopsy photographs are inconsistent with their memories of the wounds they witnessed, contributing to Dr Cyril Whecht's theory that president Kennedy's body was altered between Parkland and Bethesda.
stanJames | Nov 23, 2011, 02:00 AM EST
wasnt kennedy first taken to some hospital in dallas?
stanJames | Nov 23, 2011, 01:59 AM EST
Why are people trawshing the kennedy's family - a family mired in tragedy. RE the plane thing - you had an inexperienced, unrated pilot keep going lower and lower in the fog - until he hit the water and that was it. He was simply over his head, both skillwise and legal per his license. Happens a lot. Yes, I am a retired commercial pilot. I even had to save a couple co-pilots from doing something similar. Most legacy (large main airlines will not hire someone who doenst have about 5000 hours of experience - the point where experts agree they've learned most all about flying. Even my 20,000 hour overseas retired captain TWA years ago managed to run a plane into a mountain at night. No way to tell if he simply screwed up or maybe had a heart attack etc.
Pittsburghkid | Nov 20, 2011, 11:27 PM EST
Could Joe Kennedy Jr. have been assassenated? We know the plane Joe Jr. was flying malfunctioned, or could it have been sabotoged. Joe Kennedy Sr. had Presidential asperations, but were dash, because he was a Nazi supporter. Joe Sr. chances of power were shot, but not his son. I just wonder.
Murph46 | Nov 18, 2011, 10:57 PM EST
Tell that to Mary Jo's parents cillowen.Look what he did to his wife Joan,was she a girl of the street.Kennedy's were trash from bootleggers!
cillowen | Nov 18, 2011, 11:34 AM EST
poster of: Finally revealed- JFK tells Teddy "Mary Jo can't swim" Ladies like this love being close to POWER and like the markings that lovemaking cements. Girls of the street, little pity is shown them.
Murph46 | Nov 18, 2011, 10:06 AM EST
Finally revealed- JFK tells Teddy "Mary Jo can't swim"
gobdawpaddy | Nov 17, 2011, 11:05 AM EST
Obviously I haven't heard this new tape, but having studied this subject at some length, I don't believe there was much 'debate as to which hospital Kennedy’s body would go to for autopsy'. The choice was Walter Reed or Bethesda and having been reminded aboard Air Force One, by the president's personal physician Dr. George Burkley, that her husband had been a navy man, Mrs Kennedy immediately decided on Bethesda. Of course certain conspiracy theorists (notably Dr. Cyril Wecht) would have us believe that there were two autopsies, the one at Bethesda and a prior one where Kennedy's wounds were altered to fit the single assassin theory. Might find out before I meet my maker.