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Series Code: TIJ
Program Code: TIJ005124S
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00:24 There are significant dates that are etched in our
00:27 collective memories and one of these dates is the 00:31 22nd of November, 1963. 00:33 At 12:30 p.m. a gunshot rang out that reverberated 00:39 right around the world. 00:40 Years after John F. Kennedy's assassination people are still 00:44 captivated by the event that happened here on Elm Street 00:48 in Dallas, TX. We're still fascinated by how the death of 00:53 one leader could impact a people, a culture, a nation, 00:58 a world. Join me as we look more closely into this historic event 01:04 and the message it carries today. 01:35 This is the window in the Texas school book depository that 01:40 changed history in a dramatic terrible way. 01:43 You get a clear view from here down to Elm Street 01:46 in the city of Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald took out a rifle 01:51 right here and pointed down toward the motorcade that was 01:55 bringing President John F. Kennedy through town. 01:58 Shots would ring out to 12:30 p.m. on Friday, November 22, 1963 02:05 shots that would reverberate across the country 02:09 and around the world, Kennedy, would slump down in his 02:14 limousine. America's Camelot a time of hope and optimism 02:19 had suddenly ended. 02:21 Was there a conspiracy behind that fatal shooting? 02:26 hearers about Oswald accomplice's still spin around. 02:30 How did those two or three shots from way up there hit so 02:35 precisely, way down here in a moving vehicle? 02:39 Why did this very popular president have to die? 02:43 And what might have happened if his term continued? 02:52 This Dearly Plaza structure that housed the Texas school 02:56 book depository back in 1963 is now the Dallas County 03:01 Administration Building, Local Government offices 03:04 occupy most of these floors. 03:06 But on the 6th floor, there's a museum that pictures 03:09 details about that faithful day that ended Kennedy's 03:13 presidency, it also teaches his life and legacy. 03:18 Let's take a look. 03:19 What we try to do here is tell the basic history of 03:24 President Kennedy and who he came to Texas that day. 03:29 So this is what it was like, right out that open window 03:32 where the box is sitting on the ledge here in the front, 03:35 that's where the shots were fired from. 03:37 One of the stories we try to tell in the museum exhibits is 03:40 the Kennedy legacy. Now younger people who weren't around 03:44 when he was in office, they don't have as much interest 03:47 as the legacy but the legacy is really quite interesting. 03:50 I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving 03:55 the goal before this decade is out of landing a man on the moon 04:00 and returning him safely to the earth. 04:02 Although it started under President Eisenhower in the 50's 04:06 when President Kennedy took office, one of the first 04:09 directives he issued was we're going to land a man on the moon 04:13 in this decade and this was just a shocking revelation and 04:17 especially to the people in the business of supplying 04:19 people and equipment for that project because this was all 04:23 sudden big boost for them 04:24 And of course the U.S. Space Race says it yielded 04:28 unbelievable treasures. 04:33 The Cuban missile crisis was one of Kennedy's most daunting 04:39 challenges he didn't want nuclear warheads aiming at 04:44 his country so close in that Caribbean island. 04:47 So he sent out ships to block the Soviet Vessels that were 04:51 bringing rockets into Cuba, that was the closest the world 04:55 ever got to a devastating Nuclear War between superpowers. 05:00 It was the scariest of standoffs but Kennedy is cautious and 05:05 a sensible strategy would manage to send the Russian missiles 05:09 back home. 05:11 What it just indicates is what the President Kennedy was like. 05:15 There were extreme highs and extreme lows just in the few 05:18 short thousand days. 05:20 Yes, Kennedy would build quite the legacy, he'd become 05:25 one of the more Charismatic U. S. Presidents 05:28 but then came that fateful day. 05:31 Right here on Elm Street is where a few bullets interrupted 05:35 history very dramatically, let's look at just how it happened. 05:46 President Kennedy's motorcade tour through Dallas was planned 05:50 to give him maximum exposure to the crowds here 05:53 he rode in an uncovered limousine with his wife 05:56 Jacqueline, Texas governor John Connolly and Connolly's 06:00 wife Nellie. They were headed toward a luncheon with the 06:04 Silicon business leaders of Dallas, there were plenty of 06:07 enthusiastic people for this foursome to wave at of course. 06:11 Weaving through downtown, passing right here by 06:16 Dealey Plaza, they were only five minutes from their 06:20 destination. 06:22 Now this southern state of Texas hadn't been a big supporter of 06:30 Democratic presidents for some time, but Nellie Connolly 06:35 the First Lady of Texas turned around to Kennedy and said 06:38 Mr. President, you can't say Dallas doesn't love you 06:43 Kennedy smiled and nodded as people shouted greetings 06:48 but then came the rifle shots. 07:24 "Sirens and Screams" "People running" 07:31 This is the North Pergola it overlooks the spots where J.F.K. 07:36 was fatally wounded. Here at the one end you'll see 07:40 a pedestal, this is where Abraham's intruder stood. 07:47 He just wanted to catch Kennedy on his home movie camera. 07:50 But he would actually document this terrible assignation. 07:55 Abraham would record the most analyzed 26 seconds of film 08:01 in history. At first, those shots didn't really ring out 08:07 for most people on Elm Street. There was plenty of crowd noise 08:11 and car noise all around them, the shots didn't sound that 08:15 different from a firecracker or a vehicle backfiring 08:18 but then the crowd noticed some- thing awful. 08:21 Kennedy wasn't waving anymore he has slumped onto his wife's lap. 08:26 Governor Connelly was a World War II veteran, he recognized 08:32 the sound right away as a high powered rifle. 08:35 As Kennedy had waved with his right arm, a rifle bullet 08:41 penetrated his upper back, went through his right lung 08:44 and exited his throat. 08:46 Kennedy quickly clenched his fists in front of his face 08:49 leaning forward and to his left, Jacqueline put her arms 08:54 around him suddenly terrified. 08:56 A bullet struck Connelly in his upper right back, 08:59 was it the same one? That question would perplex 09:03 investigators for many years. 09:05 A second or third shot rang out, this was the fatal one 09:12 striking Kennedy's head. US Secret Service Agent 09:15 Clint Hill ran forward and tried to get on the limousine 09:19 to protect the president. Jacqueline actually crawled back 09:24 onto the rear trunk lid, perhaps to help him. 09:26 Mrs. Connelly thought she heard Jacqueline cry out, 09:30 they killed my husband, they killed my husband. 09:44 Those bullets came from here the 6th floor of the Texas 09:47 School Book Depository, this area has been preserved 09:52 to look just like it did in 1963. 09:54 Lee Harvey Oswald had stepped over to the window after 09:59 locking the door behind him. 10:01 He held a Carcano Rifle with a scope so he could zero in 10:05 on a target in the distance. 10:07 In October of 1963, Oswald had come up from the city 10:13 of New Orleans where he grew up 10:15 and he got a job here at the book depository. 10:18 Days before Kennedy's arrival newspapers were describing 10:22 the route of the presidential motorcade, it would pass here. 10:27 On Friday morning Oswald arrived at his workplace with a 10:32 big paper bag, he'd left his money behind and his 10:35 wedding ring a co-worker would spot him here on the 6th floor 10:40 at 11:55 a.m., 35 minutes before the assassination. 10:45 Lee Harvey Oswald joined the Marine Corps as a teenager 10:51 going through their intense training, he knows how to handle 10:55 a rifle very well, it was here at the South East corner window 11:00 that rifle shots would ring out that penetrated a governor, 11:04 a president, and US history. 11:06 Oswald would quickly hide from the window in here and then 11:12 cover his rifle under some boxes then he went down to the 11:16 2nd floor using the rear stairwell. 11:18 In the Luncheon Room, he ran into a Police Officer, 11:21 the hunt was already on for who had fired those deadly 11:26 rifle shots. But Oswald's supervisor had identified him 11:30 as an employee so the officer let him pass through. 11:33 Later, people recalled seeing Oswald seeming very calm 11:39 with a soft drink in his hands. 11:55 With the president lying on the First Lady's lap, the motorcade 11:59 sped toward Parkland Hospital. Oswald would go out of the 12:09 front staircase just before police sealed it off. 12:12 A little later he was walking down a sidewalk in the Oak Cliff 12:18 Neighborhood, police officer J.D. Tippet was driving by 12:22 listening to urgent messages about the assassination. 12:25 At this point Oswald's supervisor had pointed out 12:30 to police in the sealed-off book depository that 12:33 Lee Harvey Oswald was the only employee he knew was missing. 12:37 Officer Tippet decided to ask this man a question or two. 12:45 He called Oswald over to his car and stepped out 12:48 but just then Oswald pulled out a pistol and shot him 12:52 four times as Tippet died the assassin fled the scene. 12:57 A little later Johnny Brewer spotted this suspicious figure 13:02 and saw him slip into this Texas theater without paying 13:06 Johnny alerted the ticket clerk and he called the police 13:10 at 1:40 p.m. Officers swept into this dark theater 13:14 and put a hand on Oswald, he resisted arrest attempting to 13:19 draw his pistol but the police restrained him and took him 13:23 to the station. Later he'd be charged with the murders 13:26 of Kennedy and Tippet. 13:28 In trauma room one at Parkland Hospital physicians had 13:33 identified Kennedy's condition as morbid, that meant he had 13:38 no chance of survival. They would try but that shot to his 13:43 head was fatal. A priest named Huber standing at his bedside 13:48 would draw a sheet back from the president's face 13:51 and administer the last rights. 13:53 The White House Press Secretary would officially announce 13:57 Kennedy's death at 1:33 p.m. 14:15 This was the Peace Corp President, the one who took 14:18 America through the Cuban Missile Crisis. 14:21 His administration had started the Civil Rights Legislation 14:24 and the man sworn in after the assassination, Kennedy's 14:28 Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson would become the president 14:32 behind real Civil Rights Reform in this country. 14:36 So there were a lot of questions after Kennedy's death, 14:39 a lot of investigations, a lot of theories thrown about. 14:43 What was really behind those rifle shots? 14:46 Wasn't there a conspiracy? What political forces would 14:51 want Kennedy killed? 14:52 Surely such a tragic historical event, couldn't have been 14:57 pulled off by just one man, Lee Harvey Oswald. 15:02 Many historians look at the mid-60s and late 60's as a 15:06 time in this country where people seriously questioned 15:09 the United States Government and perhaps lost faith 15:13 and trust in the government. 15:15 And that really hasn't stopped because this is such an 15:18 interesting subject, it's so visual in nature, it lends itself 15:22 after television and movie programs. 15:25 The Kennedys come in this story lives on, young people commit 15:30 into this and they don't know anything about Kennedy or his 15:32 policies or why he was a great leader to many so in those days. 15:37 They don't care about that stuff they want to know who did it, 15:39 they want to know who killed him. 15:40 So I can't even imagine decades from now that there won't be 15:46 people walking around out there in Dealey Plaza 15:48 and pointing and scratching their heads and trying to make 15:51 some sense of what happened that day. 15:53 Well, the assassin would remain forever silent. 15:59 On Sunday, November 24, he was here at the Dallas Police 16:04 Headquarters being led through the basement, 16:06 officers were preparing to transfer him to the county jail 16:10 quite a crowd had gathered though trying to get a look 16:14 at the alleged assassin. Dallas night club operator Jack Ruby 16:19 suddenly stepped forward with a revolver and shot Oswald 16:23 in the abdomen, it proved a fatal bullet. 16:26 Now, police officers wouldn't be able to interrogate the man 16:32 but there were plenty of other investigations. 16:36 The Warren Commission created by President, Johnson would look 16:40 at all the facts in depth, their conclusion, Oswald had acted 16:45 alone, those three shots came from his rifle 16:50 But many Americans just had to believe there was some 16:54 big conspiracy behind that fateful shooting. 16:58 I was a senior in high school when it happened 17:01 and my father who fought in World War II was scared to death 17:04 that the Russians were behind it and World War III was 17:07 about to begin, that was the first conspiracy theory. 17:10 Then when Jack Ruby a local Dallas Night Club owner 17:12 with mob connections killed Lee Harvey Oswald the suspect 17:17 in the very state from which Lyndon Johnson had become 17:22 president, it made you wonder if Johnson was behind the 17:25 assassination so that was the second big theory. 17:28 But over the years other theories have come forth, 17:31 the CIA because they despised Kennedy for various reasons, 17:38 In 1967 Josiah Thompson published six seconds in Dallas 17:44 a book about what happened here just off this mound. 17:48 He suggested Kennedy was struck by two bullets to the head 17:53 from two directions. One from the rear, one from the right 17:57 front, close to 1,000 books have been published about 18:01 the assassination and over 95% support some conspiracy. 18:06 Some advance a theory that pro- Castro Cubans made it all happen 18:12 and there were all kinds of claims about how the evidence 18:15 had been altered. Dallas police must have changed those 18:19 autopsy shots to give the appearance that the wounds 18:22 were caused by one rifle, one gunman. 18:25 Yes, a tragedy compels us to create satisfying explanations, 18:31 conservative people, one of the KGB involved, liberal people, 18:36 one of Right Wing Businessman involved. 18:39 A big event needs a big plan behind it. 18:43 The problem with the Kennedy assassination is there is no 18:46 known motive for Lee Harvey Oswald and yet to this day 18:50 all of the evidence points to him and him alone. 18:54 But most people are just not satisfied that one guy, 18:58 one little tiny individual without any connections 19:02 to anybody, apparently was able to do away with the very popular 19:07 leader of one of the biggest and most powerful countries 19:11 on the planet which is lop- sided, this doesn't make sense. 19:15 So, as long as there are holes in the story and people can 19:18 plug in their own answers, they'll probably keep doing so. 19:21 Well, we'll never be sure of course, if there were other 19:26 people who helped Lee Harvey Oswald but here's the basic 19:30 fact behind that assassination, here's the essential truth 19:35 which a lot of other people ignored. 19:38 It was a man's character that produced that killing, 19:41 that's at the bottom of it all. 19:53 Lee Harvey Oswald grew up around withdrawn and temperamental kid 19:58 once he was even accused of threatening his half-brother's 20:01 wife with a knife. Later truancy from school led to a psychiatric 20:08 assessment. This young man was found to have a vivid fantasy 20:12 life. Imagining scenes of power to compensate for his 20:16 shortcomings and frustrations. 20:18 Oswald joined the US Marine Corp just after his 17th 20:22 birthday, he was trained as a radio operator and served 20:26 in Japan. But he got into trouble playing around with 20:30 an unauthorized 22-handgun accidentally shooting himself 20:34 in the elbow. Then he got into a fight with his sergeant 20:38 who reported the incident and he was court marshaled. 20:41 Oswald would have to be punished a third time 20:45 because he fired his rifle into the jungle for no reason. 20:48 After that, Oswald claimed that his mother needed care 20:52 and received a hardship discharge. 20:55 Oswald flew to Russia and played around with becoming 21:00 a Soviet citizen for a while but then he got bored 21:03 and came back to America. Settling in Dallas Oswald was 21:09 by a graphic arts firm but je was inefficient and quite rude 21:13 to the point that fights threatened to break out. 21:16 After he was fired, he bought a 6.5 caliber Carcano rifle 21:22 by mail order using another named. 21:25 Lee Harvey Oswald obviously had personal problems 21:30 that may well be conspiracies in this world but the bottom line 21:34 when it comes to terrible deeds, is human nature. 21:37 Tragedies happen most frequently because we are bent 21:42 in the wrong direction. 21:43 Well, Lee Harvey Oswald's background is really interesting 21:47 in that, he was one of life's losers, we've all known people 21:51 in life, that just no matter what they do, no matter how hard 21:54 they try, they fail. At the time of the assassination of Lee Harvey 21:59 Oswald had a minimum-wage job, here in the Book Depository 22:02 Building. He had no future most every job he had 22:06 he's been fired, he had two baby girls and a wife who 22:10 despised him and they were living apart, he had no prospects. 22:14 And ensured that he was a guy who had no future and when 22:19 men are put in that position, they tend to do very dramatic 22:23 things. When Oswald woke up that morning, 22:25 he had spent his last night with his wife, 22:29 he left virtually all his money and his wedding ring 22:33 on the dressing room table. 22:36 You know when a man makes a statement like that, that's 22:39 a very powerful decision, he's decided to do something drastic. 22:44 Did he go out and kill a president for some reason? 22:47 Well, that's what the evidence says. 22:49 Was he going to do something else and just call it quits 22:52 or something? Or we don't know. Jack Ruby cheated history 22:55 so we will never know. 23:02 You know, there's an assassination in history 23:05 that puts a spotlight on that issue. 23:08 It's the killing of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 23:11 this is a man who bled to death on a Roman Cross. 23:15 But He wasn't just a political leader, He was the Son of God 23:23 laying down His life for sinful human beings. 23:26 He was all about reconciliation listen to Colossians: 121 & 22. 23:52 That assassination on the cross 2,000 years ago 23:57 actually gets very personal. The cross is about our problems, 24:02 our weaknesses, our alienation, like Lee Harvey Oswald 24:06 we try to compensate for our shortcomings and frustrations 24:11 in all kinds of ways. 24:13 We get into quarrels and fights, we blame other people, 24:17 we go from one place to another, trying to escape our inadequacy, 24:23 we blow up about pressures at work conflicts at home, 24:28 but there's only one real way to deal with our shortcomings, 24:31 our frustrations and that is the cross of Jesus Christ. 24:35 This Messiah absorbed all our moral failures in His own body 24:41 and He offers to exchange all our failures with His own 24:46 blameless perfect life. 24:48 He promises that we can be accepted by our Holy God 24:52 in the beloved, in the Son. 24:55 You know, John F. Kennedy was shot with his arms out 25:00 waving at scores of people, after his assassination 25:04 he became quite the presidential hero with quite the legacy 25:08 but he wasn't a perfect President of course. 25:11 He wasn't even a very faithful husband to Jacqueline 25:15 who would hold his bleeding head in her lap. 25:18 But Jesus Christ was the perfect Messiah, the spotless Lamb 25:23 of God, He died with His arms out wide on the cross 25:27 welcoming all of humanity He would become an undying hero. 25:33 His legacy can take us from our human weaknesses straight into 25:38 heaven. The cross is a legacy with your name on it 25:42 it carries the weight of God's love for you. 25:45 The cross can set you free, it gives your life a stable center. 25:51 Isn't it time to stop blaming some conspiracy way out there? 25:55 Isn't it time to accept the fact that our human weaknesses 26:00 create most misfortunes? 26:02 But, there is a way out, there is hope, we can accept the fact 26:08 that one significant death has made the most impact on our 26:12 world. If you would like to know more about Jesus 26:16 and the hope, happiness, and inner peace that He brings 26:19 then I'd like to recommend the free gift we have for all our 26:23 Incredible Journey viewers today. 26:26 It's the booklet, "The One and Only". 26:29 This inspiring booklet is our gift to you and is absolutely 26:33 free. I guarantee there are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 26:37 So, make the most of this wonderful opportunity 26:41 to receive your free gift now. 26:44 Phone or text 0436.333.555 in Australia or 020.422.2042 in 26:54 New Zealand or visit our website TIJ.tv or simply scan 27:00 the QR Code on your screen and we'll send you today's 27:03 free offer totally free of charge and with no obligation. 27:07 Write to us at GPO Box 274 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia 27:14 or PO Box 76673 Manukau Auckland 2241, New Zealand. 27:21 Don't delay, call or text us now. 27:24 If you've enjoyed our journey to Dallas, Texas 27:29 in the footsteps of JFK, and our reflections on the free gift 27:33 of salvation that God offers us, then be sure to join us 27:37 again next week when we will share another of life's journeys 27:41 together. Until then, let's pray and ask for God's 27:45 blessing on us and our family. 27:48 Dear Father, Thank you for writing my name 27:52 on the cross. Thank you for reaching out so powerfully. 27:57 I need you, I've done a lot of things I am not proud of 28:02 I ask for forgiveness, I ask you to receive me as a repentant 28:07 sinner. Thank you for the legacy You created. 28:11 Thank you for accepting me completely in Jesus Christ. 28:15 Amen! |
Revised 2024-02-08