The handwritten note lay in the bottom drawer of my old
rolltop desk, one I bought for $50 in a junk store in Richmond, VA, 39 years
ago.
"Dear Doug & Amy," it read. "Thanks for dinner and for listening." The signature was a bold "John" and the letterhead on the note simply said "John B. Connally" and was datedJuly 14, 1982 .
I met John Connally on aTWA flight from Kansas
City to Albuquerque
earlier that year. The former governor of Texas ,
the man who took one of the bullets from the assassination that killed
President John F. Kenney, was headed to Santa Fe
to buy a house.
The meeting wasn't an accident. The flight originated inWashington
and I sat in the front row of the coach cabin. During a stop in Kansas
City , I saw Connally get on the plane and settle into
a first class seat so I walked off the plane and upgraded to a first class seat
right ahead of the governor. I not only wanted to meet the man who was with
Kennedy on that day in Dallas in 1963 but, as the communications director for
the re-election campaign of Congressman Manuel Lujan of New Mexico, I thought
he might be willing to help out on what was a tough campaign.
When the plane was in the air, I introduced myself and said I was working on Lujan's campaign. Connally's face lit up and he invited me to move to the empty seat next to him.
"How is Manuel? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Dear Doug & Amy," it read. "Thanks for dinner and for listening." The signature was a bold "John" and the letterhead on the note simply said "John B. Connally" and was dated
I met John Connally on a
The meeting wasn't an accident. The flight originated in
When the plane was in the air, I introduced myself and said I was working on Lujan's campaign. Connally's face lit up and he invited me to move to the empty seat next to him.
"How is Manuel? Is there anything I can do to help?"
By the time we landed in Albuquerque ,
Connally had agreed to do a fundraiser for Lujan. A month later, he flew back
into New Mexico where Amy and I
picked him up for the fundraiser. Afterwards, we took him to dinner.
Connolly was both gracious and charming and told us many stories aboutTexas
politics. As the evening wore on and the multiple bourbon and branch waters
took their effect, he started talking about November 22, 1963 , in Dallas .
"You know I was one of the ones who advised Kennedy to stay away fromTexas ,"
Connally said. "Lyndon (Johnson) was being a real asshole about the whole
thing and insisted."
Connally's mood darkened as he talked aboutDallas .
When the bullet hit him, he said he felt like he had been kicked in the ribs
and couldn't breathe. He spoke kindly of Jackie Kennedy and said he admired
both her bravery and composure.
I had to ask. Did he think Lee Harvey Oswald fired the gun that killed Kennedy?
"Absolutely not," Connally said. "I do not, for one second, believe the conclusions of the Warren Commission."
So why not speak out?
"Because I love this country and we needed closure at the time. I will never speak out publicly about what I believe."
We took him back to catch a late flight toTexas .
He shook my hand, kissed Amy on the cheek and walked up the ramp to the plane.
We saw Connally and his wife a couple of more times when they came toNew
Mexico but he sold his house a few years later as
part of a bankruptcy settlement. He died in 1993 and, I believe, never spoke
publicly about how he doubted the findings of the Warren Commission.
Connolly was both gracious and charming and told us many stories about
"You know I was one of the ones who advised Kennedy to stay away from
Connally's mood darkened as he talked about
I had to ask. Did he think Lee Harvey Oswald fired the gun that killed Kennedy?
"Absolutely not," Connally said. "I do not, for one second, believe the conclusions of the Warren Commission."
So why not speak out?
"Because I love this country and we needed closure at the time. I will never speak out publicly about what I believe."
We took him back to catch a late flight to
We saw Connally and his wife a couple of more times when they came to
Connnally's note serves as yet another reminder that in our
Democratic Republic, or what's left of it, few things are seldom as they seem.
Like him, I never accepted the findings of the Warren Commission. Too many
illogical conclusions.
John Kennedy's death, and the doubts that surround it to this day, marked the beginning of the end ofAmerica 's
idealism. The cynicism grew with the lies of Vietnam
and the senseless deaths of too many thousands of young Americans in a war that
never should have been fought. Doubts about the integrity of those we elect as
our leaders festers today as this country finds itself embroiled in another
senseless war based on too many lies.
John Connally felt he served his country best by concealing his doubts about the Warren Commission's whitewash but his silence may have contributed to the growing perception that our elected leaders can rewrite history to fit their political agendas.
Had Connally spoken out, as a high-ranking political figure with doubts about the "official" version of what happened, it might have sent a signal that Americans deserve the truth from their government, even when that truth hurts.
John Kennedy's death, and the doubts that surround it to this day, marked the beginning of the end of
John Connally felt he served his country best by concealing his doubts about the Warren Commission's whitewash but his silence may have contributed to the growing perception that our elected leaders can rewrite history to fit their political agendas.
Had Connally spoken out, as a high-ranking political figure with doubts about the "official" version of what happened, it might have sent a signal that Americans deserve the truth from their government, even when that truth hurts.
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