One day, on National Public Radio, I heard a story that had me spellbound. It was the cockpit recordings of Air Force One as they discovered that John F. Kennedy was assassinated and the transfer of power as Lyndon Johnson assumed presidential authority.
I came to discover that The Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia have the full tapes posted at their website.
This remarkable resource also has a full, beautifully crafted online DVD presentation called The Kennedy assassination and the transfer of power.
Tape 1 Air Force One lands in Dallas. Later, presumably on the tarmac, AF1 staff request news from White House situation room and gradually learn that Kennedy is dead. Staff sets in motion the transfer of power.Click to listen at whitehousetapes.org
Tape 2 Now airborne with both President Johnson and the body of John F. Kennedy, staff begins to arrange to transport Kennedy's body for post-mortem to Walter Reed hospital. There's a great deal of communication as the various parties try to sort out logistics and overlapping duties. Click to listen at whitehousetapes.org
Tape 3 The president and Ladybird spend the remainder of the flight making consolation calls to Rose Kennedy and try to learn the heath of Texas governor Connelly, who was also injured in the attack. A senator uses official channels to arrange that his keys be left under the mat as the plane makes its decent into Washington airspace. Click to listen at whitehousetapes.org
'Angel', and 'Air Force One' is used only when the president is aboard. All other times, the call numbers are '26000' and 'SAM 26000'.
'86977' is the call numbers of an aircraft carrying then Secretary of State Rusk and press secretary Salenger, en route to Japan from Honolulu.
'Volunteer' is the Vice President, Lyndon Johnson.