alternatehistory.com



President and Mrs. Kennedy arrive in San Antonio, Texas, November 21, 1963

As the President settled in for the night, he reflected on the reasons for his trip to Texas. He needed three things: to raise money for the 1964 campaign; to show the flag in a state that was in danger of slipping out of the Democrats’ grasp in 1964; and to help bring together the warring factions of the state party. It was no secret that Governor Connally and Senator Yarborough detested each other.

The first day of the trip had gone great. Large and friendly crowds greeted the President and First Lady when they arrived that day. With his usual style, he gave an elegant speech dedicating the Dedication speech for U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine at Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio. He and his entourage then traveled to Houston, where that evening he gave a typically well-received speech in honor of Congressman Albert Thomas at the Rice Hotel. Finally, he and Jackie retired to room 850 of the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth. The stage was set for a strenuous day of activities in Dallas on November 22.

Before bed, JFK relaxed with a scotch and pondered the 1964 elections and the pressing issues of the day … while his popularity was high enough, and the economy was doing well, he was still struggling with the whole question of civil rights. The progressive civil rights act he had proposed languished in committee … in a Congress dominated by his own party! JFK had to balance his genuine desire for more justice for the negro with his distaste for any kind of radicalism, and his concern about the precarious coalition of competing interests known as the Democratic Party.

And then there was Vietnam … what in the hell had gone wrong there? The situation was constantly deteriorating. And while he was not sorry to see Diem gone from power, “eased out” so to speak, he never imagined the man would be killed. This seemed a bad omen for the future. The global contest between freedom and communism continued to be more confusing, filled with shades of gray, than one would have figured from his own inaugural address.

Well, those issues would still be there tomorrow. Time to get some rest and ramp up that Kennedy charm in the morning.
Top