Kennady assassination a radio drama

Not sure who will be able to hear this BBC production, but for those who can here is a link.

www.bbc.co.uk...

Having listened it is a semi authentic record, with some imagination, some facts and some name changes. It retells the events just after the event, when Airforce One was waiting to takeoff.

I was a bit concerned that they used an actress that sounded very like Marilyn Monroe, not sure if this is correct but I felt it reduced what she said a little.

It does add a bit of background chatter to the event, although how much is true and how much is the writers imagination I have no idea and does ask the question, why was the security agent pulled back from the car just prior to the shooting, and suggests a reason for switching coffins.

That's it, enjoy and I look forward to any comments, must go my fan is working overtime!

reply to post by dowot


Interesting post, thanks for it. It works fine here in the US. The 'Marilyn Monroe' voice is supposed to approximate Jackie Kennedy's voice. If you're young, you've probably never heard her on tape, but look up in the archives (she did a tour of the White House that is quite famous); she also had a breathy little-girl voice.

reply to post by dowot


Nice little 54 minute radio drama. The focus is on the moments inside Air Force One, the imagined conversations are realistic, and explores the idea that Jackie and LBJ thought with the mentality of paranoid suspicion and conspiracy speculation immediately after the event.

I don't know the Air Force One material well enough to say how completely it is based on sources.

Thanks for posting it!

signalfire
reply to post by dowot

 

Interesting post, thanks for it. It works fine here in the US. The 'Marilyn Monroe' voice is supposed to approximate Jackie Kennedy's voice. If you're young, you've probably never heard her on tape, but look up in the archives (she did a tour of the White House that is quite famous); she also had a breathy little-girl voice.

Glad it is of interest, interesting in that, here in the UK we tend to be as interested in these events as you are in the US.

I am old, it was a school day and was already in bed when the announcement was made, remember it clearly, and remember feeling so sad for Mrs Kennedy. But do not remember her voice. Should have looked it up.

I also remember my dad remarking a few days later on the similarities with the Lincoln assassination, and a bit later a connection with the truckers union. So conspiracy was thought of right from the start, even in the UK.

SayonaraJupiter Yes I wonder about those conversations, presumably some of it was recorded, was any of it released? I assume that 4 or is it 5 eyes (Is that the correct name for the eavesdropping set up between the UK,US,Canada,Australia and someone else?) was busy tracking even then?

Can a Moderator please correct the spelling of Kennedy in the title. Many thks.

reply to post by dowot

SayonaraJupiter Yes I wonder about those conversations, presumably some of it was recorded, was any of it released? I assume that 4 or is it 5 eyes (Is that the correct name for the eavesdropping set up between the UK,US,Canada,Australia and someone else?) was busy tracking even then?

If Air Force One had a taping system for the passenger cabins I have not heard about it anywhere... and yet I would not be surprised if it had some sort of taping system, other than a black box recorder for the airplane.

Perhaps there was a dictaphone set up in the presidential cabin where Jackie had conversation with several people. Perhaps it was left on. Perhaps she turned it on.

Jet airplanes are noisy and the dictaphone recorder wouldn't catch the conversations in the air. But it could have captured conversations that they had while they were still parked on the ground, before the engines would wind up, and those conversations would be from that room Jackie was in.

Here is a person named Charles Dunn who was on board Air Force One on 22 November, 1963. He was working as one of two clerk typists.
www.mydesert.com...

On Nov. 21, 1963, we left Washington from Andrews Air Force Base. There were two of us in the clerical pool. Our quarters were a tiny area in the rear of Air Force One.

He also says

The Secret Service communications between the presidential motorcade and Air Force One could be heard on the plane’s intercom. I remember the sounds of the car engines and other noises, but nothing until we began hearing unusual comments from police and Secret Service regarding the possibility of guns firing at the motorcade.

Getting back to the BBC radio drama, those conversations with LBJ and Jackie have to be built on bits & pieces of quotes from books, interviews and articles. The BBC has really put LBJ in a bad light here.