Malcolm Kilduff
Encyclopedia
Malcolm MacGregor "Mac" Kilduff, Jr. (September 26, 1927 – March 3, 2003) was a United States journalist, best known for making the public announcement of the death of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
.
Mac Kilduff was Kennedy's Assistant White House Press Secretary, and the ranking Press Secretary on Kennedy's November 1963 trip to Dallas, Texas
where Kennedy was assassinated.
made a trip to Texas
in November 1963, accompanied by his wife Jacqueline Kennedy, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson
, Johnson's wife Lady Bird Johnson
, and others. Kilduff was acting press secretary for the trip because the main White House press secretary, Pierre Salinger
, was traveling to Japan with Secretary of State Dean Rusk
and other Cabinet officers.
President Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas at about 12:30 p.m. CST on November 22, 1963 while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza
. He was rushed to Dallas's Parkland Memorial Hospital
. The doctors at Parkland pronounced the President dead at about 1 pm CST.
Kilduff asked for Johnson's approval to announce Kennedy's death to the public. Johnson ordered that the announcement of the President's death be made only after he left the hospital. Johnson told him: "I think I had better get out of here...before you announce it. We don't know whether this is a worldwide conspiracy, whether they are after me as well as well as they were after President Kennedy, or whether they are after Speaker (John W.) McCormack, or Senator (Carl) Hayden. We just don't know." Johnson left the hospital and was driven back to Air Force One
at Dallas Love Field.
After Kilduff received confirmation that Johnson was back at Air Force One, Kilduff announced President Kennedy's death to the press assembled in the Nurse's Room at Parkland Hospital, at 1:33 p.m. CST (19:33 UTC) saying:
Kilduff then followed Johnson back to Air Force One. While Johnson took the Oath of office of the President of the United States, Kilduff made the only audio recording of the event, by holding up a Dictabelt
Dictaphone
which had been on the President's desk, the only audio recording device Kilduff could locate aboard the plane.
agency.
He later worked as editor for The Beattyville Enterprise newspaper in Beattyville, Kentucky
.
Kilduff died in retirement at a nursing home
in Beattyville at age 75.
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
.
Mac Kilduff was Kennedy's Assistant White House Press Secretary, and the ranking Press Secretary on Kennedy's November 1963 trip to Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
where Kennedy was assassinated.
Dallas Texas, November 22, 1963
President John F. KennedyJohn F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
made a trip to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in November 1963, accompanied by his wife Jacqueline Kennedy, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
, Johnson's wife Lady Bird Johnson
Lady Bird Johnson
Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her life, she was an advocate for beautification of the nation's cities and highways and conservation of natural resources and made that...
, and others. Kilduff was acting press secretary for the trip because the main White House press secretary, Pierre Salinger
Pierre Salinger
Pierre Emil George Salinger was a White House Press Secretary to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson...
, was traveling to Japan with Secretary of State Dean Rusk
Dean Rusk
David Dean Rusk was the United States Secretary of State from 1961 to 1969 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Rusk is the second-longest serving U.S...
and other Cabinet officers.
President Kennedy was shot in Dallas Texas at about 12:30 p.m. CST on November 22, 1963 while riding in a motorcade through Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
. He was rushed to Dallas's Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital is a hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard, just west of Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas . It is the main hospital of the Dallas County Hospital District and serves as Dallas County's public hospital.- History :The original hospital opened in 1894 in a wooden...
. The doctors at Parkland pronounced the President dead at about 1 pm CST.
Announcing death of JFK
It fell to Kilduff to bring the news from Kennedy's trauma room to Vice President Johnson waiting in another room in the hospital. Kilduff simply walked up to Johnson and addressed him as "Mr. President". Lady Bird Johnson let out a short scream as the news hit.Kilduff asked for Johnson's approval to announce Kennedy's death to the public. Johnson ordered that the announcement of the President's death be made only after he left the hospital. Johnson told him: "I think I had better get out of here...before you announce it. We don't know whether this is a worldwide conspiracy, whether they are after me as well as well as they were after President Kennedy, or whether they are after Speaker (John W.) McCormack, or Senator (Carl) Hayden. We just don't know." Johnson left the hospital and was driven back to Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
at Dallas Love Field.
After Kilduff received confirmation that Johnson was back at Air Force One, Kilduff announced President Kennedy's death to the press assembled in the Nurse's Room at Parkland Hospital, at 1:33 p.m. CST (19:33 UTC) saying:
Kilduff then followed Johnson back to Air Force One. While Johnson took the Oath of office of the President of the United States, Kilduff made the only audio recording of the event, by holding up a Dictabelt
Dictabelt
The Dictabelt or Memobelt was a form of recording medium introduced by the American Dictaphone company in 1947. It used a type of "Write Once - Read Many" medium consisting of a thin, plastic belt 3.5" wide that was placed on a cylinder and spun like a tank tread. The needle would then move slowly...
Dictaphone
Dictaphone
Dictaphone was an American company, a producer of dictation machines—sound recording devices most commonly used to record speech for later playback or to be typed into print. The name "Dictaphone" is a trademark, but in some places it has also become a common way to refer to all such devices, and...
which had been on the President's desk, the only audio recording device Kilduff could locate aboard the plane.
Later career
Kilduff continued to serve as Assistant Press Secretary for the Johnson administration until 1965, when he resigned to start a public relationsPublic relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
agency.
He later worked as editor for The Beattyville Enterprise newspaper in Beattyville, Kentucky
Beattyville, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,193 people, 509 households, and 294 families residing in the city. The population density was 599.6 people per square mile . There were 561 housing units at an average density of 282.0 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.99% White, 0.42%...
.
Kilduff died in retirement at a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Beattyville at age 75.