47

John F. Kennedy Post-Assassination Air Force One Manifest

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:5,000.00 - 7,000.00 USD
John F. Kennedy Post-Assassination Air Force One Manifest

Bidding Over

The auction is over for this lot.
The auctioneer wasn't accepting online bids for this lot.

Contact the auctioneer for information on the auction results.

Search for other lots to bid on...
Auction Date:2019 May 08 @ 18:00 (UTC-05:00 : EST/CDT)
Location:15th Floor WeWork, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Extraordinary official original passenger manifest for the Air Force One flight that carried John F. Kennedy's body home from Dallas to Andrews Air Force Base on November 22, 1963, one page, 8 x 10.5, addressed to official White House photographer Cecil W. Stoughton and signed in the lower right corner in ballpoint, "Sgt. C. Chance." The manifest begins: "Captain Stoughton: Here is the list of passengers aboard AF-1, Dallas to Andrews, on November 22nd." The list includes the newly inaugurated "President Johnson," "Mrs. Johnson," and "Mrs. Kennedy," along with 38 officials, aides, assistants, and journalists, including Kenneth O'Donnell, Dave Powers, Malcolm Kilduff (who made the public announcement of Kennedy's death), Chester V. Clifton, Godfrey T. McHugh, Evelyn Lincoln, Secret Service agents, and others. Mounted, matted, and framed to an overall size of 15 x 17.5. In very good to fine condition, with some creasing to the edges. From the collection of Cecil W. Stoughton.

This is one of few known official passenger manifests from the Air Force One flight that carried Kennedy's body and the newly sworn-in President Johnson back to Washington, DC, from Dallas on the night of the assassination. It was given to Cecil Stoughton, who captured the famous images of JFK's casket being loaded onto the plane and Johnson's inauguration aboard AF-1 before the plane took off, so that he would be able to identify the subjects of these photographs. Rather than returning to Washington aboard the jet, Stoughton rushed to the offices of the Dallas Morning News to develop and distribute the historic images.

These important events are well-related in Garrett Graff's two-part article 'Angel is Airborne,' published in the Washingtonian magazine, which comments on discrepancies between known passenger manifests, and observes that 'we may never know precisely how many people were aboard Air Force One as it took off for Washington.' A steward’s handwritten flight manifest, now held by the LBJ Presidential Library, erroneously lists Stoughton as a passenger, as does the Secret Service’s official manifest, created in February 1964 by Assistant Special Agent in Charge Roy H. Kellerman for submission to the Warren Commission. Meanwhile, Paul E. Landis, Jr., who was assigned to protect Jacqueline Kennedy and helped load JFK's casket into the plane, is absent from these manifests. This manifest correctly omits Stoughton, but, like the others, does not include Landis. A fascinating piece of Kennedy history, lending insight into who was on the fateful flight home from Dallas.