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The Day Kennedy Died: A conversation with former life editor Richard Stolley

 
                                    

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Transcript for file: focus131114a.mp3

00:00:00


biggest news story of Richardson
Richard Stallings happened in Dallas 50 years ago this month Dollywood
Life magazine bureau chief Los Angeles news President Kennedy’s
assassination how to mount a plane in Dallas with an hour Dairy help the range
strange interviews with wife and mother Lee Harvey Oswald and made a deal to buy the right

00:00:30

Abraham Zapruder home movie show me the assassination now
Mountain Mikes magazine is published a coffee table book JFK assassination
Stoneleigh at his to Jesse in every frame of the superfans
Jim Meadows dicks Tommy Jones today

my program continues after the news
welcome to focus some gym Meadows my guest today Richard Stony is a NATO

00:01:05

native of central Illinois and I understand he got his start as a teenage sports reporter
what is hometown paper the Pekin Daily Times what is major work has been with the timeline
Life magazine group he’s been the managing editor of time and life
magazine and was the founding managing editor of People magazine
what was as West Coast bureau chief at life Flat Stanley Cup at the store
lifetime the assassination of President John F Kennedy in November
1963 now is near the 50th anniversary of an event life

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Life magazine has published the book looking back the day Kennedy died
is available is a $50 coffee table book and an abridged $13
new standard edition installing is included in a book with a Vivitar nickel
on his experiences covering the assassination dicks dolly welcome to focus
thank you very much and I don’t wanna jam yes can I say one thing
one thing sure you describe me in sports reporter I have to tell you I was
Irish sports editor sports editor where to staff of one

00:02:15

hahaha I’m sure you were very regular ok
you know just just for the up openers here um there’s
there’s so much of course of media attention being paid this 50th anniversary
besides the media’s love anniversaries why do we look back on the
on the Kennedy assassination with this surgery on City
if it was it was kind of a mine
I’m coming event on the iPhone ever Experian

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parents not not not even 911 of probably because it was a singer
single person that everybody could relate to identify with
and I think the impact on the country
watching that funeral on Monday yet to come
is galvanized the nation a.m. And Noah
no all the way that I have experience in my lifetime anime B
maybe it’s because the media was at a point work with ring finger

00:03:25

bring things to American so quickly I mean I guess I’m not sure
sure but I don’t think the 50th anniversary of the McKinley assassination at the start of a tension
well it mean if it was kind of the dawning of of television coverage
um television concentrated on the funeral in
rollin Washington not on the crime in Dallas um network television
television really was out of nowhere to be seen
whats the present body went back to Washington but their coverage of funeral

00:04:00

general that Monday was absolutely magnificent and if its a tarp
talk the American television industry how to cover a huge event like that
I know I remember you know I was only 7 at the time but I was aware enough
20 to perceive it was really nothing else on television
for about 3 days from the assassination to the funeral
General of the three major networks at a time will just doing continuous coverage
El Paso I’m doing the program welcome your calls

00:04:35

call send emails with your questions and memories of Virginia incest if you’re cute
too young to remember what the other two young to remember it directly I let us know what the event
signifies to you call in at 1 800 222 945
554 phone number toll free 1 800 222 w y la menu
you can also email as a WY el dash taunted Illinois dot
.edu dick I’m wondering if you could just uh put it back in
rockin that time just before the assassination how was President Kennedy

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regarded Ines day we hear all the accounts comparing the Kennedy White House to camera
Camelot that cannot have been a universal sentiment weather camelot Theme
really was invented by Mrs Kennedy after the assassination
but the fact that remains the thing the country was
extremely curious tolerant of
off of President Kennedy City
through some rough times

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mostly involving Cuba Libre the Cuban Missile Crisis Center in before the
for that the dissident invasion of Cuba
um he went to Texas was he was having Syria
Sirius political problems there and he was looking forward to 1
a second term you have to carry Texas Texas was very cheap
H&C and it’s the reason why he went down who went down there
despite all of these problems the country

00:06:20

um really really Politico
directions to 11 people didn’t like him and conservatives all the rest but generally speaking
speaking America was transfixed but if critically handsome
some glamorous president with incredible glamorous family
um he’s the wizard a
I wouldn’t say reverencia to young for that but
it was a movie star for a president and dumb

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and everything he did of made Newsom
Life magazine was the the bringer of such a new
news in pictures to America and the world if if if the trip
trip to Texas had just been a regular trippin the assassination had that happened
what life is covered it would have gotten a couple of pictures of pictures we always
always covered him where everyone and we had a photographer and a
um a quarter on the Press bust a b***

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of course if if the oven Oswald Indianapolis
nothing to 6 lug is Google depository it maybe would have been a couple of pictures on
is there about is Texas strip an app that would have been if you’re absolutely right
now you were the West Coast bureau chief for LIFE Magazine so you were in Los Angeles
on November 22nd 50 years ago how did you first hear the news
Nielsen how did you react when I first heard the news
we have AP teletype which just before the Internet

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off we had a reporter who had been aid Texas
city auditor and he couldn’t stand not knowing what was going on in the world
world so he would wander from is office to the Associated Press teletype
24 times a day just to make sure nothing happened
ebony phat and he was standing in front of the toilet I 10 slices
born again spitting 4th shots for Dallas president make
maybe wanted and the first I heard of it was Tommy Thompson was his name

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baby shower de dick Kennedy’s been shot in Dallas
and I ran out to the BP machine watch
watch Ted for a minute or two it became wear something big
what happened there Iran back to my office called New York
on the phone they are just got the same news I said what can we do
can we do and the orders for clear how fast can you get to Dallas
so that’s what you did that to you you you anime

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Tommy Thompson got a gun on a plane to Dallas who did aunt fortunately to photographers
where in the bureau at the time with their equipment thank God
thank God and I said okay we’re all going
backpack nothing we just ran for the offer the airport
and we are just as we’re going into LA Airport
Airport the president died and Tommy dominos
will being driven air by another college how many men did the ground

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I can remember to this day then we all piled on this night
national Airlines plane about an hour after we heard the news
and by about 4 o’clock we were in Dallas you just mention tummy time
Tommy Thompson’s reaction this was a big story but it was also a big blow to the country
what country did you yourself experiencing a personal reaction as well as the perfect
the professional the truth will not move
not until I got back to LA I think most journalism no hand and tell me so

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certainly could not have been more professional 16 there
b***  reporters learn to just gotta put the remote
motions aside and dumb and its what
what office did there um we didn’t have much time to watch TV with didn’t wash
the as as the terrible nation watched on Monday the
the funeral and the is interesting
you mentioned the book with done at the day Kennedy died it was when I was preparing I did what

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backup did some some reporting look the files that I had
msn Siri read lived that weekend in a movie
motion away writing that story um
the way that I did not at the time listen to nothing that’s very into
interesting 50 years later all this love 50 years later on
all of this coming back to you and I know that that article is very vivid
vivid and detailed it just seems like no time to past it all

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I want you know at this point dick in this is war like to set the scene intern
term of where the news media was a 1963 because the medial NC
landscapers changed so much and umm the coffee table edition of the day
Kennedy died includes a facsimile edition of the issue of life that
reported the Kennedy assassination am i producing Lindsey moon who’s online
younger than you and I took a look at it and she was very impressed by the physical size of the Magi
the magazine GI believe she actually wonder if it was being printed larger than its

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its original size life life was it was outside back then
and a lot of magazines worth everything from Ladies Home Journal the boy’s life wasn’t
big format what can you talk about the prominence a magazine like life
had in the news media landscape I have century FL well
well it if it was a picture magazine with a lot of words but we we
the size of photographs which is like getting this burger from for life with
was so critical for me they came out every week or by biggest

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biggest competitor was look at it it came out only every other week
network television um at the time of the Kennedy assassination
had been on for half an hour only a few months and 50
15 minutes before then the evening of living Network new skin
cast yes exactly the evening news caster and toe
for many Americans um for millions of Americans life
life was their window on the world weird correspondence in photography

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everywhere we covered everything and
and uh and what life would come on on Friday and Romero
American homes and I for December the times I can imagine it would be a big
big fight who would get the magazine first and and Paige
find out what was happening World War important
what it look like we are talking about the assassin
assassination of a President John Kennedy what happened 50 years ago November

00:13:55

ember 22nd are God is Pekin Illinois Pekin Illinois native dicks tumblr
who was on the staff of Life magazine and covered the assassination
has a new article about the events in the Life magazine book the day Kennedy died
side of this also an excerpt from the article initial of Time magazine from
last month with locking your questions comments are memories at 1
802 to 29455 are you male a Santa WY
the wild and talk at Illinois .edu and that phone number again is wanted

00:14:30

800 222 w I ll let me go ahead and take
take phone call a Steve from champagne good morning urine Focus good morning
show a hard to believe it 750 years
I suppose it’s one of those events Chicago Bulls much like Pearl Harbor
11 that the on 58 and I can recall like it was yesterday
today’s Catholic Grammar School on southside of Chicago having the up
cry and just amazing but I wanted to ask your test to quick questions

00:15:05

Adventure 2005 have a 18 year old daughter
daughter in course you can put your mind around assume all of this is coming back
why is this so important everybody talking about it
and I was wondering if you guys baby to talk to his perspective s2 if you would
changed if you know that goes events would have never happened
t*** exposed 20 20 bucks Vietnam and water gave all those things
things we forgot about hard left after Kennedy assassination

00:15:40

I was wondering if you got the country would have been different and why it’s such a seminal event
finally if it is on personal police if you thought the Harvey act alone
loan arena thank you very much dick that for first question if
if Kennedy had had lived maybe been re elected to a second term
how do you think the issues with handle the issues facing the nation at that time
its he had Satan he was a tie
with a terrific speaker and unbelievably articulate an articulated goals for

00:16:15

for America in those first three years that I think he would have tried very hard to
how to accomplish if he had a second term
Linda Johnson with better at manipulating Congress than Kennedy was
that’s why does civil rights bills were passed by Johnson that they propose
proposed by Kennedy and Johnson got them pass I take it
think it’s very likely that those bills would have been passed and in the second
second term that the glamour would not have one

00:16:50

one of the fact that the President Kennedy was misbehaving on
unbelievably during all of this it’s unlikely that that would have
what have come out the reporters were very very cautious
Anna and their coverage mm does a lot of new what was going on
so I think the Kennedy with a second term
Woodbury likely and and Vietnam I don’t know who knows it hits
its so I don’t think he had that kind of Texas macho attitude that to

00:17:25

good to the Johnson had that I think preventative in many ways
is from pulling out of Vietnam but I suspect
Kennedy in to terms with gone down as a very successful
bull and memorable president do you think much would have changed from what happened
under under the Johnson administration and in terms of policies a decision
decisions well it’s very likely that would not have been a Johnson ministration Amina Thai
Johnson at the end of the second term assuming even that he would have

00:18:00

would have been vice president and
who is some magic asian with the Kennedy camp of replacing
placing him Kennedy’s did like Johnson and Johnson as people don’t like Kennedys
maybe in a second term that would have been a different vice president possible yes
and and John Smith at point was getting on in years we just
we just had a very young President Kennedy and the NIH
think I question seriously weather Johnson

00:18:35

I would have been elected president autozone let me get 2001
one big subject because we’re already getting a couple of colors and that and that
and that’s about to the home movie that Abraham Zapruder took off the
presidential motorcade which one on one which can be seen the shooting of love
John Kennedy Unigo ciated with Abraham Zapruder
how to get the rights to the film for LIFE Magazine how did those events planned out
out why does displaying the wheel took tube

00:19:10

Dallas listen to before I went in
set up a man and office in the Adolphus hotel in downtown Dallas
about a two eyes about 6 o’clock I got a phone call from
a part time life core spawn in the stringer is Legoland
who invented the Dallas PD at all afternoon going home to feet
how to feed your children got a phone call from the reporter friend who said he turned from a car
mcop this is the way the reporter heard from a company called

00:19:45

because are reported reporter calls me anyway it that a businessman have been a dealer
Dealey Plaza with a movie camera and was said to a photograph the fascination
Asian and I thought I could God and I said what
how to refine who is this man he said I can
8 install it for me buddy pronounce that and she put out did the PRU dor
didn’t have a first name I’ve never been to Dallas
before self pick up the phone book iPhone phone books for useful reference

00:20:20

imports and research tool back then yes
antiseptic clear and my finger down disease and death
I got there was the APR uder, Abraham
and M on the phone number
I started calling and call
15 minutes for the next 5 hours and at 11 o’clock
this with voice answer and it was I determine that it was Mississippi

00:20:55

indeed photographed
The Assassination heat scene it you got the whole thing I ask
if I could come out and see the film right then he said please don’t
don’t you said I’ve had a terrible day witches to put Molly
and he he said come to my office at 9 o’clock tomorrow morning
and because I knew that other reporters
becoming possession of the same information I got there

00:21:30

is there an hour early I got there at 8 n
yo you really have to sign some Mr Zapruder up really quickly does a sign how to talk to him
to him and convention to let life used to film what were your impressions of love
Abraham Zapruder he was a grieving man
man uh mostly um but he was a business
businessman I’m a good one and he was his business like it could possibly be
Levi Odessa film his head when I got there looks like

00:22:05

looks like you know that I was an hour early but he said I’m about to show the film
the 2 secret service agent says so you might as well come in so I did
why did I thought this incredible pizza film for the first time realize
realized that life had to have a & M
when the time came the reporters Kors short office license pectin
show the film to them um I dis disappeared
disappear what went out in the end if I said can I sit somewhere else Mississippi

00:22:40

is Bernie put me out and is with his office staff
format his secretary is a system was from Taylorville Illinois
that’s right central Illinois not far from Springfield right hand and uh
when she told me that II said to Taylorville is a river
Direct basketball team and so we talked about high school basketball
and um we got a long way Wellington turned up
thats that became very important vs predator what the time came he shows

00:23:15

the show the phone to the other porters and then a gathered is all in the sand
out of the hall me said I know you want to speak to me one by one
I wanna be a star from life was first
reporter to contact me so I feel obliged to talk to him first well
well the other reporters went berserk when I heard that and uh
big and screaming shawty dont sign anything promise ill talk to us
and I just gonna melt away we went into his office

00:23:50

office in the later I had the film
no you have to do you have to make some choices its invent
the next issue of Life magazine published several frames
from that movie umm you don’t publish everything of course
course of hydrogen how do you make the decisions at store for so I didn’t I stayed
Dallas to cover the rest of the story a courier to film
set up of emergency office at the printing plant the Donnelly

00:24:25

Franklin and Chicago and they they made a decision
vision not to run the infamous frames 330
13 witches when the president head explode
um they felt that the this would be a 2 disturbing
the Kennedy family and um so they didn’t run that particular friend
frame there any others of present clutching is throat after
hit the back misses Kennedy crawling

00:25:00

rolling along the trunk trying to get away in my opinion
Secret Service agent jumping on the bed limousine pushing your back into it all off
all of that was there a headshot was not in the first
humanitarian reason did you for you know of course over the
over the years so many series built up mini of the based on what is in
prisoner not in this film will you even a b*******
where people even able to study the film that carefully to Reno to figure

00:25:35

the figure out what was going on in terms of selecting the frames
well its its its kinda fast if I have my own Siri um
the super Turf & M there is a kind of History
ambiguity to it that the super film to me is the best argument
EXIF for a single shooter when is the best argument
committed exist for a conspiracy both at once both both at the same time
same time I mean there are things in the film Hum

00:26:10

the president after the the terrible headshot the president bodyslam
slammed back into the the backseat of a limousine
name of conspiracy people say that proves that was a shot for me
the grassy knoll and that’s with slammed in back into the sea
of neurologist pathologists say because
because of the massive what does the brain that was a eighth of a gal
galvanic response muscular response VIPs slam them back in there

00:26:45

where is it to the was no shooter another shooter
shooter in the end the grassy knoll
okay so its its indepence interpretation here exactly
happily now in the day Kennedy died in the book of love
the book does reprint every frame in color this time from the zip
disapproval film what if I read correctly I also its also written that
that of the film was damage to some extent during processing I’m not sure that street

00:27:20

during the initial processing or later and that a few friends like me be half a dozen
are missing about 3 or 4 yes and that was done with
when I sent the film up to Chicago life made a weird to run in black
black and white because we didn’t have time off to do color color chart
several days back then they made a black and white to Prince and then they made
Mayday mean individual Prensa frames and then they made a print of the film itself
self which is what they sent to New York so they could see it and in doing so

00:27:55

self 234 impossibly frames with damage
the happy to cut them out but they were early in the film the 1 of 2
2000 it important to know what was going on
and of course that’s not going to satisfy a lot of people show
some people in the scene that could be crucial to the events well I myself
M named into conspiracy plot well I know
I know that I didn’t know I was talking to someone so important hum

00:28:30

attention must be paid a year did the Scottsboro 2011
one of them is that I took the film I got the phone from a misses
misses brother and I want a mediately to a secret CIA photo lab outside Dallas
where they deal with the frames in rhe Rainism
inorder to to come cover up the fact
the multiple shooters now
explain that but that’s one of them in the second is that I was

00:29:05

I was so arrested by by Toyota
Texas the policeman when I try to get a
the suitcase full of cash to Marina Oswald
okay I type I plead not guilty to both charging
we have an email from Jack in Champaign and the nervous system
is correct a science and the film the super film is not shown on television
for many years we just saw the still photos why was that

00:29:40

the two reasons for one is that when I was negotiating with misses router
Ebag depleted with me he said whoever gets his film
film I do not want them to exploited any user
you said word repeatedly adhesives are fact you know I want that to be
to be in any kind of contract that that I sign
that day I negotiate it only for print right
that was on Saturday I came back on Monday after your cat litters

00:30:15

Henry lose some self head seen the film
and they said we want to we want to get alright so
50000 on Friday and Monday I paid
100000 Ando and time incorporated life have
alright we decided partly for competitor
positive reasons and partly in in keeping with Mr Cooper
routers to play an art Greenman not to exploit the we fell

00:30:50

felted the we did not wanted seen on television
and the Bandit what’s the deal collars that sleep right 10197
7520 Arroyo Rivera I put on a boot
bootleg copy that is it legal copy on ABC television
now got no not today the film is is what about Lander standard
that does the dead live magazine games is a return
return the rights to the film to the Zapruder family and it was subsequently

00:31:25

alia Bhatt by the federal government um I guess not for hiding anything but first
essentially to make it public yeah what they wanted to
to have the film interposition which they actually had had for several years
it’s very fragile thing on and its been in the National Archives
hives even Time Inc after National Park
archivers to preserve it to humidity temperature that kind of thing which they did
faded okay we’re going to take a short break now and will be back with more c**

00:32:00

conversation with veteran time life in People magazine editor dicks only about
about covering the Kennedy assassination this is focus on wyll
what back on focus on wyll mg meadows in buttocks
talking with Pekin Illinois native dicks Tali who helps cover the Kennedy assassination 50 years
50 years ago for LIFE Magazine he has a new article about that event in the life
The Life magazine book the day Kennedy died and welcome your questions comments
diamonds are memories at 1 800 22 29455

00:32:35

email acid will dash talk at illinois.edu
edu the phone number again is 1 800 222
Wilo effects of Commerce waiting patiently I don’t know the answer the question
Giada not but online 1 dead in a Bena the do you have any other questions regarding others
Sabrina Fillmore anything else about the Kennedy assassination Jim like you said you into
anticipated to my questions here but I’m a star if it’s great to
great to talk to you I’m not a conspiracy theorist Sona set up front

00:33:10

very curious about the decisions wife made im 12
someone sick why is the film how many um the presentation Zapruder film
film in the memorial issue that came out the week after is really extraordinary
and then there was also mention I do not
publish or otherwise mother
frames from the film and I guess my question is
who is making the decision to move this a um a kind of

00:33:45

is such a extranar situation that resemble Henry Luce stepped in
captain make decisions or I know that ICD Jackson Ubly with the publisher of life
the time whiskey making decisions were made this
more less go to the shore mall certified normal editorial processes
Macy’s decision well I mean
that’s a very good question fortunately I thought I was not in New York at the time
the time and it and I only know what I’ve been told

00:34:20

loose all the film
over the weekend and Concord the life should
should I get it and and then the decision of
not allowed to be shown on television on movies
that had to have been a decision that the loose
Wood weather not in heat
it was his decision the weather with some played he was told and untold the reason

00:34:55

and usually decisions off of that nature
what made by the editors of the magazines and dumb
but but it does that was important enough that the Denver lose I’m sure
sure was aware of life policy in regard is a separate from
thank you very much and thank you very much for calling um
um I’m wondering if you have a dick you talk about Abraham Zapruder as a man was grey
is grieving when you first start talking about the movie of the shooting

00:35:30

shooting what happened to Abraham Zapruder in later years how did the notoriety of this film
effective IFTA what in
in the book the day Kennedy died routers granddaughter
published author writes about the impact on misses spreader
the family the impact was enormous um
first Hwy receive bags and
bags of mail um and most of a address

00:36:05

address simply Abraham Zapruder Dallas Texas and post office
Golf Course know that we would have delivered does um
hip to get haunted him he he have to testify before the war
Warren Commission Vesta getting this ass nation wept off when I move
what movie was with showed um when he and his wife
is wife travel to Chick fil A in Europe when they would sin Hotel registers
Mrs desk clerks with awesome look up and say are you this approve

00:36:40

who to ask questions like that um
he he gave he gave me
give me the original and on and on Monday the only
the only other copy had and I realize a few weeks later that he didn’t have a copy
copy the film I call them up and I said missus Peters MO
you don’t have copy that film we can make a terrific 1st generation
copy and send it to you and he said I’m sorry I don’t want that film in my house

00:37:15

I needed um
is it haunted him forever The Family interesting
f didn’t talk about it much because
freedom Self died in 1970
7 years after the film was made an
I mean the separate film has become
just a catch phrase that the anyone who was alive at the time does exactly

00:37:50

exactly what you talking about and um the family
family of God in many ways is
still kind of suffers
in the mall its to get a lot of people are not quite sure but they know it’s something
kind of gasoline Graham and the ant and anyone names
names of router have to go through life without curse
what’s wrong with dicks only who was with Life magazine at the time of the a Kennedy

00:38:25

Kennedy assassination and we have a cooler online for from Belgium Illinois good morning
good morning good morning to have remember when
high school biology class my sophomore year when the thing happen
Anna and I remember the time the bird man
map of people going to happen understood still going
going to squish termini many to fax something because the candy
the family that want to get out the years World War 2

00:39:00

what years are we going to be finding things we don’t know we’re all just stories
Boston things that might come to life
no you’re not a princess
is that pink dress the missus Kennedy awards at the was so staying with blood
blood in hand and body parts that is Ben
kept refrigerated in National Archives in somewhere
and at the request of the Kennedy family I don’t think that’s going to be

00:39:35

taken out and shown until 2017
name something like that things to make sure the future
Yes button nothing lisa ann my view
do off of any kind of forensic importance of the Tsar
these are artifacts um that better sequestered is you put it
um more out of concern for the kind of
what kind of personal impact them historical myself and thank you very much

00:40:10

very much for calling a dick im wondering because of course you were with LIFE Magazine
after the assassination lady you were at People magazine as an editor
you must have been a position consider articles about people still wondering about
about the Kennedy assassination still wondering about possible unknown evidence surface
conspiracy theories how did you handle those &&&&& the publication side
well life did a lot of
a lot of attention to the Kennedy assassination after with only a few months

00:40:45

um after November wedidit store
the story with governor Connally who discovered from is grievous wounds
governor of Texas was on governor of Texas who was in the end in the limousine a jump
jump seat and badly wounded he hum he is convinced
when was convinced an apparently to is dying day was the second shooter
that one bullet at Kennedy and the separate bullet hit him
is Siri was the bullet pass to Kennedy’s body and then

00:41:20

Android his could not have done the really awful call the of a woman
wounds that he suffered from that day anak
heatbeat remember he came to the office in a 100 frame by frame
anndretta big story on this time we ran the frames in car
color and we didn’t run frame 313 & M soul
so we continued at one point of life Renta de Toro saying
saying that to the magazine like some any others was

00:41:55

not satisfied with the Warren Commission and the it
it should be reopened no I was not involved
vault this is done in New York in the top 10
how did the story when I was in washington,pa which I went to a few months
month after after Dallas misses Kennedy’s office
office call up and said that they were going to mount an exhibit of the same
the things were in the Oval Office 101 Kennedy was

00:42:30

President and the idea was to raise money for the visually became the Kennedy
Kennedy Center Harvard and the question was would life magazines
can be interested in doing such a story I said we wouldn
12 conditions that we can get a cover for the graph of misses Kennedy
Kennedy and that you would grab me a interview
Williams with yes I’m the cover no ID
what we did to a story when is real

00:43:05

is result of the story the Kennedy family Missouri please I was invited to the opening
running off of the exhibit in New York and I met Miss is Kennedy for the first time
is the only time um I was wondering
pull out of that meeting with her um I walked in
um first time a Teddy Kennedy
Kennedy and who introduce me to Bobby who I had known stomach
stomach Stan and then Bobby turn to Jackie NSAID

00:43:40

Jackie of this is $6 from life and she looked at me
me and I was on eyes opened up and this is credible eBay
recipe for a 60 dolly Douglas
wonderful story well
Icona melt away fat boys hahahaha
I wanna um I want I want to turn on when we still have time we have about us
what about 6 minutes left and there was a nother important meeting that you were

00:44:15

you were part of when you were covering the Kennedy assassination for life not was
helping to arrange the meeting for an interview with the wife and the mother of
off of Lee Harvey Oswald and I’m just wondering about the memories you have
you have about that event and what you were able to size up from the meeting the family
family well tommy Thompson who was the course monitor with their
nudity said I know Texas cops let me go after that part of the story what you did
exclusive interview with members of the Aswan family um

00:44:50

and photographs almost not a witch we ran back then
them but they are in this new book incredible set a photograph
Atami called me up and said he’s got the terrific story are the reporters
Portishead not showed up yet but they said you going to he said I think we should hide the family
now this me some kind of Horror fine but I greet a mediately and we brought them in
into the hotel at the office and put them in the sweet it doesn’t sound like something out of the front page
page what we were competitive Backpage

00:45:25

so we did and does they came into
will it set up this weed is out of office and they came an end
I tell you I have this was it will be gone a
family as I’ve ever seen that mean they would just despondent depressed
it was Marinos spoken most no English that point I was the one
the wife of the wife of Aleve Lee’s wife the brother Robert
two tiny daughters and Levy and Roberts mother

00:46:00

Marguerite Oswald who I hope it’s not libelous
who is a tune up case and the f & she
G was the most vocal of all the Wii
we have a way that please don’t open the door after the phone but order
order anything you want to from room service Robert
at that point I said he needed a diapers and
and baby food for these two daughters and I’ve given 40 bucks

00:46:35

okay and if we did you meet
never again after that I’ve sport of spoken to Marina a couple of times
the phone English is much much better
um and she she’s
she’s change your mind about her husbands involvement and dumb
firsy denied in tirely then she began acknowledging it
and uh and no infection villages at b***

00:47:10

but but says it was a conspiracy the other people were involved your own feelings
Harvey Oswald acted alone that is my firm belief
okay nothing nothing nothing pans out and you certainly looked at um a lot of materials
Orioles in the files that you went over to write this new article District
just nothing there that you feel that would gesture on answered questions
Avant before and after but I was world was alone up there
ultracet floor was a good marksman Dealey Plaza is unbelievable

00:47:45

unbelievably small it wasn’t that a party shot um
but I’d also do not think that he had any help from
you know mysterious force is before or after work
afterwards who was the killer mean after a shot the president shot Donna Dallas
Dallas cop um he was a very disturbing man ok
kay and you don’t think that the actions by about the shooting of all is well by Jack
Ruby would have been a part of any larger conspiracy to keep things choir

00:48:20

that Monday I wanted to find out about Ruby so we went to the carousel club strip club
the team that he ran when we were life we talked away M
do a vis dances with air and they make up saying oh my god
I got the touch like that was so Jack he thought he was going to be a hero
he didn’t want this is gonna do they have to come back to Dallas for trial
he thought if you got rid of of Oswald he would be a hero
they keep using that word hero anime convention that’s exactly

00:48:55

exactly why did it interesting um um there are some on some telegram
the printed in the day Kennedy died address to Jack Ruby essentially congratulating
people for for for shooting Lee Harvey Oswald
um 11 last question is cleaning up from a Twitter?
Brandon about to the police about super film through a rolled Rivera
Rivera using a bootleg copy and sassy of time live at the Fillmore
who made the bootleg we gave we gave copies of

00:49:30

the film to law enforcement agencies of all over Washington State
State Department CIA Dallas PD there were many copies out there
what there a & O & bootleg copies I think we’re probably star
started making nose within days after the assessment
sesames what we are out of time here of course there is a whole lot more the talk about
about here and a whole lot more will be talked about in the next few days to come
become the dolly I bet you have a pretty busy schedule yourself because because of this anniversary

00:50:05

if it brings back man of many members as you can as you
as you can what do you think you very much for being on focus today dicks Stalin edit
editor for TimeLife People magazine’s thank you for sharing your memories insults about the earth
Matthew Kennedy assassination which occurred 50 years ago 1 week from tomorrow
you can read addicts article on a Sony experience is covering the assassination
the day Kennedy died published by a life books
Reebok many additional thought you have about today’s program on our website you can go to with directly

00:50:40

will.illinois.edu/focusonthe
what was the first search engine under wyll focus today show was produced
is produced by Lindsey moon Jason Croft is artifical directors is our Internet
helping with production and research tomorrow on focus another show offering personal financial
financial advice for you and will be welcomed in your calls and emails member focus
causas live each weekday morning at 10 replay at 10 p.m.
you can hear us over the air on AM 580 in online at will.illinois.edu

When President John F. Kennedy was assassinated at Dealy Plaza in Dallas, Texas in 1963, Richard Stolley was Los Angeles bureau chief for Life Magazine. He got a call soon after the news of the assassination broke that someone named Zapruder had caught the whole thing on film.

Stolley immediately started thumbing through the phone book looking for a way to contact him, and Life eventually obtained the footage for a price tag of more than $100,000. Years following the Kennedy assassination, Zapruder’s business partner has said the money wasn’t the only reason Zapruder gave up the film to Life. This hour on Focus, host Jim Meadows talks with Stolley about his Illinois roots, in part, helped him obtain that film. Meadows also talks with Stolley about the continuing significance of the Kennedy assassination and why the man and the moment still matter 50 years later.
 
Where were you when you heard? Maybe you weren’t around to remember, does the Kennedy assassination have significance for you? Post in the comment section below or find us on Facebook.