Report of the President's Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

第二章 With the assistance of Agent in Charge Sorrels of the

This chapter addresses Secret Service conduct regulations and the protective arrangements surrounding President Kennedy’s trip to Dallas. It opens by discussing the regulation absolutely forbidding drinking by any agent accompanying the President on a trip and notes that violation provides cause for removal from the Service. Chief Rowley declined to take disciplinary action against agents who had been drinking in violation of the regulation because he believed it would unfairly imply that the violation had contributed to the tragedy of November 22. The Commission acknowledges the arduous responsibilities of the White House detail, the long hours and strain they endure, and the need for high standards of personal conduct. While it is conceivable that agents with little sleep and limited alcohol might have been more alert on the Dallas motorcade had they retired promptly in Fort Worth, the Commission finds no evidence that any agent failed to take action within his power that would have averted the tragedy. The chapter then turns to a detailed examination of the security arrangements at Love Field, the motorcade route, the Presidential limousine, access to the passenger compartment, planning for motorcade contingencies, and broader issues of Federal jurisdiction, interagency cooperation, and the historical basis of the Secret Service’s protective mandate.

The Motorcade in Dallas

Rigorous security precautions were arranged at Love Field with local law enforcement authorities by Agents Sorrels and Lawson, including reserving a ceremonial area for the Presidential party, stationing police on the rooftops of buildings overlooking the reception area, and detailing police in civilian clothes throughout the sizable crowd. When President and Mrs. Kennedy shook hands with members of the public along the fences, they were closely guarded by Secret Service agents who responded to the unplanned event with dispatch. During the motorcade, the President directed that his car stop on two occasions so that he could greet members of the public; agents from the Presidential follow-up car stood between the President and the public, and on one occasion Agent Kellerman left the front seat to take a similar position. The Commission regards such impromptu stops as presenting an unnecessary danger but finds that Secret Service agents did all that could have been done to take protective measures.