Jackie describes her last night with JFK — in Fort Worth

"WELCOME TO DALLAS, JACKIE," by Daniel Kusner + Bryan Amann.

Jackie Kennedy's last night with her husband was spent inside Fort Worth's Hotel Texas.

In this recording (speaking with Arthur Schlesinger Jr. within months of the assassination) the first lady laughingly describes turning in for the night — while bitterly hating Governor John Connally and wife Nellie's high-maintenance eccentricities.

As Jackie remembers that last night, the president sweetly encouraged her to let go of any anger — especially in Texas. Which JFK hoped would "heal" everyone.

I first created this "214 Trans4m" audio piece, below, for "RZN8"on Aug. 25, 2012 — an ArtCon event, which sparked a bidding war (so said the Dallas Observer)

By the way, Jackie slept so soundly, she was late for the following morning's breakfast appearance in Fort Worth.

FORT WORTH HOSPITALITY: Hotel Texas told JFK’s agents, ‘No negroes allowed’

I’m reading “The Kennedy Detail: JFK’s Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence,” (Gerald Blaine, 2010).

There’s a juicy tidbit about JFK’s advance team arriving in Fort Worth.

“On Nov. 21, 1963 — the day prior to the assassination — agents picked up their keys to settle into their window-unit AC rooms at the musty (considered so in ’63, according to Blaine) Hotel Texas (2415 Ellis Ave. Fort Worth. 877-747-8713).”

Among the agents was Robert R. Faison, the first African-American permanently assigned to the White House Secret Service detail.

Here’s an excerpt from Blaine’s “Kennedy Detail.”

A short pale-skinned young man dressed in the hotel’s standard uniform, stood behind the desk, looking down as if he were incredibly busy — despite the fact that no one was checking in at the time.  

 

Arthur L. Godfrey rested his arm on the counter and asked if there were any rooms ready for the midnight shift of the secret service?

 

The clerk looked up at Godfrey and handed him three envelopes with room keys. 

 

“Thank you,” Godfrey said as he picked up the envelopes. 

 

The clerk — who seemed to have barely noticed the agents as they’d walked into the lobby — suddenly got a pained look in his eyes as he glanced from one agent to the next.
Bob Faison stood near the elevator talking with White House Detail agent Jerry O’Rourke.

 

“Wait, ummmm. I’m sorry, Mr. Godfrey,” the clerk said as he raised his hand in protest. “But you’ll have to tell the negro he’ll have to stay somewhere else.”

 

The agents stood there, not knowing what to say. Surely he must be joking. They had never run into this before. 

 

Paul Burns stepped up to the counter and looked the young clerk dead straight in the eyes. 

 

“Do you know who we are?”

 

The young man flinched ever so slightly, “I assume you are the secret service.”

 

“That’s right,” Burns affirmed. “Can we talk to the manager?”

 

The clerk returned a few minutes later with the manager of the hotel.

 

He reiterated what the clerk had said, “That’s right gentlemen. It is hotel policy that we do not accommodate members of the negro race.”

 

Burns leaned over the counter and glared at the manager, “Well, sir, we are the secret service agents here to protect the president of the United States.

  

If our agents aren’t good enough to sleep in your damn beds, then we won’t sleep here. And neither will the president. We’ll find somewhere else for him to stay.”

 

The manager read the seriousness of the threat and excused himself to make a quick telephone call. 

 

Burns turned toward Bob Faison, who fortunately seemed unaware of what was being discussed.

 

When the manager came back — looking more than a little flustered — he said sheepishly, “It’s fine. All of you are welcome to stay.”

 

Burns wasn’t satisfied. Staring at the manager, Burns squinted his eyes with intensity and said, “You better advise your staff and every single employee of your new policy so that we don’t need to address this issue again. Is that clear?”

 

The manager, visibly shaken, nodded and said, “Yes, sir. You have my word. There will be no problems.”