Newly Discovered JFK Assassination Footage Heads to Auction
Rare film capturing JFK's motorcade after the 1963 assassination set for auction. Footage shows Secret Service agent on limousine, offering new insights into the historic event.
Recently unearthed film footage of President John F. Kennedy's motorcade following his assassination is set to be auctioned on September 28, 2024. This discovery, made over 60 years after the tragic event, provides a unique glimpse into the chaotic moments following one of America's most shocking incidents.
The 8 mm home film, captured by Dale Carpenter Sr., shows the presidential motorcade speeding down Interstate 35 towards Parkland Memorial Hospital. This footage is particularly noteworthy as it captures Secret Service Agent Clint Hill in a precarious position on the back of the limousine, protecting the wounded president and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
Stephen Fagin, curator at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, notes that such discoveries are not uncommon, as many items related to the assassination remain hidden in attics and garages across the country. The museum, located in the former Texas School Book Depository, now serves as a memorial to the events of November 22, 1963.
The footage offers a new perspective on the aftermath of the assassination, complementing the well-known Zapruder film that captured the moment of the shooting. It showcases the urgency of the situation as the motorcade rushed towards the hospital where Kennedy would ultimately be pronounced dead.
James Gates, Carpenter's grandson, discovered the footage around 2010 while reviewing family films. Recognizing its historical significance, Gates shared the film with Hill and his co-author Lisa McCubbin Hill before considering its public release.
This discovery joins other late-emerging materials related to the assassination. In 2002, Jay Skaggs presented The Sixth Floor Museum with previously unseen color photographs of the rifle being removed from the Texas School Book Depository.
The auction of this footage highlights the enduring fascination with the Kennedy assassination, which continues to captivate the public imagination and fuel historical research. As new evidence emerges, it contributes to our understanding of this pivotal moment in American history.
"I did not know that there were not any more shots coming. I had a vision that, yes, there probably were going to be more shots when I got up there as I did."
The Kennedy assassination led to significant changes in presidential security protocols and sparked numerous conspiracy theories that persist to this day. While the Warren Commission identified Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin, debates about the events of that day continue.
As we approach the auction date, historians and collectors alike eagerly anticipate the opportunity to examine this new piece of evidence, hoping it may shed further light on one of the most scrutinized events in American history.
