welcome back to a special edition of al jazeera america. i'm del walters. remembering john f. kennedy 50 years later. >> president kennedy has been assassinated. it's official now. the president is dead. >> a half century later the nation pauses to remember one of its darkest hours. the death of a beloved president. it is the first official ceremony to mark the event in dallas. the memorial set to coincide with the time and day that kennedy's motorcade traveled through the city of dallas 50

years ago. this is arlington national ceremony. it is the most popular cite visited there. bill and hillary clinton joining president obama on friday, laying a wreath there. we want to take you now to dallas. heidi zhou castro joins us from dealey plaza to tell us about the events scheduled there, and it is a huge event there as thousands are expected to attend. >> that's right. dell. as the ceremony is about to start, so is the sleet. a very cold and windy day for dallas. nothing like the bright sun shown over dallas in 1963, but as you can see this is not

keeping the crowd at home. 14,000 wanted to be here today, they applied to be here, and only 5,000 were picked in a lottery, randomly to be here, and they are not letting this chance escape them to be here. no umbrellas are allowed for security reasons. the city of dallas is putting a lot of emphasis on making this event flawless after having gained the reputation of being, quote, the city of hate, following the assassination 50 years ago. this is a chance for the city to come full circle and show the world how far it has come. >> and heidi you did something fascinating earlier today. you showed us your perspective and where -- the book depository is. could you have your cameraman show us exactly how close that

room is to where president kennedy was when he was assassinated? >> we'll certainly try to show that building to you, dell, but this riser is full of reporters now, though from all over the world. i'll see if we can pan over their heads to the depository. it's to my right, and that window on the 6th floor, the square-shaped window second from the top. that is where lee harvey as -- oswald took his shot. he built a small stand, put his rifle outside of that window, fired three shots. the first missed, the following two hit kennedy, with the third

one striking him fatally in the head. but certainly being here so few steps away from that historic location, instead is definitely a moment that many year don't want to miss. >> heidi thank you very much. they say it is cliche to say a picture is worth a thousand words but that particular image spoke volumes. mark snyder is at annette straus park. what is the situation where you are? >> i have got to tell you, dell, the crowd is so small at this point, you can count it. i counted 35 people in the crowd. they have chairs out for more than a thousand. but it's not lack of interest here in dallas. it's just we have gone from 60 to 70 degrees days, to boom, wind chills in the 20s now, and i think a lot of people that don't have tickets have decided i'm just going to watch at home.

but the people with the coveted tickets of course are filling dealey plaza. but this is about a mile from dealey plaza, and they have big screens set up so people can watch the entire ceremony. one of the big moments will be at 12:30 central time, a moment of silence right at the time that president kennedy was shot, and that will be followed by church bells tolling all over town. >> mark what is the mood where you are? the people of dallas waiting to reclaim their image of being one of the best cities but for years it still has a star. >> yeah, talked to a woman who said she has family members that don't even want to come visit her in dallas.

but people i talked to are glad the city is doing this. they are glad the focus isn't on how president kennedy died, but about how he lived and his legacy and hue it still impacts us today, dell. >> mark thank you very much. also joining us in studio right now, david nassau is the author of this incredible book. you spent five years of your life working on this book. it is massive. but i want to get your feelings about this particular day 50 years later, how it affected you not just as an author, but as a person. >> i think i was in college. i was in my dorm room. there was shouting in the hol kwais. i opened the door, and someone yelled kennedy does shot. i didn't believe it. went back into my dorm room. just to make sure, turned on the

radio, and my day changed. my life changed. i think the lives of all us of changed. because suddenly america was not that safe haven or that civilized beacon in the world. america was a nation, a society that had its violence. its tragedies like everywhere else. >> because this was unthinkable, and i explain to my own children, it was unbelievable that a president could be assassinated, and yet it seemed like a snapshot there was kennedy, there was kennedy, king, malcolm x so many leaders at that time, it just seemed to be such a turbulent time. as an historian is there ever going to be another moment like that? >> it was -- the 60s, the period of time that commences with this

assassination and continues through the kennedy and king assassinations is one of the most turbulent times in american history. it was as many the war in vietnam and the wars around the world had come home into the streets of the united states. there was the sense that no one was entirely safe from the turmoil. families, exactly as in the civil war. families fought with one another over the meaning of government, the meaning of kennedy, the meaning of martin luther king. it was a turbulent time. one that i hope doesn't return. >> i'm fascinated because the secret service agent at the time, the doctor said the secret service said hoover wanted to know, was the president still alive? and one of the agents said, but i also have to let joe kennedy know that he has lost a son. what did this presidency mean to joe kennedy? >> joe kennedy, this was the

pinnacle. the fact that his son who was an irish catholic could be elected president meant an enormous amount to joseph kennedy. not only was he the father of a president, but he had witnessed, he thought, a turning point in american history, a turning point that would live forever when the first irish catholic, when the first non-protestant was elected to the presidency. >> waiting in the wings, rfk, waiting in the wings, teddy, and generations who were told to serve. could this possibly have been america's dynasty with regard to presidencies? >> i think so. if jack kennedy had run against goldwater in 1964, he would have won in a landslide -- >> but he almost didn't beat nixon. how close was that election? >> that was the closest ever

had. 49.8% of the volt to 49.7% of the vote. >> because people believe kennedy as this huge figure, they think he must have won by a landslide but it was close. >> everybody thought he was going to win by a landslide. all of the experts, all of the journalists were convinced. but in the end -- and i think it's because lots of americans weren't yet ready to vote for an irish catholic. >> is the family cursed? >> no. the family cursed itself because these men and women were risk takers. they grew up with glamour, with education, with privilege. they thought at moments that they were immoral; that they

could do anything. they took risks that lead to tragedies much too often. >> thank you very much. and you are going to continue to be with us. we wanted to tell you time line right now. on november 21st, the president and his wife flew to texas. the two-day five-city tour was a campaign trip of sorts. it was also the first lady's time to make her first public appearance since the loss of their baby son. the next day is the day that changed history forever. randall pinkston reports. >> we are still the keystone -- >> at a breakfast, president john f. kennedy spoke of the future for his country. >> and i think we'll continue to do as we have done in our past, our duty. >> reporter: 30 miles away 24

year old oswald placed a long package in the back of a car, curtain rods, he said. a crowd of 2,000 greeted president and mrs. kennedy at the airport. >> right away, and come right up to the fence. >> mrs. kennedy dressed in a favor of hers, a pink suit that would soon become a symbol of our quiet courage and profound grief. it was a sunny day, so the secret service removed the car's double top. just before noon an estimated 150,000 cheering spectators craned for a look at the president and first lady. no secret service agents were in

their car at the request of president kennedy who told his detail -- >> if i didn't get out and shake hands with the people, i couldn't get elected dog catcher. >> seconds before -- >> mr. connelly turned to the president, and said mr. president you certainly can't say dallas doesn't love you. >> reporter: and then the gunshots. agent clint hill jumped on to the front of the presidential car. 30 minutes later doctors at parkland conceded they could not save the president. >> from dallas, texas, the flash apparently official, president kennedy died at 1:00 pm central standard time.

some 38 minutes ago. >> the death of president kennedy is seen to be the first dramatic news event to be reported on television non-stop. for four days the networks suspended regular programming, and a traumatized nation watched. >> a dallas news man looked up and saw a rifle being pulled back in. >> reporter: police quickly found the rifle. after oswald left the book depository he grabbed a pistol. he crossed paths with a police officer. several witnesses saw oswald fire four times killing the officer before running away. oswald was arrested for murder the police officer, then when police traced the rifle to

oswald, he was charged with the assassination. >> this is a sad time for all people. we have suffered a loss that cannot be weighed. >> reporter: then two days after the assassination, another shock. on live television -- [ gunfire ] >> -- jack ruby shot and killed oswald as he was being moved from the jail. in washington memorial services began, and american's mourned that their slain commander in chief. as we mentioned we are following events in dallas, and events all around the country, butess specially in washington, d.c. where the nation's capitol has a unique perspective. mike viqueira how are they observing today?

>> we saw president obama joined by president clinton as well as hillary clinton and michelle obama on wednesday and head across the river to arlington national cemetery. with the wreath laying at the turnal flame. most of the eyes i think today are pointed towards dallas. it's hard to imagine, 50 years later the impact this had on this city, and the impact that the kenendys had on this city, and how they changed washington in many ways. first i want to show you some of the headlines. these were saved by my family during those four tumultuous days. when you start opening these headlines and you look at all of the different singles to this story, and you really begin to appreciate all over again the shock, the disbelief that

encompassed this city, this nation, and the world, it really brings the point home. the kenendys came here -- the first house member and then senator kennedy lived in georgetown. in the 40s and 50s gorge continue to wasn't the swanky address that it is today. the kenendys made it that way. president kennedy once described it in a very disparaging way, washington is a city with northern charm and southern efficiency. and they changed a lot of that. i'll point out the fact that jfk's was sort of short of

accomplishments, and there were things that would speak against an enduring legacy. but obviously it goes much more beyond that, the reasons that we observe this in such a solemn and rev ren shall way over the course of last week and heading into monday. >> mike i know you are a student of history, but politics was different back during the time of kennedy. we talk about gridlock in washington, but in kennedy's time washington was a place where politicians got together, dined together, and joked, and did all kinds of things that they don't do today, and perhaps it is because there weren't as many polls and only three television networks. [ laughter ] >> yes, the exposure was somewhat different in terms of there was no c-span, and a lot of people point to that for

encouraging this grandstanding bipartisanship. but you talk about television, the media, and its impact on the world we live in today and especially in this town, you look at the nixon kennedy debates and the seminol moment there, perhaps people make too much of it today, but the turning point that many attribute that first debate -- there were three overall -- the first debate between kennedy and nixon, the young man who ended up being the youngest man in history, and we talk about the 5:00 shadow onyx son, but nonetheless the world has changed in so many ways since then, dell. >> as we watch the events unfold in dallas, we're going to take a break as they observe that day 50 years ago. i'm del walters in new york.

we'll be right back. >> i was a freshman law student at the university of texas in austin. i was having lunch at w a fellow freshman. the waiter came and said something has happened. the president is shot. we ran out, got in the car, listened to the radio, and the rest is history. classes were discontinued for several days.

>> we find the fault lines that run through communities. >> the shooting happened about 30 minutes ago. >> companies... >> the remains of the fire are still everywhere here. >> the powers that be at home and around the world... >> not only do they not get compensation but you don't even have to explain why? >> well thats exactly what i said. >> we question authority. >> so you said we could get access... >> that's enough! >> ... and those affected. >> investigative journalism at it's toughest. welcome back to this special edition of al jazeera america. i'm del walters. we look back at the life and

legacy of john f. kennedy, jr., some 50 years later. ♪ >> 50 years ago today on november 22nd, 1963, john f. kennedy was shot at dealey plaza and rushed to parkland memorial hospital. heidi zhou castro has our story. >> hey, dell, here at dealey plaza, the crowd continues to stream in. 5,000 lucky ticket holders, win o ore -- winners of a city wide lottery, and despite the rain and cold weather, these people are coming with ponchos, not allowed to bring umbrellas because of security reasons. the city has a lot at steak here. 50 years after the city gained

the dark reputation as the city of hate. it is trying to come full circle in a solemn and dignified ceremony. the vip have been seated. >> you talked to the two doctors at parkland memorial hospital, a fascinating story. set it up for us. >> absolutely with, dell. perhaps the tensest of moments 50 years ago, on november 22nd, 1963, was not just hear in dealey plaza where hundreds of people witnessed the shocking assassination of jfk but moments later in the emergency room where a group of young doctors worked feverishly in an impossible attempt to save the president's life. we spoke with two of them who share their stories and recollections which they say is just as real to them as if it

had happened yesterday. >> reporter: doctors ronald jones and robert mcclellan were young surgeons in 1963. friday, november 22nd, was a day that began like any other, then just after lunchtime -- >> i heard a little tap on the conference room door. the president's been shot and they are bringing him to the emergency room, and they need doctors right away. >> men in business suits parted for the doctors. >> i saw mrs. kennedy sitting in a chair outside of trauma room one. and i realized it was just what they said it was. >> reporter: president kennedy lay on a gurney arms spread, eyes open, and covered in blood. >> i got an iv going in his left

upper arm. >> the back half of the right side of his brain was gone, and as i stood there the lower part of the brain fell out through the hole on the cart. so this was obviously a fatal wound. >> reporter: dr. jones was asked to deliver the news. >> a secret serviceman came up, and said i need to call jay edward hoover and i need to tell them the condition of the president. and i realized the whole world was going to find out that kennedy was dead. >> reporter: but in that moment jones faced a delima, jacqueline kennedy had asked doctors to delay the death pronouncement until after her husband received his last rights. >> i knew he was dead. >> moments later a priest

arrived. >> he said if thou livest -- and then i couldn't hear him say anything else. >> after that mrs. kennedy entered the room. >> she stood there. she was very self contained. stood there for a moment and exchanged a ring from her finger to the president's finger and a ring from his finger to her finger. >> reporter: less than 48 hours later, both doctors would be operating on a dying oswald. the men say they just did their jobs while history unfolded on their operating table. and dell, now that history is about to be commemorated 50 years later hear at dealey plaza. the orchestra was about to play. that has been canceled, as well as a naval flyover that has been

canceled as well. but the ceremony should be beginning shortly with the last of the spectators now trickling in. >> heidi zhou castro joining us live from dallas. i guess it is fitting that it will raining right now in dallas, texas. take us back. we have a minute left before we have to go off of the air. >> teddy and unice flew on a plane to tell their father who had had a stroke two years earlier. they went in to tell him that afternoon, they looked at the old man and they could don't it. they said we'll wait until the morning. they ripped out the plugs and disabled all of the televisions so the old man wouldn't know. in the morning they went in, teddy burst into tears and

unice, his sister had to say, dad, jack is dead. and the old man looked at him, couldn't speak, burst into tears and kept crying for the next week. it was a moment that was seared indelibly on to ted's soul and brain. >> david thank you very much. our continued coverage on this the 50th anniversary of the death of jfk continues. you are looking live at arlington.

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