/internal/media/dispatcher/24826/fullImage of Govenor Connally and the Kennedys greeting dignitaries at Love Field11/22/196315/16 × 1 7/16 in. (2.4 × 3.6 cm)FilmTom C. Dillard Collection, The Dallas Morning News/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza1994.003.0005.00040Black and white 35mm negative showing Governor Connally, Jacqueline and President Kennedy meeting the dignitaries at Love Field on November 22, 1963. The image was taken by Tom C. Dillard, Chief Photographer at The Dallas Morning News.
In the image, Governor Connally and Jacqueline Kennedy are at the head of the line of people exiting Air Force One. The left side of President Kennedy's head can be seen behind the governor and Jacqueline Kennedy. They are near the middle of the line of dignitaries who are waiting to greet President and Mrs. Kennedy.
Governor Connally holds his cowboy hat in his left hand and he is extending his right hand to shake the hand of a man standing in the line of dignitaries. Jacqueline Kennedy can be seen behind the governor, she is facing the line of dignitaries but her body is partially turned toward the camera. She is wearing her pink suit, and holds a bouquet of red roses in her left arm; her purse is hanging from her left arm.
The body of Air Force One takes up most of the background. The door from which the passengers are exiting appears on the right side of the image; there is a presidential seal on the door. "U.S. A" from "U.S. Air Force," is visible to the right of the door. On the left side of the image, "Of America," can be seen on the side of the airplane, over the line of windows.
There is a man in a uniform and a man in a suit standing at the base of the stairs on the right side of the image. On the left side of the image, there is a circle of men in suits; they appear to be talking.Photographs650323.60000000002.400000000011808Negative (b&w)0E-10Original black and white 35mm negative by Dallas Morning News chief photographer Tom Dillard. The image shows a group of dignitaries lined up on the tarmac near Air Force One at Love Field to greet the president on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Governor Connally and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy shake hands with dignitaries while President Kennedy and the rest of the presidential party follow closely behind them. Mrs. Kennedy carries the roses given to her by Mrs. Dearie Cabell. In this image, Governor Connally is reaching out to shake hands with James E. Smith, then president of the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce.Air Force OneRosesPhotographsTrip to TexasDillard, Tom C.Kennedy, John F.Connally, JohnSanders, BarefootSmith, James E.Kennedy, JacquelineThe Dallas Morning NewsLove FieldDallasThe only African American on the airport reception committee for the Kennedys on November 22, 1963 was community leader and civil rights advocate James E. Smith, then president of the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce. He is visible here about to shake hands with Texas Governor John Connally. Smith's son, Lee Stanley Smith, recorded an oral history with the Museum - and donated his late father's Airport Reception badge and Dallas Trade Mart luncheon invitation - in 2025. - Stephen Fagin, CuratorThis Boeing VC-137C aircraft, designated Air Force One when the president of the United States was on board, ultimately carried eight sitting presidents, from John F. Kennedy to Bill Clinton. It was officially retired in 1998 and today can be seen at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. - Stephen Fagin, CuratorIn addition to Vice President and Mrs. Johnson, the official welcoming party at Dallas Love Field included Mayor Earle Cabell and his wife Dearie, who presented the bouquet of red roses to Mrs. Kennedy, as well as future Dallas Mayor J. Erik Jonsson, a co-founder of Texas Instruments, Inc. and then president of the influential Dallas Citizens Council. A little over one hour after this photograph was taken, solemnly remarking that he felt like he did when Pearl Harbor was bombed, Jonsson informed the luncheon crowd at the Dallas Trade Mart that President Kennedy had been shot. Also visible in this receiving line is U.S. district judge H. Barefoot Sanders, who - about three hours after greeting President Kennedy at Love Field - helped arrange the swearing-in of Lyndon B. Johnson aboard the aircraft seen in this photo. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator