Image of the presidential limousine with the top on at Parkland Hospital

The man wearing the Dudley M. Hughes Funeral Home jacket is unidentified.  A silver bucket on the ground next to the limousine has long been of interest to researchers.  Conflicting Parkland reports and testimony say a Secret Service agent asked one or more employees to clean out the car, but Secret Service reports do not confirm that.  It is known that two agents drove the car from Parkland back to Love Field, so the request may have been made for their benefit, as blood and other matter was spread throughout the seats.  What, if anything, was removed from the car remains unknown and, to some, quite suspicious. - Gary Mack, Curator

The Kennedy limousine was the first presidential vehicle equipped with an optional transparent roof as well as a fabric roof covering that could be installed when the vehicle was not in use as a convertible. The six-piece roof system was composed of clear plastic panels that were stowed in the trunk when not in use, and they could be installed in various combinations for the rear, middle and front compartments of the vehicle. Despite numerous claims to the contrary, the cover or "bubbletop" was not bullet proof. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator