Malcolm Kilduff Oral History

Three days after this interview was recorded, Malcolm Kilduff joined his friend, former Connally aide Bill Stinson, for a program at the University of Texas at Dallas; the Museum has an audio recording of this program in the Oral History Collection. Six and a half years later, on November 21, 1999, Kilduff participated in his only Sixth Floor Museum program, joining Judge Barefoot Sanders and historian Darwin Payne in conversation with Museum director Jeff West. For reasons unknown, this private "Legacy" program for Museum supporters does not appear to have been recorded, making it one of the only Museum programs not included in the Oral History Collection.

Malcolm Kilduff passed away on March 3, 2003. - Stephen Fagin, Curator

In a second visit to the Museum a few years after giving his oral history, Malcolm Kilduff told me he was angry about conspiracy buffs misrepresenting his actions when giving the official announcement of Kennedy's death. 

Near the end of his comments, Kilduff pointed to his right temple saying, "It was a simple matter, Tom [Wicker of the New York Times], of a bullet right through the head," attributing the information to Dr. George Burkley, Kennedy's personal physician.  Kilduff was not saying the bullet was fired from in front of the president, he explained; instead, he was merely pointing to where the damage was located. 

As Kilduff explained to me, he never saw the president's body and was only passing along what Dr. Burkley told him. Nevertheless, images of Kilduff pointing to his temple often appear as "proof" of a second gunman that day. - Gary Mack, Curator