Malcolm Kilduff Oral History
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Malcolm Kilduff Oral History
Videotaped oral history interview with Malcolm Kilduff. Mr. Kilduff was the Assistant White House Press Secretary traveling with President Kennedy in 1963. He made the official announcement of the president's death at Parkland Hospital.Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on April 16, 1993 by Bob Porter. The interview is one hour and twenty-six minutes long.
Malcolm Kilduff Oral History
04/16/1993
Hi-8 videotape
86 Minutes
Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
1993.011.0008
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
Surprisingly, only one sound recording is known to exist of Kilduff's official announcement of President Kennedy's death. It's a 16mm black and white news film shot by Bob Welch of WBAP-TV (now KXAS), the NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth. Welch can be seen in the background of photographs of Kilduff making the announcement, and so can a second microphone. The identity of the other reporter, and the location of his recording, is unknown. - Gary Mack, 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
Malcolm Kilduff Oral History
Videotaped oral history interview with Malcolm Kilduff. Mr. Kilduff was the Assistant White House Press Secretary traveling with President Kennedy in 1963. He made the official announcement of the president's death at Parkland Hospital.Interview conducted at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza on April 16, 1993 by Bob Porter. The interview is one hour and twenty-six minutes long.
Malcolm Kilduff Oral History
04/16/1993
Press conference
Oral histories
Kilduff, Malcolm
Parkland Hospital
White House Press
Dallas
Hi-8 videotape
86 Minutes
Oral History Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
1993.011.0008
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
Surprisingly, only one sound recording is known to exist of Kilduff's official announcement of President Kennedy's death. It's a 16mm black and white news film shot by Bob Welch of WBAP-TV (now KXAS), the NBC affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth. Welch can be seen in the background of photographs of Kilduff making the announcement, and so can a second microphone. The identity of the other reporter, and the location of his recording, is unknown. - Gary Mack, 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
Related objects
Image of Malcolm Kilduff giving a press conference at Parkland Hospital
11/22/1963
Image of Malcolm Kilduff giving a press conference at Parkland Hospital
11/22/1963
Image of Malcolm Kilduff announcing the death of President Kennedy
11/22/1963
Image of Malcolm Kilduff announcing the president's death
11/22/1963
