The Crown (2016–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - Dear Mrs. Kennedy - full transcript

Inspired by Jackie Kennedy and against her government's wishes, Elizabeth takes an unconventional approach to resolving an issue in Ghana.

Friends...

Friends...

We meet here today
not as Ghanaians, Guineans,

Moroccans, Algerians,

Senegalese or Malians,

but as Africans...

tired of being
disrespected and abused...

...by the corrupt and imperial
powers of the past.

The time has come to
forge new alliances.

Those who understand
the strategic importance of Africa

and are willing to treat us as equals.



Not as subordinates!

And not as slaves!

This is our time.

We must choose our own destiny!

A socialist Africa!

For Africans!

It's definitely seen better days, ma'am.

Mm.

We'll send in the foresters at the end
of the season, cut it back.

- Yes.
- The old oak, she's still hanging on.

- Just about.
- Oh, but she looks so old. Ancient.

Well, she will have
to be felled in due course.

- What a shame.
- Looks like it's set in for the day.

You remember my grandson, Daniel, ma'am?



Yes, of course.
I was at his christening.

That's right.

We ought to head back, ma'am.
Get you out of this rain.

Right.

I'll go get the jump leads;
The engine's packed in.

What, again?

- Can I help, ma'am?
- Oh. Thank you.

Pull! Pull!

Oh! Aah!

- Sorry, you all right, ma'am?
- Yes, fine, thank you.

Oh.

The ceremonial guard
awaited Mr. Kennedy's arrival.

It has pleased the French
that he came to Paris

before going to Vienna
to meet Mr. Khrushchev...

When is it, do you think,
if one's committed to a life of honesty,

that one must start calling
oneself "middle-aged"?

Oh, stop it. You're still a young girl!

I caught sight of myself
in a mirror today.

I looked like an old woman.

You haven't even finished
having children yet.

True.

So, finish your family,
let the first one go to school,

and then let's talk about
being middle-aged.

That won't be middle-aged,
that'll be ancient.

Here he is arriving in Paris...

Oh... no, no!

Oh, not again!

- Mummy! Be careful.
- President...

No, stop it! It's rented.

Mu...

No.

Oh no, yes, you've got it. Well done.

This macaroni and cheese is heavenly.

...to visit the faculty
of medicine in Paris.

This whole weekend has been heavenly.

It will be the first meeting...

Sadly, I have to leave in the morning.

- Whatever for?
- They're coming to dinner.

The Kennedys?

After Vienna with
Khrushchev, then Paris,

they're coming to London.

So we're having an informal dinner
at Buckingham Palace.

During the brief stay in Paris...

She's so young. I always
thought she was the same age as you.

She is.

...a banquet at the Élysée Palace.

Oh... No!

Thank you.

Oh, no, look, there she is.

...was talking about the charm
and elegance

of Mr. Kennedy's wife Jackie.

Jackie, in fact, often
stole the picture.

Oh, she is pretty, isn't she?

Yes.

One overriding item
on the agenda today, ma'am.

Ghana.

And our continued concern

for Nkrumah's growing hostility
to the West.

You feel that he's drifting
from the Commonwealth?

Not so much drifting
as bolting for the door.

Into whose arms?

The Russians', ma'am.

Yesterday,
he received Brezhnev in Accra.

Brezhnev?

The chairman of the Soviet Presidium,

who flew to Ghana for talks about
Nkrumah's precious dam project?

- The Volta Dam.
- Yes, ma'am.

But I thought Nkrumah had been talking
to the Americans about that.

He had been,
but Russia sees this as an opportunity

to outbid the Americans,
get a foothold in Africa,

in an attempt to turn
the whole continent red.

Well, shouldn't we ask the Americans
to improve their offer?

I will certainly speak
to President Kennedy

- as soon as he arrives in London.
- Oh, good.

- Following his great triumph in Paris.
- Indeed.

I thought de Gaulle didn't care
for Mr. Kennedy.

Oh, he doesn't! Personally
or politically.

- So what turned it all around?
- The First Lady, ma'am.

- Why? What did she do?
- Dazzled le tout Paris.

Had President de Gaulle
eating out of her hand.

- How on earth did she do that?
- By speaking French fluently.

Yes, we can all do that.

And by debating with local philosophers
and intellectuals

until all anti-American sentiment
simply evaporated.

I suppose she is pretty.

And they are French.

She's also a formidably bright
woman in her own right,

having studied at the Sorbonne

and the prestigious
École Libre des Sciences Politiques.

"The most glamorous and intelligent
woman on earth."

So they say.

And now she's coming to London,

so we'd better put our
best foot forward,

hadn't we, Prime Minister?

Your Majesty.

Always important, I think,
when choosing a gown

is to ask oneself what precisely
one wants to feel when wearing it.

Mm.

I just think that one doesn't want
to feel... second best.

Quite. Especially if one is very much

the senior of the two individuals.

- Now, now.
- In terms of rank, ma'am, not age.

To that end I have something
quite specific in mind.

Mrs. Kennedy may have dazzled in Paris,

but let's not forget
France is a republic.

This is a monarchy.

And if you've got it, flaunt it, I say.

I had a look at the seating plan for

dinner and I couldn't help noticing...

Breathe in, ma'am.

Just a bit more.

You gave Mrs. Kennedy to Uncle Dickie.

- There.
- Yes, I did. At his request.

He's been badgering me for weeks.

As, incidentally, has
your brother-in-law.

- Berthold?
- Yes.

The rascal.

Not to mention our own Prime Minister
and the American ambassador.

Well, well, well.

All desperate to
sit next to the First Lady.

I could let it out a bit, ma'am.

- No.
- What if I'm requesting her too?

- I put you next to Theodora.
- She's my sister.

Yes, whom you haven't seen in years.

No, she's still my sister
and this is, oh, you know...

No. I don't know.

Her!

Anyway, in terms of protocol,
isn't it my right, as your husband,

to sit next to the most
senior female there?

It's true. At a state dinner
you could've expected to sit

next to the most senior female
guest, but on this occasion,

Downing Street have asked us... begged

us, not to make it a state dinner.

Why?

So as not to put
French noses out of joint.

What's it got to do
with the bloody French?

Well, apparently de Gaulle
will resist us joining the EEC

if he thinks we're too
close to the Americans.

- So it's a small, informal dinner.
- Well, fine.

- Then it's a free-for-all seating-wise.
- Yes, I suppose it is.

In which case, I could move
Dickie next to my sister

and put myself next to the First Lady.

If you must.

Oh, well.

I must.

Thank you, gentlemen.

And you!

The President and First Lady
are arriving, ma'am.

Oh.

There you are.

Is it possible to think you could be
marginally less excited?

No.

Thank you very much.

Porchey, what on earth is going on?

They've all gone mad.

Here they come!

Madam First Lady,
welcome to Buckingham Palace.

- Thank you.
- Mr. President.

Hello.

Her Majesty's waiting for you
in the Blue Drawing Room.

There's a brief
reception before dinner.

Fantastic.

It's mass hysteria.
What extraordinary behavior.

Quite extraordinary.

- Ma'am.
- Thank you.

Darling!

For goodness' sake.

- Come on, it's like royalty.
- Oh. Very funny.

Gosh.

President first, President first.

Your Majesty.

- No curtsy.
- No curtsy.

- Mrs. Kennedy.
- Your Grace.

- Your Royal Highness.
- Mrs. Kennedy.

Good evening, Your Royal Majesty.

Oh, dear.

Oh, for goodness' sake.

Mr. President.

- Mr. President.
- Your Grace.

- Did they not get the protocol sheet?
- Yes!

He obviously didn't read it.

Yes, well. Shall we?

Uh...

Jackie.

- Where do you think she's going?
- Lord knows.

Mrs. Kennedy.
I believe you know our Prime Minister...

I feel like that went wrong
in about 10,000 different ways.

I've seen worse. Though
I'm not sure when.

- Drink?
- Please.

- Sorry, sir.
- Bloody shambles.

Hmm.

My heart goes out to him.

The word is that, behind closed doors

in Vienna, Khrushchev humiliated him,

ran rings round him,
treated him like a little boy.

No wonder the Cold War...

Sensuality... We won't go there!

No, we won't.

Oh, stop it.

- Ah.
- So, how was she?

Oh, terrific. She's divine.

- Is she?
- And frightfully clever.

Yes.

What are you doing?

- She wants a tour of the place.
- Does she?

- Well, then I'll do it.
- No, it's all right, she asked me.

No. It's my house. So I'll do it.

Mrs. Kennedy.

Are you OK there?

I hope my wife isn't, uh,
causing too much trouble.

You do know
you're the luckiest man on earth?

Yes.

Although people keep telling me
the same thing.

Sure.

Where are they going?

I've absolutely no idea.

Now, this is the Throne Room.

In the early years
of Queen Victoria's reign,

various balls and
concerts were held here,

but now it's principally used
for receptions,

investitures and the taking
of royal wedding photographs.

Shall we?

Now, this is the Picture Gallery.

This is my
great-great-great-great-grandfather,

George III, and he bought
Buckingham House in 1761

for his wife, Queen Charlotte.

Who's this?

Ah. That's one of the Pitts.
The Younger.

Known for something that's always rather

endeared me to him: Crippling shyness.

Apparently, he could barely
look people in the eye.

And yet he became our prime minister.

I quite understand.

I'm also a shy person by nature.

This leads to our private apartments.

It's a shortcut.

This is about as private as it gets
in this place.

It's where one feels most comfortable.

Oh, I quite understand.

You have to have somewhere to escape to.

I've often wondered how someone
who hates attention as much as I do

ended up in a goldfish bowl
like the White House.

But I realize there's actually
a perverse logic

to a cripplingly shy person
ending up in this position.

Oh, you'll have to
explain that one to me.

Well, a shy person will seek out
someone strong to protect them.

Yes. I'm with you so far.

And a strong character's often one
who enjoys public life.

Who thrives on it.

And then, before you know it,
the very person you've turned to

in order to protect you
is the very reason you are exposed.

Jack's idea of heaven is a crowd.

Campaigning, fund-raising, speechmaking.

That's when he comes alive.

He'd far sooner speak to 10,000 people
under the glare of spotlights

than be alone... with me.

And what's your idea of heaven?

I like my own company.
And to be alone in the countryside.

And where do you go?

A farm, Glen Ora, about an hour
from Washington.

Maryland?

- Virginia.
- Oh, yes.

Ah.

- Hello, Stuart.
- Ma'am.

- They're eating.
- Yes, ma'am.

Oh, goodness!

- Hello, puppies.
- Hello, what's your name?

Well, that's Sugar.

And these are her puppies.

Come here, come here, little one.

- Whiskey and Sherry.
- Hello.

Oh, you're very clever to be cautious.

Oh, it's really one of the great
paradoxes of being in a position

where I have to talk
to a great many people,

but deep down, I'm
happiest with animals.

That makes two of us.

I always think my sister
would've made, if not the better,

the more natural First Lady.

Oh, mine too. A born queen.

And the greatest of British queens.
In her own mind, anyway.

Hmm.

No, I liked her very much.
And I'd been all set to loathe her.

But in the end, I was utterly charmed.

- It's a timely reminder.
- Of what?

Well, that people are
so rarely what they seem.

Well, then I don't know
what Patrick was talking about.

- Patrick?
- Plunket.

- I saw him last night at Tartuffe.
- Oh, is that a restaurant?

It's a play, dear.
A very famous French play.

- Oh, I knew that.
- Did you?

- Yes, it's a classic tragedy.
- Farce.

- By Pissarro.
- Molière.

- Oh.
- Pissarro was a painter!

When was the last time you
even went to the theater?

Or a gallery?

Or even read a book?

Oh, you're a savage.

Oh, thank you.

What about Patrick?

Well, Patrick had dinner
at the Radziwills' last week,

where your new best friend, Mrs.
Kennedy, was also a guest.

He called me this morning to
tell me some of the things

he'd overheard her say at dinner.

Oh, what did she say?

You'd have to ask Patrick.

I must say, it did seem a little unkind.

You know how reported speech
gets twisted in the re-telling.

I'm quite sure it was nothing.

Don't worry!

General salute!

Present arms!

Shoulder arms!

Order arms!

About turn!

- Patrick.
- Your Majesty.

It's so kind of you to come.

- It's really not far.
- Are you still just round the corner?

- At Wellington Barracks?
- I am.

And are you still traveling up
and down the country,

recruiting for all the regiments
from the top schools?

That's me.

I gather...

you saw the First Lady
at dinner recently.

- Who?
- Mrs. Kennedy.

- Margaret mentioned it.
- Did she?

Yes.

So how was that?

Pleasant enough. Uneventful.

- You know how it is at the Radziwills'.
- No, I don't.

Well, the food's always good.

Yes, well, I wasn't
asking about the food.

I'd like to know what was said.

Patrick, we grew up together

and we've always had a very frank
and a very open relationship.

- Yes, ma'am.
- Yes, so...

Let's not break the habit of a lifetime.

All right.

What I overheard the First Lady say...

and I should mention,
I was several places along the table.

- It's possible that I misheard.
- Yes.

Was that she found Buckingham Palace

second-rate, dilapidated and sad.

Like a neglected provincial hotel.

And that one came away
with a sense of a tired institution

without a place in the modern world.

I see.

And did she have anything
to say about me?

- Oh, Lilibet.
- Patrick!

I was at the other end
of the table, I...

But the words I think
I overheard were...

that in our head of state, we had...

a middle-aged woman...

so incurious, unintelligent
and unremarkable...

that Britain's new reduced place
in the world was not a surprise,

but an inevitability.

Well...

We must have her again soon.

Bad news, I'm afraid. Worse than bad.

Regarding Nkrumah's Volta Dam project.

President Kennedy's pulled out.

Why?

American involvement was conditional

upon Ghana having severed all ties
with the Russians.

Turns out Nkrumah was
in Moscow yesterday

to receive the Order of Lenin,

highest military honor.

From Khrushchev himself.

- And what's the next step?
- I wish I knew.

I wish I had an ace up my sleeve.

The way President Kennedy
had his First Lady in Paris?

Why don't you send me?

Where?

To Ghana. On what would be seen
as a personal trip.

Absolutely not.

That would be out of
the question, ma'am.

Why?

A visit from the Crown to Ghana
would be seen as a huge compliment.

Too great a compliment.

It would be singling out Ghana
as a preferred nation.

And doing so, we risk alienating
Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanganyika.

But surely, by singling out Ghana,
that might be just the thing

to keep Nkrumah away from the Russians
and in the Commonwealth.

Perhaps, but as queen,
you cannot be seen

to be engaging
in the dirty business of politics!

But as head of the Commonwealth,

can I not be permitted
just once to defend it?

Your Majesty.

It would be unsafe.
It would be provocative.

It would be, in my view,

a profound misjudgment
to get on that plane.

"The trip is impossible
to justify from any angle.

It is unethical, unconstitutional,

and indefensible that the Queen
should be going at all."

Well, what would you have me do?
Nothing?

I certainly wouldn't have you
get into a chess match

with a wily operator like Nkrumah.

You're just being cynical.

And you're being naive!

When you last met him,
Nkrumah was just... Nkrumah.

Now he's The Lion of Africa, playing

the Soviets off against the Americans,

and you're a lamb
the lion will have for lunch.

The best thing you can
do is stay at home

and be what you're supposed to be.

- A puppet?
- A constitutional monarch!

- A puppet.
- If you like.

Well, that's the whole point.
I don't like.

Sir? She's here.

Thank you. They're lovely.

Shall we, ma'am?

- Stop.
- Stop.

Uh, one moment, please, ma'am.

Yes.

Reporters.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Your Majesty,
Ghana welcomes you. Humbly.

Yes.

- We're very happy to be here.
- Of course.

Back, back, back, back, back. Back!

Ready?

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Thank you.

Well, you've given him
the photo he wanted.

That'll be on the front page
of every African newspaper,

making every other African leader
choke with jealousy.

Yes, well, as long as it does the trick.

Adeane here. Put him through.

- I have a secure line to Ghana.
- Yes, sir.

I thought he'd agreed
to suspend all contact with the Soviets.

- Apparently not.
- Ready for you, sir.

Gentlemen? Thank you.

Thank you.

Out.

Hello?

Your Majesty.

Prime Minister.

I've just received confirmation that

a team of international engineers

has arrived in Ghana to begin
work on Nkrumah's dam.

Well...
I'd say that's good news, isn't it?

We encouraged the Americans
to go back to Nkrumah.

Soviet engineers, ma'am.

It appears Nkrumah has been playing us

all off against one another.

- What?
- Leading us a merry dance.

I'm afraid you've been used, ma'am.

Just as we'd feared.

Elizabeth! What's happened?

Evening, sir. Martin.

Ah! Ah! Ah!

I wouldn't, if I were you.

Sir?

She's asked to be alone.

She says she's thinking.

Ma'am.

What's going on?

What are you doing?

Elizabeth?

Yes, this is Colonel Charteris.

We have Martin Charteris
on the telephone.

A situation is developing in Ghana.

Hello?

What are you doing? Elizabeth?

I think we both understand
the significance of this moment.

Yes.

But do we understand the terms?

They appear to be in some
kind of negotiation.

- What kind of negotiation?
- Get her out of there!

Your Majesty?

Oh, Lord!

What's going on?

He's taken her hand.

Two, three, four!

They're... dancing.

Our Queen is dancing, sir.

With an African.

What? Was this agreed?

Was this agreed?

This was definitely not agreed.

- What are they doing?
- What are they doing?

Hard to say.

I believe it's the foxtrot.

The foxtrot, sir.

Ladies and gentlemen,
the man I am proud to call

the 35th President of the United States,

but even more proud to call my brother,

John F. Kennedy.

Thank you, Bobby.

What is it to be an American today?

Prosperous, powerful, privileged.

Certainly.

And yet, it is also troubling.

I look around me and find our people
divided as never before.

Indeed, as at no time
since our Civil War.

There has been a change, a slippage,

in our moral
and our intellectual strength.

Blight has descended on
our regulatory agencies and a dry rot,

beginning in Washington,
is seeping into every corner of America.

Too many of us have lost our way,

our will and our sense
of historic purpose.

It is time for a renewal,
a new generation of leadership,

healing leadership,
but we cannot do it alone,

and so I am asking each of you
to be pioneers in this renewal,

in this healing, in the reclaiming
of great American values:

Freedom, tolerance
and equality of opportunity.

Then we can claim our position

and responsibilities
as leaders of a truly free world.

God bless you all, and God bless
the United States of America!

Thank you. Thank you.

Thanks.

- Thank you, sir.
- Fantastic.

You've made this evening worthwhile.

Ladies, if you'd like
to step over here.

Sure.

When the British royal
family visits a former colony,

it doesn't normally make news in the US.

But when Queen Elizabeth
dances with a former subject...

What's up, honey?

...a white monarch with an African
leader, the world pays attention.

And so too did Ghanaian leader
President Nkrumah himself.

Awed by the gesture, Nkrumah...

I'm going to Glen Ora
with the kids in the morning.

- It's not the weekend yet.
- ...that he was fast becoming allies...

It's Wednesday.
It's weekend enough for me.

Don't be like that.

Don't you take away my dignity
and then tell me how to be.

I just wanted to thank you, that's all.

For the second time in recent weeks,
you've been instrumental

in changing a significant matter
of foreign policy.

And an African state that was fast

running into the arms of the Communists

has been turned around
and kept in the West.

Oh. What does that have to do with me?

Dreary Queen Thick-Ankles?

- What?
- Her Majestic Dullness?

The Incurious Crown?

Apparently, just some of the things you

said about her at a dinner in London,

which then got back to Queen Elizabeth
and, it seems, spurred her on.

Without those insults, she wouldn't have

defied a Cabinet, risked her reputation

and gone to Ghana, against all advice,

to bring President Nkrumah
back on side, but she did.

Pulled off some incredible
stunt with a dance.

- And it's all thanks to you.
- They're ready for you.

Relax. It's not like
you'll run into her in Glen Ora.

Not Glen Ora, no.

But I am due back in London on my way
back from India and Pakistan.

Then my advice would be
don't go to Buckingham Palace.

- Sorry. "The provincial hotel."
- It's not so easy.

Her sister set up a lunch
last time we were in town.

Oh?

Oh, that should be fun.

Catfight!
I'll look forward to a full report.

Come on, Bobby.

We will shortly be reaching
a cruising altitude of 25,000 feet

and I'm pleased to say that we
anticipate clear and calm conditions

for the rest of our flight to London.

Your Majesty, some more international
reactions to the Ghana trip.

- Positive or negative?
- Overwhelmingly positive, ma'am.

Well, just a quick look, then.

So...

The New York Times calls it

"shrewd strategic maneuvering,

an example of impeccable
political brinkmanship."

The Australian papers are very impressed

with your commitment to the Commonwealth

and The Illustrated London News call

it "an outstanding personal success."

Hmm.

Gloating doesn't suit you.

The Ghanaian press
are calling you a socialist.

Hmm!

Goodness!

One more thing.

First Lady... Mrs. Kennedy.

What about her?

Um...

Her office has written requesting a

private audience with Your Majesty

prior to lunch on the 28th of March.

Whatever for?

Um, they didn't say.

- Where's the lunch?
- Buckingham Palace, ma'am.

Well, let's make the
audience Windsor Castle.

Sometimes only a fortress will do.

Windsor Castle.

Eyes front!

Hold your line!

On the right, march!

Make way for the Queen's Guard!

Left, right, left...

Good afternoon, Mrs. Kennedy.

This way, please.

Left, right, left, right...

This way, Mrs. Kennedy.

Mrs. Kennedy. This way, please.

Mrs. Kennedy, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty. Thank you for seeing me.

Mrs. Kennedy.

Do sit down.

Thank you.

Shall we have tea?

I asked to speak to you in private
ahead of our lunch on Friday

because I owe you an apology.

Whatever for?

I think we both know
the answer to that question.

Thank you.

At a social occasion,
shortly after our last visit,

I... I made some comments,

some foolish comments

which I believe got back to you.

There really is no need for this.

Reports that you'd said...

certain things did get back to me.

And I'll confess
to being momentarily surprised,

since they in no way reflected
what I understood to be the spirit

of our meeting.

But in this job, I've learned,
as I'm sure you have too,

not to take things too seriously.

People say things
for all sorts of reasons,

which get misquoted or misunderstood
and, before you know it,

those words have turned
into something quite different

and everyone's upset or up in arms.

I'm quite sure that you meant
no harm, nor disrespect.

After all, why would you?
We barely know one another.

Still, it was inexcusable so I can't

offer an excuse but, if you'll allow me,

I'd like to offer an explanation.

Yes, of course.

Last time we were in London,
Jack and I probably seemed,

at least from the outside,
to be riding on a high.

Yes, I should say so.

The most celebrated
and most famous couple in the world.

The truth is that I was still suffering
from post-natal problems

after the birth of our son,
and Jack had his own health issues.

To say we were strained
would be an understatement.

So, when we got to Paris...

...I don't mind telling you,

I took some pleasure in shining there.

Then, at the Élysée Palace...

I am the man who accompanied
Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris...

I enjoyed it.

Jack didn't appreciate being upstaged.

- Behind closed doors...
- I can imagine.

There were other factors, too.

Our doctor.

Dr Jacobson routinely administers us

his "cocktails" before major trips.

Vitamins.

But other substances too.

To help pep us up or...

calm us down.

On the occasion of that dinner,
he had given me something.

A little... booster.

There were these beautiful paintings.

I told him I needed cheering up.

But I guess it loosened my tongue.

And then I heard some of these
terrible things got back to you and...

I can't tell you how much distress
it's caused me.

The idea that I might've
upset someone I admire so much.

That's very kind of you to say.

It's true.

The way you do your job,
the way you cope with the pressure,

the personal sacrifices you've made,

not to mention
your composure and dignity.

As a woman, it's so inspiring.

And what you just did in Ghana.

It was just extraordinary.

What I should've said
was that I didn't do very much in Ghana.

I got on a plane and I went.

And the only reason I went

was because I felt utterly useless
in comparison to you.

And I was trying to compete.

And if anything, I owe you
a huge debt of gratitude.

But I didn't.

I just sat there.

And I let her say her piece.

- And savored your victory.
- Yes.

And what do you want from me
now? A ticking-off?

Well, don't you think
I'm deserving of one?

- No.
- But she was so broken.

And fragile and lost.

You did exactly the right thing.

She insulted you, all of us,
and you're not a saint.

- No.
- We know that already.

There's ice in those veins
when there needs to be.

Yes.

Well, three cheers to that.

Last one, ma'am,
but she's a big heavy one.

Right, pick up the slack.

Yes.

That's it, you got it. Daniel!

- No, it's caught.
- Keep going up the hill.

- Ma'am.
- What is it?

You're needed back at the house.

Right.

- What's going on?
- I dunno, lad.

Something's happened.

Ma'am.

There was absolute
pandemonium around the scene.

People screamed and lay down
on the ground as shots were heard.

Reporters saw President Kennedy lying

flat on his face on the seat of his car.

Men and women were screaming.

He saw blood on the President's head.

This is all we have
here in Washington at this moment.

And for the moment, I return you
to Radio Newsreel in London.

Hello, London.
I've just heard from Dallas

that the President is still alive

but in critical condition.

He was apparently shot in the head

and the Governor of Texas, Governor
Connally, was shot in the chest.

Mrs. Kennedy was weeping,
trying to hold up her husband's head,

when the reporters reached the car
as it dashed toward the hospital.

Vice President Lyndon Johnson
was in the car behind the President.

Blood transfusions are
being given to President Kennedy.

However, one of the two priests
called into the room

has administered
the Last Sacrament of the Church

to President Kennedy.

Mrs. Kennedy
and Mrs. Connally are stunned,

but they are at the bedsides
of their husbands.

He's dead.

Late yesterday afternoon...

Didn't you say how unhappy she was?

In the marriage?

- Yes.
- ...accompanied the fallen President,

- her clothes still...
- That's the thing about unhappiness.

...of this most unthinkable
and senseless crime...

All it takes is for something worse
to come along...

...taken in a gray naval ambulance...

...and you realize it was
actually happiness after all.

...conveyed into the hospital in plain

sight of thousands of waiting mourners

as disbelieving and shaken,
tonight, as our entire nation.

She's still wearing the same clothes!

Couldn't they have found her
something else?

The President's casket
was transferred...

She's covered in her husband's blood.

Relatives and loved ones
joined the grieving Mrs. Kennedy

for a private mass in the East Room...

No, I think it's deliberate.

...before the body is moved
to the Rotunda of the Capitol.

The last day in the life of the first

Catholic President of the United States.

Where are you going?

Lyndon Johnson,
sworn in on Air Force One,

less than 100 minutes

after the official death
of President Kennedy...

He begins his work
as the 36th President...

- Your Majesty.
- Michael.

I'd like everyone in the royal household

to observe a full week
of court mourning.

And I would like the bell rung
at Westminster Abbey.

Ma'am, custom dictates

that the bell only be rung...

When a member of the
royal family dies.

I know.

But I would like it to be rung
every minute, for an hour,

from eleven o'clock until midday.

Yes, ma'am.

...join President Johnson

in his prayer for God's help.

May we all find some light and hope

in the darkness of the days
that lie ahead.