Special thanks to Ray Robinson and Jeff White for sharing this story from a recent edition of Wavescan
Jeff: A few weeks back at the beginning of August, we brought you the story of the early beginnings of AFN in Europe. Perhaps as portrayed in the movie ‘Good Morning Vietnam’, there has been a general misconception that news carried on AFN or other AFRTS services was subject to government censorship. While that may have been the case in the active theater of war in which AFVN operated, it has not been the case with AFN since the end of World War II. However, AFN certainly had its challenges with news coverage in times of tragedy, and Ray Robinson again brings us a story about this, which was first published in AFN’s Silver Jubilee magazine in 1968.
Ray: Thanks, Jeff. At 1934 hours local time on the evening of 22 November 1963, a short, one-sentence news item clacked out of a teletype machine in the AFN studios in Frankfurt, Germany. Quote – “Dallas, Nov. 22 (UPI) – Three shots were fired at President Kennedy’s motorcade today in Downtown Dallas.” – Unquote.
Thus, quietly, began one of the biggest programming challenges of AFN’s 25-year history.
Up until that moment, this had been a normal day at AFN. In fact, it had been unusually quiet on the news scene. The President’s visit to Texas had been getting quite a bit of play on the newscasts mainly because there wasn’t much else to report. The biggest activity of that day had little to do with the broadcasting routine. The program directors from around the Network were in Frankfurt for a conference.
Chief of Program Operations, Don Brewer, was giving a big dinner party at the Terrace Club in honor of the program directors. Cocktails were being served at 1934 hours. Station commander Lt. Col. Robert Cranston had spent the day in Heidelberg meeting with his superiors. He was still there at 1934 hours.
At the studios, MSG Lloyd Eyre was presenting the program ‘Music in the Air’, an hour of uninterrupted dinner music. The newsroom was lightly staffed. Work was soon to begin on the big 2200 newscast, but most of the staffers were still at supper. European Editor (later News Director) David Mynatt was in a neighboring office making final preparations for the program ‘Report from Europe’. It was to be aired right after ‘Music in the Air’ at 2000 hours, calling in AFN correspondents from around Europe. SP4 John Grimaldi was keeping an eye on the teletypes.
Ominous Bells
Grimaldi noticed the item from Dallas almost immediately. He was very interested but quite rightly did not push the panic button. The story did not say anybody had been hit by the shots. And it still was nearly half an hour until the next news broadcast. The best thing to do was stand by the machine and watch for further developments.
The bells on the machine clanged at 1939 and Grimaldi saw it rap out the stunning news. He stiffened in disbelief.
“FLASH FLASH KENNEDY SERIOUSLY WOUNDED PERHAPS FATALLY BY ASSASSINS BULLET.”
Grimaldi tore off the copy and ran to Mynatt who was on the telephone to an engineer in France. “Kennedy’s been shot!”
“Aw, come on” said Mynatt. The man in France agreed it was a joke. One look at the copy though, and Mynatt’s jocular mood changed. Without another thought, he ran down the corridor to the studio and told Eyre to put him on the air.
Emotional Voice
AFN listeners got the news at 1941. As it later developed, this was 11 minutes after the assassination and less than two minutes after the flash had been received in the AFN newsroom.
‘Music in the Air’ faded and Mynatt’s voice came on steadily as he said: “Ladies and Gentlemen, we interrupt this program for a special news bulletin. President Kennedy, on a visit to Dallas, Texas, has been reportedly seriously wounded – perhaps fatally.”
Then his voice broke with emotion as he said: “We’ll have more as soon as it is received here at AFN.”
Eyre’s voice displayed no emotion at all as he said: “Ladies and gentlemen, we continue with the program in progress.” ‘Music in the Air’ resumed.
PD’s Contacted
There was a strict rule at AFN that only the program director or his deputy could authorize the interruption of a program for a news bulletin. Mynatt knew perfectly well that he was violating this rule.
The news spread rapidly through the building. Somebody heard it on the monitor down in the lunchroom and spread the alarm. Newsmen left their food on the table and dashed upstairs. Somebody tried to get hold of Program Director Brewer at the Terrace Club but it was no easy job. First you had to wait for them to answer at the club office. Then somebody had to check which of several parties was AFN’s. Then he had to go there and try to find Brewer whom he did not know. It took agonizing minutes.
Another bulletin moved on the teletype giving more details. Mynatt grabbed it and made a second unauthorized seizure of the airwaves. “Again, we interrupt this program with more word on what has happened in Texas. President Kennedy and Governor John B. Conally of Texas were cut down by an assassins bullet as they toured Downtown Dallas in an open automobile. Mrs. Kennedy is reported to have jumped up and grabbed Mr. Kennedy. She cried ‘oh no!’ Then the motorcade sped on.”
Somebody heard the report in Heidelberg and relayed the word to Col. Cranston. He tried to get through to the station on the telephone.
When ‘Music in the Air’ signed off at 2000 hours, these two bulletins were all that had been put on the air. The next regularly scheduled program was a newscast, ‘Report from Europe’ reporting on European events of the day. Mynatt, with nothing else prepared, went through with this scheduled newscast, but including more brief special bulletins as they were received. Between those special bulletins, unfortunately listeners heard the workaday news of European politics which must have seemed rather irrelevant at that time.
‘Report from Europe’ signed off at 2015. By that time, Brewer had been reached at the Terrace Club and the party had instantly dissolved. He and all the other officials of the Network headed back to the studios.
President is Dead
Brewer gave the order on the phone that all normal programming was to be suspended until the story was wrapped up. At 2015, AFN switched to a format of music and bulletins, but it only lasted about five minutes. Mynatt immediately checked and found that the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) was picking up and transmitting by shortwave a CBS report direct from Dallas. It was put on the air.
And so it was at about 2025 AFN listeners got the first definite news the President was dead. The voice of newsman Allan Jackson was slow and grave as he said: “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States is dead. John F. Kennedy died of wounds received in assassination in Dallas less than an hour ago. We repeat. It has just been announced that President Kennedy is dead.”
Atlantic Cable
By now after many frustrating delays, Col. Cranston had finally gotten through to the Network from Heidelberg. He gave two orders:
1) start arranging immediately for cable connections to the U.S., and
2) make arrangements to keep the station on the air all night.
He was on his way back and would be there in an hour.
The Atlantic cable was engaged with a minimum of delay. This was fortunate, because shortwave reception was not good that night. It was alright during the first few minutes of its use, but it deteriorated rapidly after that to below broadcast quality.
The Network remained on the air through a long active night. Outstations were instructed to remain with the Network until further notice. Off-duty announcers and engineers were tracked down and told to come in for extra shifts. In the days that followed, the staff did an excellent job. The backbone of the operation was the Network coverage from the States. AFRTS switched from one network to another, presenting whichever it thought was producing the most interesting coverage at the moment. And thanks to the Atlantic Cable, listeners heard it as clearly as though they had been in their living rooms back in the USA.
Aftermath
During the next four days, AFN listeners heard interviews with assassination witnesses and with the police after the arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald. They heard reports of the return to Washington of the coffin, the swearing in of Lyndon B. Johnson as President and the new President’s request for “your help – and God’s.”
AFN was carrying a live report of Oswald’s prison transfer when he was shot down by Jack Ruby before the astonished eyes of the announcer. Finally, the Network carried the full drama of the funeral. This Washington observance was one of the first live television events to be relayed to Europe via satellite. Many Americans watched the event on German or French TV, but alongside AFN radio providing a commentary in English.
In 1963, the Atlantic Cable cost $4 a minute, and the Network stayed with it for four days. Round-the-clock coverage ceased after the funeral, but AFN programming was subdued for weeks afterwards. Christmas programming was introduced about the middle of December, and then after the holidays, the Network returned fully to normal.
There were other tragic events that AFN covered, such as the second Kennedy assassination in June 1968, and at all times, the Network endeavored to bring the news to its listeners ‘fast and factual’ without any government intervention of censorship in any way.
Back to you, Jeff.
(Ray Robinson/AWR Wavescan)
