By Laura Kintz, Audiovisual Metadata Cataloger
In early June of 1963, President John F. Kennedy embarked on a whirlwind tour through several locations in the Southwestern United States. Over the course of five days, from June 5 to June 9, he visited Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, California, and Hawaii. We are pleased to announce that all White House Photographs documenting this trip–numbering over 250–are now digitized in full. They are accessible online through the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s digital archives.
President Kennedy’s activities during this trip were varied—and hurried. After departing from Washington, D.C., around 9:30am on June 5, the President landed in Colorado Springs, Colorado—where it was still morning, in Mountain Time. He delivered the commencement address at the United States Air Force (USAF) Academy and toured the school’s campus, before making a brief stop at the headquarters of the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).
From Colorado Springs, the President flew to New Mexico to view demonstrations at White Sands Missile Range—a visit that lasted less than three hours. After a short helicopter ride, he landed in El Paso, Texas, and by the next morning, he was on his way to San Diego, California.
The President had a full agenda in San Diego on June 6. In the morning, he delivered the commencement address at San Diego State College and received an honorary degree. In the afternoon, he inspected facilities and recruits at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) and viewed training exercises. In the evening, he boarded a helicopter and flew a short distance out to sea, landing aboard the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier. Just an hour later, he was back on the helicopter, headed for another ship: the USS Kitty Hawk.
After a night spent on board the Kitty Hawk, President Kennedy flew back to dry land to deliver remarks at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, near Oxnard, California. Less than an hour later, he was back in the air, this time heading for the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) in China Lake, California. After viewing weapons demonstrations and touring the facility, the President flew via helicopter to Los Angeles. He closed out June 7 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where he attended a fundraiser and joined comedian Jack Benny to greet students attending their high school prom.
On Saturday, June 8, President Kennedy attended a breakfast hosted by the Women’s Division of the Democratic State Central Committee of California at the Hollywood Palladium, then spent the afternoon at the home of his brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, along the Pacific Coast Highway. After this brief respite, he returned to the Beverly Hilton to prepare for the final leg of his journey, to Honolulu, Hawaii.
The President departed Los Angeles on Saturday evening and touched down in Honolulu around 9pm, in the Hawaii–Aleutian Time Zone. After an airport arrival ceremony, he stayed the night at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, where he attended mass at Makalapa Chapel on Sunday morning. Over the course of the next 8 hours, he visited the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, rode in a motorcade through Honolulu, attended the U.S. Conference of Mayors at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel, and at the end of the day, bid farewell to the Aloha State.
To view other photographs from this trip, visit the online catalog using the links below:
Trip to Western States: President Kennedy at U.S. Air Force (USAF) Academy, Colorado
Trip To Western States: President Kennedy visits NORAD Headquarters, Ent Air Force Base, Colorado
Trip to Western States: White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
Trip to Western States: El Paso, Texas
Trip to Western States: Point Mugu, California, Naval Air Station (NAS)
Trip to Western States: China Lake, California, (Naval Air Facility) NAF
Trip to Western States: Honolulu, Hawaii, arrival at Honolulu International Airport, 9:10PM
Trip to Western States: Honolulu, Hawaii, visit to USS Arizona Memorial, 2:40PM
Trip to Western States: Honolulu, Hawaii, motorcade, 3:15PM
Trip to Western States: Honolulu, Hawaii, departure from Honolulu International Airport, 5:35PM
My great wish has been to see a PBS rebroadcast of the JFK Press Conferences. The President was a magical speaker. His memory is being lost and this would allow so many to witness and appreciate President Kennedy at his finest and funniest.
So get them broadcast. I was a school kid and was mad at him every time he would have a press conference during the school day. I wanted to tell him, “Mr President, It’s not fair! I’m in school during your press conferences and can’t see them.” There was no recording of videos back then.
Even as a kid I enjoyed his humor and the obvious relish he showed chatting with reporters. In those days of nuclear saber rattling, his voice and demeanor in those press conferences made me feel safer. Just his smile was a comfort.
I’ve always wondered if we still have copies of the press conferences and why we’ve never seen them again. Can’t you at least put them on YouTube? Then, when some pseudo-president breaks our hearts, we could see Jack on TV to renew our hope and faith.
And Jack, drawing aside the veil of clouds, would see our courage and smile.
[…] Memorial. For a complete photographic tour of the President’s stops in the southwest, see JFK Goes West: President Kennedy’s June 1963 Trip to Western States by Laura Kintz, Audiovisual Metadata Cataloger (The JFK Library Archives: An Inside Look […]
From the day before I was born President John F. Kennedy had begun his five tour. And on the day I was born he left on a flight from Texas to San Diego California. He rode in a motorcade along El Cajon Boulevard and arrived SDSU where he delivered an address. He continued on with the rest of his tour trip around until 9th June.
All the press conferences are on You Tube on David Von Pein’s JFK Channel. This is the first link. Yes. They are a wonder and a brilliant time capsule.
Oops. They won’ t allow a link. Again, the channel on You Tube is David Von Pein’s JFK Channel. Enjoy.
I was an AO2 with VA-196, a Squadron of A1 H/J Sky Raiders in June 1963. I, and three or four others in the Squadron were sent aboard the USS Oriskany with 1 of our Aircraft. No one would tell us anything about what we were doing, just that we could not be told. When we went to bed that night were were alone at sea with our normal escort. In the Morning I went on the flight deck and could see ships of several types all over the place. We were told to get the aircraft cleaned up, which was just a wipe down with hydraulic fluid to make it shine and to be on the hanger deck at a certain time and stand by the plane. As we were standing there, in formation in front of the Aircraft, this crowd of people came walking down the hanger deck to where we were. They stopped for a moment then continued on. That was my meeting of JFK.