“The only sounds you could hear- sounds that would remain forever in my memory- were the clip-clop of the horses’ hooves and the repetitive cadence of the military corps’ muffled drums, all the way to the capitol.”[1] -Clint Hill, Jackie’s secret service agent.
[1] Clint Hill, “Jackie Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent Remembers JFK’s Funeral,” Town & Country, November 22, 2016, https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a8643/jackie-kennedy-secret-service-jfk-assassination/.
President John F. Kennedy’s funeral was held just three days after his death on November 25, 1963. Jackie wished to walk behind the caisson from the White House to the service at St. Mathews and then to Arlington National Cemetery with fellow world leaders as the final honorary send off for J.F.K. Her secret service agent, Clint Hill, would not allow it as it was an incredibly high security risk to have a number of important political leaders walking openly through the streets and so Mrs. Kennedy only walked from the White House to St. Mathews.[1] Nearly 300,000 Americans lined the streets of Washington D.C. to mourn but when everyone had gone home Mrs. Kennedy returned to Arlington Cemetery with Bobby Kennedy and two secret service agents, Clint Hill and Paul Landis. This intimate, silent moment was not included in the film Jackie but there is a scene following the funeral when Jackie looks out of a car window at night and sees countless mannequins dressed like her. This illudes to the isolation of Jackie as this pragmatic figure of style and eloquence yet so tragic and private behind closed doors.
[1] Clint Hill, “Jackie Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent Remembers JFK’s Funeral,” Town & Country, November 22, 2016, https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a8643/jackie-kennedy-secret-service-jfk-assassination/.
Sources:
Hill, Clint. “Jackie Kennedy’s Secret Service Agent Remembers JFK’s Funeral.” Town & Country, November 22, 2016. https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/politics/a8643/jackie-kennedy-secret-service-jfk-assassination/.
JFK Funeral. YouTube, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZLsaI0EGSI.
Keystone-France. “Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy with Their Sister in Law Jacqueline…” Getty Images. Accessed November 10, 2020. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/robert-kennedy-and-edward-kennedy-with-their-sister-in-law-news-photo/150044223?adppopup=true.
