No-Agents-On-The-Limousine "Policy"

The Warren Commission was puzzled, as were select members of the media and the public. Why were no agents posted on the back of the limousine, on November 22, 1963, holding the hand rails built for just that purpose? Or, at the very least, why weren't the agents walking or running beside the car? After all, in most people's minds, agents had performed these functions since at least the days of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, if not beforehand. In response to the Warren Commission's justifiable curiosity on this subject, Secret Service Chief James J. Rowley had agents Jerry Behn, Floyd Boring, Emory Roberts, John Ready, and Clint Hill wrote reports of their experiences with the President concerning this matter of security (why Roy Kellerman, the nominal agent in charge of the Dallas trip, and the numerous other Texas agents weren't asked is unstated). Oddly, nothing is mentioned specifically about 11/22/63, as was requested by the Commission.

At first glance, all five reports appear to support the notion that President Kennedy did noot want agents on or near the rear of his limousine:

Special Agent In Charge (SAIC) of White House Detail (WHD) Gerald A. "Jerry" Behn, not on the Texas trip, stated unequivocally in his report (dated 4/16/64; the fourth report to Rowley) that JFK "told me that he did not want agents riding on the back of his car" during several trips all the way back to November 1961, without referencing any trips in 1962 or 1963. Behn, the number one agent in JFK's Secret Service detail, mentions the trip to Bonham, Texas in November 1961, yet this was for the non-motorcade funeral of Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and a hardtop vehicle without steps for the agents was used, rendering any alleged instructions moot, as the car was protected.

Behn also mentions the trip to Seattle, Washington during this same period. While the car was a rented Lincoln Continental without rear grab handles or platforms for the agents, again making any alleged instructions moot, to more than compensate for this situation, the Secret Service protected the motorcade with hundreds of Seattle policemen guarding rooftops, as well as lining the parade route and mingling in the crowds.

In addition, Behn discusses JFK's famous trips to Mexico City in 1962 and to Berlin in 1963. However, since agents did indeed ride on or near the rear of the limo during these high-profile motorcades, Behn brought these trips up only in the context of both the president's desire to meet the people and his seeming disapproval of an instance of security that was invoked on each trip. Still, the net effect of the mere mention of these trips was the presentation of a small mosaic of presidential disapproval. Taken at face value and coming from the leader of the White House Detail, the man who was the direct pipeline to the President, this alleged presidential edict seems to be an authoritative and conclusive fact.

However, during the course of three exclusive interviews with the author on 9/27/92, Mr. Behn dropped an unexpected bombshell:

"I don't remember Kennedy ever saying that he didn't want anybody on the back of his car."

Before the author could catch his breath, Behn added that newsreel footage from the period will bear him out on this point, one example being the June 1963 trip to Berlin (there are many others from 1961 to 1963): "I think if you watch the newsreel pictures you'll find agents on there from time to time," Behn said. Again, Behn was the number one agent in the Kennedy detail and he was forceful, matter of fact, and unequivocal to a complete stranger — the author — on the phone (luckily for history, Behn consented to being taped, as he died of cancer 4/21/93).

Mr. Behn's reputation was and is impeccable: former Agent Maurice G. Martineau told the author on 9/21/93: "No one that I can think of would have been better positioned to give you information than Jerry Behn ... (he was) as well informed as anyone I can think of that you could contact." Behn garnered the utmost respect from his colleagues that the author spoke with, making his unequivocal statements to the author that repudiated his own report of crucial importance. Remember, Behn, who served in the agency from 1939-1967 and who became the number one agent for JFK and LBJ, passed away over a decade before one of his men, Gerald Blaine, a "buck private," so to speak, who only served from 1959-1964, wrote his book, The Kennedy Detail. Behn is also on record stating that JFK's staff did not pose any unique problems versus other presidential staffs he dealt with.

Mr. Behn ended his report to Rowley by stating, "As late as November 18 [1963] ... he [JFK] told ASAIC Boring the same thing [or so Boring claimed]."

Assistant Special Agent In Charge (ASAIC) Floyd M. Boring, also not on the Texas trip, dealt primarily with the 11/18/63 Tampa, Florida trip in his report (dated 4/8/64; the first report to Rowley), while also mentioning the 7/2/63 Italy trip, alleging that President Kennedy made this request for both stops. Boring made the Florida trip in place of Mr. Behn in his position as the number two agent in Kennedy's Secret Service detail. Boring was also a respected veteran of the agency, serving from 1944 to 1967 and was decorated for valor regarding his role in protecting another president during an assassination attempt involving multiple shooters: the attempt on President Harry Truman at Blair House in Washington, D.C. on 11/1/50.

Then, in yet another alarming contradiction, Boring exclaimed to the author on 9/22/93:

"No, no, no-that's not true ... [JFK] was a very easy-going guy ... he didn't interfere with our actions at all. He actually – No, I told them ... He didn't tell them anything ... He just – I looked at the back and I seen these fellahs were hanging on the limousine – I told them to return to the car."

The author reiterated the point – Mr. Boring was still adamant that JFK never issued any orders to the agents. Remember, Boring is admitting it came from him, and not JFK! With regard to exactly who makes the decision regarding the agents' proximity to the President, Agent Jerry Parr told Larry King: "I would say it was the agent in charge who makes that decision." (Boring's cousin, Kimberly Ann...