Blaine Gerald - The Kennedy Detail

Gerald Blaine is interviewed for a Discovery Channel documentary. (0:19)
Source: Discovery Channel

While I am the author, this is not only my story. It is the story of all the United States Secret Service agents who served on the Kennedy White House Detail. I was not present when many of these events occurred, but have written the story using details provided by the agents who were involved. For that reason this book is written in the third-person narrative form.

The impact of John F. Kennedys assassination caused memories to remain at the forefront of every Kennedy Detail agents mind as they continued on with their careers and responsibilities. Some of the fifty-year-old memories have become blurry, while others were so painful they were buried long ago. Fortunately, most agents on the Kennedy Detail saved copies of their daily reports, expense accounts, investigations, and advance reports, many with scribbled notes regarding the Kennedy years. These helped jog recollections as this book was being written. In many cases agents went to the attic or basement to open boxes that had been sealed right after the assassination. Some of the deceased agents had written private memoirs of the Kennedy years that surviving family members provided. Where there were questions, archives and shift reports that are now public record were researched to fill in the blanks. Sometimes there were conflicts between archived reports and the agents personal daily reports. These were researched and resolved.

It is important to note that while the Secret Service agents operated as a unit, the majority of their work was done individually. Most security advances were conducted by one individual unless the agent was fortunate enough to have an assistant. Posts were individually manned. Thus, interface with the president, first lady, and the children were typically one-on-one encounters. Many of the personal stories included in the book are taken from those private moments that were so special to the agents who served the Kennedy family.

What you are about to read is the true story of the events leading up to and following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, from the perspective of the Secret Service agents who were there.

Since resigning from the Secret Service in 1964 I have made it a point to steer clear of political rallies. But when one of the candidates in the 2008 presidential election made a campaign stop near my home, I was curious. I wanted to see how the Secret Service had changed, how a potential United States president would be protected in todays society.

The speech was not scheduled to start until 7:00 P.M. , but when my wife, Joyce, and I arrived at 4:00, the parking lot was nearly full. The baseball stadium could seat twenty-one thousand people and it looked like half that many were already standing in lines that wrapped around the open-air arena and down the length of the adjoining football field. The crowd appeared excited and full of anticipation, but peaceful. Still, I had learned more than forty-five years ago to be skeptical of crowds, with their unpredictable nature. I knew how quickly events could change the mood, and suddenly I wondered whether I really wanted to go through with this.

Are you okay, Jerry? Joyce asked. It looks like the security process could take hours.

I wasnt sure whether Joyce was worried about my artificial hips holding up or that she could sense the anxiety that was slowly building inside me. She knew well my aversion to crowds.

Well, weve come this far, lets just see how it goes, I said. It looks like the forecasters might have gotten it right this time, though. Why dont you grab your umbrella?

There were two linesone for VIPs and one for the general public. Fortunately we had VIP passes that allowed us into the shorter of the two lines, but apparently we werent all that special. Even as the line moved steadily and orderly, it was an hour and a half before we reached the security checkpoint.

There was an elaborate security setup much like what youd go through at an airport. Sixteen officers from the Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration supervised the parcel check station and the four magnetometers that would detect any concealed metal. As Joyce stepped up to the screening area, one of the officers said, Im sorry, maam, but well have to take your umbrella.