"I had been in so many towns and cities in America with John Kennedy, but I was not with him in Dallas, Texas, on November 21, 1963"
- Pierre Salinger
About this Quote
Pierre Salinger's quote about not being with John F. Kennedy in Dallas on November 21, 1963, carries an extensive sense of reflection and historical weight. Salinger, working as Press Secretary for Kennedy, was typically by the President's side during his significant travels throughout the United States. His statement highlights the regular nature of their journeys, accentuating the uncommon and fateful nature of his lack on that particular day, which would become one of the most critical in American history.
The mention of "a lot of towns and cities in America" evokes the comprehensive reach of Kennedy's administration and the energetic public engagements characteristic of his presidency. Kennedy was understood for his charisma and direct connection with the American public, which Salinger, essential to the administration's interaction strategies, facilitated and experienced firsthand.
The choice of words, particularly highlighting the particular date of November 21, 1963, serves to underline the impending tragedy that would occur just a day later, on November 22, in Dallas, Texas, when Kennedy was assassinated. This subtly infuses the quote with an aura of what might be interpreted as survivor's guilt or the haunting randomness of historical occasions-- Salinger was missing, and therefore spared, from seeing the distressing occasion that changed the nation.
Furthermore, Salinger's omission of details about why he wasn't present welcomes contemplation on the unforeseeable nature of tasks and duties. That a figure so carefully associated with the President was absent at such an important point reminds us of the typically unpredictable, almost approximate scenarios that form historic narratives.
In essence, Salinger's words communicate a deeply individual connection to a terrible historic minute while supplying a poignant reflection on the capricious nature of life and history, marking how individual experiences link with nationwide memory.
"In the year since we brought things into the open with a clean breath of fresh air at City Hall, we have learned about corrupt spending practices and unethical conflicts of interest that waste your money... and keep Dallas from being the great city of our dreams"
"I naturally wanted to be saved, so when I came home I told my mom I wanted to be confirmed. That's the way I related to it, being raised an Episcopalian. I went to Dallas and got confirmed"
"The impetus behind going to graduate school was a year after graduating from college spent in Dallas working at the dog food factory and Bank America and not having met success in my chosen field, which at that point was being an actress"
"But there is so much more to do for the city we love... a Dallas with roads as strong as our businesses, parks as beautiful as our children, a downtown as tall as our imagination"
"I have talked to Debbie Hammond quite a bit, Jim Hammond's wife, his widow. I've seen their kids. And last time we played Dallas, a lot of them came over. It's hard for them to come see the show. It's still hard"
