Sixty years ago, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Gerald R. Ford was asked by President Lyndon Johnson to serve on the Warren Commission.  Known officially as the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, the Warren Commission was led by Chief Justice Earl Warren and included six additional members from both the Republican and Democratic parties: Richard Russell, Jr., John Sherman Cooper, Hale Boggs, Allen Dulles, John J. McCoy, and Gerald R. Ford.

In June 1964, Ford traveled to Dallas, Texas, with other members of the Commission to tour the Texas School Book Depository and interview Jack Ruby.  (Ruby had murdered Lee Harvey Oswald two days following the assassination of Kennedy.)  Here is a page from Ford’s notes taken during that visit.

The final report of the Commission was presented to President Johnson on September 24, 1964, wherein the group concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone.

Gerald Ford would go on to publish “Portrait of the Assassin” based on his work on the Warren Commission. He would defend the work and conclusions of the Warren Commission for the rest of his life, outliving all other members of the Commission. The issuance of this press release in 1966 is just one example.

Author: Brooke Clement