End of Innocence- November 1963

Something to Be Thankful For!

Seated behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office, Lyndon Johnson appeared pensive and subdued as he prepared to deliver brief remarks to the nation. It was 6:15 p.m., and LBJ was only in the third full day of his presidency.

Taking a deep breath as the "go live" count down began.....three, two, one.......

ON THE AIR flashed

"Tonight, on this Thanksgiving, I come before you to ask your help, to ask your strength, to ask your prayers that God may guard this Republic and guide my every labor," he began. "All of us have lived through seven days that none of us will ever forget. We are not given the divine wisdom to answer why this has been, but we are given the human duty of determining what is to be, what is to be for America, for the world, for the cause we lead, for all the hopes that live in our hearts. As a great leader fights to survive; a great nation must move on. Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose. I am resolved that we shall win the tomorrows before us. So I ask you to join me in that resolve determined that from this midnight of tragedy we shall move toward a new American greatness. More than any generation before us we have cause to be thankful, so thankful, on this Thanksgiving Day.

Our harvests are bountiful, our factories flourish, our homes are safe, our defenses are secure. We live in peace; the goodwill of the world pours out for us. But more than these blessings we know tonight that our system is strong--strong and secure. A deed that was meant to tear us apart has bound us together. Our system has passed, you have passed, a great test. You have shown what John F. Kennedy called upon us to show in his proclamation of this Thanksgiving, that decency of purpose, that steadfastness of resolve, and that strength of will which we inherit from our forefathers. What better conveys what is best for America than this."

Determined to build the stage of his own legacy and set the tone for his presidency apart from the tragedy that the nation was still enduring, President Johnson continued,

"And to honor a great man and the future of the work that he started, I have today determined that Station No. 1 of the Atlantic Missile Range and the NASA Launch Operation Center in Florida shall hereafter be known as the John F. Kennedy Space Center. I have also acted today with the understanding and the support of my friend, the Governor of Florida, Farris Bryant, to change the name of Cape Canaveral. It shall be known hereafter as Cape Kennedy.

On this Thanksgiving Day as we gather in the warmth of our families, in the mutual love and respect which we have for one another and as we bow our heads in submission to Divine Providence, let us also thank God for the years that He gave us inspiration through His servant.

Let us today renew our dedication to the ideals that are American.

Let us pray for His Divine wisdom in banishing from our land any injustice or intolerance or oppression to any of our fellow Americans, whatever their opinion, whatever the color of their skins, for God made all of, not some of us, in His image. All of us, not just some of us, are His children.

Let us pray for our great leader and friend John F. Kennedy. May His hands touch him and heal him, for his promises of tomorrow are still ours to accomplish today.

And finally, to you as your President, I ask that you remember your country and remember me each day in your prayers and I pledge to you that I will go to work for a new American greatness--a new day when peace is more secure--when justice is more universal, when it is made more strong in every home of all mankind.

Thank you and good night."

***EARLIER THAT DAY***

The night had been a long one for Jackie and Bobby as their return to Texas had been met with the first of many answered prayers.