Assassination of the thirty-fifth President of the United States John Kennedy occurred at the intersection of Houston Street and Elm Street in Dallas, Texas, as the motorcade turned to descend toward a railroad tunnel. The exact coordinate of the shots was the area Dealey Plaza, where the limousine moved diagonally, caught in crossfire from different directions, as recorded in Zapruder footage and in the Warren Commission reports. It was this section of the road, running between the Texas Book Depot building and the memorial, that became the epicenter of one of the most notorious political crimes of the 20th century, giving rise to many versions and conspiracy theories.
The route of the presidential motorcade was carefully planned to cover the maximum number of city residents, but the section Elm Street proved to be the most vulnerable to potential threats. At the time of the tragedy, the car Lincoln Continental The 1961 model traveled at a low speed, allowing the crowd to see the president but making him an easy target for snipers. Analysis of ballistic examinations confirms that the fatal shots were fired precisely at the moment of passing this particular point of urban development, where the security service's view was limited to architectural elements.
Event Location: Houston Street and Elm Turnoff
The key to understanding the geometry of the crime is the rotation of the tuple with Main Street on Houston Street and then a sharp 120-degree turn on Elm Street. This maneuver brought the limousine to a virtual standstill, reducing its speed to 11-15 miles per hour, which critically affected the security's ability to respond to emergency situations. Traffic along Houston Street passed in close proximity to the building where, according to the official version, Lee Harvey Oswald was located.
The angle of intersection of these two arteries created a unique ballistic trajectory that is still being studied by experts. Dealey Plaza is a triangular area bounded by several buildings, and it was the configuration of the streets in this place that allowed the attack plan to be carried out. It is important to note that traffic on Elm Street at that time passed under an overpass, which created an acoustic resonance effect and could distort the perception of the direction of the shots by witnesses.
⚠️ Warning: The exact location of the shots is a matter of debate, but the official version places the president in the area of Elm Street between the 200 and 300 blocks at the time he was fatally wounded.
To visualize the route and understand how the streets of Dallas played a role in the tragedy, consider the main points of movement of the motorcade:
- 📍 Main Street: The initial section of the route in downtown Dallas, where the largest crowd greeted the motorcade.
- 📍 Houston Street: The stretch of straight ahead before the final turn, where the first, presumably missed, shot was fired.
- 📍 Elm Street: The final stretch of the journey leading to the highway exit where the fatal events took place.
- 📍 Tri-Fork Ground: The railway junction to which the motorcade was heading at the end of the attack.
Timeline of traffic on the streets of Dallas
The movement of the presidential motorcade on November 22, 1963 was strictly time regulated, and every minute was scheduled. At 12:29 p.m., the motorcade turned from Main Street onto Houston Street, heading toward the Texas School Book Depository building. This part of the journey took only a few minutes, but it was here, at the intersection, that the final phase of the operation to escort the president began.
At 12:30 p.m. the limousine turned onto Elm Street. At this moment John Kennedy and his wife Jackie were in an open car, waving to the crowd. The seconds following the turn became fatal: there was a sound reminiscent of an engine exhaust or a firecracker, and then shots rang out, ending the life of the president. Secret Service records show that the security response began only after the vehicle had already passed the immediate risk area.
Below is a table showing the timing of events on specific streets and locations in downtown Dallas:
| Time(approx.) | Location / Street | Event | Tuple status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:29:00 | Main and Houston intersection | Turn onto Houston Street | Movement in the flow |
| 12:29:30 | Houston Street (block 100) | Driving past the book warehouse | Speed reduction |
| 12:30:00 | Crossroads of Houston and Elm | Turn on Elm Street | Sharp maneuver |
| 12:30:18 | Elm Street (before the tunnel) | Series of shots | Stopping/Slowing down |
| 12:30:25 | Elm Street (by the tunnel) | Departure for Parkland Hospital | Acceleration |
The critical moment was the turn onto Elm Street, where the speed of the limousine dropped to a minimum, and the viewing angle for security agents was blocked by the body of the car.
Texas Book Depository Building and Elm View
The centerpiece of the murder case is the building at 411 Elm Street, known as the Texas School Book Depository. According to the Warren Commission's findings, Lee Harvey Oswald took up a position on the sixth floor in the southeast corner of the building. The windows of this room faced directly onto Elm Street, providing a direct view of the motorcade's route as it turned.
The distance from the window on the sixth floor to the point where the president was at the time of the shots was approximately 60-80 meters. This distance was considered accessible for rifle shooting Carcano M91/38, especially considering that the target was moving slowly and was in an open part of the car. The architecture of the building allowed the shooter to remain unnoticed until the last moment, since the windows were partially obscured by blinds, and the building itself did not arouse suspicion among the guards.
There is a version that the trajectory of the bullet that passed through the body of the President and Governor Connelly (the so-called “mystery bullet”) could only be realized if the shooter was in this building and at the specified time. However, many researchers point out that the angle of entry of the bullet into Kennedy's body does not exactly coincide with the elevation angle of the window on the sixth floor, which gives rise to theories about the presence of a second shooter on the so-called "grassy knoll" (Grassy Knoll) located on the other side of Elm Street.
Details about "grassy knoll"
Grassy Knoll is a raised area north of Elm Street behind a concrete fence. Many witnesses claimed that the smoke from the shot came from there, and not from the book depository building.
The role of the secret service and errors on the route
Work Secret Service in Dallas came under severe criticism after the tragedy. The main mistake was the use of an open limousine in a city where threats against the president had previously been recorded. The route was published in newspapers in advance, which allowed any attackers to calculate the point of attack. The agents, riding on the running steps of the car, were unable to control the perimeter of buildings overlooking Dealey Plaza.
As he turned onto Elm Street, Security Agent Clint Hill was on the left running board of the car, but his attention was focused on the crowd on the left, not on the buildings on the right or the hill ahead. When the shots were fired, precious seconds were lost in realizing what was happening. Only after the second or third shot did Hill jump onto the trunk to shield the President and First Lady, but it was too late.
- 🚫 Lack of checking windows in buildings along the route.
- 🚫 Publication of the exact time and route of travel in open sources.
- 🚫 Insufficient number of agents on rooftops and at key vantage points.
- 🚫 Using an open car in a potential danger area.
⚠️ Attention: After the events in Dallas, security protocols were completely rewritten, and the use of open cars for heads of state in crowded places became almost impossible without special transparent hoods.
Lincoln Continental Limousine: technical details
The car the President was in was Lincoln Continental 1961 model code 100A. It was a heavy, powerful open-top car, specially modified for presidential motorcades. The car had a code SS-100-X and was equipped with a radio communication system, but at the time of the shots, communication between the vehicles of the motorcade was hampered by noise and turmoil.
The car's body was reinforced but did not have bulletproof glass or roof because the weather was clear in Dallas and the President insisted that people could see it. After the murder the car was sent to the factory Hess & Eisenhardt for deep modernization: it received a permanent bulletproof roof, reinforced armor and an oxygen supply system, becoming the prototype of modern presidential limousines.
☑️ Key characteristics of the SS-100-X in 1963
Evidence and street ballistic analysis
The streets of Dallas that day became a gathering place for hundreds of witnesses, whose testimony formed the basis of the investigation. People were on the sidewalks of Houston Street, hanging from the windows of buildings on Elm Street, and standing on a railroad trestle. Most of them heard three shots, but opinions about the direction of the sound were divided: some claimed that the sound came from behind (from the side of the book depository), others - from the front (from the side of the hill).
A ballistics test conducted by the FBI linked the shell casings and bullet found to a rifle seized from a building on the corner of Houston and Elm. However, analysis of time-lapse video by Abraham Zapruder, who filmed the event from the parapet on Elm Street, shows a sharp jerk of the president's head back and to the left at the moment of the final, fatal shot. This movement is often interpreted as the impact of a bullet coming from the front, which contradicts the theory of a single shooter from a building.
Modern computer simulations of trajectories conducted in the 1970s and 2000s have produced conflicting results. Some models confirm the possibility of a hit from a sixth-floor window under certain conditions, while others indicate the need for a second source of fire. Streets Dealey Plaza still preserve traces of these events, being a national historical monument.
When visiting the memorial in Dallas, pay attention to the white marks on the sidewalk of Elm Street - they indicate the approximate position of the limousine at the time of the three shots.
Heritage and modern look of Dealey Plaza
Today the area Dealey Plaza is part of the Dallas National Historic District. The building from which the shooting was believed to have taken place has been converted into a museum dedicated to the history of the murder and the era of the 60s. Tourists can go up to the sixth floor and look out the same windows that overlooked Elm Street, assessing the viewing angle and distance to the scene of the tragedy.
The streets that witnessed the assassination of John Kennedy have retained their configuration, although the traffic and buildings around them have changed. Elm Street is still an important transport artery, but the area near the memorial is often closed for commemorative events. For researchers and historians, the area remains an open laboratory, where every meter of road and every building has its own significance in the overall picture of the crime.
The question of which street and from what point the murder was committed remains one of the most debated in history. Despite official reports, Dallas street patterns and ballistics data continue to raise new questions, forcing the events of November 1963 to be revisited again and again.
Why was the motorcade driving so slowly down Elm Street?
The speed of movement was limited by the density of the crowd and the need for the president to greet people. In addition, the route included sharp turns, which physically did not allow for high speed, especially on a heavy limousine of that time.
Has the book depository building survived to this day?
Yes, the building at 411 Elm Street remains. In the 1990s, it was restored and turned into the Sixth Floor at Dealey Plaza, a museum dedicated to the events of November 22, 1963.
What is a "grassy knoll" and why is it important?
Grassy Knoll is a fenced-in area of the park northeast of the murder site. Many witnesses indicated that the smoke from the gunshot was coming from that direction, giving rise to the theory that a second shooter was acting in collusion with those in the building.
Is it possible to travel along the motorcade route now?
Yes, Main, Houston and Elm streets are regular city roads with active traffic. However, the Dealey Plaza area has speed restrictions and the area is a pedestrian zone with memorial signs.