Original subtitles

Mrs Kennedy?

They told me to come up

And I'm so sorry for your loss

Have you read what they've been writing?

Krock and Merriman and all the rest?

Yes, I have

Merriman is such a bitter man

It's been just one week

Already they're treating him like some dusty old artifact,

to be shelved away

That's no way to be remembered

And how would you like him remembered, Mrs Kennedy?

I

You understand that I will be editing this conversation?

Just in case I don't say exactly what I mean

With all due respect,

that seems very unlikely, Mrs Kennedy

Right Okay Uh

So, this will be your own version of what happened?

Exactly

Come in

I thought it was another backfire

I very nearly didn't go What if I'd been here

or out riding in Virginia somewhere?

Thank God I was with him

Why, "Thank God"?

Do you know what I think of history?

Of history?

I've read a great deal More than people realize

The more I read, the more I wonder

When something is written down,

does that make it true?

It's all that we have

Had

We have television now

At least people can see for their own eyes

That tour of the White House

that you did a couple of years ago for CBS,

I always assumed that you did that for

a purpose? No? After the fashion magazines?

You even won an Emmy

I didn't do that program for me

I did it for the American people

That program was my first glimpse

into the White House

and, for whatever it's worth, I thought you were excellent

Very poised Oh, thank you

You could have had a career as a broadcaster, I'm sure

What?

I'm sorry?

What did you say?

I said you could have a career

Could have had a career as a broadcaster

Are you giving me professional advice?

I'm

not

But I am sure that the whole country would like to know

what you're going to do next

I can assure you, not television

Welcome to the White House

Welcome to the White House

We're so proud to call it home

Why don't you try, "The People's House"?

Make it more personal

Welcome to The People's House

We're so proud to call it home

Better?

When will Jack join us?

They want to hear from you

They think I'm a fool

One year in office, wasting their money

That's why you need to show them what you've done

The President will join you in the Monroe Room

at the end of the tour

You'll be great

Stay close Of course

You look beautiful Go

Hello Excuse me

This is the White House

as seen from its South Lawn

For the next hour, Mrs John F Kennedy

invites you to visit the President's House

and see some of the restorations

she's made in its interior

Mrs John F Kennedy,

third-youngest of the 29 wives to live in the White House

Mrs Kennedy, I want to thank you

for letting us visit your official home

This is obviously the room

from which much of your work on it is directed

Yes, it's attic and cellar all in one

Since our work started,

we receive hundreds of letters every day

This is where we evaluate all the finds,

and see if we want to keep them,

if they'll fit into our budget

Mrs Kennedy, every First Lady

and every administration since President Madison's time,

has made changes,

greater or smaller, in the White House

Before we look at any of the changes you've made

Now, what's your basic plan?

Well, I really don't have one

Because I think this house will always grow, and should

It just seemed to me such a shame

when we came here to find

hardly anything of the past in the house

Hardly anything before 1902

Now suppose that you and your committee

were to acquire some of the things

that are in this room,

what happens when the next President's wife

comes into the White House?

Well, if they don't want it

In the past, you see,

they could sell it or throw it out

And the talk of the taxpayer money being wasted?

Oh, I raised every dime privately

that we spent on that restoration

I I loved that house,

and I wanted to share it with the American people

To impart a sense of America's greatness

Objects and artifacts

last far longer than people,

and they represent important ideas in history,

identity, beauty

But I'm sure that, uh, the readers would like to know

what it's like to be a member of your family?

Imagine a little boy surrounded by all of this

Having his older brother die in battle,

and then going off to that same war

and coming home a hero

People see that little boy,

born to wealth and privilege,

willing to sacrifice everything for his ideals

in service to his nation

Royalty You make him sound like royalty

Well, for royalty you need tradition

And for tradition, you need time

Well, I guess it has to start somewhere, right?

There has to be a day one

This is the East Room,

pretty much as Americans

have known it now for 60 years

Obviously you haven't felt that

you had to make any great changes in here

No, I think it's lovely

I hate to make changes really,

so when you find a room like this,

it's wonderful This

This piano brings to mind

that, uh, this is the part of the White House

where you have the musical affairs

That's right This piano was designed by Franklin Roosevelt

with the eagle support

And this is the end of the room

where Pablo Casals played for us,

where we had a portable stage built,

when we had the Shakespeare players

Mrs Kennedy, this administration

has shown a particular affinity

for artists, musicians, writers, poets

Is this because you and your husband

just feel that way,

or do you think that there's a relationship

between the government and the arts?

That's so complicated

I I don't know

I just think that everything

in the White House should be the best

And if it's an American company

that you can help, I like to do that

If it's not Just as long as it's the best

Is your faith helping you?

I'd prefer to discuss my faith with a priest

You're not a man of the cloth, are you?

No No, I'm not

I'm just trying to get to the truth

That's what reporters do Oh, the truth

Well, I've grown accustomed to a great divide

between what people believe and what I know to be real

Fine I will settle for a story that's believable

That's more like it

You know, I used to be a reporter myself once

I know what you're looking for

I'm sorry?

A moment-by-moment account

That's what you came here for, isn't it?

You want me to describe the sound the bullet made

when it collided with my husband's skull

I'm very happy

to be in the great State of Texas,

to be with you

and experience

the noble Spanish tradition

that has achieved so much in Dallas

This tradition

started 100 years

before the colonization of Massachusetts,

my husband's State

It is all a tradition

that remains alive and strong

Is that the sou nd of bi rds?

Uh, not exactly birds

Must be the ocean Hmm

You ready? Of course

I love crowds

You remember Governor and Mrs Connally

Welcome to Dallas, darling

Thank you so much for coming

Very nice to meet you

My! What a welcome!

There'd been the biggest motorcade from the airport

Hot, wild, like Mexico or Vienna

The sun was strong in our faces,

but I couldn't wear my sunglasses

Jack has his hand out,

and I see a piece of his skull come off

And it was flesh-colored, it wasn't white

And he slumps in my lap

His blood and his brains are in my lap

And I'm saying, "Jack,

"Jack, can you hear me?

"Jack! I love you, Jack!"

And his head was so beautiful,

and his mouth was beautiful, and his eyes were open

I was trying to keep the top of his head down

Keep it all in

He had the most wonderful expression on his face,

you know?

Just before they'd ask him a question,

just before he'd answer,

he looked puzzled

I knew he was dead

Mrs Kennedy, uh

Don't think for one second

that I'm going to let you publish that

You understand?

Yes Yes, of course

Yes, I understand

What did the bullet sound like?

Mrs Kennedy?

Are you all right? It's Larry

I'll be ready in a moment

Take all the time you need

Are they waiting?

"I do solemnly swear"

I do solemnly swear

"that I will faithfully execute"

that I will faithfully execute

"the office of President of the United States"

the office of President of the United States

"And will to the best of my ability"

And will to the best of my ability

"preserve, protect" preserve, protect

"and defend" and defend

"the Constitution of the United States"

the Constitution of the United States

"So help me God"

So help me God

Mr President

Start the engines

Get some of the heat off this plane Thank you

Can you tell me what size the bullet was?

I don't think it was a38, was it?

It seemed

What's that called, the caliber?

It seemed bigger

It seemed like something soldiers would use,

or maybe what they use for deer hunting

Mrs Kennedy, you don't have to

We don't know yet

We need to have the Irish cadets

I'm sorry?

Yes The Irish cadets, for the funeral

Jack loved them He saw them perform in Dublin last summer

Of course, Mrs Kennedy We'll make sure of it

And those bagpipers from Scotland we just had

What were they called, Kenny?

The Black Watch

The Black Watch That's right

The Black Watch Pipers

When we arrive, we'll be exiting the rear of the plane

You, the President President Johnson, that is

Why the rear?

There's press at Andrews

Not to mention the security risk

Am I supposed to hide away? Now?

Not hide

Oh, I'm sure those people would love that

What do they call themselves, The Birch Society?

No, I will not sneak out the back door

I will go out the usual way We all will

I'll arrange it

When we land, Mrs Kennedy,

we'll need to proceed directly

to the hospital for the autopsy

The autopsy?

Is that necessary?

I'm afraid it's required

By who?

The law, Mrs Kennedy

And what exactly will they do?

I'm not sure

What does an autopsy entail? I want you to explain to me

I want to hear all the details

I'm his wi Whatever I am now

I want all the details

What, will they slice him open?

Darling

Can I send somebody to help you change

before we land?

All those cameras

People will be watching

There were wanted posters everywhere

For Jack

With Jack's face on them

Let them see what they've done

Jackie?

Bobby

Sir,

there's a car waiting on the tarmac

to take you and Mrs Kennedy to Bethesda

Mrs Kennedy and I will ride

with the casket in the ambulance

Valenti wants to know

how we're going to handle the exit

The exit?

He says Johnson wants to talk to the press

He can do whatever he wants We're leaving now

The casket will be closed, won't it?

At the funeral?

We'll sort that all out later

I want it closed so badly, Bobby

I'm not sure it can be for a head of state

There was blood everywhere

There were so many pieces

Jackie

I tried to hold his head together

Hey!

Slow down

The President was lying motionless in the car

Mrs Kennedy was leaning over him

Governor Connally was leaning back in his seat,

holding his stomach with both hands

Inside the emergency room,

witnesses said the First Lady, splattered with blood,

waited without a word

Jackie, Jackie

Come on

Make sure they make him look like himself

I know

Where are the children?

They're with Maud

She's taken them to the house in Georgetown

I'd rather them at home

Their routine shouldn't be disrupted

Yes, yes, yes Of course Mary

I'll see to it What do they know?

that cannot be weighed

For me, it is a deep

You need some rest Oh

I think she needs water

Thank you, Nancy

It had to be some silly little Communist

If he'd been killed for civil rights,

then at least it would have meant something

You know?

Jack warned me

Jack said, he said we were going to nut country,

but I thought it was going well

At Fort Worth In Houston I know

I kept All the problems that Adlai had

Jack was winning him over Shh I know

They They handed me yellow roses

Yellow roses At every stop

Then in Dallas I know

Here, let's turn this off

They want a show of grief

They're already asking about funeral arrangements

Darling Come

President Johnson met with Secretary of State Rusk

Minutes later, there was a hastily added

conference with Secretary of Defense McNamara

Even at a time of sorrow,

the harsh facts of the Cold War

do not allow a pause in overseeing

the affairs of defense and foreign policy

There seems little doubt that McNamara

will stay on under Mr Johnson

A new president

Lyndon's people are claiming

I told him to take the oath in Dallas

Asshole couldn't wait,

and now they're blaming me for it

Excuse me

Do you know who James Garfield was?

No, ma'am

Do you know who William McKinley was,

what he did?

They were both US presidents

killed while they were in office

And what about Abraham Lincoln?

Do you know what he did?

He won the Civil War

He abolished slavery, ma'am

That's right

Thank you

Bobby, please tell them I want the books on Lincoln

About his funeral

Mmm-hmm

You'll have to share something personal, eventually

People won't stop asking until you do

And if I don't they'll interpret my silence

however they want?

"Her brow furrows

"Her lips are drawn

"She holds back her tears, but she can't hide her anger"

Most writers want to be famous

You want to be famous?

No, I'm fine as I am, thank you

You should prepare yourself,

this article will bring you a great deal of attention

Ah In that case, any advice for me?

Yes

Don't marry the President

Hmm

Are you afraid I'm about to cry again?

No, I'd say you're more likely to scream

Scream what?

"My husband was a great man"

Lincoln's funeral cortege

departed the White House,

progressed along Pennsylvania Avenue

to the Capitol

And the next day

returned to the White House,

then they walked all the way to St Matthew's

in a long, grand procession

It was a sunny spring day

Only 600 tickets were allotted,

but thousands,

thousands lined the streets and rooftops,

citizens, senators, congressmen,

diplomats, officers,

all in their full dress uniforms

Lincoln's mount, Old Bob,

was draped in a black blanket with white trim and tassels

Hooded, he was led rider-less,

the head of a miles-long procession

by the Reverend Henry Brown

I can feel Jack getting angry with this

"There you go, spending all that money

"on those silly knick-knacks"

The man would spend whatever it took for votes,

but balked at buying a beautiful painting

Huh

We don't have to worry about that anymore

We must get this right, Bill

We must get this right

It has to be beautiful

Did you tell them we'll need a horse-drawn carriage?

We have to march with Jack

Everyone

A big, beautiful procession that people will remember

Mrs Kennedy, you don't have to do this

Do what?

In fact, I don't think

they'll let you parade through the streets

The world's gone mad

You should take the children and disappear

Build a fortress in Boston and never look back

Mrs Kennedy?

Are the children awake?

They're playing in Caroline's room

How do I do this?

Oh, dear

It doesn't matter what you say

Just hug them and tell them it will be okay

Mommy, why are you dressed so funny?

Because something very sad has happened

And this is how we dress when something sad happens

Mommy, where's Daddy?

Daddy's not coming home

Why not?

Daddy had to go see your baby brother Patrick

In heaven

Why?

Because I'm here with you

We don't want Patrick to get lonely, do we?

But what about us?

Caroline, I need you to be a big girl

You can be brave, right? You can be a soldier?

A very bad man hurt Daddy

Daddy would come home if he could

But he can't

He has to go to heaven

Can I say goodbye?

Yes, of course you can, my love

Let your ears be attentive

to my cry for mercy

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,

O Lord, who could stand?

But with you there is forgiveness,

therefore you are feared

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope

My soul waits for the Lord

more than watchmen wait for the morning

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,

for with the Lord is unfailing love

That was a beautiful mass

Excuse me, Mother Jackie

Have you started on the guest list for the burial?

The what?

You'll need to pare it down, dear

We can't possibly accommodate all these people at Brookline

Mr Kennedy, we need to discuss the funeral, sir

We all want to follow her lead,

but we still don't know much about this Oswald

There may be co-conspirators

I'll talk to her, but she makes the call

There's also the matter of the Oval

What do you want me to do first?

Hmm? Plan the funeral or pack the furniture?

I know this is all delicate

That's why I'm approaching you

But a procession is insane

Brookline?

The family plot

Well, I assume Jack will be buried with the rest of us

A crowd full of people, given what's happened,

I just can't have my President walking

Your President? My President

Well, regardless of what happens,

my brother is going to be carried in a box

And I am sorry, sir

Fuck off, Jack

Averell Harriman owns

at least four properties in Georgetown

I'm sure he could loan out one of them

I'll have Sarge look into it

I'm sure we have time

They can't expect us to move immediately, can they?

Of course not Don't be silly

Lincoln's widow died destitute

She moved back to Illinois,

had to sell all her furniture

And the Van Burens and the Tylers, too

She auctioned it off, piece by piece,

just to keep a roof over her head

But that won't happen to you

And the collectors we bought it from

Remember? Bill and I,

we had to haggle over every sofa, every chair

If I sell some of it back now,

maybe I can put John and Caroline through school

This staircase goes up to the second floor,

which I know are reserved

for the private living of the President and his family

I don't think any television cameras

or motion picture cameras have ever gone up there,

'cause that's where you live

That's right

Here is what the White House did to President Lincoln

Here is how he changed

1861

The strong man with the arched eyebrow

1865

One week before his assassination

Mrs Kennedy, do you spend a great deal of time

in the Lincoln Room?

It was where we lived when we first came here,

when our rooms at the other end of the hall

were being painted

It's a nice room

Was this a bedroom during Lincoln's time?

No, it was, uh, Lincoln's Cabinet Room

Are all the pieces

from Lincoln's time?

Uh, yes, they are

The most famous one, of course, is the Lincoln bed

It was bought by Mrs Lincoln,

along with the dressing bureaus

and chair, and this table

Um, she bought a lot of furniture for this house,

which made her husband rather cross

because he thought she spent too much money

And on the table is the Gettysburg Address

This is probably the greatest treasure in this room

And this sofa and these two chairs,

they were sold in that Lincoln sale

I was telling you about,

that Mrs Lincoln sold

And they went to England,

and then through the descendants

of the man who brought them there

Here he comes, here he comes

Bobby?

Here he comes out and down the hall again

I really don't know what this situation is about

Nobody has told me anything, except that I'm accused of

I don't mean to upset your mother,

but Brookline is no place to bury a President

Did you kill the President?

No, I've not been charged with that

In fact, nobody has said that to me yet

First thing I heard about it was when

the newspaper reporters in the hall

Welcome to Arlington, Mrs Kennedy

Thank you

The third option is just over there,

at the base of that hill

That's too low

What do you think, Ken?

I did like Dewey Circle,

if we could get rid of the leaves in time

Well, the problem there isn't just the leaves

It's the access roads

There's gonna be 10,000 people here

Well, that's what I'm saying

Jackie?

Jackie

Hey

Where are we going?

He can't just be buried anywhere

He deserves more

Watch your step

You all right?

My shoes are sticking in the mud

I think maybe you should talk to a priest

Maybe

Bobby, I want to talk to the press

No

No You let Dave handle that

You know, that first night Bob McNamara said

he'd buy back our house for us in Georgetown

I don't even have things I

I don't have things

I don't even have a home

And what about this house?

This? It's awfully cold

Well, you could light a fire, invite people over

The parties that you threw at the White House,

nobody had ever seen anything like that

Private concerts with artists, friends, drinking champagne

and singing

Are you suggesting I throw a party?

No, not now, obviously But, no Uh

I'm only suggesting that you've, uh

That you've brought life to a cold house before

That house was not mine

Neither is this one Nothing is ever mine

Not to keep, anyway

Leaving that house must have been very difficult

A First Lady must always be ready to pack her suitcases

It's inevitable

We've found beds for almost all the family

The Trumans at Blair House

There was a brief crisis about him not having a driver,

but Ike offered his

We're running a bed-and-breakfast

Lyndon just wants to move into the Oval

He wants to address Congress

I'll hold him off as long as I can,

but it has to happen sooner or later

They're worried about an outdoor procession

They think it's a security risk

Jackie

They think it's a security risk

Everyone's spooked

Apparently even State's discouraging

foreign dignitaries from attending

It's eight city blocks to St Matthew's

That's a long way to be strolling through crowds

All those rooftops All those windows

Bobby, it's our last chance

We have to march with him

It's true, it's true

The crown has made it clear

The climate must be perfect

All the year

A law was made a distant moon ago here

July and August cannot be too hot

And there's a legal limit to the snow here

In Camelot

The winter is forbidden till December

And exits March the second on the dot

By order, summer lingers through September

In Camelot

Camelot, Camelot

I know it sounds a bit bizarre

But in Camelot

Camelot

That's how conditions are

The rain may never fall till after sundown

By 8:00, the morning fog must disappear

In short, there's simply not A more congenial spot

For happy-ever-aftering

Than here in Camelot

Camelot, Camelot

I know it gives a person pause

But in Camelot

Camelot

Those are the legal laws

The snow may never slush upon the hillside

By 9:00 pm the moonlight must appear

In short, there's simply not A more congenial spot

For happy-ever-aftering

Than here in Camelot

How would you write that?

"She lights yet another cigarette

"and explains through her soft sobs

"that Jack wasn't perfect,

"but he was perfect for our country

"And I ask about his flaws,

"and she explains"

Perfect people can't change

Jack was always getting better,

stronger

Sometimes he would walk into the desert alone,

just to let himself be tempted by the devil

But he'd always come back to us,

his beloved family

And I don't smoke

I shouldn't say these things

That's why we're here, isn't it?

To talk about what happened?

Is this a confession?

Only if there's something you regret

Everyone knows my story

God isn't interested in stories

He's interested in the truth

I came here looking for sympathy, Father

Of course

Father, are you listening?

I'm listening

Yes, I think so

I think God is cruel

Well, now you're getting into trouble

God is love

And God is everywhere

Was he in the bullet that killed Jack?

Absolutely

Is he inside me now?

Yes, of course Of course he is

Well, that's a funny game he plays,

hiding all the time

The fact that we don't understand him

isn't funny at all

If there's a heaven, then there's your God,

with all his empty promises

What kind of God takes a father

from his two little children?

Thy Lord sacrificed his only son

And my two babies

Arabella in the womb

And Patrick Thirty-nine hours on Earth

Just long enough to fall in love with him

What did I do to deserve that?

Nothing

Jack and I hardly ever spent the night together

Not even that last night in Fort Worth

Your husband loved you, Mrs Kennedy I'm sure of it

I seem to remember there being more to our vows

Don't look at me like that

I was First Lady of the United States

Women have endured far worse for far less

There are two kinds of women

Those who want power in the world,

and those who want power in bed

Of course, now what am I left with?

When men see me now, what do you think they feel?

Sadness

Compassion

Desire, maybe

You're still a young woman, Mrs Kennedy

I used to make them smile

No one understands the pain he was in

and how loyal he was

Just some of his friends were so crude

Jack wasn't, of course

But he could get caught up in it

Still, he was a great father

I picture him on that rocking chair in his office,

Caroline and John at his feet

How could I hate him?

Take comfort in those memories

I can't

They're mixed up with all the others

Do you have the latest list from the State Department?

The dignitaries planning to attend the funeral

Oh, yes I have it right here

General de Gaulle

Prince Phillip

Even the Soviet Foreign Minister

More than we were expecting?

Oh, yes

There's dozens of names

Good

Will you read them to me?

Yes

Um, from the United Nations,

there's Paul Hoffman, Managing Director,

David B Vaughan

The King of Belgium

Denmark, the Crown Prince George

Bulgaria, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Canada, it's the Prime Minister,

Lester B Pearson

Austria, the Chancellor

I don't know

I think you should just try it without it

We've been together a long time,

haven't we, Nancy?

Mmm-hmm Yeah

I used to worry that you might be jealous of me

Oh, stop it

No, you never did anything to make me feel that way

But I worried After I married Jack

After he won the election

Now that seems ridiculous,

anyone Anyone being jealous of me

I've buried two children,

and now I'm burying my husband

You know, I was jealous

Of that dress you wore in Vienna

I know that it's hard to see it right now,

but you have your whole life ahead of you

That's a terrible thing to say

You do!

That's a terrible, terrible thing to say

But you do

I'm sorry

I'm sorry

What will you do now?

Oh, I'll stay with you

You won't go anywhere?

No, I'm not going anywhere

I don't have anywhere to go

Those kids are so lucky to have you

No, they're not lucky at all

They're not lucky

I'm scared, Nancy, I'm scared, I'm scared

I know

I know

At the Capitol,

where the President's body will lie in state

throughout the remainder of the day

after it has been removed from the White House,

there will be three short speeches or

She'll be right down I'm told any moment

is allowed to start viewing the body

To Dallas, Texas, and Tom Pettit

There's the prisoner

There is Lee Oswald

He's been shot He's been shot

Lee Oswald has been shot

- There's a man with a gun - Jesus Christ

Are you ready to go?

Yeah

Will you look at me?

Mommy, is it my birthday?

Not yet, dear

But why am I wearing my party clothes?

Special Agent Hill

Whenever Mrs Kennedy is ready

Oh, Clint

We're nearly done here

It's the strangest thing

I hardly remember anything after

But I read about what you did in the papers,

and I just wanted to thank you

We got to get a handle on this thing

We got to get involved Yes, sir

This is making us look like a bunch of goddamn barbarians

Mrs Kennedy is on her way down with the children

Turn the television off!

You're not to speak a word of this

Understood? I'll tell Jackie when the time is right

Sit down

Excuse me?

Sit down

Darling?

What do you remember? Will you tell me everything?

I need to hear

Mrs Kennedy

I was ten yards back when I heard the first shot

And as my eyes crossed the President's car

Mrs Kennedy

Keep going

I had to get to you, put myself between you,

the President, and the shooter

Who was it?

Was it that Oswald?

They think so

I need to talk to him

Uh

I need to talk to him

I don't I don't know about that, Mrs Kennedy

The children are ready

Shall I take them downstairs to ride with Maud?

I would like them to come with me

But the press is out front

Their father is leaving this house for the last time

They should be there to say goodbye to him

But the cameras

Those pictures are being broadcast

to every corner of the world

Those pictures should record the truth

Two heartbroken,

fatherless children are part of that

You can tell them I'm ready to leave,

with Caroline and John

Yes, Mrs Kennedy

Nancy? Yes?

I'm not the First Lady anymore

You can call me Jackie

I will

Caroline, are you ready, sweetheart?

My brave girl

Oh, John, John, John

Let me take you, son

I value my privacy

I always have

And yet, in the days after,

directly after, something seemed to change

In what way?

Before the funeral,

the day you moved the casket to the Capitol,

well, your children were on full display

for the whole world to see

Well, what are you insinuating,

that I exploited them?

Oh, no, of course not I just, um

Present arms!

I'm only wondering if you ever

considered to do more to shield them

I think that most people would have

We aren't most people

Most people don't have to make decisions like that,

hours after watching their husband get murdered

next to them

Oh, Lyndon

What an awful way to begin your presidency

Are you saying it was a mistake?

No, of course not

How dare you?

They murdered him inside the jail

These people can get to anyone

How dare you keep that from me?

You had no right! The children?

The ceremony at the Capitol

I took them out the front door

Are you This is all insanity!

You and your brother

All these years, all your goddamn secrets!

That's not fair Caroline and John are all I have left,

and I put them in danger because of you

I would never put you at risk

You can't know that!

You think you all control everything,

that you have the world on puppet strings

And you're ridiculous And I let myself believe it

And this parade? Who is it really for?

For Jack?

One more campaign stop along the way to the grave?

Lyndon's people are right

It's not worth it

It's not worth risking people's lives

You tell them we're calling it off

We'll motorcade to the Cathedral

The back way

And then we'll bury him, and we put an end to all this

I don't give a damn anymore

I don't

I would never put you and the children in danger

I know you think I'm some silly little debutante

Listen to me You don't protect me anymore

I would never put you and the children in danger

You don't know anything

I lie awake at night, and all I can think is

I should have been a shop girl

or a stenographer

I should have married an ordinary, lazy, ugly man

Let me share with you a parable

Jesus

once passed a blind beggar on the road,

and his disciples asked, "Who sinned,

"this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?"

And Jesus said,

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned

"He was made blind

"so that the works of God could be revealed in him"

And with that, he placed mud on his eyes

and told him to wash in the Pool of Siloam

And the man did, and he came back seeing

Right now you are blind

Not because you've sinned,

but because you've been chosen

So that the works of God can be revealed in you

It's perfect

We installed it while you were away

I thought it'd be a nice surprise

for you and the President

It changes everything

And the Treaty Room?

Hunter green

Exactly as you imagined it

I wish Jack

Who knows if he would have cared?

I lost track, somewhere

What was real

What was performance

Well, he was a president

You were right earlier

I'm not going to march tomorrow

I won't put people in danger on account of my vanity

I was scared for you I still am

But I never thought it was vanity

You know, that's what Jack called all this

When he saw what we were spending, he said,

"Your little vanity project

"is going to bankrupt the federal government"

People need their history

It gives them strength

They need to know that real men actually lived here

Not ghosts and storybook legends,

people who faced adversity and overcame it

What you've done in this house matters

That's kind of you, Bill

Even I'm starting to lose him

Pretty soon

he'll just be another oil portrait

lining these hallways

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday, dear John

I spoke to Johnson

Tomorrow

It's being handled

Everyone will ride

No procession

I'm sorry, Bobby

Do you think Lincoln's widow knew?

What?

That we'd build a monument to her husband?

Why is this room so peaceful?

"Peaceful"? I don't know

Every time I walk by this room,

I'm reminded that on January 1st, 1863,

an ordinary man signed a document

that freed four million people from slavery

So,

I don't think of it so much as peaceful

as a place of profound legacy

And it's too bad that ours is totally fucking wasted

Bobby!

What?

Bobby, watch your mouth

What did we accomplish, huh?

We're just We're just the beautiful people?

Right? Isn't that what we are?

Bobby Because what did we

What did we truly accomplish?

Maybe Jack will be remembered

for the way he handled the missile crisis,

or maybe he'll be remembered

for having created a crisis

that he was then forced to solve

We could have done so much

Civil rights, the space program

Vietnam Now, Johnson gets to handle Vietnam

We teed it up for him

He gets to knock it down

I shouldn't have pushed him so hard on Castro

You can't do that, Bobby

What's wrong with you?

What's wrong with me?

History is harsh

There's no time

We're ridiculous Look at you

I'm sorry

How do you like your new office?

Mrs Kennedy

Come in

Sorry, I'm just doing my job, ma'am

Of course you are

I remember when we won the election

It was so overwhelming

We're doing just fine

Everyone's thoughts are with you right now

Oh, that's very kind of you

I've come to discuss tomorrow

The Attorney General relayed to me your desire

for a more modest ceremony

I've changed my mind

I'm sorry?

I said I've changed my mind

We will have a procession,

and I will walk to the Cathedral

with the casket

Well, even if we could resume the arrangements,

I'm sure you can understand

the Secret Service still has their concerns

And President Johnson?

President Johnson would like nothing more

than to fulfill your wishes,

but I have to take into account his safety

The country couldn't endure another blow

should anything

It's not the same

If it were up to him,

he'd do anything that might bring you comfort

Then who is it up to, Mr Valenti?

Well, as I'm sure you know,

tomorrow we're expecting close to 100 Heads of State

One-hundred three

Yes, I'm sure that's right

And I suspect they'll make all their own decisions

Based on what?

There's a great deal of classified intelligence

that I just can't get into

We've intercepted a threat against General de Gaulle

from our assets in Geneva

I'm afraid if he refuses to march, others may follow

I understand

As I said, Mrs Kennedy,

I wish there were more we could do

to accommodate your wishes

I'm terribly sorry

Don't be

You and the Johnsons have already done so much

Good day, Mrs Kennedy

Um, Mr Valenti

Would you mind getting a message

to all our funeral guests when they land?

Of course

Inform them that I will walk with Jack tomorrow

Alone, if necessary

And tell General de Gaulle

that if he wishes to ride in an armored car

or in a tank for that matter,

I won't blame him

And I'm sure the tens of millions of people

watching won't either

Why are you doing this, Mrs Kennedy?

Oh, I'm just doing my job

Would you like to write this down?

Do you think I should? I

I do

We all live on far after our deaths

Presidents will come and go,

and every one of them

will look up to Jack for guidance,

for inspiration

What do you say to those who say he didn't deserve it?

The scale of it I mean, he was a great president,

but he didn't win the Civil War, for instance

It was a funeral for

the President of the United States

Your husband drove cars, he didn't ride horses

Yes, and there should have been more of them

There should be more horses,

more soldiers, more crying, more cameras!

I'm guessing you won't allow me to write any of that

No,

because I never said that

Perhaps Jack didn't have time to defeat Communism,

but I do seem to recall

With all due respect,

you were at the center of it all, Mrs Kennedy,

and I'd imagine it's impossible

to have any perspective from that vantage point

But I can assure you that it was a spectacle

Nancy said they wanted to share my grief,

so I let them

But after, I realized that all the pageantry,

all the demands I made to honor him,

it wasn't for Jack or his legacy

It was for me

I wrote him a letter

That night, before we moved the casket to the Capitol

Do you know what I wrote?

That I wanted to die

I understand Do you?

I do

Unless you are asking my permission

No, only crass,

self-indulgent people kill themselves

No, I was just hoping that if I walked

down the street next to Jack's body,

maybe someone would be kind enough to do it for me

In front of the whole world?

Famous life, famous death

I never wanted fame

I just became a Kennedy

I told everyone that I can't remember

It's not true

I can remember

I can remember everything

The first bullet Boom

Then boom

I could have saved him

I should have known it was a gunshot

I should have shielded him

I tried to stop the bleeding,

but when we got to the hospital, it was

That night, and every night since,

I pray to die

Won't God let me be with my husband?

Can I look?

It's just the It hasn't

You don't write very legibly, do you?

You left your mark on this country, Mrs Kennedy

These past few days, that's the story

Losing a president is like It's like losing a father

And you were a mother to all of us,

and that's a very good story

The entire country watched the funeral

from beginning to end

Decades from now,

people will remember your dignity and the majesty

They'll remember you

It will serve a definite purpose

My husband has so many meetings up here,

in this part of the house

All the men who wait to see him now sit in the hall,

with baby carriages going by them

So they can sit in here

and have a conference around this table, waiting for him

Well, he's going to come in, uh

Mr President

Well, Mrs, uh

Mr Collingwood

Mrs Kennedy has been showing us

about the White House

and all the changes that she's made therein

What do you think of the changes that she's made?

Well, I think the great effort

that she's made has been to, uh,

bring us much more intimately in contact

with all the men who lived here

Of course, I think anyone who comes

to the White House as a President, uh,

desires the best for his country

But I think he does receive a stimulus from the knowledge

of living in close proximity to the people

who are legendary,

but who actually were alive and were in these rooms

Thank you

Everything will be held in storage

until you decide where to settle

There's one last thing

It's more important than all the rest

You know, every night before bed,

we had this old Victrola

We'd listen to a couple records

His favorite was Camelot

The musical?

Oh, I'm so ashamed of myself

Every quote out of Jack's mouth

was either Greek or Roman

And that last song, that last side of Camelot,

is all that keeps running through my mind

"Don't let it be forgot,

"that for one brief,

"shining moment there was a Camelot"

Jack loved history

It's what made him what he was

Just imagine, he was a little boy

with scarlet fever in bed,

reading history

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table

That's what Camelot is about

Ordinary men banding together to fight for a better world

Don't misunderstand me

Jack wasn't naive

But he had ideals

Ideals he could rally others to believe in

Will those ideals live on?

Sure they will

Of course, there will be great progress

There will be other great presidents

The Johnsons have been so generous to me

But there won't be another Camelot

Not another Camelot

Why are you really here?

'Cause I needed to talk

You say that you pray every night to die

That your children have no use for you

You wish only to be with your husband

And yet, I'm not burying you today

There comes a time in man's search for meaning,

when one realizes

that there are no answers

And when you come to that horrible,

unavoidable realization,

you accept it or you kill yourself

Or you simply stop searching

I have lived a blessed life

And yet, every night, when I climb into bed,

turn off the lights, and stare into the dark,

I wonder

Is this all there is?

You wonder?

Every soul on this planet does

But then, when morning comes,

we all wake up and make a pot of coffee

Why do we bother?

Because we do

You did this morning You will again tomorrow

But God, in his infinite wisdom,

has made sure

it is just enough for us

Once more Mrs Kennedy has expressed her desire

to re-inter the bodies of the two children they lost

to rest alongside their father

You got that part, right?

She wants them to always remember,

for one brief, shining moment,

there was a

Yeah, Camelot Yeah

I hope you have a good night, Mrs Kennedy

He wrote down every word

Did it help heal you?

It's been reprinted all over the world

Maybe that's what they'll all believe now Camelot

People like to believe in fairy tales

And you?

Do you believe you did him justice?

I believe that the characters we read about on the page

end up being more real than the men who stand beside us

I should have guessed

it was too much to ask that we grow old together,

see our children grow up

The darkness may never go away,

but it won't always be this heavy

Come

They're waiting for us at Arlington

In the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit

In the name of the Father,

the Son, and the Holy Spirit

Each evening, from December to December

Before you drift to sleep upon your cot

Think back on all the tales that you remember

Of Camelot

Ask every person if he's heard the story

And tell it strong

I was just so happy that he could be proud

Because then I was having a baby,

and I couldn't campaign,

and then we got in the White House,

and all of the things I'd always done,

suddenly they became wonderful

Because anything the First Lady does

that is different everyone seizes on

And I was just so happy for Jack

that he could be proud of me

Those were our happiest years

Where once it never rained till after sundown

By 8:00 am, the morning fog had flown

Don't let it be forgot

That once there was a spot

For one brief, shining moment

That was known

As Camelot