US President John F. Kennedy drives through Dallas with his wife “Jackie” in an open car. It is November 23, 1963, around half past twelve in the afternoon, when their car turns onto Elm Street. Thousands of onlookers celebrate the charismatic couple. Suddenly three shots are fired within 15 seconds by Lee Harvey Oswald from the sixth floor of a warehouse. Hit by a bullet, Kennedy’s head is pulled back and the 46-year-old dies shortly afterwards.
Assassination attempt on John F. Kennedy in Stern from 1963
The news of the assassination of the 35th President of the United States spread like wildfire – first in the United States, then throughout the world. This is also fueled by the fact that the attack takes place in front of cameras. At the end of November 1963, television and radio stations, newspapers and magazines had almost only one topic – that too starreports on the murder of JFK in all its facets. Around two weeks after the crime, he showed previously unpublished images of the attack. The seconds that changed the USA can now be understood by everyone in Germany. On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, we are bringing you this star 46/1963 from the archive and show the reporting at the time.
The total of 29 pages are a contemporary document, providing information about the status of the investigation in the fall 60 years ago and about the social and political climate in the USA. And they point to questions that are still relevant today: What really happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963? Where is the line between adequately informing the public and sensationalism? What does it do to a country when hatred increases?
Go on a journey through time and see the photo series above: “Hate is tearing America apart”: This is how the stern reported about it in 1963 murder to JFK
Editor’s note: The text passages taken from stern issue 49/1963 are presented in the spelling that was valid at the time.