This is Later with Lee Matthews the Lee Matthews Podcast More What You Hear Weekday
Afternoon's on the Drive. Paul Anders was a special agent and a witness to
history back when the Kennedy assassination happened, and he is he was stationed in
the car directly behind the President and Dealey Plaza inside the trauma room and has
decided to tell his story in a new book, The Final Witness Kennedy Secret
Service agent breaks his silence after sixty years of service. It is good to
have you along, Paul Landis, thank you, good morning. How are
you? It is good now. We've had Clint Hill on a couple of
times on our program that faithful day. Where were you in relation to Clint
when that shot rang out? Well, Clint was on the front running board
of half back Sikasoda's follow up car. I was like diagonally across behind him
on the right rear running board. And when you first heard the shot ring
out, did you realize right away what it was? Yes, I knew
it was a high powered rifle or the sound of a high powered rifle.
I did a ben a hunter, and I was familiar with firearms and the
different sounds they make, so I knew somebody was shooting. What was your
first reaction, I was wondering, Well, it was I heard the shot
come over my right shoulder, and it was I I happened to be I've
been scanning the surrounding as I happened to be looking right at the President's limo
when that shot rang out, and I saw now the President kind of leaning
to his left and he was raising his arms. I thought he was turning
to see where the sound came from. I didn't realize he'd been hit at
that point, and then it was you know, you got six seconds to
try to scan the entire area. I was scanning or the second shot,
and I didn't see any reaction and the President's WIMO at that point. But
very quickly after the second shot, the third shot rang out and I saw
the presidents had split open and just think missed the blood and flesh and brain
matter flew into the air. I duck that I wouldn't get splattered, but
it was over like just like that. We're talking to Paul Landis. He
was one of the Secret Service agents on the detail of the Kennedy assassination.
The final witnesses his book, A Kennedy Secret Service agent breaks his silence after
sixty years and Paul right after that, did you jump on the President?
Were you still with the vehicle when it went over to Parkland Hospital? Uh?
Yeah, I had climbed inside that Actually I was pulled inside and to
the rear of the vehicle. Clint had meantime, he jumped up, he
had raced to the president. Summa managed to pull himself up to cover the
first lady and the President. At that time. I was in the in
the back of the follow up car. As soon as we got to Parkland,
I jumped out and raced around and raced up to the lima and tried
to help Missus Kennedy out. She didn't want to leave. She was bending
over the President's covering the President's head at the time. Very peculiar thing also
happened at Parkland Hospital that you were involved in that never has come out until
you wrote this book. Well, I was in trauma room. I had
taken the bullet that I found in the President's limo that as soon as Missus
Kennedy stood up, I saw it on the back seat and I'm scanning around.
I didn't see anybody. I didn't see any agents. I was worried
about a souvenir hunter or somebody grabbing this. It was an important piece of
evidence. So I picked it up, put it in my pocket, and
as we got through the lobby of the emergency room and got to trauma room,
one was Missus Kennedy was right behind the gurney and I was stepped behind
her to keep her from being pushed, and it was pretty chaotic at the
time and stressful. I just got shoved really into the trauma room and I
was pushed up against the examination table where they had placed President Kennedy's body,
and I was standing right there, and I just made a snap decision that
this important piece of evidence needed to be left with the president. They would
find it during autopsy and that would help them in some way. Little did
anybody know that would later become kind of the magic bullet theory. I also
am an enthusiast when it comes to firearms, and one of the contentions I
have always argued against was that nobody could have got off that many shots that
quickly, that accurately. I'm here to tell you that from what I saw
of Dealey Plaza. Any marine worth his salt would have been able to do
that. What do you think that's for the experts. I have no ideas
really there. All my intention with the book was to simply tell people what
I saw and what I did, and all the other theories and everything.
I'm really not qualified to make a statement there. Special Agent Paul Landis is
with us. His new book is about his experience as at Daly Plaza.
The final witness Kennedy Secret Service agent breaks as silent after sixty years later,
you were witnessed to the swearing in of Lyndon Johnson. What was the mood
on the plane at that point? Very very somber. I was when we
got on the plane, I didn't even want to see him being I reached
Air Force one. I immediately sat down and broke down, started crying.
SAI See Kellerman came and shook me by the shoulder and said, come on,
Paul, did a witness history? And I just said, no,
no, I've seen enough history already. But he I went back and it
was very somber. I did see the president or Vice President Johnson being sworn
in, and I went back to my seat and tried the rest of the
way back to Washington. He writes all about it. In the final Witness
of Kennedy, secret Service agent breaks his silence after sixty years, Special Agent
Paul landis, thank you for joining us and thanks for this memoir. We
will enjoy reading it. Thank you very much. I enjoyed talking to you.
Thanks for listening to Later with Lee Matthews, the Lee Matthews Podcast,
and remember to listen to The Drive Live weekday afternoons from five to seven and Iheartsmedia presentation