(Later years)
(Nov 22, 1963)
Cronkite in Vietnam
(1965)
| Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. (born November 4, 1916) is a retired American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years (1962–81). During the heyday of CBS News in the 1970s and 1980s he was often cited in viewer opinion polls as "the most trusted man in America," because of his professional experience and kindly demeanor.
War Correspondent
In Kansas City, he joined the United Press in 1937. He became one of the top American reporters in World War II, covering battles in North Africa and Europe, while also serving in the United States Coast Guard. He was one of eight journalists selected by the U.S. Army Air Forces to fly bombing raids over Germany in a B-17 Flying Fortress. He also landed in a glider with the 101st Airborne in the battle of the Netherlands and covered the Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he covered the Nuremberg trials, and served as the United Press main reporter in Moscow for two years.
Kennedy Assassination
Cronkite is vividly remembered by many Americans as breaking the news of the death of President Kennedy on November 22, 1963. The first bulletins broke into the live broadcast of the daytime soap opera As The World Turns. However, since the studio camera was not ready yet, Cronkite's report was accompanied by a "CBS News Bulletin" bumper slide. The first report came in at 1:40 p.m. EST, fifteen minutes after the President had been shot:
"Here is a bulletin from CBS News. In Dallas, Texas, three shots were fired at President Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas. The first reports say that President Kennedy has been seriously wounded by this shooting."
A second bulletin arrived as Cronkite was reading the first one, which detailed the severity of President Kennedy's wounds:
"More details just arrived. President Kennedy shot today just as his motorcade left downtown Dallas. Mrs. Kennedy jumped up and grabbed Mr. Kennedy, she called "Oh no!," the motorcade sped on. United Press [International] says that the wounds for President Kennedy perhaps could be fatal. Repeating, a bulletin from CBS News: President Kennedy has been shot by a would-be assassin in Dallas, Texas. Stay tuned to CBS News for further details."
While speaking, he was handed a bulletin by one of the news editors, who had just pulled it off the AP wire machine. Cronkite stopped speaking, put on his glasses, looked over the bulletin sheet for a moment, took off his eyeglasses, and made the official announcement:
"From Dallas, Texas, the flash, apparently official: (reading AP flash) President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time, 2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago."
After making that announcement, Cronkite paused briefly, put his glasses back on and swallowed hard to maintain his composure. There was noticeable emotion in his voice as he intoned the next sentence of the news report:
"Vice President Johnson has left the hospital in Dallas, but we do not know to where he has proceeded. Presumably, he will be taking the oath of office shortly and become the 36th president of the United States."
|
