Subject: Subject: The JFK Limo at the White House Garage - Ford Memo 12/18/63 Date: Wed, 15 Jul 1998 19:25:52 -0500 From: Pamela McElwain Organization: Die Zauberflote Newsgroups: startext.jfk I''m including below a typed copy of a document that was sent to me some time ago on a general request from the National Archives for data on the limo SS-100-X. I am not finding a document number for it, am requesting that from NARA, but do find numbers for two similar documents, also inter-company Ford memos regarding "Changes in the White House 'Bubbletop'". They are 180-10112-10188 and 180-10505-10086. Both are also 2-page memos, and their status is "Postponed in full". This document is both puzzling and fascinating to me, because it indicates that the original intent of the SS was to put the limo back into service as quickly as possible. It is quite pathetic to think of this lonely man, Vaughn Fergusun, trying to clean the blood away from the seat cushion buttons with his pen knife, and trying to clean the carpet. For some reason (well the SS DID need a good parade car for the President) the fact that an assassination had just occurred in this vehicle, and that even if it could be put back into service, driving in it might not bring good luck, was no deterrence to expediently correcting the damage to the car; this decision had to have been made made at the time the limo was returned to the White House garage. It was, then, at some time subsequent to this memo, (which relates to the days immediately following the assassination, though written on December 18th), that the decision was made to send the car to Ohio on December 12 for rebuilding as an armored vehicle. Also note Ferguson's description of the windshield, its removal, and the sequence of action on the limo lap robes. The 'lap robes' were blankets carried in the side pockets of the rear of the limo, used when the weather was cool, yet the top down, to keep the passengers warm. (Markley and Ferguson were Ford Company employees; Morgan Geis was SAIC of the White House Garage. btw, it is odd that SS-100-X was referred to as the WH 'Bubbletop' as the car usually referred to by that name was the Eisenhower Lincoln. And the plastic top on SS-100-X that was referred to as the 'bubbletop' was the only top for this car; it had a 'leatherette' cover that was placed over it to make it look like an enclosed sedan. This was what was done at Parkland Hospital, for example.) Ford Motor Company Washington Office Intra-Company Communication December 18, 1963 TO: R.W. Markley, JR. FROM: F. Vaughn Ferguson Re: Changes in White House "Bubbletop" On November 23rd, the day following the President's assassination, I went to the White House garage in response to a telephone call to my home from the Secret Service. When I arrived about 10:00 a.m., the White House "Bubbletop" was in a stall in the garage with two Secret Service men detailed to guard it. A canvas cover was over the unit. I was permitted only to see the windshield of the car and then only after the guards had received permission from higher ranking Secret Service personnel. Examination of the windshield disclosed no perforation, but substantial cracks radiating a couple of inches from the center of the windshield at a point directly beneath the mirror. I was at the garage only about one hour that day, but while I was there Morgan Geis contacted the Secret Service and told them to have me make arrangements to replace the windshield. The following day, when I returned to the garage, the unit was no longer under guard. The Secret Service had cleaned the leather upholstery the day before, but underneath the upholstery buttons dried blood was still in evidence. On my own ititiative, I pulled up these upholstery buttons and with a knife removed the caked blood around them. At this time, there was a heavy odor of dried blood still noticeable. There was a large blood spot on the floor covering which the Secret Service had not been able to remove, but I did nothing further about it that day. In response to my call of November 25, personnel from Arlington Glass came to the White House garage that same day to replace the windshield. The Arlington Glass personnel advised Morgan Geis and me that removal would cause additional damage to the windshield but Geis told them to go ahead and remove it anyway. The Arlington Glass personnel did remove it by putting their feet against the inside of the windshield and pushing it out. In doing so, additional cracks formed (downward to the bottom of the windshield). A Mr. Davis of the Secret Service then took the windshield and put it in the stockroom under lock and key and I have not seen it since. That same day, November 25, I tried to clean the blood spot on the carpet with only moderate success. Late that afternoon I called Hess and Eisenhardt who agreed to send new carpeting including masking and binding. It was also that day that Morgan Geis called my attention to a dent in the chrome topping of the windshield at a point just above the rear view mirror and asked why I hadn't fixed it while I was at it. I told him that my experience with chrome had been that in trying to remove a dent of that size lead only to additional marks that further marred the trim. In addition, the dent is not visible when the top is on the unit. On November 26th, late in the afternoon after I had left, the carpet masking and binding arrived at the garage from Hess and Eisenhardt. When I got to the garage on the 27th and was told that the carpeting material was in, I contacted Morgan Geis who arranged with the White House upholsery man to receive the metal piece containing the carpet, remove the old carpeting, replace it with the new carpet, and return the piect to me for reinstallation in the "Bubbletop." This upholsterer did not complete the job until late Friday afternoon the 29th. On the morning of December 2nd, the re-carpeted piece was delivered to me by a Secret Service agent named Davis and I then reinstalled it. Also on the 2nd of December I noticed that the two lap robes had a few blood spots on them, but, more than that, were soiled from handling and required cleaning. The White House chauffeurs were detailed to take the lap robes to Fort Myer for cleaning. These persons remained with the lap robes until they were cleaned and returned the same day. I think this represents a complete account of changes made in the "Bubbletop" since November 22. F.V. Ferguson New photo of second windshield on limousine today in Dearborn, MI. NARA doc. 180-10120-10021,Photo of SS100X at Parkland with bucket, CE353, photo of SS100X today, Jackie's WC testimony, Altgens windshield, info on "22 November 1963" at my website. http://www.primenet.com/~pamelam/jfk.html Photos of sites relevant to Mozart's life in Salzburg and Paris at my linked Mozart site. F