Mr. Specter. About how long did the trip take you from the hospital back to the airport?
Mr. O'Donnell. I am guessing totally at time. I would think it seemed about 15 minutes. It wasn't a long period of time.
Mr. Specter. What occurred then?
Mr. O'Donnell. The drive was uneventful. We went through the gate. We arrived at the Air Force—I didn't know whether it was 1 or 2, to be honest, until I saw the members of the crew. And they unloaded the casket. I remember they had a very, very difficult time getting it up, because of the narrowness of the ramp. It was very difficult for the Secret Service. It seemed at moments it might almost tumble; it was frightening.
We got on the plane. And the seats had been taken out on the left side, so they could lay the casket down. The casket was placed down. I told General McHugh to tell the pilot to take off.
Mr. Specter. Do you know whether or not President Johnson had been sworn in at that time?
Mr. O'Donnell. At that time I didn't know President Johnson was on the plane. I did not know whether he had been. Subsequently I realized he had not been.
Mr. Specter. Was there any specific discussion, to your knowledge, or consideration, to your knowledge, of holding the Presidential plane until Mrs. Kennedy and President Kennedy's body arrived on that plane before departing for Washington?
Mr. O'Donnell. There has been no discussion of that to my knowledge. Once the President—the Vice President left, I left him, I had not seen him again. I had been notified he had departed, I had been notified that he arrived, and that was the last I heard of it, until I got on the airplane.
Mr. Specter. What did you do next, after arriving on the airplane?