Mr. O'Brien. Our concern, in our discussions—Mr. O'Donnell and I discussed what should be done. Our major concern was that obviously you just could not leave Mrs. Kennedy sitting in this chair, drenched in blood. Something certainly had to take place.
In that context, we felt steps should be taken to remove the President from the hospital. And someone, either Mr. Powers or Mr. O'Donnell, had suggested at one point during the several minutes, that Mrs. Kennedy might want to retire to a room a couple of doors down the corridor. Our attempt to bring this about was not successful, because she started to walk and then turned around and said, "I want to stay with him." And she went back to the chair.
Mr. O'Donnell, at a point in these proceedings, issued the directions to the Secret Service to secure a coffin. As I recall it, the coffin arrived in a very reasonable time. Whoever handled those arrangements certainly did it—carried out his responsibility well, because—again, time had a way of going on, and it is hard to determine a matter of minutes. But the coffin arrived, in any event, and was wheeled into the room.
Mr. Adams. Did Mr. O'Donnell leave at this point—did he leave Mrs. Kennedy and go somewhere else, do you recall?
Mr. O'Brien. He, as I recall, again, went to the room in which the Vice President was waiting, to tell him specifically that the President had died, and to discuss with him the steps to move the Vice President out of the hospital and to the airport and on to Washington.
Mr. Adams. Did Mr. O'Donnell come back and tell you about that discussion?
Mr. O'Brien. He came back and told me that he had advised the President, and he had had a discussion with the President. And I don't remember any of the details of it.
Mr. Adams. That covered two basic points—that President Kennedy's body was to be removed from the hospital forthwith, and the other was that the Vice President was to return to Washington?
Mr. O'Brien. That is right.
Mr. Adams. What were the reasons that led to the decision, if you know, that the Vice President would return to Washington?