John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame
John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame | |
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![]() John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame at Arlington National Cemetery after its 2013 renovation | |
Location | Arlington County, Virginia |
Coordinates | 38°52′54″N 77°04′17″W / 38.88153°N 77.07150°W |
Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
Established | November 25, 1963 (temporary) March 15, 1967 (permanent) |
Governing body | U.S. Department of the Army |
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Personal
35th President of the United States
Tenure Presidential campaign ![]() |
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The John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame is a presidential memorial at the grave site of assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy, in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. This permanent site replaced a temporary grave and eternal flame used at the time of Kennedy's state funeral on November 25, 1963, three days after his assassination. The site was designed by architect John Carl Warnecke, a longtime friend of Kennedy.[1][2] The permanent John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame grave site was consecrated and opened to the public on March 15, 1967.[3]
Original grave site
Kennedy was

Initial press reports indicated that Kennedy would be buried at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts, where his son Patrick Bouvier Kennedy (who had died on August 9, 1963, two days after his premature birth) was buried.[5] But the site for Kennedy's grave was quickly changed to the hillside just below Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery; some months earlier Kennedy had admired the location's peaceful atmosphere while visiting it with his friend, architect John Carl Warnecke.[6][7][8][9]
The initial suggestion to bury Kennedy at Arlington appears to have been made by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.[10][11] First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy agreed to the change.[10] Although Kennedy's sisters and many of his longtime associates from Massachusetts were opposed to burial at Arlington, his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy visited the site with McNamara on Saturday, November 23, and concluded that Jacqueline Kennedy's wishes should be honored.[10][11]
On Sunday, November 24, 1963, Jacqueline Kennedy requested an eternal flame for Kennedy's grave.[12][13] According to several published accounts, she drew inspiration from a number of sources. One was the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, which she and Kennedy had seen during a visit to France in 1961.[14] She also took inspiration from the novel The Candle in the Wind (the fourth book from the collection The Once and Future King by T. H. White), which was part of the inspiration for the 1960 stage musical Camelot (the cast recording was a favorite of the Kennedys).[15][16] Her brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, counseled against an eternal flame, worried that it might appear ostentatious or that it would compete with other such memorials at Arlington National Cemetery;[16] but she remained adamant.[16]
Kennedy's funeral was set for Monday, November 25, which left very little time to manufacture and install an eternal flame. Overnight,
The grave was set in a plot of grass roughly 5 yards (4.6 m) on each side.[21][a] The site was about halfway up the hill on which Arlington House stands.[21][28] The grave was placed so that it had a view of the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, and was aligned with them.[11] Jacqueline Kennedy lit a taper from a candle held by a nearby soldier, and then brought the eternal flame to life at the end of the burial service.[29] Kennedy's brothers, Robert and Ted, symbolically lit the flame after her.[10][29][b]
On the evening of November 26, the site was surrounded by a white picket fence.[21][28] The fencing covered an expanded area 30 feet (9.1 m) long by 20 feet (6.1 m) wide.[28] The enlarged site was due to Jacqueline Kennedy's desire to have her deceased children, Patrick and Arabella (a stillborn daughter born in 1956), reinterred next to their father.[18] She had read that in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln had been buried next to his deceased son, Willie, and she recalled Kennedy's desire to be buried with his family.[33] A small white cross was placed at the head of Arabella's grave, and a small white headstone placed at the head of Patrick's.[28]
During the funeral, flowers were laid on the hillside above the grave site.[21] After the erection of the fence, flowers were placed inside the enclosure, leaning against the uphill side of the fence.[21] A canvas-covered circular wooden walkway was built from Sheridan Drive to the grave site to give members of the public access to the grave.[28]
Development of a permanent grave site


John Carl Warnecke, a friend of the Kennedys, visited the grave with Jacqueline Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy on November 28, to discuss themes and plans for a permanent memorial.[18][34] The following day, Warnecke was chosen by now former-first lady to design Kennedy's tomb.[9][34][35] Warnecke immediately concluded that the permanent grave must be simple and incorporate the eternal flame.[18][34] A few days later, Warnecke agreed that, although it was not required, he would submit the design for the permanent Kennedy grave site to the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts.[18]
Initially, there was some concern that an eternal flame might not be approved by the cemetery. The Army Corps of Engineers was studying the installation of a permanent flame just a week after Kennedy's burial.[36] But the Army was also considering removing the flame, as no such memorials were permitted in Arlington National Cemetery.[37] On December 3, 1963, the Army concluded that the Kennedy plot was not part of the official burial section of Arlington National Cemetery, and agreed to continue to allow an eternal flame.[37]
The U.S. government formally set aside a 3 acres (1.2 ha) site surrounding Kennedy's grave on December 5, 1963.

The final design was unveiled publicly at the
Construction of the new grave site

The plan was for work to begin in the fall of 1965 and be completed by the fall of 1966.
Work on the John F. Kennedy burial site continued over the next two and a half years. The Washington Gas and Light Company offered to build, maintain, and supply gas to the eternal flame at no expense.[50] The final burner was a specially designed torch created by the Institute of Gas Technology with an electrical ignition which kept the flame lit in wind or rain and which fed the gas oxygen to create the correct color.[51] A debate broke out between providers of bottled propane gas and line-fed natural gas as to which source of fuel should be used to supply the eternal flame. The debate was so vigorous that it broke out in public in March 1964.[19] The cost of construction of the approaches, elliptical plaza, walls were estimated at $1.77 million in February 1965.[42] The cost of construction of the actual grave site was estimated at $309,000.[42] Fifteen firms were invited to bid on the construction contract and nine did so.[52] A $1.4 million contract for construction was awarded to Aberthaw Construction in mid-July 1965.[52] The Army Corps of Engineers consulted with the Kennedy family before letting the award.[52] A second contract for structural design consulting in the amount of $71,026 went to Ammann & Whitney.[51] At this time, contracts for the quotation inscriptions, the marble base for the flame, the bronze brazier, and the slate markers had yet to be let.[52] The white marble for the plaza, terrace, and steps came from Proctor, Vermont, and the granite for the approaches came from Deer Isle, Maine.[52][53]
Prior to construction, several design changes were made to the Kennedy grave site. The retaining wall behind the grave was removed, and the hill landscaped to allow an unobstructed view of Arlington House.[46][47] Concerned that the grass on the burial plot would wither in Washington's hot summers, in the fall of 1966 the decision was made to replace the grass with rough-hewn reddish-gold granite fieldstone set in a flagstone pattern.[46][47] The fieldstones used had been taken more than 150 years before from a quarry on Cape Cod near where Kennedy used to spend his summers.[46][54] The burial plot, originally designed to be raised a substantial height above the surrounding terrace, was lowered so that it was just three to four inches higher.[47] The bronze brazier shape for the Eternal Flame was also replaced. Instead, a 5 feet (1.5 m) wide beige circular fieldstone (found on Cape Cod in 1965) was set nearly flush with the earth and used as a bracket for the flame.[46][47]

Construction of the approaches required
Consecration of the new grave
The permanent John F. Kennedy grave site opened with little announcement or fanfare on March 15, 1967. A few days before, the eternal flame had been moved from its temporary location to the new site.
Operation of the site
One spontaneous act of respect at the site was curbed almost immediately. Jacqueline Kennedy had requested that a member of the
Alterations caused by new burials at the grave site


Robert F. Kennedy was
The Kennedy grave site's approaches were altered at the time the Robert F. Kennedy memorial was built. Previously, the approach consisted of a series of long steps. But several individuals in wheelchairs appealed to Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and the steps were replaced by long ramps in June 1971.[67]
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was buried at the site alongside Kennedy following her death in May 1994.[68] Senator Edward M. Kennedy was buried about 100 feet (30 m) south of Robert Kennedy's memorial between two maple trees shortly after his death on August 25, 2009, from brain cancer.[69]
The Arlington Oak
The 220-year-old "Arlington Oak", which stood off-center within the Kennedy memorial grave site area, was uprooted and killed on August 27, 2011, during
On Arbor Day, April 27, 2012, a sapling grown from an acorn of the Arlington Oak was planted at the same site. Two other Arlington Oak saplings were planted nearby, while a fourth was planted in Section 26 near Tanner Amphitheater and a fifth in Section 36 near Custis Walk.[71]
Maintenance
Arlington National Cemetery experts said in 2001 that it cost about $200 a month to keep the flame burning.[72] Its original, custom-manufactured ignition system, contained in a box buried a few feet from the grave, controlled the flow of gas and oxygen to the flame and activated a 20,000-volt spark ignition electrode near the gas burner whenever the flame was extinguished.[73]
In 2012, the automatic ignition system began clicking audibly. In early 2013, a $350,000 contract was awarded for upgrading the system. During the work the permanent flame was extinguished after being transferred to a temporary flame to one side.[74] The refurbishment replaced the original burner with one not requiring a separate oxygen supply, laid new gas lines, relocated gas pressure regulators, added controls to improve energy efficiency, and replaced electrical lines. The flame was returned to the upgraded permanent eternal flame on May 17, 2013, and the temporary flame extinguished.[75] [73]
In 2010, the carved inscriptions in the low stone wall in front of the site were renewed, which power cleaning and weather had made difficult to read. The Knights of Columbus donated $6,000 to have the letters darkened and more deeply incised in time for the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's inauguration. Gordon Ponsford, a sculptor who restored several major monuments at Arlington National Cemetery, performed the work.[56]
On December 10, 1963, a group of Catholic schoolchildren accidentally extinguished the temporary flame while sprinkling it with holy water. A cemetery official quickly relit the flame by hand.[76] In August 1967, an exceptionally heavy rain extinguished the permanent flame and flooding of electrical equipment disabled the spark igniter. In both cases the flame was quickly relit manually.[77]
The Emigrant Flame
In 2013, the Eternal Flame was shared for the first time in its history.[78] On June 18, a U.S. Army honor guard accompanied Irish Minister of State Paul Kehoe, T.D., in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Kennedy grave site. An Irish Army officer, accompanied by an Irish Army honor guard, lit a lamp in a metal burner[78] from the Eternal Flame.[79][80] (The lamp and burner were created by the Bullfinch company, which also designed the torches for the 2012 Summer Olympics torch relay.)[78] The "spark" traveled back to Ireland aboard a special Aer Lingus flight, accompanied by Kehoe, Irish Army personnel, and a delegation from the New Ross Town Council.[79]
The "spark" arrived at
Cultural influence
Immediately after Kennedy's burial, the grave and Eternal Flame were being visited by 50,000 people per day.[9] More than 16 million people visited the site in its first three years.[83] In 1971, the grave attracted more than 7 million people.[84]

The presence of the grave also boosted attendance at Arlington National Cemetery. Kennedy's funeral had been televised live, with 93 percent of all American homes watching.[85] Satellites beamed the proceedings to another 23 countries, where another 600 million viewers watched.[85] The television coverage transformed Arlington National Cemetery from a quiet veterans' cemetery into one of the Washington area's most popular tourist attractions.[84] Average yearly attendance rose from 1 million people in 1962 to 9 million in the first six months of 1964.[84]
In 1964, the United States Post Office Department used an image of the Eternal Flame on a five cent official postage stamp issued to commemorate the assassinated president.[86] The stamp also used the words "And the glow from that fire can truly light the world"—an excerpt from Kennedy's inaugural address.[86]
The Kennedy Eternal Flame has also attracted some unwanted attention as well. The leader of a group protesting segregation in housing was briefly detained at the grave site in August 1967 after attempting to lead a group of protesters in the singing of "America the Beautiful".[87] A mentally ill individual attempted to throw red paint on the grave in August 1971.[88] A 23-year-old Army veteran committed suicide at the grave in 1972 by plunging a knife into his chest.[84] The cross and the headstone marking Robert F. Kennedy's grave were stolen in 1981 and never recovered.[89] In December 1982, an intoxicated Salvadoran immigrant broke into the cemetery at night and knelt before the Eternal Flame. He experienced a fatal heart attack, and fell into the flame.[84][90] In 1997, thieves pried loose one of the paving stones from the terrace in front of the Eternal Flame and attempted to make off with it. They gave up after realizing the 500-pound (230 kg) stone was too heavy to move.[91]
See also
- State funeral of John F. Kennedy
- List of memorials to John F. Kennedy
- Presidential memorials in the United States
- List of burial places of presidents and vice presidents of the United States
Footnotes
- Notes
- ^ In 1955, Arlington National Cemetery stopped using gravediggers and mechanized the grave digging process by purchasing a Trench Master light backhoe.[22][23] Cemetery worker Clifton Pollard used the backhoe to dig Kennedy's grave on Sunday, November 24.[24][25] The Washington Wilbert Vault Works of Rockville, Maryland, provided the burial vault,[26] a 3,000-pound (1,400 kg) "Copper Triune" double-reinforced, copper-lined concrete vault.[26][27]
- ^ The graveside service ended at 3:15 PM,[30] the burial vault was sealed (either with an epoxy[26] or tar[31]), and Kennedy's coffin and burial vault lowered into the earth at 3:32 PM.[32] The grave was then filled with earth.[32]
- Citations
- ^ Brown, "John Carl Warnecke Dies at 91, Designed Kennedy Gravesite," Washington Post, April 23, 2010.
- ^ Grimes, "John Carl Warnecke, Architect to Kennedy, Dies at 91," New York Times, April 22, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e Levy, "Kennedy's Body Moved to Final Grave," Washington Post, March 16, 1967.
- ^ Selverstone, Marc J. (4 October 2016). "John F. Kennedy: Death of the President". millercenter.org. Charlottesville, Virginia: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- ^ Raymond, "President's Body Will Lie In State," New York Times, November 23, 1963.
- ^ a b c Hamblin, "Mrs. Kennedy's Decisions Shaped All the Solemn Pageantry," Life, December 6, 1963.
- ^ Robertson, "Thousands Expected to Pay Respects at Grave," New York Times, November 22, 1964.
- ^ a b Moeller and Weeks, AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, D.C., 2006, p. 334.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Von Eckardt, "Kennedy Monument Classic in Simplicity," Washington Post, November 17, 1964.
- ^ a b c d Hilty, Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector, 2000, p. 484.
- ^ a b c Johnston, The Truth About Patriotism, 2007, p. 169.
- ^ Matthews, Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America, 1997, pp. 242–43.
- ^ a b Bugliosi, Four Days in November: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, 2007, pp. 502–03.
- ^ Gormley and Henderson, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis: Friend of the Arts, 2002, pp. 142–43.
- ^ Pierson, Camelot and the Cultural Revolution: How the Assassination of John F. Kennedy Shattered American Liberalism, 2007, p. 197.
- ^ a b c Matthews, Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry that Shaped Postwar America, 1997, pp. 242–42.
- ^ a b Stockland, The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, 2008, p. 81; "'Eternal Flame' at Arlington Will Be only Temporary Setup," New York Times, November 26, 1963; "'Eternal' Flame to Burn Over Grave of Kennedy," Washington Post, November 26, 1963; Wilson, Engineer Memoirs: Lieutenant General Walter K. Wilson, Jr., May 1984, pp. 194–96.
- ^ a b c d e f Raymond, "Arlington Assigns Plot of Three Acres To Kennedy Family," New York Times, December 6, 1963.
- ^ a b Pearson, "LBJ A Chair-Mover, Not A Chair-Warmer," Nevada Daily Mail, March 25, 1964.
- ^ Smith, Grace and Power: The Private World of the Kennedy White House, 2006, p. 511.
- ^ a b c d e "Fence Installed Near Grave," United Press International, November 26, 1963.
- ^ Atkinson 2007b, p. 27.
- ^ Woestendiek, John (September 14, 2003). "On Behalf of a Grateful Country..." The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ Breslin, Jimmy (November 26, 1963). "It's an Honor". New York Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ Shapiro, T. Rees; Langer, Emily (November 23, 2013). "Arlington caretaker Clifton Pollard: It was 'an honor' to prepare JFK's grave". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c Leung, Shirley (October 14, 1994). "The Cadillac of Vaults". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
- ^ Bugliosi 2007, p. 289.
- ^ a b c d e Wainwright, "A Visit to the Grave," Life, February 14, 1964, p. 15.
- ^ a b Bzdek, The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled, 2009, p. 111.
- ^ Bugliosi 2007, p. 313.
- ^ Select Committee on Assassinations 1979, pp. 31–32.
- ^ a b Bugliosi 2007, p. 503.
- ^ Pottker, Janet and Jackie: The Story of a Mother and Her Daughter, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 2001, pp. 229–31.
- ^ a b c Clopton, "Mrs. Kennedy to Discuss Tomb," Washington Post, November 30, 1963.
- ^ "Mrs. Kennedy Chooses an Architect to Design Husband's Tomb," New York Times, November 30, 1963.
- ^ "Flame at Kennedy Grave Studied by Army Engineers," New York Times, November 29, 1963.
- ^ a b "Army Tacitly Approves Eternal Flame at Grave," New York Times, December 4, 1963.
- ^ a b c "Artists At Odds On Kennedy Job," New York Times, October 7, 1964.
- ^ a b "Kennedy Tomb Design to Be Revealed in Nov.," Washington Post, October 10, 1964.
- ^ a b c Robertson, "Tomb for Kennedy Is of Simple Design," New York Times, November 14, 1964.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Von Eckardt, "JFK Grave Design Combines Past, Present," Washington Post, November 22, 1964.
- ^ a b c d "Congress Gets $1.77 Million Request For Permanent JFK Resting Place," Washington Post, February 9, 1965.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Robertson, "The Kennedy Tomb: Simple Design Outlined," New York Times, November 17, 1964.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Huxtable, "Design Dilemma: The Kennedy Grave," New York Times, November 29, 1964.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Robertson, "First Stones Placed At Permanent Site Of Kennedy Grave," New York Times, April 12, 1966.
- ^ a b c d e "3 Changes Made In Original Design Of Kennedy Grave," New York Times, March 17, 1967.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Von Eckardt, "A Critical Look at the Kennedy Grave," Washington Post, March 26, 1967.
- ^ Von Eckardt, "Kennedy Grave's Design Lauded By Architects and Art Experts," Washington Post, November 18, 1964.
- ^ Wilson, Engineer Memoirs: Lieutenant General Walter K. Wilson, Jr., May 1984, p. 196.
- ^ Casey and Diggins, "Mourners Keep Vigil on Green Slope Where Kennedy Lies in Arlington," Washington Post, November 27, 1963.
- ^ a b "President John Fitzgerald Kennedy," Monument and Memorials, Visitor Information, Arlington National Cemetery, no date; Atkinson, "Arlington Cemetery," National Geographic, June 2007.
- ^ a b c d e Dewar, "Contract for Memorial At Kennedy's Grave Let," Washington Post, July 17, 1965.
- ^ a b c Hunter, "Thousands Visit Kennedy's Grave," New York Times, November 23, 1965.
- ^ a b c d e Semple "Johnson at Grave With the Kennedys," New York Times, March 16, 1967.
- ^ a b c d e "New Kennedy Gravesite Readied for Reburials," Washington Post, November 21, 1965.
- ^ a b O'Keefe, Ed. "Memorable Words Becoming More Visible." Washington Post. October 29, 2010.
- ^ "JFK's Reburial Due by Nov. 22," Washington Post, October 18, 1966.
- ^ "Kennedy Grave Ready in 1967," Washington Post, October 19, 1966.
- ^ a b "Bodies of Kennedy, Children Are Moved To Permanent Grave," New York Times, March 15, 1967.
- ^ Select Committee on Assassinations 1979, p. 32.
- ^ a b Heymann, Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story, 2009, p. 16.
- ^ Moore, The Green Berets: The Amazing Story of the U.S. Army's Elite Special Forces Unit, 2007, p. 9.
- ^ "Military Hats Banished At JFK Grave," Washington Post, April 18, 1967.
- ^ a b Coonerty and Highsmith, Etched in Stone: Enduring Words From Our Nation's Monuments, 2007, p. 45.
- ^ a b c d Reed, "Mourners Mark the Death of Robert Kennedy," New York Times, June 7, 1969.
- ^ "Robert Kennedy's Body Now at Permanent Site," United Press International, December 2, 1971.
- ^ McCardle, Dorothy. "Paths for the Handicapped at Kennedy Grave Sites." Washington Post. June 27, 1971.
- ^ Heyman, American Legacy: The Story of John and Caroline Kennedy, 2007, pp. 391–92.
- ^ Ruane, "Kennedy's Arlington Burial Will Continue a Family Legacy," Washington Post, August 29, 2009; Broder and Wheaton, "Kennedy Laid to Rest After Day of Honor," New York Times, August 29, 2009.
- ^ a b McCall, Ash (3 September 2011). "Natural Treasure Lost at Arlington National Cemetery". armylive.dodlive.mil. ArmyLive. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
- ^ Cronk, Terri Moon. "Arlington National Cemetery Plants Saplings to Honor Troops." American Forces Press Service. April 27, 2012. Archived July 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Accessed 2012-05-07.
- ^ "Eternal Flames Honoring Soldiers Burn On Despite Cost," Associated Press, May 28, 2001.
- ^ a b "Eternal Flame Thanks Fenwal Controls," Product Design & Development, January 11, 2010.
- ^ Bloodgood, Patrick. "Kennedy Flame to Receive Upgrades." US Army. February 4, 2013, accessed 2013-04-17; Doren, Jenny. "John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame Scheduled for Upgrades." WJLA.com. February 25, 2013 Archived January 28, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, accessed 2013-04-17; "Kennedy Flame Getting Upgrades." United Press International. February 6, 2013, accessed 2013-04-17.
- ^ "New Burner Installed for Eternal Flame at the President John F. Kennedy Gravesite." Norfolk District. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. May 17, 2013. Accessed 2013-06-23.
- ^ "Kennedy Flame Put Out Accidentally by Pupils," Associated Press, December 11, 1963.
- ^ "Kennedy Grave Flame Extinguished by Rain," Associated Press, August 30, 1967.
- ^ a b c d Byrne, Luke. "Kennedy's US 'Eternal Flame' Will Light New Monument Here." Irish Independent. June 13, 2013. Accessed 2013-06-23.
- ^ a b c Walsh, Jane. "'The Emigrant Flame' From Graveside of John F. Kennedy En Route to New Ross Town." IrishCentral.com. June 21, 2013. Accessed 2013-06-23.
- ^ a b "Kennedys, Ireland Recall 50th Anniversary of JFK Visit With Eternal Flame, Parade, Concert." Associated Press. June 22, 2013. Accessed 2013-06-23.
- ^ "Flame From JFK's Graveside on Its Way to New Ross, Co Wexford." RTE News. June 20, 2013. Accessed 2013-06-23.
- ^ Johnston, Ian. "Not-So Eternal Flame: JFK-Linked Memorial Goes Out." NBC News. June 28, 2013. Accessed 2013-010-01.
- ^ Atkinson 2007b, p. 31.
- ^ a b c d e Carlson, "Stone Cold Somber," Washington Post, May 25, 1997.
- ^ a b Otinofski, Television, 2007, p. 53; Edgerton, The Columbia History of American Television, 2007, pp. 203–04.
- ^ a b Lidman, "Kennedy Stamp Design Shown," New York Times, May 4, 1964.
- ^ The police seized him because they wanted to maintain respectful quiet at the site, but immediately released the individual. See: "Kennedy's Grave Is Site of Scuffle In Rights Protest," New York Times, August 21, 1967.
- ^ "Paint Tossed At JFK Grave; Suspect Held." Washington Post. August 31, 1971.
- ^ "Robert Kennedy's Grave Loses Marker to Thieves," Associated Press, December 28, 1981.
- ^ "Man Found at Grave Died of Heart Attack," Washington Post, December 7, 1982.
- ^ Poole, p. 256.
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