The Kennedy Assassination: The Forgotten Witness from Cleveland

Storyteller: Paul Landis

 
 
 
 

Doors open at 5:00pm, with the storytelling beginning promptly at 7:00pm

• Weekly series combining great food with great stories about Cleveland’s past
• FREE ADMISSION – NO COVER CHARGE
• In addition to our regular menu, a Prix Fixe 3-course dinner special is available for just $25
• Check back for tonight’s special
  

Story topic this week…

The Kennedy Assassination: The Forgotten Witness from Cleveland
Paul Landis was a twenty-eight-year-old Secret Service agent in President Kennedy’s Dallas motorcade on November 22, 1963, riding in the car behind the president’s limousine when Kennedy was shot. Though he was a witness to the events that day, he was never interviewed by the Warren Commission, and has kept his recollections private for 60 years, including details surrounding a key piece of evidence.

Paul Landis Bio

Paul Landis was a geology major at Ohio Wesleyan, self-described as “an average student,” who played varsity golf and was a member of the ROTC drill team. After graduating, Landis served in the Ohio Air National Guard for two years. And then he heard a friend of his sister talking about his job as a Secret Service agent helping to protect President Dwight D. Eisenhower. “The more he talked, it just sparked an interest in me,” Paul said. “I thought, ‘Hey, this is the greatest job in the world. I want to do this.'”

He said his work with the Kennedys began with “kiddie detail” in August 1961, working to ensure the protection of 9-month-old John Jr. and nearly 4-year-old Caroline. In October 1962, he was assigned to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy’s security during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Paul witnessed John F. Kennedy’s horrific shooting and was in the trauma room at Parkland Memorial Hospital when the president was declared dead. He made headlines around the world for his book, The Final Witness: A Kennedy Secret Service Agent Breaks His Silence After Sixty Years. The book recounts the time of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
 

The goal of the Cleveland Stories Dinner Party is to bring to life some of the fun, interesting stories about Cleveland’s past – from sports, to rock ‘n roll, to Millionaire’s Row, — the series will focus on tidbits from Cleveland’s past that will really thrill the audience. The Music Box is presenting this series in partnership with the Western Reserve Historical Society’s new Cleveland History Center. We think the Cleveland History Center is one of the most important museums in Cleveland. An unknown gem that Clevelanders should know more about, and support. It is the only museum in Cleveland dedicated to preserving and documenting the history of Cleveland. The Cleveland History Center includes two mansions, the Crawford Auto Aviation Museum, Chisholm Halle Costume Wing, Research Library, Kidzibits Hands-On Gallery, rotating exhibitions, and the Euclid Beach Park Grand Carousel.

See all Cleveland Stories dates here.