 Suddenly, I found myself face-to-face with Jackie in a small hall. I think it was right outside the operating room. You always think of her or somebody like her as being insulated, protected, sort of on own of us, alone. I don't think I ever saw anybody so much alone in my life. I went up to her, put my arms around her and said something I'm sure it was quite banal, like God help us all. Because my feelings for her were too tumultuous to put into words. And then I went in to see Nelly. There it was different because Nelly and I have gone through so many things together since about 1938. I hooked her tight and we both cried and I said, Nelly, it's going to be all right. There's been enough bad. It's already happened. It wasn't only the president I was thinking about. It was Kathleen, of course. And Nelly said, yes, John's going to be all right among the other fine qualities. She's also tough. The small white room where Lyndon still was. Mr. Kildorf and Kenny O'Donnell were coming and going. I think it was from Kenny's face, from Kenny's voice. President is dead. Kildorf entered and said to Lyndon, it was decided that we could go immediately to the airport. Quick plans were made about how to get to the car, who to ride in, what. Getting out of that hospital. The end of the car was one of the swiftest walks I ever made. We got in, Lyndon said, stop the sirens. We drove along as fast as we could. We looked up at a building and there already was a flag at half mast. I think that was when the enormity of what had happened first struck me. Clean number one, the TV set on. Common data was seen. Lyndon B. Johnson, now president of the United States. We were going to wait for Mrs. Kennedy and for the coffin. We decided that he should be sworn in, but we did not know. Secret service man say, Mrs. Kennedy. We had been quickly ushered first into the main private presidential cabin out of which. It was a very, very hard thing possible. She said things like, oh, what if I had not been there? I am so glad I was there. I said, one leg was almost entirely covered with it. It was caked. That immaculate woman was caked with blood, her husband's blood. She always wore gloves like she was used to them. I never could. And that was somehow one of the most poignant sites, exquisitely dressed and caked in blood. If I couldn't get somebody to come in to help her change, and she says, oh, no, that's all right. Perhaps later I'll ask for Mary Gallagher, but not right now. And then with something, if with a person that gentle, that dignified, you can say had an element of fierceness, she said, I want them to see what they have done to Jack. She said a lot of other things. Like, what if I had not been so glad I was there? And some things that made it so much easier for us. Oh, Lady Bird, we've all liked you both so much. I tried to express something of how we felt. I said, oh, Mrs. Kennedy, you know we never even wanted to be vice-president. And now, dear God, it's come to this. I've given anything to help her, and there's nothing I can do to help her. So rather quickly, I left and went back to the airplane, the main part of the room where everybody was seated. The ride to Washington was silent and strained, each with his own thoughts. One of mine was something I had said about Lyndon in an interview a long time ago, that he's a good man in a tight spot. Even remember one little thing he said in that, get a Secret Service man, went all first in the family who had come to join them. Then we followed. Lyndon Maid.