President Johnson Almost Shot By Secret Service Agent Hours After Kennedy Assassination: New Book

[RamboLiberal]

The night after the assassination, Blaine says he was assigned to protect Johnson's two-story house in Washington when he heard the sound of someone approaching.

Instinctively Blaine picked up the Thompson submachine gun and activated the bolt on top. The unmistakable sound was similar to racking a shotgun. He firmly pushed the stock into his shoulder, ready to fire. He'd expected the footsteps to retreat with the loud sound of the gun activating, but they kept coming closer. Blaine's heart pounded, his finger firmly on the trigger. Let me see your face, you bastard.

The next instant, there was a face to go with the footsteps.

The new President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson, had just rounded the corner, and Blaine had the gun pointed directly at the man's chest. In the blackness of the night, Johnson's face went completely white.

A split second later, Blaine would have pulled the trigger...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/19/president-johnson-almost-shot_n_768338.html

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. That would have been awkward.

And John W. McCormack would have been President.

[louis-t]

2. Whoa.

Heavy.

[Hekate]

3. This is in the category of "Things I'm glad we didn't know at the time"

Just reading about it now made my stomach clench. :wow: :scared:

[bleever]

4. So John William McCormack would have been president.

There's a trivia question for you.

[Motown_Johnny]

5. you would think the man was trained to check his target before firing

this may be an example of "embellishment"

[Historic NY]

6. Not really it was thought the Russians were behind the assassination...

the country was on high alert. No one knew what was going on...i lived through it.

[Kaleva]

7. Tommy gunning a new President would look bad on a resume.