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?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I believe it was in the context of the death of the President, what steps, if any, were necessary for the Vice President to assume the responsibility of the office forthwith, and our great concern about the situation in which Mrs. Kennedy was being left in this corridor, without any plan for taking care of her. So I think the basic idea was to leave the hospital.

Mr. Adams.

Was there any discussion as to whether there might or might not be some general conspiracy?
Mr. O'BRIEN. Not with me.

Mr. Adams.

Now--
Mr. O'BRIEN. I must add, however, that during the course of this, that none of us had any knowledge of actually what had occurred. And I am sure that some of us gave thought to what might still occur. We just had no idea. And we felt that certainly the first step was the protection of the new President and the taking care of Mrs. Kennedy as best we could. We tried to give some clarity of thoughts to the steps that were necessary.

Mr. Adams.

Now, you discussed these problems with Mr. O'Donnell and Mr. Powers, I suppose.
Mr. O'BRIEN. Yes.

Mr. Adams.

And anyone else?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I don't believe so.

Mr. Adams.

I will take you back to the point where the coffin arrived. What happened then?
Mr. O'BRIEN. The coffin was wheeled into the emergency room. At that point, a man arrived on the scene who, I assume, was the coroner, or someone representing the coroner's office. I do not know his name. And he stated that the President could not be taken from the hospital.

Mr. Adams.

Was this in Mrs. Kennedy's presence?
Mr. O'BRIEN. I recall this conversation took place just outside those swinging doors with the glass panels. And I would--I believe, therefore, that she did not hear this conversation.

Mr. Adams.

Now, at the time the coffin was wheeled into the emergency room, what did Mrs. Kennedy do? Did she enter at that time, or at any time, so far as you recall?

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