There's More to That

A Mystery Surrounding the Grave of JFK Is Solved


Listen Later

Before he was a civil rights activist, James Felder was a member of the elite U.S. Honor Guard who helped bury John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery after his assassination in 1963. In a move that was unrehearsed, after laying the casket to rest, the members of the Honor Guard placed their military hats upon the gravesite in what James Felder called “a final salute to President Kennedy.”

Years later, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis commissioned a bronze wreath to be made in honor of her husband that incorporated the caps. Once completed, this sculpture disappeared quite suddenly. Half a century later, improbably, it was found due to the help of a couple of sleuths at a private garden in Northern Virginia.

In this episode, we hear from Elinor Crane of the Oak Spring Garden Foundation and James Felder. 

Read the original Smithsonian article by Ellen Wexler here.

To subscribe to “There’s More to That,” and to listen to past episodes on the man behind the nonfiction thriller about Abraham Lincoln's assassination, separating fact from fiction in the life of Sojourner Truth, and the complicated legacy of being the descendant of a Civil War hero, find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.

“There’s More to That” is a production of Smithsonian magazine and PRX Productions. 

From the magazine, our team is Ari Daniel, Debra Rosenberg and Brian Wolly. From PRX, our team is Jessica Miller, Genevieve Sponsler, Adriana Rosas Rivera, Sandra Lopez Monsalve and Edwin Ochoa. The executive producer of PRX Productions is Jocelyn Gonzales.

Fact-checking by Stephanie Abramson.
Episode artwork by Emily Lankiewicz. Images via John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Oak Spring Garden Foundation, and public domain.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

There's More to ThatBy Smithsonian Magazine

  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7
  • 4.7

4.7

116 ratings


More shows like There's More to That

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,115 Listeners

On the Media by WNYC Studios

On the Media

9,131 Listeners

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! by NPR

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

38,649 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,941 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,844 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,189 Listeners

the memory palace by Nate DiMeo

the memory palace

6,840 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,147 Listeners

The Kitchen Sisters Present by The Kitchen Sisters & Radiotopia

The Kitchen Sisters Present

1,270 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,442 Listeners

Sidedoor by Smithsonian Institution

Sidedoor

2,189 Listeners

Proof by America's Test Kitchen

Proof

1,876 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,013 Listeners

Short Wave by NPR

Short Wave

6,256 Listeners

Antiques Roadshow Detours by GBH

Antiques Roadshow Detours

671 Listeners