JFK’s Family Ordered Casket to Be Dumped

It was the Kennedy family that insisted that the polished bronze casket used to carry President Kennedy’s body from Dallas to Washington be dumped into the ocean, according to documents released Tuesday by the National Archives.

The documents showed that despite concerns over whether the casket should be destroyed, the government honored the Kennedy family wishes and took pains to ensure that the casket would remain at the bottom of the ocean. It was loaded with 240 pounds of sand and drilled with holes.

Kennedy, assassinated in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in a mahogany coffin. The bronze coffin was replaced because of damage.

Its whereabouts had long been a mystery. And Kennedy assassination researchers consider the coffin evidence that should not have been destroyed.

Kennedy family spokeswoman Melody Miller said Tuesday that destroying the casket was appropriate and “in keeping with the tradition of President Kennedy’s naval service and his love of the sea.”