John F Kennedy's lost speech brought to life decades after his assassination

The late President's voice has been recreated using audio clips from his speeches and radio appearances
Getty
Alexandra Richards16 March 2018

The speech former US President John F Kennedy was due to deliver on the day he was assassinated has been heard for the first time, five decades after his death.

Using audio technology, engineers have recreated the late president's voice which can be used to deliver the speech he was meant to deliver at the Dallas Trade Mart on day of his death.

The Times teamed up with British audio technology company CereProc and Rothco, an Irish creative agency, to build a database used to deliver the speech in the former president’s voice.

Using old recordings of speeches and radio addresses from 116,777 sound units, engineers were able to recreate the Dallas speech.

President Kennedy was shot and killed at the age of 46 while travelling to a lunch in Dallas on November 22, 1963.

Text of the speech he was due to give was preserved and given to local businessmen by Lyndon B Johnson who took over the presidency after Mr Kennedy’s death.

In the speech Mr Kennedy says that America’s leadership “must be guided by the lights of learning and reason” and warns of those who “confuse rhetoric with reality.”

John F Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963
Keystone/Getty Images

The recreation of the speech was part of the Times' 'JFK: Unsilenced' project.

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