is “his head fucking exploded” not a good enough reason???

It was windy out and they were afraid his head would start whistling

whatever you assume, you arent thinking stupid enough

there was basically a benny hill sketch that went on for nearly a week before the funeral, up to and including they had a solid bronze casket nobody could lift, wouldnt fit through most doors, and wouldnt work in nearly any form of transportation

If it had been up to some of the cabinet members they would have ABSOLUTELY had an open casket.

So no, his head being exploded was not the deal breaker you assume it was. The govt hired a high profile DC mortuary to do a reconstruction of JFK’s face and head in preparation for his lying in state at the capital for a public viewing. With an exploded head.

The video is fascinating. It deals a lot with Jackie’s demand for agency over her husband’s remains and how they were treated. (She was involved in a standoff in TX that damn near came to guns being drawn.) She found the reconstruction horrid. She thought it looked like a wax doll and would be disrespectful of JFK’s memory. Robert Kennedy got final approval but it was their decision that led to the closed casket.

And yes, the transport from TX to DC was a shitshow of epic proportions. I really can’t recommend the video enough.

Funeral of Eleanor Roosevelt, November 1962.