agent: mr. president, can we release the news to the press? lyndon johnson: no, i'd better get back to the plane before you announce it. walter cronkite: from dallas, texas, the flash apparently official, president kennedy died at 1 pm, central standard time, some 38 minutes ago. vi psident lyndon johnson has left the hospital and presumably he will be taking the oath of office shortly and become the 36th president of the united states.