Clint Hill on Presidential Limousines
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Former Secret Service Agent Clint Hill shares memories of the 1950 Lincoln “Bubbletop” and the 1961 Lincoln Continental presidential limousines. Mr. Hill joined the Secret Service in 1958 and served Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford before retiring in 1975.

"The 1950 Lincoln Presidential Limousine in India" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"There Were Some Problems with the Car" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"I Would Get Up on the Back of the Car" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"Transporting Presidential Cars by Air" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"The Armored Car Fleet Grows" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"The White House Garage" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"How Big Was the Presidential Motorcade?" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"Steps on the 1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"Unique Problems: Confetti and Cooling" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"Heavy Cars, Heavy Training" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
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"President Kennedy Always Walked into a Crowd" Clip from Interview with Clint Hill, 2013
Clint Hill was sworn in as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in 1958. Over the course of his 17-year career, Hill served Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Gerald R. Ford. Hill retired as Assistant Director of the Secret Service, responsible for all protective forces, in 1975.
View Artifact1950 Lincoln Presidential Limousine Used by Dwight D. Eisenhower - 2
This massive convertible Lincoln was built for President Harry S Truman in 1950, but it is most associated with Truman's successor Dwight D. Eisenhower, who used the car from 1952 until 1960. Eisenhower added the distinctive plastic "bubble top." Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson also used this car as a spare until its retirement in 1967.
View Artifact1961 Lincoln Continental Presidential Limousine Used by John F. Kennedy - 6
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in this car on November 22, 1963. The midnight blue, un-armored convertible was rebuilt with a permanent roof, titanium armor plating, and more somber black paint. The limousine returned to the White House and remained in service until 1977. The modified car shows the fundamental ways in which presidential security changed after Kennedy's death.
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