Nathan Raab, a seasoned treasure hunter, has uncovered a series of remarkable historical artifacts deliberately concealed by various governments.
These concealed treasures are now meticulously chronicled in Nathan Raab's latest book.
In a shocking revelation, private conversations from the crew of Air Force One during the transfer of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's body to Washington on November 22, 1963, were made public years ago.
However, it has recently come to light that the initially released 30-minute audio contained only an official excerpt selected by the government, omitting crucial portions. Steven Raab, a treasure hunter with a penchant for discovering documents related to significant moments in American history, contacted his son and partner, Nathan, in 2011.
The elder Raab had acquired a collection of JFK material once belonging to General Chester Clifton Jr., Kennedy's top military advisor, who had traveled aboard Air Force One after the assassination. Among the finds were a logbook detailing daily activities of the Kennedys and a letter from the president suggesting the naming of Polaris submarines after World War II heroes.
The most unexpected discovery was a box of audio tapes, two of which were labeled "Traffic aboard Air Force-1" and "Radio traffic of AF-1 in flight from Dallas, Texas, to Andrews," both dated November 22, 1963. These tapes, totaling two hours and 22 minutes each, revealed previously unknown conversations that transpired just two hours after the president's assassination.
Participants included government officials, Kennedy's collaborators, and Jerry Behn, the head of the Secret Service. The tapes discussed the handling of the president's body, protocols after the assassination, and the autopsy, offering a comprehensive view of the immediate aftermath.
These tapes were created before the official version, significantly edited, was made public in 1968, adding historical value and pricing them at half a million dollars. Nathan Raab emphasized the tapes' significance, stating, "I knew we had stumbled upon something that would change history.
These groundbreaking discoveries, along with others, are unveiled in Raab's book, "The Hunt for History: On the Trail of the World's Lost Treasures," published by Scribner. The book showcases a love letter from Martin Luther King Jr. written in prison and another from Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers, expressing remorse for his opium abuse.
