Nov. 22 marks the anniversary of the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. In a happier moment, 21 months earlier, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy led the nation on a televised tour of the White House.

The one-hour walk through the halls of the Executive Mansion, led by Mrs. Kennedy with CBS correspondent Charles Collingwood, gave the American people a behind-the-scenes look at the history, style, and décor of the White House. It remains a signature moment of the Kennedy years in Washington.

Shortly after the inauguration of President Kennedy in January 1961, Jacqueline undertook a massive restoration of the White House. The highly publicized project cost $2 million, or just under $21 million in today’s dollars.

Networks had approached President Kennedy about a possible television show on the restored White House, which evolved into a grander idea. The three major networks of the time (CBS, NBC, ABC), in a rare example of cooperative spirit, agreed to fund and broadcast a documentary tour of the Presidential home and its restoration.

Jacqueline Kennedy, who may have been the most stylish First Lady of all, led the tour, accompanied by Collingwood, a CBS correspondent for four decades.

With her usual attention to detail, Mrs. Kennedy carefully studied historical facts as well as the names of artists and designers who had contributed to the décor of the White House throughout its history. She also memorized the names of donors of the artwork and pieces that were to be showcased.

The First Lady told Clint Hill, one of the administration’s most trusted Secret Service agents, that “It’s a wonderful opportunity to showcase the art and history of the White House” but added “I have to make absolutely certain I know what I’m going to say, and make sure I’m accurate.”

Mrs. Kennedy laughed that “I don’t want to confuse a McKinley piece with an Adams piece, or say something that was attributed to Truman when it was actually Roosevelt.”

Hill recalled that “I had never seen her focus so intensely on something like this before, and I was surprised that she didn’t seem nervous at all. Quite the opposite. She seemed extremely confident and excited to share the interior of the White House with the American people.”

CBS and NBC broadcast the tour on Feb. 14, 1962, with ABC following four days later. Jacqueline, whose sense of history was exceeded by her devotion to style, wore a two-piece dark red dress that was an imitation of a Christian Dior design.

Hill actually didn’t like the choice, admitting that “I didn’t care for it. I didn’t think it did her justice.” Mrs. Kennedy accentuated the clothing with a three-strand pearl necklace and her usual, professionally done bouffant hairstyle.

The documentary was produced with many elements not seen on TV today, including a stirring musical accompaniment by orchestra conductor Alfredo Antonini, the music director for CBS.

The program was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, who won an Oscar in 1970 for his direction of the movie “Patton.” The White House tour earned Schaffner the Directorial Achievement Award from the Directors Guild of America.

The tour took the viewer through the most famous spaces in the White House, including the State Dining Room, the East Room, the Red Room, and the Lincoln Bedroom, where cameras had never filmed.

The First Lady graciously discussed minute details with Collingwood in a somewhat breathless voice, which has been analyzed by observers ever since. Hill referred to her speech as “calm and soothing. It made you hang on to her every word.”

However, Mrs. Kennedy may have had a method to her presentation. She had privately raised much of the cost, soliciting donors for the décor with the approval of the Fine Arts Committee. Hill and others believe that she used the tour to attract additional donors.

In her descriptions to Collingwood, Hill said there “was such a wistfulness in her voice that I was certain people were already getting out their checkbooks. She knew exactly what she was doing.”

Among the many pieces Mrs. Kennedy pointed out on the tour were the carved rosewood bed in the Lincoln bedroom, French wallpaper from 1834 in the Diplomatic Reception Room, and a 1796 portrait of George Washington. The president made a brief appearance, but the show clearly belonged to Jacqueline.

With her mastery of the facts and unwavering courtesy, the First Lady was the perfect hostess for the tour of the home. Hill admiringly wrote that “she came across as elegant, witty, charming, and extremely knowledgeable.”

The American people loved every bit of it. The program was viewed by 56 million people over the three networks, a record for the time.

Newton N. Minow, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, remembered that “after I got the overnight ratings, I called the President, who asked, ‘what were they?’” Minow responded, “Mr. President, they were higher than your press conferences.”

The tour was also broadcast overseas and syndicated to fifty countries, including the Soviet Union and China. Overall, an estimated 80 million viewers worldwide saw the tour.

It was estimated that more people watched the televised tour than had visited the White House in person in the building’s 162 years of existence.

Clips of the tour have been seen on various TV programs ever since. In addition, the tour in its entirety has been broadcast on the C-SPAN networks in recent years.

• Tom Emery is a freelance writer and historical researcher from Carlinville, Illinois. He may be reached at 217-710-8392 or ilcivilwar@yahoo.com.