Newly rediscovered tape of JFK's Houston speech at Rice Hotel released

A newly rediscovered audio recording of President John F. Kennedy speaking at the Rice Hotel the night before he died has been released.

Associated Press reporter Russell Contreras, who is working on a book about JFK's remarks to the League of United Latin American Citizens on Nov. 21, 1963, said he found the recording a couple months ago on the website of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.

Contreras said he uploaded the recording to YouTube as soon as he found it this spring.

On May 29, which would have been the late president's 96th birthday, Contreras posted a set of photos along with the speech.

A Houston native who graduated from the University of Houston, Contreras said he played the Rice Hotel recording for some of the Latino activists who had attended the speech, which some historians see as the beginning of a Latino voting bloc in the United States.

"My 93-year-old uncle was there," Contreras said. "He had never heard it."

The recording, slightly longer than two minutes, reflects the ebulliance of a popular young president greeting people who were thrilled to see him.

This frame grab provided Feb. 22, 2011, by the The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas shows an image of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy on the eve of his 1963 assassination. The silent film shows the Kennedy's during their appearance at a League of United Latin American Citizens at the Rice Hotel in Houston on the night of Nov. 21, 1963. Roy Botello of San Antonio, who shot the film with his home movie camera, has donated the film to the museum. (AP Photo/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza) NO SALES, NO ARCHIVE, ONE TIME USE less This frame grab provided Feb. 22, 2011, by the The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in Dallas shows an image of President John F. Kennedy and first lady Jacqueline Kennedy on the eve of his 1963 ... more Photo: AP Photo: AP Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Newly rediscovered tape of JFK's Houston speech at Rice Hotel released 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

"This organization has done a good deal for this state and for the country, and I'm particularly glad that it emphasizes the, not only opportunity for all Americans the chance to develop their talents, education for boys and girls so that they can pursue those talents to the very end of their ability, but also because you remind Americans of the very important links that we have with our sister republics in this hemisphere," Kennedy said.

When First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy took the microphone to say a few words in Spanish, the crowd erupted, Contreras said.

The next day, Kennedy would be shot to death in Dallas.