does "press" indicate to"the press of the switchboard"? The atmosphere of tension was heightened by what appeared to be a communications crisis. Parkland's switchboard operators saw their lines pre-empted—apparently by people dialing 9 on hospital extensions—until all twelve switchboard alarm lights were ablaze, indicating an absolute overload. The implication was that demand had completely outstripped facilities, cutting off the emergency area from the outside world. This was untrue. During the first half-hour, when pressure was at its greatest, members of the Presidential party repeatedly placed calls to Washington and elsewhere. The telephone in the nurse's station, which became the Secret Service command post, was in constant use. At no point was the Presidency threatened by isolation.