"SCORES JFK'S RECORD AT HOME & ABROAD"

NIXON WANTS JFK 'TO DO WHATEVER IS NECESSARY' TO DRIVE SOVIETS OUT OF CUBA

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On April 20, 1963, former Vice-President Richard M. Nixon called on the Kennedy administration "to do whatever is necessary to force the Soviet beachhead" from Cuba.

Mr. Nixon was speaking to the American Society of Newspaper Editors meeting here in the Nation's Capital, and according to Cecil Holland of The Star, scored "the record of President Kennedy's administration at home and abroad."

The former VP said...

"The United States cannot tolerate the...existence of a Soviet military...base 90 miles from our shores."

JFK+50 NOTE

President Kennedy spoke to the ASNE the previous day.  He told the editors that an invasion of Cuba by the United States "would be a mistake."  April 1963 marked two years since the failed U.S. sponsored invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs.

SOURCE

"U.S. Decision on Cuba Is Demanded by Nixon," by Cecil Holland, The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., April 20, 1963, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

Richard M. Nixon

www.picryl.com

PD

"I'M READING MORE, BUT ENJOYING IT LESS"

PRESIDENT COOLIDGE SPEAKS TO EDITORS; SAYS WE HAVE THE BEST NEWSPAPERS IN THE WORLD

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On January 18, 1925, The Sunday Star reports on President Calvin Coolidge's address last evening to the American Society of Newspaper Editors*.

The President said...

"The pathway to success in American journalism lies in the avoidance of propaganda, the separation of news policies from business motives and continued appeal to the idealism of the American people."

Mr. Coolidge believes the United States has "the best newspapers in the world."

The key question, according to the President, is are our newspapers "trying to serve the public interests?"

President Coolidge continued...

"Wherever the cause of liberty is making its way, one of its highest accomplishments is the guarantee of the freedom of the press."

He spoke of the importance of our citizens being "correctly informed" under a system of free government.

The President continued...

"We rely greatly upon the information and judgments of experts.  Unfortunately, not all experts are to be trusted as entirely disinterested."

*ASNE, founded in 1922, was a membership organization for editors, producers & directors of journalistic departments.  In 2019 it merged with Associated Press Media Editors to form the News Leaders Assn.

JFK+50 NOTE

Historically, the American press has been highly partisan & has been described in some cases as "organs of political parties."  There is a large segment of our society today who believe "the media" are left-leaning.  

According to a 2013 study, American journalists identifying as left-leaning (Democratic) made up 28.1% of the survey, those identifying as right-leaning (Republican) made up 12.9% while those identifying as middle-of-the-road (Independent) made up 43.8%. 

In the early 1960s there was a cigarette commercial which asked, "Are you smoking more but enjoying it less?"  When JFK was asked about his view of the press in a news conference, he answered, "I'm reading more but enjoying it less."

SOURCE

"President Warns Editors To Avoid Propaganda Evil," The Sunday Star, January 18, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/ 

 

 

Radio CBC Offices

Nov 30, 1944

Montreal, Canada

Photo by Conrad Poirier

BAnQVieux-Montreal

"TO DEVELOP A STRONGER ESPRIT DE CORPS"

PRESIDENT HARDING TO ADDRESS AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS BANQUET AT THE NEW WILLARD

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On April 26, 1923, the Washington Times reports President Warren G. Harding and John W. Davis, president of the American Bar Association "are scheduled to address the members of the American Society of Newspaper Editors at their banquet Saturday at the New Willard*."

The banquet will be attended by publishers and editors from across the United States.

The ASNE was created only one year ago by fifty newspaper editors meeting in New York City.  The society seeks to "develop a stronger esprit de corps" and to "establish ethical standards and professional ideals."

*The New Willard Hotel, located at 1401-1409 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW in Washington, D.C. was designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh.  It replaced the 1st Willard Hotel built in 1833.  The NWH was completed in 1901 & 1904.

SOURCE

"Harding Plans To Address Editors," The Washington Times, Washington, D.C., April 26, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

The Willard Hotel

Washington, D.C. (1947)

Photo by National Photo Company

 

"AYUDA! AYUDA! AYUDA! KENNEDY! KENNEDY! KENNEDY!"

BAY OF PIGS AN AMERICAN FAILURE

Miami, Florida (JFK+50) On April 20, 1961, Americans awoke to newspaper headlines detailing the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion that had ended the previous day.

  

The Miami Herald's morning edition described a rally held at Bayfront Park. The anti-Castro rally sported 15,000 Cuban exiles chanting "Ayuda! Ayuda! Ayuda! (Help! Help! Help!)---"Kennedy! Kennedy! Kennedy!"

Despite President John F. Kennedy's effort to keep America out of it, everyone now knew, writes Jim Rasenberger, that the invasion "had been an American effort and an American failure."  C.L. Sulzberger of the New York Times wrote..."We look like fools to our friends, rascals to our enemies, and incompetents to the rest."

The President found it hard to explain it to himself.  He was raised to believe that nothing less than victory was acceptable.  He was humiliated by the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion and so was the nation he loved.  It was not to be a pleasant day at the White House.

JFK was, however, able to escape the grim atmosphere in the West Wing by going to give a long-scheduled afternoon speech to the American Society of Newspaper Editors at the Statler-Hilton Hotel. 

In the speech, the President said...

"We intend to profit from this lesson.  We intend to reexamine and reorient our forces of all kinds...We intend to intensify our efforts for a struggle in many ways more difficult than war."

SOURCE

"Brilliant Disaster:  JFK, Castro and America's Doomed Invasion of Cuba's Bay of Pigs," by Jim Rasenberger, Scribner, New York, 2011.

Bay of Pigs Memorial

Miami, Florida (2007)

Photo by Infrogmation

www.wikimedia.org/

JFK REPORTS ON CUBA

JFK REPORTS NEWS ON CUBA "GROWS WORSE" 

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) 53 years ago today, April 20, 1961, after the government of Cuba announced that the invasion force which landed at the Bay of Pigs on April 17 had been defeated, President John F. Kennedy addressed the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

While the President did not publicly disclose any role in the invasion by the United States, he did report that...

"On that unhappy island....the news grows worse instead of better."

He reminded his audience that:

"this was a struggle of Cuban patriots against a Cuban dictator"

 and that

"we made it clear that the armed forces of this country would not intervene in any way."

President Kennedy differed with Fidel Castro on the use of the word "mercenary" by giving the illustration that... 

"When the rebel commander on the beach was given the opportunity to surrender,  he replied: 'I will never leave this island.' That is not the reply of a mercenary."

Regarding communism in Cuba, JFK went on to say:

"(The) American people are not complacent about Iron Curtain tanks and planes less that 90 miles from their shore."

             A Somber Moment for JFK