JFK'S FINAL NEWS CONFERENCE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On November 14, 1963, President John F. Kennedy held his 64th and final news conference in the State Department Auditorium here in Washington. It began at 11 a.m. Eastern time. President Kennedy, who gave no opening statement, was asked...
"It now seems unlikely that you will get...your tax bill or your civil rights bill in this session of Congress. Does that disturb you?"
JFK answered...
"Yes...both these bills should be passed. The tax bill has been before Congress for nearly a year (and) the civil rights bill...for a much shorter time. There may be a very long debate."
Later in the conference, the following question was put to the President...
"The Fred Korth and Bobby Baker cases have prompted some serious questions about the moral and ethical climate in Washington. What is your assessment?"
JFK responded...
"There are always bound to be...people who can't stand the pressure of opportunity...but the important point is what action is taken against them.
I think that this administration has been very vigorous in its action, and I think that we have tried to set a responsible standard."
The President was also asked questions about America's military role in Southeast Asia. One of these was...
"In view of the current situation in South Vietnam, do you still expect to bring back 1000 troops before the end of the year?"
JFK answered...
"We are going to bring back several hundred before the end of the year, but..on the question of the exact number...we (will) wait until...November 20."
Thurston Clarke writes...
"Kennedy's sixty-fourth press conference was a grim affair. He was mad at Congress for cutting his foreign aid budget."
SOURCE
"JFK's Last Hundred Days, The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President," by Thurston Clarke, The Penguin Press, New York.
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On November 14, 1963, President John F. Kennedy held his 64th and final news conference in the State Department Auditorium here in Washington. It began at 11 a.m. Eastern time. President Kennedy, who gave no opening statement, was asked...
"It now seems unlikely that you will get...your tax bill or your civil rights bill in this session of Congress. Does that disturb you?"
JFK answered...
"Yes...both these bills should be passed. The tax bill has been before Congress for nearly a year (and) the civil rights bill...for a much shorter time. There may be a very long debate."
Later in the conference, the following question was put to the President...
"The Fred Korth and Bobby Baker cases have prompted some serious questions about the moral and ethical climate in Washington. What is your assessment?"
JFK responded...
"There are always bound to be...people who can't stand the pressure of opportunity...but the important point is what action is taken against them.
I think that this administration has been very vigorous in its action, and I think that we have tried to set a responsible standard."
The President was also asked questions about America's military role in Southeast Asia. One of these was...
"In view of the current situation in South Vietnam, do you still expect to bring back 1000 troops before the end of the year?"
JFK answered...
"We are going to bring back several hundred before the end of the year, but..on the question of the exact number...we (will) wait until...November 20."
Thurston Clarke writes...
"Kennedy's sixty-fourth press conference was a grim affair. He was mad at Congress for cutting his foreign aid budget."
SOURCE
"JFK's Last Hundred Days, The Transformation of a Man and the Emergence of a Great President," by Thurston Clarke, The Penguin Press, New York.
