"KEPT A DISTANCE OF ABOUT FIVE MILES"

JFK'S PRESS SECRETARY'S PLANE 'SHADOWED' BY REDS OVER EAST GERMANY

Berlin, West Germany (JFK+50) On May 12, 1963, The Sunday Star reports that a jet airplane carrying President John F. Kennedy's press secretary, Pierre Salinger*, "was shadowed" last Thursday "by a Soviet jet fighter" as it flew over Communist East Germany.

The Boeing 707**, headed to West Berlin, "was under observation for twenty minutes."  According to U.S. tracking records, the Soviet fighter kept a distance of "about five miles" from the U.S. airplane.

Mr. Salinger "and a number of other White House and State Department officials" flew to West Berlin to prepare for President Kennedy's planned visit scheduled for June 28.

*Pierre Emil Salinger (1925-2004) was born in San Francisco, CA & served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.  PES earned his B.S. at the University of San Francisco in 1947. 

He was JFK's press secretary & continued in the position with LBJ.  PS was RFK's campaign manager in 1968.

**Boeing 707 was the 1st jetliner developed & produced by Boeing.  It made its 1st flight on Dec 20 1957 & began commercial service Oct 26 1958.

SOURCE

"Reds Shadow Kennedy Plane With Salinger Over Germany," The Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., May 12, 1963, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

Pierre Salinger

JFK's Press Secretary

May 10 1961

U.S. National Archives

Flickr Commons

"THE PRESIDENT HAS A COLD"

JFK RETURNS TO CAPITAL WITH ADVISERS DEADLOCKED ON CUBA

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 20, 1962, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara* reported to President John F. Kennedy that there were 6000 to 8000 Soviet troops in Cuba.

This number, provided by the CIA, was woefully inaccurate.   According to Michael Dobbs, there were actually 40,000 Russian soldiers in Cuba.

To make matters worse, the President's advisers were deadlocked on what action to counsel JFK to take in response to Soviet nuclear missile sites in Cuba.

Things were going so badly on the 20th of October, President Kennedy had to make a sudden return to Washington from the campaign trail.  The public was not permitted to know the real reason for his change in schedule. 

Press Secretary Pierre Salinger said to the Press...

"The president has a cold..." 

 

 *Robert S. McNamara (1916-2009) was born in San Francisco & attended UC Berkely & Harvard Business School.  RSM served in WWII & was president of Ford Motor Company (1960).  He was Secretary of Defense under JFK & LBJ.

 

SOURCE

"One Minute to Midnight:  Kennedy, Khrushchev & Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008. 

 

 

 

JFK & Bob McNamara

Cabinet Room, The White House

Photo by Cecil Stoughton (1962)

NARA/JFK Library Image 

  

I DON'T BELIEVE IN MANAGED NEWS...WE OUGHT TO GET EVERYTHING WE WANT

MRS. CRAIG ASKS JFK WHY HE MANAGES THE NEWS

Washington, D.C.  (JFK+50) Very often today we hear President Donald J. Trump characterize the news as "fake."  On February 21, 1963, the issue was "managed news."

At an afternoon news conference held at the State Department Auditorium here in the Nation's Capital, reporter May Craig* asked JFK the following question...

 "Mr. President, the practice of managing news is attributed to your administration.  Mr. (Pierre) Salinger** says he has never had it defined.

Would you give us your definition and tell us why you find it necessary to practice it?"

JFK responded...

"You are charging us with something, Mrs. Craig, and then you are asking me to define what you are charging me with.  Let me just say, we've had very limited success in managing the news, if that's what we've been trying to do."

Then, JFK, did something rarely, if ever, done before in the history of presidential news conferences, he asked the reporter a question...

"Perhaps you would tell us what it is that you object to in our treatment of the news."

Mrs. Craig, after making sure the President wanted her to respond, countered...

"Well, I don't believe in managed news at all.  I thought we ought to get everything we want."

JFK laughingly responded...

"Well, I think that you should too, Mrs. Craig.  I'm for that."

Then, all the reporters laughed.

JFK+50 NOTE:

The Encyclopedia of American Journalism says "all (presidential) administrations can be faulted for trying to manage the news, especially if the phrase...refers to seeking favorable coverage."

*Elisabeth May Adams Craig (1889-1975) was a reporter for 5 different Gannett newspapers based in Maine.  She was Washington correspondent for the papers & wrote a column titled "Inside Washington."  She was always wearing hats & gloves "so that people would remember" her.  Mrs. Craig once served as president of the Womens National Press Club.

**Pierre Salinger (1925-2004) was born in San Francisco & served in the US Navy in WWII.  He graduated from the University of SF in 1947 & became an editor for Colliers Magazine.  PS was press secretary for JFK & LBJ, resigning in March 1964.  

May Craig & Soldier (1940)

Library of Congress Image

GOOD EATING MR. PRESIDENT

JFK PARDONS THANKSGIVING TURKEY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-four years ago, November 19, 1963, President John F. Kennedy  was presented with a 55 pound turkey by the president of the National Turkey Federation*.

The turkey, named Tom, was afforded the traditional presidential pardon. 

President Kennedy said...

 "It would be...a terrible shame to interrupt a great line like Tom's.  We'll just keep him."

Thurston Clarke writes that later in the day Press Secretary Pierre Salinger dropped by the Oval Office to "say goodbye" before leaving on a trip with some cabinet members.

The President, "looked up from a stack of papers, removed his (reading) glasses, and said with an air of fatigue...

'I wish I weren't going to Texas.'"

*National Turkey Federation has been the advocate for the turkey farmer & processors for 75 years representing their interests to the U.S. Congress & federal agencies.

SOURCES

"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, 2013.

"Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1963," United States Government Printing Office, Washington, 1964.

JFK Pardons Thanksgiving Turkey

Rose Garden, The White House

November 19, 1963

Photo by Abbie Rowe

NARA Image

THANK YOU MR. PRESIDENT

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2200

JFK'S FIRST NEWS CONFERENCE BROADCAST LIVE 56 YEARS AGO

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-six years ago today, January 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy held his first official news conference as President of the United States.  

The meeting with the press, held in the State Department Auditorium*, was the first presidential news conference to be televised live across the nation.  Sixty-five million Americans tuned in for the conference in 21.5 million homes.

JFK was to have an average television audience of 18 million for all his news conferences.   

Press secretary, Pierre Salinger, said...

"The ideas and philosophy of (President Kennedy)...were best displayed during those moments of truth when he stood alone before the representatives of the press..."

Mr. Salinger went on to say that JFK was well prepared for each of his news conferences.    The staff would provide, beforehand, questions they thought might be asked which gave the President the opportunity to formulate his responses.  It also afforded him the opportunity to request more information on a topic if needed.

According to Assistant Press secretary Malcolm Kilduff, President Kennedy had a unique ability to predict what questions would be asked and sometimes would imitate the reporter's voice who would most likely ask them.

When the double doors of the auditorium opened, the President would stride through and all reporters would stand.  After JFK made a brief opening statement, the floor was open for questions.  Reporters who had questions would stand and say "Mr. President!"

JFK would select one, point at that reporter,  while the others would sit back down and wait for their next opportunity.

Following is one of the questions John F. Kennedy answered in his first presidential news conference and his response.

Question...

Mr.President, there has been some apprehension about the instantaneous broadcast of Presidential press conferences such as this one, the contention being that an inadvertent statement no longer correctable, as in the old days, could possibly cause some grave consequences.  

Do you feel there is any risk or could you give us some thought on that subject?

The President...

Well, it was my understanding that the statements made by...President Eisenhower were on the record.  There may have been a clarification that could have been issued afterwards but it still would have been on the record as a clarification, so I don't think that the interests of our country are (threatened).

It seems to me they're as well protected under this system as they were under the system followed by President Eisenhower.  And this system has the advantage of providing more direct communication.

At the end of the news conference, UPI's Merriman Smith said, "Thank you, Mr. President."

JFK+50 NOTE

Well today TWITTER certainly provides an even MORE DIRECT and personal form of communication for a President of the United States who wishes to use it.  We wonder what President Kennedy would have thought about President Trump's role as "twitter-n-chief?" 

*State Department Auditorium, capable of seating 800 people, had an entrance on 23rd Street.  President Eisenhower laid the cornerstone for the building on Jan 5, 1957 & it was dedicated on Jan 5, 1961.


SOURCES

"Extended, remodeled New State Building," Office of the Historian, www.history.state.gov/

"Kennedy and the Press:  The News Conferences,"  Edited & Annotated by Harold W. Chase & Allen H. Lerman, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1965.

MR. PRESIDENT, WHY DO YOU MANAGE THE NEWS?

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1866

MRS. CRAIG ACCUSES JFK OF NEWS MANAGEMENT

Washington, D.C.  (JFK+50)At an afternoon news conference fifty-three years ago today, February 21, 1963, held at the State Department Auditorium here in the Nation's Capital, reporter May Craig* asked JFK the following question...

 "Mr. President, the practice of managing news is attributed to your administration.  Mr. (Pierre) Salinger** says he has never had it defined.
Would you give us your definition and tell us why you find it necessary to practice it?"

JFK responded...

"You are charging us with something, Mrs. Craig, and then you are asking me to define what you are charging me with.  Let me just say, we've had very limited success in managing the news, if that's what we've been trying to do."

Then, JFK, did something rarely, if ever, done before in the history of presidential news conferences, he asked the reporter a question...

"Perhaps you would tell us what it is that you object to in our treatment of the news."

Mrs. Craig, somewhat taken aback, countered...

"Well, I don't believe in managed news at all.  I thought we ought to get everything we want."

JFK laughingly responded...

"Well, I think that you should too, Mrs. Craig.  I'm for that."

Then, all the reporters laughed.


The Encyclopedia of American Journalism says "all (presidential) administrations can be faulted for trying to manage the news, especially if the phrase...refers to seeking favorable coverage."

*Elisabeth May Adams Craig (1889-1975) was a reporter for 5 different Gannett newspapers based in Maine.  She was Washington correspondent for the papers & wrote a column titled "Inside Washington."

She was always wearing hats & gloves "so that people would remember" her.  Mrs. Craig once served as president of the Womens National Press Club.

**Pierre Salinger (1925-2004) was born in San Francisco & served in the US Navy in WWII.  He graduated from the University of SF in 1947 & became an editor for Colliers Magazine.

Salinger was press secretary for JFK & LBJ, resigning in March 1964.  He worked with RFK in 1968 & moved to France after Bobby's death.

May Craig & Soldier (1940)

Library of Congress Image

                                                      

               

                               

1ST PRESIDENTIAL NEWS CONFERENCE ON LIVE TV

JFK+50:  Volume 6, No. 1839

JFK'S FIRST NEWS CONFERENCE TELEVISED LIVE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-five years ago today, January 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy held his first official news conference as President of the United States.  

The meeting with the press, held in the State Department Auditorium, was the first presidential press conference to be televised live across the nation.  Sixty-five million Americans tuned in for the conference in 21.5 million homes.

JFK was to have an average television audience of 18 million for all his news conferences.   Press secretary, Pierre Salinger, said...

"The ideas and philosophy of (President Kennedy)...were best displayed during those moments of truth when he stood alone before the representatives of the press..."

Mr. Salinger went on to say that JFK was well prepared for each of his news conferences.    The staff would provide, beforehand, questions they thought might be asked.  This gave the President the opportunity to form his responses and ask his staff to gather more information on a topic if needed.

According to Assistant Press secretary Malcolm Kilduff, President Kennedy had a unique ability to predict what questions would be asked and sometimes would imitate the reporter's voice who would most likely ask them.

When the double doors of the auditorium opened, the President would stride through and all reporters would stand.  After JFK made a brief opening statement, the floor was open for questions.  Reporters who had questions would stand and say "Mr. President!"

JFK would select one, point at that reporter,  while the others would sit back down and wait for their next opportunity.

Following are two questions and answers from the JFK's first presidential news conference...

Question...

Does your administration plan to take any steps to solve the problem at Fayette County, Tennessee where tenant farmers have been evicted from their homes because they voted last November & now must live in tents?

The President...

The Congress...enacted legislation which placed very clear responsibility on the executive branch to protect the right of voting.  I support that legislation. I am extremely interested in making sure that every American is given the right to cast his vote without prejudice to his rights as a citizen.  And, therefore, I can state that this administration will pursue the problem of providing that protection with all vigor.

Question...

Would you consider reopening diplomatic relations in Cuba?

The President...

We have no plan at the present to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba...because of the factors (Soviet/Communist influence) which are involved on that island.

SOURCE

"Kennedy and the Press:  The News Conferences,"  Edited & Annotated by Harold W. Chase & Allen H. Lerman, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1965.

JFK Press Conference

 November 20, 1962

Photo by Abbie Rowe

JFK Library Image

JFK's 1st Presidential Press Conference

JFK'S FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE HELD 53 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-three years ago today, January 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy held his first press conference as President of the United States at the State Department Auditorium here in the Nation's Capital.

                   JFK Press Conference
                     November 20, 1962
                   Photo by Abbie Rowe
                     JFK Library Image

Breaking with tradition, President Kennedy allowed his meetings with the press to be televised live.  Previously, conferences were held in private, usually in the presidential oval office.  

Sixty-five million Americans in 21.5 million homes reportedly tuned in for the first Kennedy press conference.

JFK posted an average television audience of 18 million viewers for all his news conferences.

JFK's press secretary, Pierre Salinger, who sat in a chair on stage to the left of the President's podium, said...

"(His) ideas and philosophy were best displayed during those moments of truth when he stood alone before the representatives of the press..."

Mr. Salinger said that JFK was well prepared for each of his news conferences.  

President Kennedy did his homework for the first and subsequent conferences by having his White House staff come up with a list of questions they thought he might be asked at the next press conference.  

This gave the President the opportunity to form his responses and ask his staff to gather more information on a topic if needed.

When the double doors of the auditorium opened, John F. Kennedy would stride through at a fast pace and all reporters would respectfully stand. 

When he reached the podium, adorned with the Seal of the President of the United States, all reporters would take their seats.

Installing the Presidential Seal

In many of his conferences, President Kennedy would have a brief opening statement and then came the reporters' questions.

Newsmen and women who had questions would stand and say...

"Mr. President!"

Mr. Kennedy would point at one of the reporters while the others would sit back down and wait for their next opportunity.

JFK+50 has selected two questions and answers from the first press conference.  The full text of the conference is available on the internet.

Question #1

"Mr. President,

Does your administration plan to take any steps to solve the problem at Fayette County, Tennessee where tenant farmers have been evicted from their homes because they voted last November and now must live in tents?

The President...

"The Congress...enacted legislation which placed very clear responsibility on the executive branch to protect the right of voting. 

I support that legislation. 

I am extremely interested in making sure that every American is given the right to cast his vote without prejudice to his rights as a citizen. 

And, therefore, I can state that this administration will pursue the problem of providing that protection with all vigor."

Question #2

Mr. President,

Would you consider reopening diplomatic relations in Cuba?

The President...

"We have no plan at the present to resume diplomatic relations with Cuba...because of the factors which are involved on that island."


SOURCE

Kennedy and the Press:  The News Conferences, Edited and Annotated by Harold W. Chase and Allen H. Lerman, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1965.

WHICH PRESIDENT HELD THE MOST PRESS CONFERENCES?  

In the past 90 years, Presidents of the United States have met with the press with a varied degree of regularity.

Calvin Coolidge, who took office in 1923 and served until March 1929, held 407 press conferences. 

Mr. Coolidge averaged 72.90 a year and that statistic places him first among all chief executives in total number of conferences held.

This might come as a surprise who remember Coolidge as being called "Silent Cal" because of his super quiet demeanor. 

There's an old story that describes a very talkative lady sitting next to President Coolidge at a White House dinner.  She apparently was more interested in talking than eating while the President was more interested in eating than talking.

Finally, at the end of the meal, exasperated, she turns to Coolidge and says...

"Mr. President, I have a bet with some of my friends that I could get you to say more than 2 words at this dinner tonight."

Coolidge turned to the lady, looked her up and down, and without changing his expression, said...

"You lose."

                       President Coolidge with 
                  Press Photographers (1924)
                   Library of Congress Photo 

President Ronald Wilson Reagan, in contrast, known as the "Great Communicator," held only 46 news conferences in 8 years with an average of only 5.75 a year.

That record is even worse than President Richard M. Nixon, who detested the press.  Nixon held 39 conferences from 1969 to 1974, averaging 7.03 a year.

Following is a list of presidents in the order of average press conferences. While JFK is far down the list, keep in mind that his term lasted only 2 years and 10 months.

Coolidge (407) 72.90
FDR (881) 72.66
Hoover (268) 67.00
Truman (324) 41.73
G. Bush (137) 34.25
GW Bush (210) 26.25
LBJ (135) 26.16
Eisenhower (193) 24.13
Clinton (193) 24.13
JFK (65) 22.89
Obama (80) 20.00
Carter (59) 14.75
Nixon (39) 7.03
Reagan (46) 5.75

SOURCE

www.presidency.ucsb.edu/date/newsconferences.php.

REPORTER ACCUSES JFK OF MANAGING NEWS

February 21, 2013

REPORTER ACCUSES JFK OF MANAGING NEWS

Washington, D.C.  (JFK+50) 50 years ago today, at his afternoon press conference at the State Department, President John F. Kennedy was accused of managing the news* by reporter May Craig.**

*The Encyclopedia of American Journalism says "all (presidential) administrations can be faulted for trying to manage the news, especially if the phrase...refers to seeking favorable coverage."

Mrs. Craig asked....

"Mr. President, the practice of managing news is attributed to your administration.  Mr. (Pierre) Salinger*** says he has never had it defined.
Would you give us your definition and tell us why you find it necessary to practice it?"

President Kennedy responded...

"You are charging us with something, Mrs. Craig, & then you are asking me to define what you are charging me with.  Let me just say, we've had very limited success in managing the news, if that's what we've been trying to do."

Then, JFK, turned the tables by asking for a response from the reporter.

President Kennedy said...

"Perhaps you would tell us what it is that you object to in our treatment of the news."

Mrs. Craig made sure the President wanted her to respond & then said...

"Well, I don't believe in managed news at all.  I thought we ought to get everything we want."

JFK laughed & said...

"Well, I think that you should too, Mrs. Craig.  I'm for that."

Then, all the reporters laughed.

                                                       You Tube Video

*Elisabeth May Adams Craig (1889-1975) was a reporter for 5 different Gannett newspapers based in Maine.  She was Washington correspondent for the papers & wrote a column titled "Inside Washington."

She was always wearing hats & gloves "so that people would remember" her.  Mrs. Craig once served as president of the Womens National Press Club.

               May Craig & Soldier (1940)
               Library of Congress Image

**Pierre Salinger (1925-2004) was born in San Francisco & served in the US Navy in WWII.  He graduated from the University of SF in 1947 & became an editor for Colliers Magazine.

Salinger was press secretary for JFK & LBJ, resigning in March 1964.  He worked with RFK in 1968 & moved to France after Bobby's death.

                               Pierre Salinger