IFP:130 "At Home With the Kennedys"

an informal visit with the family of Senator John F Kennedy this morning we shall meet senator Kennedy his mother mrs. Joseph P Kennedy his wife Jacqueline the sister Eunice now mrs. Sargent Shriver and his sister Jean now mrs. Steven Smith with Steve jr. if you would like to ask senator Kennedy any questions regarding his work in the Senate he will have an opportunity to telephone later in the program right now mrs. Joseph P Kennedy tonight since six years ago send my son Jack and it was a candidate for the Senate we had this little half-hour on television many of you most of you right saying things who have enjoyed it and so we arranged to have it again this year of course there had been a great many changes in the family the girls who helped so much before have been married and have children of their own and so they have not been able to help that is not that we have a charming addition and the person of gasoline Jack's wife who has been campaigning with him during the last few months and homes I know many of you have met most repellers Jacqueline a little about your experiences as joy to campaigning so much mrs. Kennedy from September 15 jackknives and traveling through the place trying to meet as many people as we can his youngest son Teddy who as you know is campaign manager set up the schedule for us last summer and now rejoined us whenever he can get away from Lois to run reason we visited a hundred and eighty-four community and I think slept in nearly every city in Massachusetts and we must have shaken hands with in Massachusetts - well congratulations jackets and congratulations - gasps that he found a right who has so enjoyed the campaign of course with us it was a little different because we were born into a political atmosphere but with you which is quite a new experience I know jack has been ungallant enough to say in speeches that you've been campaigning for 65 years I realize of course that he refers to Grandpa Fitzgerald carrying you around in his arms when he was mayor and you were a tiny baby well that is not quite true because in those days of course the women did not have the vote and so we did not go to the rallies and to school and going even though I'm surprised if Jack has insisted on taking Caroline and mistress she's back in Boston with us now but she was very lucky during the early part of our tour to be reviewed with the case we love having her and now speaking about the case Jean how did it go this summer I was missing her mother Bobby to zero to six children immunity Jackie with Caroline and Chris I was overseas so it's great fun a nice tour to each other oh how did you do Eunice a relative learn to ride they learned to swim and Bobby took them out to sail he we have nine of them down there between the ages of one and seven I'm selling the first day is teaching them so they learned to sail very quickly at town oh did you get a chance to go up to the premise at all they're a little younger yes I suppose though but I do hope it's a good oldie we'll take them up there and to Provincetown because I think it's so good for them to get loose to go into those things and get interested in things of historical nature while they are young because it's been then as they get older they go faster that interest and be very much inspired by the great speeds of the men's were gone before them I think Massachusetts of course is a particularly have to state that point of view because we are replete with all sorts of mementos that monuments that are associated with the glorious past as if she can all be proud I am so delighted when I can say the jacket the United States Senator the Massachusetts because everybody knows for the wonderful Terry Succi cafeteria so do take the children around see that they see all those things and probably someday I hope they will emulate some of this great men for guns before them either in this state or in one of the other states now talking about children I think we have some pictures of the other grandchildren which I hope the audience will enjoy I know there are Bobby and Maria bodies age four out of Chicago and that's Maria whose birthday is tomorrow she'll be three years old we're getting ready to go on a picnic you live right opposite the big park out there so me and Moe separating a big lawn from your house cornflake and cold milk and honey deceive me and they're fast Bobby is very boisterous just trying to play football we had two children my brother Bobby's got sour but everyone tells me mine a brighter and cover and happier and stronger Norfolk that makes us aura remember that body may be listening to this progress they get your education before here we are in the big Lincoln Park Zoo eating the Bears the elephant right to the right kid I hope they will children do they are you available very great loves offer me on the picnic in the park and the afternoon you been in Chicago course everything should be nice but she is you and I know you I could come up out here the sugar candy they activated that ah now I could take it very well I guess I know enough that was supposed to be for their elephants abated very well Rajyam is President of the Board of Education in Chicago so very much interested in teaching Bobby Maria we don't go to work in the garden yet teaches them in the evenings after supper seems that the supposed to learn can be gone this was the body part in McLean Virginia here is Bobby showing us some pictures of autographs that we've been collecting for numbers years of former president I think this one is John Hancock's and going into the house and that's John drive fo the oldest daughter Kathleen who's ever known and I think she's going near the rest of the building at ball court indeed that teacher that can be ended and one of the adorable men even our think you know I'm it used to be has a sister doesn't you're a cannon rabbit and ever fairly nice or the youngest is about six months in this Courtney and looks to here is the greatest and Bobby and Joe with names our brother Joe Fillmore and popular the glass and counsel suppose there's a Peter Lawford with his children and paths on the beach at Santa Monica where they live in California is Christopher is four and Sydney was too in saying that the farthest mystic are swimming and he's a are was had inside the house and the building blocks if I was teaching them gear this is very dark as you can see and didn't died line it means my godchild because I didn't your children units at their lessons and I say put your grace your aptitude I'm sure so long the chosen Oh five we came here I kind of noticed like an old-fashioned have you been on any of the TV show now yeah well I think the pictures of all the family were very good and just sorry that that couldn't have come or the Bobby couldn't have come with all his children but I want to thank all of you for being here and coming from the far parts of the country to assist us during the last week of this campaign and good morning uh or you ladies who may be there I'm very happy that you could be with us at home with all of my family this morning if you would like to call with any questions about my record in the Senate or my stand on any issue please call me right now at stadium 202 704 stadium 202 71 or Oh 272 Jackie Jean and Eunice relaxes my operators and give you a call to me before I go to the phones I want to say just a word about this election on November 4th one of the most difficult things an officeholder has to do in my opinion is to ask people to vote for him it isn't easy to make a lot of statements about my record or a lot of promises about the future but let me say this in the last month Jackie and I have been in every corner of Massachusetts and for the last six years I have been directly or indirectly in touch with practically every citizen in the state I think I know the people of Massachusetts pretty well and I think they know me I think you know what I stand for what I am trying to do for our state and how I believe a public office such as United States Senator should be filled so without I hope being too presumptuous or taking too much for granted my biggest concern now is that you go to the polls on November 4th in times such as these when the right to vote the right of free elections is under assault all over the world I really don't see how anyone can stay at home on Election Day never think that your vote is not needed or is unimportant never be able to say on November 5th the day after elections that you forgot to vote or that it was too much trouble whatever trouble it may be whatever party you they belong to I hope you will go to the polls on November 4 and cast your ballot if you believe in what I've been trying to do if you believe in the program to strengthen Massachusetts in the nation I hope you will find it possible to cast a vote for which I will be very grateful I see that the girls have taken some calls so I will get right to them first question is are we stronger than Russia I think that strength is made up of many ingredients we're economically stronger with politically stronger I think that our greatest age of weakness is corruption in long-range ballistic missiles where they have had a lead over us I think it's going to take a concentrated effort during the next two or three years for us to catch up I believe that effort should be made I've supported a strong a defense in the past and will in the future this question is my husband's unemployment compensation check is too small any hopes for an increase well it is a fact that the average unemployment check for one of our unemployed workers in this country is thirty one dollars a week and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that it caught a single person to live in one of our cities on a survival basis fifty two dollars a week so I often in the Senate and the Congress from atomic in the house a bill which would have provided in May for a federal minimum standards for unemployment compensation it would have meant that an unemployed worker honestly seeking a job would have received compensation equal to 50% of his wage up to two-thirds of the average wage in the state for a period of thirty nine weeks I hope we could get it through in the next Congress I think your wife will make a better senator than you what do you think I agree with it in any case I have the benefit of her advice so maybe I will improve he's my boy going to be able to get into college well it is a serious problem in the next 13 years by 1970 in other words we're going to have in places the three million boys and girls getting into college this year we're going to have six million in the state of Massachusetts instead of about one hundred and twenty three thousand we're going to have about two hundred and seventy thousand that means we're going to have to double our facility now in the private universities I would hope and I say this is an overseer of Harvard University that we would be able to get more assistance from private endowments and business groups and others but in addition the federal government can play a role in the lost housing bill which was defeated by three votes in the house provided in editions alone for the construction of college dormitory it also provided for loans for the construction of classroom and then I think the state has a major role to play to develop the State University I think it's going to require a concentrated attack because we need the best educated citizenry that we have that we can find and I don't think any boy or girl who is talented should be denied the right to go to college did the McClellan committee investigation to accomplish anything when I was on the McFarland committee my brother was a member as well as being on the permanent labor committee and I think the committee did accomplish something it did brings a light the problem of the infiltration of racketeers into the labor management picture and the use of unions for their advantage of these racketeers and the infiltration into business of corrupt people who had nothing in common with the labor movement or with responsible business we brought it out to Kennedy eyes labor reform bill which was written by senator eyes in New York a Republican and by me as a Democrat which was to carry out the recommendations legislatively of the McCallum committee passed the Senate by a vote of 88 to 1 was defeated in the house 198 190 I can assure you that we're going to start again next January because I think responsible legislation is supported by honest labor and management Elijah I write you a letter in Washington will you answer I can assure you that we will I won't be able to do it for the next few days but after election I certainly would be look forward to hearing from you and I and I really mean that because the more information we get from our people back home the more we know how they feel and what the problems are the better we're able to represent you in Washington so I would hope that not only you get an answer but I would like to hear from you ah can we stop the rise in the cost of living well the rise has been going up steadily it's stopped in September and there's been a stretch out since then but it did go up three or four percent of the seven months preceding it's difficult in a free society well everyone can know their own direction to have the complete control over the cost of living but there are several things that can be done in the first place we can the Federal Reserve Board that administer the credit supply of this government in a way which will restrict inflationary pressures we can make sure that we do not spend too much in government that we don't have deficit financing which is a stimulation to inflation and the higher prices you can make sure that those prices which are control such as natural gas and the basic commodities and public utilities here in a state like Massachusetts if they're administered fairly and well and in a whole variety of ways do our best to attack this problem which i think is a terribly difficult one particularly for those people living on fixed income and on retirement to find that their retirement check every month is becoming worth less and less I think it's the number-one problem and I hope that we can do take more effective action in the coming months and years if you are a Democrat why is my boyfriend a Republican supporting you I don't know unless you've talked him into it but in any case I hope that every citizen of Massachusetts regards to their party if they can will support me and if they cannot of course so that they will support my opponent in any case I do hope as I said before that they will come to the polls and vote and I'm glad to hear that Virginia they say in this case a Republican is supporting us because I think I've attempted to represent all the people of this state in Washington in a responsible way final question of this series is what are you doing for the fishing industry well the fishing industry has been one of the industries hard-hit by excessive import and in 1954 in the Senate the Congress passed the so-called Saltonstall Kennedy Act which responses by both senators from Massachusetts this provides that the duty collected on the importation of foreign fish instead of going as it used to go for the Department of Agriculture for the support of perishable vegetables now goes to are the fishing industry for research we send a chip out the albatross third which goes out and does research and how to pack fish and how to freeze it better and find new fishing grounds and in other words helped by research the fishing industry to develop its resources in addition senator Saltonstall and I've introduced the bill this year which came out of the Senate committee which I hope will pass next year which will be of more direct assistance to the fishing industry provide a revolving funds for the purchase of new vessels and provide other protections for the fishing industry which are greatly needed without a strong fishing industry we don't have a strong economy here in the state of Massachusetts if you think that our look light bill is too high well the regulation of light and the price of those commodities comes under the state commission and I think that they're best equipped to deal with that a problem because it doesn't come under the federal government and I really haven't got information and on SF to give you a really intelligent answer how many babies did you kiss at this campaign where I didn't kiss not by hitting guests but death I didn't manage to that didn't seem to be much desire in their paws by death in any case we saw a lot of mothers hands we shook it in I'm a high school student how can I get into politics well it's now what in twenty am i hopeful if you're going to go to school today as it is a weekday but I do will hope that our boys and girls even if they're not old enough to vote will participate in these campaigns as a campaign on this year there's going to be one in 1960 and I hope that they will go to the party headquarters that they believe in I'll go to the headquarters of various candidates who they like and volunteer their help all the jobs that need to be done in the campaign can be done regardless of what age you are we have a lady in our headquarters is writing a card for us every evening at 150 Tremont Street whose own ID and then we have a lot of girls that come in from high school and boys who are helping us distribute literature so that whatever age you may be you can meet your responsibilities as a citizen and I hope that you will in this campaign and another campaign to follow what is your stand on civil rights the life support legislation to make sure that every yet one of our citizens and their children are guaranteed equal rights and I've supported all civil rights legislation in the 12 years that I've been in Congress we want to make sure that every boy and girl whatever color whatever race or creed are given an equal opportunity to develop their own resources and talent and I think the best must be done in a country which is a great country we don't say that everyone will be able to have equal talent but at least they ought to be able to develop what college they have equally and that's the essence of this system of government and I believe in it strongly and will continue to work for it in the United States Senate you think we have enough for Social Security well quite obviously our Social Security payments have not kept up with the cost of living room from which we were talking in the last Congress we attempted to increase the 10% we were not successful when they did go up 7% but the cost of living during that same period had gone up nearly 8% now the cost of living will be up again unfortunately probably by January or February and I'm hopeful that we can meet that problem again I think that the fund is efficiently strong certainly to provide for benefit up to the 10% which I mentioned how is your health well it's fine I had a bad year back in 54 the result of an injury I sustained in the Navy but I'm in fine of attention I appreciate the contrast maybe get around very go can anything be done about those airline crashes in New England one of the problems of get across is that we have bad weather on the coast and we have a farm and a good deal worse conditions than they have in other sections of the country where only the CAA puts in safety facilities of a particular kind only when you were 20 thousand flights a year some of our airports that you've invested and Nantucket have less than that but we've been working with a CAA in an attempt to get an amendment to that provision in order to provide that when you have a percentage of flights in a concentrated period of time it's particularly bad whether you will get these facility where we really need them and we're going to get them do you think we're headed for Laura well the issue of war and peace is really in the hands of the enemy the Red Chinese and the Russian but if we're strong and determined and we indicate that we're going to meet our commitments then I think that the peace can be held that's my hope and I think that the chief threat is going to be indirect subversion instead of outright military action though as I have said it has to be in the hand of the Red Chinese and the Soviet Union how many more children do you want to have well I like to ever all were that we could have and have you seen my brothers have six children in seven years I'm hopeful that we will I don't know the immediate we tried to try I understand that you're a shoo-in to win so why should I bother to vote for you well I'm not a shoe-in as of today I have no brooch and I won't have any votes until election morning is when the poll is open so that I'll I'd like to win and I'd like to win as far as I could I think it helps those of us who speak for Massachusetts if the people in Washington know that we have the support of the people in our state and so that I'm hopeful that all of you as I said before will go and vote we need all the folks we can get we won't have anybody's vote as I said when election stopped and people don't vote in the 12 hours at the polls are open then we can't win but if you all go and vote you can get our friends to vote and I think we do have a good chance to win and I think it's going to make it easier for us to speak with more strength to bigger in the Senate because people realize that the people of Massachusetts have given me their support so that I guess this is about all the questions that we have time for I'm very grateful to you for having Tom Russ this morning and having the coffee hours we're going to be sending a lot of younger people around of your homes during this week when could being a magazine or really a tabloid which has some of the things that we've done I hope you will have a chance to say hello to them and I want to thank my mother and all my sisters for coming once again to help me in a campaign and now I'd like to have you come over in media what I hope to god greatest rooted but if I just can't paint work here in the future I go to Caroline TLC is going on first time that she's been on that television but I hope to buy the next campaign she'll be seven years old we can put her out to the work more actively we want to thank you again for coming she's just she's the youngest member of our family and I'm grateful to her and to my wife Jackie and to all my sisters I've said unto my mother especially as she was said she started campaigning for my grandfather Fitzgerald and when he was mayor in 1980 and that she's been working for your father my father my grandfather or my father affirm me for the last half century so we're very grateful and reported to have her help and we're fortunate to have Caroline who's now 11 months and we'll be heroes November 28th Election Day is just one week away next Tuesday exercise your right to vote Andrea like Senator John F Kennedy United States senators

Channel: JFK Library

Views: 110,244

Rating: 4.8552189 out of 5

Keywords: Kennedy, Presidential, Library, Musuem, JFK, John F. Kennedy, 1958 Campaign, Senate campaign, Massachusetts, Jacqueline Kennedy, Rose Kennedy, Eunice Shriver, Jean Smith, Stephen Smith Jr.

Id: dDFNKkqQZyc

Length: 28min 50sec (1730 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 13 2016