The Kennedys by Thomas Maier

Author:Thomas Maier [THOMAS MAIER]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 2011-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Congratulations on your wonderful victory. I remained up until four fifteen this morning watching the proceedings and shall hear your acceptance speech tomorrow.

I hope you will arrange your speaking program so as to be with us at the Al Smith dinner at the Waldorf the evening of October 19. Vice President Nixon will also speak. I know how happy are your mother and father and brothers and sisters.

Devotedly and prayerfully,

The cardinal’s ruse, the friendly affectations while acting busily behind the scenes to undermine his candidacy, appalled Jack Kennedy. “He never liked Cardinal Spellman,” Bobby later recalled.“All of the conversations that we got back from Spellman were strongly against my brother, and the person who was strongly against Spellman, of course, was Cushing, who was far more liberal.”

After considerable internal debate, however, Kennedy decided to attend the Al Smith dinner, even though he would be surrounded by the cardinal’s courtesans and partisans. He was slated as the last speaker, but threw out half his speech because he was not scheduled to speak until after 11:00 P.M. He was determined not to let his emotions show; his only armament of the evening was his sense of humor, arguably his best weapon.

“Now that Cardinal Spellman has demonstrated the proper spirit, I assume that shortly I will be invited to a Quaker dinner honoring Herbert Hoover,” he began, drawing a titter from the crowd. With a wry smile, Kennedy gazed upon the assembled politicians, including the governor of New York, Nelson Rockefeller. “Cardinal Spellman is the only man so widely respected in American politics that he could bring together amicably, at the same banquet table, for the first time in this campaign, two political leaders who are increasingly apprehensive about the November election—who have eyed each other suspiciously and who have disagreed so strongly, both publicly and privately—Vice President Nixon and Governor Rockefeller,” he quipped, which brought about a healthy round of laughter. To this crowd of twenty-five hundred people, it seemed that Kennedy surely wouldn’t make this jest unless he was in the cardinal’s good graces.

With the same light touch, Kennedy poked fun at Nixon, at the various charges leveled during the campaign and even at himself. When confronted with the inanity and hypocrisies of political life, Jack Kennedy could signal to the crowd, without condescension or undue cynicism, that he was in on the joke.“On this matter of experience,” he added, referring to a Republican criticism of himself, “I had announced earlier this year that if successful I would not consider campaign contributions as a substitute for experience in appointing ambassadors. Ever since I made that statement, I have not received one single cent from my father.”

Looming over the whole evening was the religious issue—the great unknown wild card of the 1960 campaign—which he handled gracefully, ever aware of the historical ironies in appearing at this dinner. During his speech, Kennedy spoke somberly of a presidential candidate who suffered a humiliating defeat, carried only a few states and lost even his own.

“You all know his name and his religion,” Kennedy said, pausing properly for effect, “Alfred M.

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