I have seen/heard documentaries/books, where he was quoted as saying that the press could never touch him, while he was alive (regarding his affairs, including the one with Marilyn Monroe).
WHY WAS HE SO SURE ABOUT THIS????I know his dad had something brewing with the Teamsters....but why was Kennedy so sure about this? Thanks.
2007-02-23 18:50:01 · 5 answers · asked by C 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The relationship between the White House and the press was very different in those days. Someone's personal life was not considered grist for the mill--at least while they were alive. They actually respected the office and the man holding it.
Presidents Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson have been shown with reasonable certainty to have had extramarital affairs. Even George Bush, Sr. was rumored to have had a long-running affair with a State Department employee.
Can't-keep-it-zipped Clinton and the predatory press changed all that.
2007-02-23 18:55:15 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
In those days the press was much more discrete in their reporting. Heraldo and company changed all that.
Other examples where the press kept information about the presidents confidential:
John Kennedy's serious physical condition and that fact that he was almost constantly on pain killers.
Franklin Roosevelt's condition, a paraplegic (from polio), was kept from the public. He was always discretely shown from angles where his disability couldn't be seen.
The media could also be counted up to keep sensitive information out of the press. In many cases for legitimate national security reasons. Today, the greatest scoop that the press can get is leaked classified information. And they get away with it by claiming 1st Amendment rights.
2007-02-24 03:48:48 · answer #2 · answered by amused_from_afar 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kennedy had extremely friendly relations with most reporters, who back in 1960, tended to be men. Since there was an unwritten "men's code" that you didn't discuss when another guy was cheating on his wife (especially if the guy was the President), Kennedy was relying on cultural norms.
For an excellent look at Kennedy and the press, see "The Making of the President 1960" by Theodore White. It's a great in-depth look at the Kennedy persona.
2007-02-24 02:56:28 · answer #3 · answered by parrotjohn2001 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think it was a well kept secret his father also had a long affair with Gloria Swanson so it must have run in the family.
2007-02-24 03:01:16 · answer #4 · answered by molly 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The press did not attack the President of the United States back then as they do today.
It just wasn't done.
.
2007-02-24 02:57:44 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋