~~~
"McCarthyism", the term to describe "Un-patriotic and Un-American activities", went into the lexicon of popular culture.
McCarthy himself was a Kennedy supporter before he became famous. McCarthy supporter Father John Francis Cronin, S.S. (Society of St Sulpice). Father Cronin, a Glens Falls, New York native, published "Communism: A World Menace". He studied economics in Baltimore, Maryland. He was at the College of the Holy Cross seminary. And wrote a journal called "Commonweal". And, upon meeting a young Richard M Nixon in 1946, served the FBI in some political matters. He also helped Wisconsin Republican, Charles Joseph Kersten (May 26, 1902 - October 31, 1972), who died at the height of the infamous "Watergate" scandal that was broken by The Washington Post's Robert Upshur "Bob" Woodward, (March 26, 1943-), and Carl Bernstein, (February 14, 1944-), which Nixon wiretapped and bugged the Democratic Office Building, and hired several men to get files on the Kennedy family. An obsession that ultimately saw Nixon impeached and forced from office in August, 1974 in disgrace. *In Book Three I'll detail the controversial, sour relationship between Nixon and the Kennedys*.
***Woodward and Bernstein won The Pulitzer Prize for journalism for breaking the scandal. It would become a bestselling book "All The President's Men", 1974, and movie, (1976), with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as the journalists...and other books about the subject of political cover-ups***.
~~~
McCarthy was friendly with the Kennedy. He travelled to their home in Hyannis Port. He went out with
~~~
Patricia Helen "Pat" Kennedy Lawford (May 6, 1924 – September 17, 2006), dated McCarthy. And did Eunice Mary Kennedy Shriver, DSG (July 10, 1921 – August 11, 2009). Patrricia was a well known socialite; Eunice founded "The Special Olympics" in 1962, (which celebrated disabled atheletes in America).
Patricia Kennedy married troubled actor Peter Lawford, (born "Peter Sydney Ernest Lawford", (7 September 1923 – 24 December 1984), the UK/American star of various movies like "Dear Phoebe", (1954); "The Thin Man", (1957); and "Ocean's 11", (1960). They had had four children. But, in 1966, she got a divorce because of Lawford's chronic alcoholism.
~~~
****McCarthy was godfather to Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend (born July 4, 1951-), who is an attorney. She was Maryland's sixth Lieutenant Governor, (1995-2003); she unsuccessfully ran for political office in 2002. By 2010, she was the "American Bridge" Chairwoman, (a non-profit organisation)****.
~~~~
FOOTNOTE: Alfred Emanuel "Al" Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944), the Governor of New York, was a candidate for US President, was an objector to US President Roosevelt's "New Deal" in 1938. Smith served 4 times as Governor. He was a Anti-Prohibition politician. (He wanted Americans to enjoy alcohol-not have it diluted by US cabinet ministers who hated gangsters ruining the country). Smith was concerned about "The Eighteenth Amendment", (see upward about Anti-Prohibtion). Smith was a follower of "Tammany Hall", (aka "Society of St. Tammany"; "The Sons of St. Tammany"; and "The Columbian Order").
It served a purpose for Irish-American immigrants from the 18th century to the 20th century. *The whole subject will take too much of this author's time to tell of because I don't want to ruin the reader's time when he or she reads this book*.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, (the home of the Mormons), McCarthy had 57 names of communists, (down from over 200+). In all, the damage was done.
According to Robert E. Lee, (a FBI head), McCarthy needed to get the facts right...or be a pariah in the eyes of the US Senate. McCarthy blamed the US State Department for quote: "Hiding the Communists", unquote. This enraged the State Department. US Senator Millard Tydings stated: Quote: "Let me have him, McCarthy, for three days in public hearings, and he'll never show his face in the Senate again", in other words, he let McCarthy talk about the Communist threat...and then disappear from the US Senate. Sadly, he was prophetic. McCarthy died on May 2, 1957, aged only 48, only a couple of years older than the assassinated US President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
~~~
Page 16
YOU ARE READING
The JFK Files: A non-fiction book by Robert Helliger
Non-FictionThe true story of the 1963 assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. An account of the life and death of one of the most popular politicians our the 20th century by Robert Helliger. Rated PG-13 for some violence, sex references, some coarse lan...
