The JFK Files: A non-fiction book by Robert Helliger

Chapter Forty-Eight-News of a President's Death-(I); November 22, 1963

~~~Quote: "Our job is only to hold up the mirror, to tell and show the public what has happened", unquote, CBS new anchor Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr., (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009)~~~

 THE MOST TRUSTED MAN IN AMERICA

I

Walter Cronkite became the voice of CBS news.

     Cronkite, who was of Dutch descent, Saint Joseph, Missouri. His Dad was a dentist: Dr. Walter Leland Cronkite, (September 1893 – May 1973); his Mom was  Helen Lena (née Fritsche, August 1892 – November 1993).

       The family name was: "Krankheyt".

II

He grew up in  Kansas City, Missouri until 1926 when his family headed to Houston, Texas. Cronkite, educated at  Lanier Junior High School, (now Lanier Middle School); he was also educated at  San Jacinto High School.

III

Cronkite edited articles in the local newspaper. He was a member of The Boy Scouts. And he the Daily Texan.

IV

Cronkite attended The University of Texas college, (1933); and a  Chi Phi Fraternity member. And a member of the  DeMolay chapter in Houston.

      At UT, he acted with Ann Sheridan, (February 21, 1915 – January 21, 1967)-born "Clara Lou Sheridan"; and Eli (Herschel) Wallach, (December 7, 1915-).

*In 1994, Cronkite talked about his religious faith in a interview: Quote: "I got into a Boy Scout troop that met in an Episcopal Church...The Church had a wonderful Minister who was also the scoutmaster. And I suppose you can say he proselytized me...At any rate...I was much involved with the Church, and became Episcopalian...And an acolyte. Later...when I worked for a paper in Houston...I was church editor for a while. The Episcopal House of Bishops met in Houston one year...And I became intrigued by the leaders of the church — fascinated by their discussions and their erudition", unquote*.

V

By 1935, Cronkite worked for WKY, (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma); by 1936, as he worked in sports radi for KCMO (AM), (Kansas City), he fell in love with Mary Elizabeth Maxwell, ("Betsy"), who was visiting the station.

        He was called ""Walter Wilcox", and was part of The United Press (1937). During WWII, he covered Africa as well as Europe. When the decade of radio ended in the 1940's, the beginning of US TV got Cronkite's attention from Edward R. Murrow, (b. "Egbert Roscoe Murrow", (April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965), the chain smoking "wonder boss of US news". Cronkite didn't get the job for Morrow in 1943, (because of WWII).

         But, by 1950, Murrow signed Cronkite as the new CBS news anchor with Arnold Eric Sevareid, (November 26, 1912 – July 9, 1992); Edward "Ed" Bliss, Jr., (July 30, 1912 – November 25, 2002); and Alexander Kendrick, (July 6, 1910 – May 17, 1991), all became "Murrow's Boys", a precursor to the "60 Minutes"-era of journalists, authors, and news readers who dominated American TV in the 1950's, 1960's, and 1970's.

~~~

VI

After the WWII coverages, Cronkite settled into CBS.

        He worked for  CBS Washington DC station WTOP-TV. Then he headed the 11:00 PM Sunday night late news called "Up To the Minute", (which came after  the game show "What's My Line?"). In 1952, Cronkite anchored the 1952 US election. He did such a great job that politicians felt safe wiith Cronkite, who was now the most powerful TV newsman in America.

~~~

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