Conversation 153-037

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Mr. President?

Yeah.

I have Mr. Chandler.

Mr. President, sir.

Hello.

Hi, Mr. President.

How are you?

I'm doing more important things.

How are you?

Well, I'm coming along.

Great, great.

Well...

I've had a little surgery, and I'm going to probably have to have some more iron.

Uh-huh.

Well, you... A few cobalt treatments, and I feel lousy, but I'm more or less on the shelf, but I'm at least up and around.

Well, your voice sounds great.

Well, I... Well...

I'll tell you, when I heard about this, I said, well, I mean, I had, somebody told me you had two little problems, and I said, well, I said, we couldn't, we need you.

That's the basic.

We just can't, you know, at least, you know, I've got to go to the Grove sometime, and I want you to be there.

I'll be there.

You know, by the time I get there, I'll probably be in that group where they put over on the side there, you know.

I don't think so.

The old guard.

I don't think so.

Well, what I want to tell you, too, is I've been sitting here

I'm at Camp David actually in Ramsettigan.

Yeah.

We're trying to work on all the new appointments.

We're having a—we're going to have a massive reorganization, which you'll be very pleased with, I'm sure.

But in any event, I've also been working on all of the letters and so forth to the thousands of people that worked and contributed and so forth.

I want to add my congratulations on a wonderful, wonderful victory.

Well, let me say that as I thought about it, you know, you think of a few indispensable, and as I've told you before,

One of the indispensables was not only the endorsement of the Times in 1946, which of course was essential in my ever getting the nomination as a Congressman.

But in 1950, I will never forget when Kyle Palmer, when I was in California, I didn't know what I was going to do.

I was just a junior Congressman.

Kyle invited me to have lunch with him and he took me to the old Biltmore.

And I remember to say what I had.

I had a tamale, one of those great big tamales.

And Kyle, you know, he was sort of blunt.

He sort of rumbled around.

He said, well, Dick, I don't think it's a good idea, but Norman told me that I should tell you that if you want to run for the Senate, the Times will support you.

And I said, well, you know, I gulped a bit.

But without that little word from you, I would have never run, and I'd never be here now.

Well, I think of that often, too.

Well, I'll tell you, you were the man, and what you have done through the years, your support has meant so much to me.

I mean, not only in the paper, but I remember the time at the Grove after the...

You know, before the 68, when Walter Annenberg came over to Caveman, you remember?

That's right, yeah.

Yeah, we had a good talk.

Yeah, that's right.

I hope Walter stays on for a while.

Well, I'm going to keep him on for a while.

I've asked him, too.

Don't you think it's a good idea?

He's doing it.

Sure.

I talked to him.

He was here last week.

I talked to him and urged him to stay on for a while longer.

Well, if you could, you might.

You know, I talked to him myself.

I dropped him.

I wrote a little note before the election.

Be careful where it was.

Let me say, everybody wants that job.

And I think...

I just feel he should stay there for a while.

I do, too.

And if you're dropping him a note and you can say you and I were chatting, it's nice for him to get it, you know, through a third hand.

I'll do that.

I think it would take a little heat off of you for another year or two.

That's right.

I sort of had that in mind.

Well, that's good.

I've got enough heat as it is.

Yeah, I'm dropping the note.

Well, I congratulate you again.

It was just an unbelievably great, great victory for you and our country.

Well, it looks as if now that our total percentage might even—it's already the biggest absolute margin in terms of votes, but also the margin may go over 61 points, which is not bad.

Yeah, the polls proved to be pretty correct, didn't they?

Yes, sir, right on the line.

Right on the button.

That's right, that's right.

Well, anyway, you take care, and you're going to beat this thing, you know?

Well, I think I will.

I might have to have more surgery in about a month.

I might have to go into my lymph glands and throat.

And that's not good.

And on the other hand, this cobalt might clean it all up.

But it's not very nice to have it hanging over your head, but as soon as I stop my cobalt, I'll stop feeling better.

I can't even taste the food.

After all my taste, I can't tell whether I'm drinking a martini or a glass of milk.

Oh, boy.

That's just awful.

I know, I know.

It must be.

Well, Mr. President, you're very, very nice to call and make inquiry, and I deeply, deeply appreciate it.

And all the best of luck to you and my love to Pat.

Well, you'll get a note from me, but just one of the...

A little thank you notes, but I wanted to call you and just tell you what we were thinking about you.

Give our best above.

Thank you very, very much.

Bye.

All right, bye-bye.