Memorable meeting with JFK

The world recently marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of US President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
Every time such a milestone occurs, I am taken back to little more than a year before JFK's death - September 1962 - when I was privileged to accompany Australian Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies on a visit to the United States and to a meeting at the White House with the President.
There may be some readers who have previously read my reminiscences about this meeting. To them I apologise, but the meeting had a huge impact on me. So much so, that when Kennedy was killed in November the following year, I felt his loss sharply.
I well remember the Oval Office meeting because Menzies had a tummy upset - something that happened to him regularly when travelling, especially overseas.
In fact we left our hotel a little late because Menzies had to answer an urgent "call of nature".
At the White House, one of the President's aides met us and escorted us to the Cabinet Room, explaining that Kennedy was still in a meeting - apparently with some chap from the South Vietnamese government.
Our meeting had been due to start at 11am, but we waited for some time.
In one respect it was lucky the President was running behind schedule - it gave Menzies a chance to use the White House toilets several times.
Finally an aide escorted us to the Oval Office.
Inside, several men in suits milled about while Kennedy chatted with some fairly dark-skinned chappie.
The President introduced himself to Menzies and then introduced the dark chap who muttered something about a boat, a coconut, a canoe trip and something called a PT-109.
When he finished, and thinking it was the punchline to a joke, I laughed uproariously - the only one to do so, I'm afraid.
When the others had left, Kennedy, Menzies and I sat down in some very nice wing-backed chairs which I know my good lady wife Devon would have loved.
The President, who sat in his famous wooden rocking chair, rifled through some notes in a folder before putting it aside and surprising both Menzies and me by declaring he had always loved visiting our country.
Menzies look askance at me. Nothing in our briefing notes indicated Kennedy had ever set foot in Australia.
"I first went there when my father was US Ambassador in London," Kennedy said in his clipped Boston tones.
"I loved the place. Such lovely old buildings. Of course that was before the war."
He shook his head.
"Damn shame. So many of those places got destroyed or damaged."
Then he brightened.
"You know I was there just last year, in June, for my meeting with Khrushchev.
"It's a wonder we didn't meet then, although I was only in Vienna for a couple of......"
Mercifully the telephone - or I should say, one of the telephones - on the President's desk rang.
He rocked forward, lifted himself out of his chair, crossed to his desk and picked up the phone.
From his side of the conversation, the way he held the receiver several inches from his ear, and the voice we could clearly hear at the other end of the line, it was clear Vice-President Lyndon Johnson was the caller.
It was also clear that Johnson was trying to entice Kennedy to visit the Vice-President's home state of Texas.
Menzies - a look of panic in his eyes - leaned towards me and said he had to use the toilet, urgently.
I suggested the President might be on the phone for some time and that it was probably appropriate for the PM to take that opportunity. He did, and left the Oval Office.
Unfortunately, Menzies was just out the door when Kennedy put the phone down and returned to his rocking chair. I started to explain the PM's absence. JFK didn't seem to hear.
"Damned Texas," he said, "I only just carried it in '60 and it doesn't look good for '64."
Then, pointing to the phone on his desk: "Lyndon's always after me to spend more time in Texas.
"But Jesus Christ, not even people in my own party like me in Texas.
"Hell, I'm not going. That's all there is to it," he said to himself.
Kennedy sighed, seemingly forgetting anyone else was in the room.
There was a long silence. I decided to break it.
Drawing on my extensive experience as an adviser to politicians of all persuasions, I said: "You must go there Mister President."
Kennedy looked up at me. I decided to press the point.
"You are the leader of your party, it is up to your party to toe your line, not the other way around.
"The only way to handle a situation like this is to show them who's boss."
Kennedy sparked up. He did put up some resistance to my suggestion that the way to turn around his previous poor showing in Texas was to visit the state more often.
But finally he was convinced, with only one hint of hesitation.
"The last thing I want to do is go down there and be seen to be unpopular," Kennedy said.
I agreed. "You need that like you need a hole in the head," I told Kennedy, "so why not take Jackie with you?"
Kennedy looked puzzled for a moment.
"Jackie - your wife, Mrs Kennedy," I prompted. Kennedy's eyes lit up.
"Of course. You're right," the President said as he rocked forward and stood - a signal, I felt, that the meeting was over.
"Thanks for your advice. It's very sound," Kennedy said.
He apologised for the rushed meeting, explaining he still had to attend a ceremony to receive a painting and swear in a new Secretary of Labour and watch some Mexican folk dancing troupe in the Rose Garden - all before lunch.
As he walked me to the door of the Oval Office, Menzies re-entered.
Kennedy deftly turned Menzies around and walked both of us out of the room. He shook our hands. "Hope to see you in Vienna some time," Kennedy said before heading back to the Oval Office.

***

As I write this in late November, it appears forces within the federal Labor Party are yet again moving against their leader Simon Crean.
As one who has served politicians of all persuasions over many years, I believe that, for better or worse, the end is drawing nigh for Mr Crean.
In fact I will go out on a limb and predict that Mr Crean will step down before the end of the year. I believe former leader Kim Beazley and Treasury spokesman Mark Latham will run for the leadership.
Ubiquitous foreign affairs shadow minister Kevin Rudd will also likely throw his hat into the ring. But, I suspect Mr Rudd will bow out for want of support.
If pressed, I would suggest the colourful Mr Latham will likely beat Mr Beazley by a close margin - probably as narrow as 47 to 45.

Rufus Badinage MBE, now retired, is one of Australia's leading experts on politics and public administration having worked as a senior bureaucrat for various state and federal governments.