Clare Boothe Luce and Lyndon Johnson

[John Simkin]

Clare Boothe Luce was a strong supporter of the Republican Party and had been a member of Congress for Connecticut (1940-46). Her husband, Henry Luce, shared her beliefs and his media empire always supported the Republicans in elections. His support of Dwight Eisenhower was rewarded by appointing Clare Boothe Luce as ambassador to Italy.

However, in 1960, Luce took a keen interest in the Democratic Party nomination in the 1960 Presidential Election. They gave their full support to Lyndon Johnson. When it looked almost certain that Kennedy would win the nomination, Johnson assured Clare that he would "never, never, never accept the Vice-Presidency". A week after Johnson had taken the second spot to Kennedy she asked him why he changed his mind, he replied: "At least I'm only one heart beat away from the job I really want."

Clare did not campaign for Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential Election. She told her official biographer, Stephen Shadegg, that the reason for this was because of her close relationship with Joseph Kennedy. If that was the case, why was she campaigning for Johnson?

We now know that Henry and Clare Luce were both hostile to Kennedy's policy towards Cuba.

They joined with Hal Hendrix, Paul Bethel, William Pawley, Virginia Prewett, Dickey Chapelle, Edward Teller, Arleigh Burke, Leo Cherne, Ernest Cuneo, Sidney Hook, Hans Morgenthau and Frank Tannenbaum to form the Citizens Committee to Free Cuba (CCFC).

Luce also funded Alpha 66. In 1962 Alpha 66 launched several raids on Cuba. This included attacks on port installations and foreign shipping. The authors of Deadly Secrets: The CIA-Mafia War Against Castro and the Assassination of JFK (1981) argues that Clare Boothe Luce paid for one of the boats used in these raids: "The anti-communist blonde took a maternal interest in the three-man crew she adopted... She brought them to New York three times to mother them."

Luce later told Gaeton Fonzi that the attacks had been organized by her friend, William Pawley: "Luce said that Pawley had gotten the idea of putting together a fleet of speedboats-sea-going Flying Tigers as it were-which would be used by the exiles to dart in and out of Cuba on intelligence gathering missions. He asked her to sponsor one of these boats and she agreed." John Newman argues in his book, Oswald and the CIA (1995) that Pawley was working for the CIA in Miami. He argues that he was involved with Haroldson L. Hunt and quotes James P. Hosty as saying: "H. L. Hunt was backing Pawley's people, and they were also getting support from Henry Luce."

In the 1964 Presidential Election the Luce media empire supported Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater. One wonders what sort of deal Johnson had done with Luce?

In 1975 Senator Richard Schweiker, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, began investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Two years later the House Select Committee on Assassinations was established. Soon afterwards Schweiker was visited by Vera Glaser, a syndicated Washington columnist. Glaser told him she had just interviewed Luce and that he had given her some information relating to the assassination. According to Gaeton Fonzi, who worked for Schweiker: "Schweiker immediately called Luce and she, quite cooperatively and in detail, confirmed the story she had told Glaser."

In his book, The Last Investigation (1993), Fonzi points out that during the campaign against Fidel Castro in 1963 the captain of one of the boats they were using, was approached by Lee Harvey Oswald who offered his services as a potential Castro assassin. "He said his group didn't believe Oswald, suspected he was really a Communist and decided to keep tabs on him. Fernandez said they found that Oswald was, indeed, a Communist, and they eventually penetrated his cell and tape-recorded his talks, including his bragging that he could shoot anyone". Fernandez also told Luce that Oswald then suddenly came into money and went to Mexico City and then Dallas.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKluceC.htm

[Michael Hogan]

In the 1964 Presidential Election the Luce media empire supported Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater. One wonders what sort of deal Johnson had done with Luce?

Or with Hedley Donovan: http://www.nytimes.c...nted=all&src=pm

According to an Associated Press obituary, Donovan was a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations. http://www.apnewsarc...20b8c243b469aa0

[John Simkin]

In the 1964 Presidential Election the Luce media empire supported Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater. One wonders what sort of deal Johnson had done with Luce?

Or with Hedley Donovan: http://www.nytimes.c...nted=all&src=pm

According to an Associated Press obituary, Donovan was a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Council on Foreign Relations. http://www.apnewsarc...20b8c243b469aa0

Thank you for that. It only adds to the puzzle.

[John Dolva]

Clair supported Goldwater.

-------

It would probably have been eblightening to see her p;lay in New York (if that was part of its run) and to read critiques of the time as well as compare it to the later film adaptation. Also knowing more about Finkelstein could be interesting.

[Don Roberdeau]

Good Day.... from my "Men of Courage" homepages website....

“I looked it up: One out of every four

Presidents has died in office.

I’m a gamblin’ man, darlin', and this is the

only chance I got."

(LBJ’s thinking while talking to “Time-Life magazine” owner CLARE BOOTHE LUCE, about 20th century

presidents, and, his odds of becoming president through a president’s death.

Quoted by Irwin and Debi Unger "LBJ: A Life," page 244)

http://www.amazon.com/LBJ-Life-Irwin-Unger/dp/0471176028#reader

Best Regards in Research,

++Don

Donald Roberdeau

U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, CV-67, plank walker

Sooner, or later, The Truth emerges Clearly

For your considerations....

Homepage : President KENNEDY "Men of Courage" speech, and Assassination Evidence,

Witnesses, Suspects + Outstanding Researchers Discoveries and Considerations.... http://droberdeau.bl...ination_09.html

Dealey Plaza Map : Detailing 11-22-63 Victims precise locations, Witnesses, Films & Photos,

Evidence, Suspected bullet trajectories, Important information & Key Considerations, in One Convenient Resource

(updated map coming in 2012)....

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/2192/dpupdated110110.gif

Visual Report : "The First Bullet Impact Into President Kennedy: while JFK was Still Hidden

Under the 'magic-limbed-ricochet-tree' ".... http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/2446/206cropjfk1102308ms8.gif

Visual Report : Reality versus C.A.D. : the Real World, versus, Garbage-In, Garbage-Out....http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/8543/realityvscad.gif

Discovery : "Very Close JFK Assassination Witness ROSEMARY WILLIS Zapruder Film

Documented 2nd Headsnap:

West, Ultrafast, and Directly Towards the Grassy Knoll".... http://droberdeau.bl...assination.html

T ogether

E veryone

A chieves

M ore

For the United States:

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/

[Guest]

Clare Booth Luce - 1.

Clare Booth Luce - 2.

 

Thanks to Malcolm Blunt for the documents.

Scans and distribution by me.

[Guest]

Bump

[Ron Bulman]

On 9/6/2012 at 12:41 PM, John Simkin said:

Clare Boothe Luce was a strong supporter of the Republican Party and had been a member of Congress for Connecticut (1940-46). Her husband, Henry Luce, shared her beliefs and his media empire always supported the Republicans in elections. His support of Dwight Eisenhower was rewarded by appointing Clare Boothe Luce as ambassador to Italy.

However, in 1960, Luce took a keen interest in the Democratic Party nomination in the 1960 Presidential Election. They gave their full support to Lyndon Johnson. When it looked almost certain that Kennedy would win the nomination, Johnson assured Clare that he would "never, never, never accept the Vice-Presidency". A week after Johnson had taken the second spot to Kennedy she asked him why he changed his mind, he replied: "At least I'm only one heart beat away from the job I really want."

Clare did not campaign for Richard Nixon in the 1960 Presidential Election. She told her official biographer, Stephen Shadegg, that the reason for this was because of her close relationship with Joseph Kennedy. If that was the case, why was she campaigning for Johnson?

We now know that Henry and Clare Luce were both hostile to Kennedy's policy towards Cuba.

They joined with Hal Hendrix, Paul Bethel, William Pawley, Virginia Prewett, Dickey Chapelle, Edward Teller, Arleigh Burke, Leo Cherne, Ernest Cuneo, Sidney Hook, Hans Morgenthau and Frank Tannenbaum to form the Citizens Committee to Free Cuba (CCFC).

Luce also funded Alpha 66. In 1962 Alpha 66 launched several raids on Cuba. This included attacks on port installations and foreign shipping. The authors of Deadly Secrets: The CIA-Mafia War Against Castro and the Assassination of JFK (1981) argues that Clare Boothe Luce paid for one of the boats used in these raids: "The anti-communist blonde took a maternal interest in the three-man crew she adopted... She brought them to New York three times to mother them."

Luce later told Gaeton Fonzi that the attacks had been organized by her friend, William Pawley: "Luce said that Pawley had gotten the idea of putting together a fleet of speedboats-sea-going Flying Tigers as it were-which would be used by the exiles to dart in and out of Cuba on intelligence gathering missions. He asked her to sponsor one of these boats and she agreed." John Newman argues in his book, Oswald and the CIA (1995) that Pawley was working for the CIA in Miami. He argues that he was involved with Haroldson L. Hunt and quotes James P. Hosty as saying: "H. L. Hunt was backing Pawley's people, and they were also getting support from Henry Luce."

In the 1964 Presidential Election the Luce media empire supported Lyndon Johnson against Barry Goldwater. One wonders what sort of deal Johnson had done with Luce?

In 1975 Senator Richard Schweiker, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, began investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Two years later the House Select Committee on Assassinations was established. Soon afterwards Schweiker was visited by Vera Glaser, a syndicated Washington columnist. Glaser told him she had just interviewed Luce and that he had given her some information relating to the assassination. According to Gaeton Fonzi, who worked for Schweiker: "Schweiker immediately called Luce and she, quite cooperatively and in detail, confirmed the story she had told Glaser."

In his book, The Last Investigation (1993), Fonzi points out that during the campaign against Fidel Castro in 1963 the captain of one of the boats they were using, was approached by Lee Harvey Oswald who offered his services as a potential Castro assassin. "He said his group didn't believe Oswald, suspected he was really a Communist and decided to keep tabs on him. Fernandez said they found that Oswald was, indeed, a Communist, and they eventually penetrated his cell and tape-recorded his talks, including his bragging that he could shoot anyone". Fernandez also told Luce that Oswald then suddenly came into money and went to Mexico City and then Dallas.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKluceC.htm

This is a very interesting post considering the holdings of Ms. Luce in 1963.  Time and Life in particular, Sports Illustrated more (?).  Nothing but magazines, newspaper, radio and TV in the big cities at the time.  

[Guest]

Claire Booth Luce - 3

William Colby to Claire Booth Luce

Richard Schweiker - William Colby - Clare Booth Luce

CCFC -  Daniel James -  Clare Booth Luce

Thanks to Malcolm Blunt, scans by me.