Alicia's Pen Pal

"In your great inaugural speech." editorialized suburban Long Island's Newsday (circ. 328,801) in an "open letter" to President John F. Kennedy, "you said to us: 'Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.' But still we do not know what it is that must be done, and how you as an elected leader want us to do it." Dozens of editorial pages across the U.S. have been making the same complaint to President John Kennedy, but perhaps none of the others thought of wiring the President an advance copy of its editorial.

Last week Newsday had a scoop of sorts in President Kennedy's reply. Newsday Editor and Publisher Alicia Patterson, who learned newspapering at the knee of her father, the late Joseph Medill Patterson, founder of the New York Daily News (see below), took for granted that she would receive the courtesy of an answer. After all, she had supported Kennedy for president, while Alicia's husband, Harry Guggenheim, president of Newsday, voted for Nixon.

"Many thanks for your wire," wrote President Kennedy, before he ticked off the numerous heavy demands that he felt he had already made of the nation: a greater defense effort, greater discretion from the press, higher taxes, nonsalaried service in the Peace Corps, etc. All these requests, said the President, "involve some effort, some inconvenience, or some sacrifice." Then he added: "There is much more to be done."

Newsday gave the presidential message a wary editorial greeting ("We are pleased . . . but he must first spell out our responsibilities"). And Alicia insisted on the last word. "His answer was too general," she said. "He has to do more than ask." Then she sat back to see if her pen pal had more to say.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.