Past and Present

 

In addition to those listed in the previous post (8/2/2013) Mike Kerr will attend the tour of the Bush Library on Saturday, October 26.





 

 From the past: 

 



The August 8, 1963 cover of Time, The Weekly Newsmagazine  (see below) featured Tran Le Xuân, better known as Madame Ngo Dinh Nhu, the sister in law of the South Vietnam president Ngo Dinh Diem, Time had this to say:

"[The wife of President Diem's younger brother and closest brain-truster. In addition to acting as official First Lady for the bachelor President, she is in her own right one of the two or three most powerful people in the country and in a sense embodies all its problems.

In any Western nation she would be a political force to be reckoned with. In an Oriental country burdened with centuries of ignorance and bloodshed, she is probably more feared than any other man or woman — and fear under such conditions can mean power beyond either respect or popularity.

"A fragile, exciting beauty who stands only 5 ft. 2 in. in high heels — who has kept her girlish grace though she is the mother of four — Mme. Nhu does not look the part. To her critics she symbolizes everything that is wrong with the remote, authoritarian, family-dominated Diem regime. But if she is vain, arbitrary, puritanical, imperious and devious, she also exudes strength, dedication and courage. To some it seems that she belongs in an intrigue-encrusted 18th century court, or that she should wear the robes of a Chinese empress — or both.

"Her only official positions are those of Deputy in the National Assembly and chief of South Viet Nam's women's movements, but Mme. Nhu orders around army generals, Cabinet ministers, and even the President. Though he is often reluctant to go along with her, Diem regularly yields to her when she bursts imperiously into his study, and even allows her to countermand his own orders, because he desperately fears a public display of family friction.

"When a group of disaffected South Vietnamese paratroopers attempted a coup against Diem three years ago, one of their first demands was that Mme. Nhu be removed from the presidential palace. She was flattered by the attention, and also brags that the U.S. has tried unsuccessfully for years to get Diem to curb her power. She bitterly attacks the anti-Diem U.S. press corps in Saigon and accuses Americans generally of being a lot of "Ivanhoes"—perpetually in love with the underdog but confused about just who the underdog is."

She got that last about right. On November 2, 1963, Diem and Nhu were assassinated in a coup by the Vietnamese military, with whom, it has been rumored our CIA was complicit. Madame Nhu left Viet Nam forever. Sometimes unkindly referred to as the Dragon Lady, She died in 2011, in Rome, Italy at age 86.

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From various news sources:

This past August 7, 2013, President John F. Kennedy’s third child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, would have been 50 years old. As it was, the newborn infant died less than two days after his pre-mature birth of hyaline membrane disease (now called respiratory distress syndrome, or RSD). A funeral mass was held Saturday August 10, and the child was interred at Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts. Not quite four months later, Patrick’s remains were exhumed and re-interred next to his father at Arlington National Cemetery.

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From Time, The Weekly Newsmagazine

Despite the fact that it already sells 52% of the nation's autos, giant General Motors keeps itself whipped into a competitive lather—and its largest division is the most competitive of all. Though its sales are already greater than those of the entire Ford Motor Co.... (Time, 8/30/1963)

The landscape is considerably different today. In 2012, GM had a U.S. market share of 17.9%, while Ford had 15.3%. Of course, we all know that GM was bailed out by the government while Ford attained its share without help from the Feds. Japan’s Toyota Motor Co. had 14.3% during the same time. (Time, 8/30/1963)

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It was reported that sex matters in the courtroom in that women stand somewhat less chance than men of getting a fair verdict from a jury, because two large groups tend to be biased against women: 1) men earning less than $5,000 (today's equivalent = $38,100) a year, and 2) women. (Time, 8/23/1963)

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The then current top ten moneymaking movies in the U.S. were:

1) Cleopatra – made notorious by the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton imbroglio during filming.

2) Come Blow Your Horn – Coming of age in hip New York story. Frank Sinatra and Tony Bill (anyone ever heard of Tony since?).

3) How the West Was Won – Grand epic with multiple star appearances.

4) Irma La Douce – Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine comedy. Shirley plays a French hooker; Jack is a gendarme in a dual role.

5) Lawrence of Arabia – Another grand epic; released about a year previously in 1962.

6) The Great Escape – World War II prisoner of war escape. Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough. Who could forget the motorcycle jump over the barbed wire fence.

7) Bye, Bye, Birdie – Janet Leigh & Ann-Margret. Rock star (similar to Elvis) about to be drafted performs on the Ed Sullivan Show, Cameo appearance by Ed.

8) Summer Magic – Had to look this one up. Walt Disney flick with Hayley Mills. Never saw it.

9) Donovan's Reef – One of a number of joint appearances by John Wayne and Lee Marvin. World War II veterans living on a South Sea Island. Seri-comedy; great barroom brawl.

10) PT 109 – Drama about President Kennedy's World War II Navy service. Cliff Robertson played Kennedy.

(Time, August 8, 1963)

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Not counting men and women in military service, 13.5% of the nation's workers are government workers. Since 1955, the federal work force has increased 8% , to 2,500,000, but the real jump has been in the number of employees of state and local governments, which has increased 45% , to 7,000,000. (Time, August 8, 1963)

How many are so employed today?

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