Word: rooney
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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Congressman Rooney was not the only recipient of the soothing Kennedy magic last week. He was followed shortly by Arkansas' Senator J. William Fulbright, chairman of the powerful Foreign Relations Committee. A trifle touchy since he was turned down for Secretary of State in favor of Dean Rusk, Fulbright had publicly spoken out against one of the key items of the New Frontier legislative program-a proposal to boost the minimum wage from $1 to $1.25. Fulbright got a personal welcome at the West Palm Beach airport, spent long hours in the villa and on the golf course...
...Baby." Kennedy got right down to his pitch: he wanted top men for the costly top embassy jobs, and did not want to settle simply for amateurs with private means. Without changing the law, he wanted assurances that his choices could get financial help if they needed it. Unmoved, Rooney pointed up his familiar examples of embassy waste, got agreement from Kennedy that there was room for tightening...
After lunch Kennedy kept up his sales talk through the daily golf game (no player, Rooney penciled in the scores), later let his visitor sit in on private talks with Lyndon on overall congressional tactics. As a special treat, Rooney was even granted a peek at tiny John Fitzgerald Jr. (his impression: "I think he looked like a helluva baby...
...next morning it was clear that the Kennedy magic had worked again. Rooney, in terms that were (for him) almost enthusiastic, agreed to Kennedy's major point that "we want the best men possible for service abroad," added that he would not be opposed to some increase in representation allowances to help out Kennedy's needy envoys...
Glorious Fourth. In point of fact, Operation Rooney has been overdue for years. U.S. "representation allowances," i.e., entertaining funds, are embarrassingly skimpy. Paper Tycoon James Zellerbach says that he has spent $200,000 of his own money while serving as Ambassador