 a long time. Well, he's very much the same way Joe Kraft is. They're out and they don't get consulted and they don't feel great power and you could throw all three of them on the scales at once and it wouldn't be 89 pounds. But they have these little parties out at Georgetown and they discuss and Bill Moyers tells me, I just want to be sure there's no basis for this, that they had a party last night and Joe Oldsup called up very excited today and said that he and Kraft and all of Evans. Was this at Ebbentown? Yeah. I know I was invited to one and I couldn't remember what night it was. Well, it was Evans's house and the Kennedy crowd decided that I had framed up to get to armed services in the Senate to call McCone to put the Ebbentown War on Kennedy's tomb and that I had a conspiracy going on to show that it was Kennedy's immaturity and poor judgment that originally led us into this thing that got us involved and that his execution of it had brought havoc to the country and then McCone had gone up and done it and that this was my game to lay off, lay a Vietnam off on to Kennedy's inexperienced immaturity and so forth. It did he or more but that was the guts of it. I explained by saying that I knew nothing about his being called. That was Russell. McCone told me he was going. McCone told me he was stressed about some weapons but I told Bill not to tell him that. That's all he talked to me about. He didn't mention Vietnam that I asked McNamara to consider it. Take a look at it. McNamara had an officer go with McCone. McCone told me he's been asking to that I subsequently I hadn't heard McCone since and hoped he didn't but I subsequently checked with McNamara and he told me that he thought things were all right so I assumed since McNamara was a part of the administration that he was going to be tagged with the war. And it's going to be tagged with the war. Since he was a part of the administration I assumed that he didn't resent very much what it said or he would have said to me that it didn't go right or it wasn't true or something but he told me that the hearing went off all right and I guess he'd be a good authority to tell him that that I considered myself responsible for every decision made by Kennedy beginning with the nomination of vice president and the adoption of the platform through the Bay of Pigs through the Dominican Republic and Jim problems and right down to that day in Dallas and that I had had an opinion on an occasion to including civil rights and one two others but I never discussed them anybody but the president and never discussed them with anyone since and didn't propose to and that whatever he did I supported and if they can find a more loyal man this town to him or to his memory I'd like for him to produce him and that I had a considerably bigger slice of the Kennedy presidential pie making him president and either role in having George O'Craft even though they wrote a few speeches now that's about the story I don't it's not worthy of a lot of your attention except I wanted you to know that that's what they were saying and I assume that it's an injustice to McComb too isn't it I think so Mr. President I talked to I haven't talked to McComb but I took myself talked to Fitch and also the buzz wheeler had talked to Fitch and it was Buzz's opinion as it was mine that based on what Fitch told us now I haven't seen any text or anything like that but based on what Fitch told us it was my impression that McComb did a good job I do know this that from everything you said you would have been delighted that McComb hadn't gone up there so to indicate that you maneuvered the appearance just is obviously incorrect I can maybe do something about this I probably should have gone to that party last night it was I think a farewell party for us at all I had to go to Herders and I didn't didn't go but I can get back into communication with some of those people and I think throw some light of realism on to whatever they're thinking about did I understand that also called to to report this or to uh called reported to fail because I think that also uh strongly supported uh President Kennedy's decision to engage in this war if you want to call it that yeah so I can't imagine now he'd be going back and trying to accuse him of making some serious errors and getting mixed up with it well no also it's not also just saying that I'm doing there also also it's charging that I'm getting McComb to go up and and lay the blame for Vietnam on Kennedy's tune well now of course I have never laid any blame on you know have you ever heard me blame on Kennedy man absolutely not you know I even when you knew that I did not to share opinion that's right now I I've mentioned this Jackie several times I was very impressed by your attitude on that well it was alive matter of fact I mean not everything else in my life but I got low you know and well anyway I want you to know it I want you to straighten it out if you you might find out so to be sure that nothing like this happened uh I can't believe it did or you'd known it I think if they'd gone up there and said that we got into Vietnam I was told by someone that Russell purposely came out and said we reviewed Vietnam as a cover for the submarine and uh and the missiles did you hear that did you know I'm in uh one cone didn't tell me and so Russell didn't I don't know who must have been some Newspaper man that suspected somebody told me though that he came out and and discussed that but I think that uh if any of this crowd is in your vicinity or in your associates vicinity I think what you ought to say to him is this that uh I came into uh Vietnam I went out there in early 61 I was permitted to make any recommendation I want to at any time but I assume full responsibility for everything and don't ask anybody else to take it including for Kennedy and during his lifetime whatever he did as far and in his death it's my complete responsibility and I don't I don't shove it up on anybody else and uh that's that sure well I I'll I'll do that I think I can do something on this you know you probably know that Kraft and Evans are related by marriage their wives are are cousins no I didn't know yeah they are and they're close from that point of view and I try to I'll try to get at both of them thank you thank you