Evening star., 1960-11-09
BY SAUL PETIT
Associated Press star writer

ny SAUL PETT
Associated Press stan writer
It was late one night, about
. midway in the campaign, on q
bumpy flight from. Salt Lake
City to Chicago.
The last speech Of the long
d. day had been delivered, the last
back patted. the last clutching
hand clutched.
: The lights were now on In
the main cabin Of the plane.
The speechwriters and the ad-
visers and the secretaries had
curled up in uncomfortable
bundles for the night. The
,typewriters and niimeograph
machines were still. The 'or-
ganization" slept.
But in the back Of the plane,
with one long leg crooked over
the arm Of his chair. John
Fitzgerald Kennedy. candidate
for President Of the Omitted
States, discussed the mysterious
chemistry Of self-condderce.
his.
II am not natural politician
in the traditional sense" he
said. "but I think that what.
,ever my abilities are they At
the times"
This was said evenly, without
q touch Of cockineSs or trace
Of embarrassment. It was as
II he were talking about some
one else. He had nos bret ght
up the subject; the reporter
next to him had.
View ON Decisions
Senator Kennedy pushed
aside q window curtain and
studied the dark night. His
brow wrinkled in thought. In
q characteristic compulsive
gesture. his hand came up to
pat down his thick chestnut
hair.
"If I become President. he
said, "I'l worry about the big
decisions but I think I'll be
able to make them and then
sleep at night. I have reason
able confidence in my judg-
ment because 1t has proved
sound and I have enough
detachment about It to feel
confident about it."
The inner man seemed to
be talking with the aid Of o
slide rule. But then he parted
the curtain q little more, and
for q man Of Kennedy's reserve
and basic dignity. it was a
great deal.
II guess the war was the
turning point for me-" he said.
Before the war, I sort OF
dribbled along without much
purpose. But I came out of the
war with some confidence in
my ability to meet situations.
II liked the service. It moved
me out Of my rut and into q
whole new sphere that bore
no relationship to my family
life and my fathers experience.
I grew up among nine children.
My father was very successful
and q strong figure. But the
war broadened me. I found
new areas Of interest-my own
areas"
On Happiness
- As delicately as he could,
Senator Kennedy seemed to be
saying that 1t was the war. in
the ultimate test Of q mans
courage and style, that he
found himself, and cut loose
from his fathers long shadow.
But we were now talking
about the attractions of poll
tics, and once more he had the
slide rule out.
You know, there is . Greek
definition Of happiness am
fond Of. It is this: Happiness
is the full use Of your powers
along lines of excellence in Q
life affording scope
Now, politics is far more re-
warding than any other pro-
fession because it has so many
personal and public compensa-
tions. It gives you q chance
to use all your faculties, men
tai, physical and emotional, N
a way no other profession does.
And there is the public fac
tor-the things in which every
one Is intereSted-and in pol
itics you can do something
about them.
And. if you're in politics,
the best place to do something
about them. the ultimate place
of action. the place to be. Of
course, Is the presidency"
John fitzgerald Kennedy,
President-elect, is 43 and a
Catholic. Both facts are un-
precedented. Both had been
thought by many experts to be
political handicaps.
But long before he was
elected to the ultimate place
of action" there was q feeling
among his closest friends and
LOST
BANNERS, organization Of Executive
Stewards and Caterers Association