Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-11-04
EXCLUSIVELY YOURS
The Pro ondCon
Of Cancellations

Comments and ramifica-
tons from that week Of crisis
in Washington are still
reverberating.
: Mrs. Kennedy came in for
considerable criticism when
she cancelled all engagements
that week, including such
'non-frivolous functions as
her reception at the White
House for the 38 American
-poets attending the National
Poetry Festival at the III
brary Of Congress; the pre-
view at the National Gallery
of Art of the Duke and
Duchess Of Devonshire's coll
lection of "Old Master Draw
ings::" and the Washington
International Horse Show
There the First Lady was
supposed to present the
Presidents gold cup to the
winning rider Of the Presi-
dents Cup class for jumpers.
/. Said the critics, Mrs.
Roosevelt entertained at the
White House and made pub
lie appearances throughout
World War II and we are
not even at war. Besides in
times of stress. aren't you
supposed to keep UP APP
pearances of normalcy?"
: Poets Disappointed
. Some of the poets were
: particularly disappointed.
: This was the first national
I. festival ever held in America,
/. and Jacqueline Kennedy.
/. Americas First PatroneSs Of
f.. the arts, was backing out Of
/. it for supposedly security
; reasons. They could not en-
: tirely understand why it
: would be any problem clear
. ing q relatively small group
. Of persons.
: When they discovered later
that she had the Maharajah
and Maharani of Jaipur,
whom she visited in India,
to q small informal dinner
that same night, their noses
. were even more out Of joint.
: But there was another side
. to the picture. Said. someone
: high up in the Presidents
. official family, "She had to
. cancel that reception. TIL e
/. President couldn't have so or
(, so guests (some of the poets
!. were accompanied by their
+, wives) being received in the
. White House when every en-
/. trance was being used by
high-level advisors trying to
avoid the press. That place
was q beehive of secret meet
ings and, whereas one or two
couples could easily be
spirited to the private dining
/. room upstairs without seeing
anyone, you couldn't enter
tain 80 on the main floo
while key people working o.
the crisis were whipping Il
and out" In short, the Use
curity reasons" had nothinI
TO do with the poets, Blu
with the off-the-record &C
tivity. going on in the Presi
dents residence.
First to Criticize
Said the wife Of an Of
, fetal, 1.-THE same people whit
criticized Jackie, would be thl
first to blame her If she haC
been photographed in evening
dress at the National Gal
lery, smiling and chatting
with the Duke and Duches
of Devonshire, or anyon
else, while a bomb was beinI
dropped on an American city
or If she had been. sittinI
in q box at the horse shoV
fascinated by the perform
ances of har favorite anims
while people somewhere wer
in danger. I imagine it wa
the Presidents decision tina
she make no public appear
ances, during that week whe
it was touch and CO."
And so it goes. Whoevt
you are, If you're in tt
White House, it's the san
old story. you're damne
If you do, and damned
you don't"
When Mrs. Kennedy didr
show up in time to recei'
members of New York's Nj
scum of Modern Art Coun'
on Monday there was mo
talk. Returning from TO
hunting in Middleburg
minutes late she had
substitute host in the Pres
dent himself, and to ma
amends she attended Seer