An Excerpt from Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the Sixties and Today

The following is an excerpt from former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw's latest book, Boom! Voices of the Sixties: Personal Reflections on the Sixties and Today. Brokaw's television special, "1968 With Tom Brokaw" airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. on the History Channel; see a clip here. In this excerpt, Brokaw describes what it was like to be a newly-married young man starting his career in Omaha, Nebraska with his new wife, Meredith, by his side, set against the backdrop of the a nation embarking on a decade of political and social change. Tom and Meredith Brokaw celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary this past August.

*****

In 1962, I had an entry-level reporter's job at an Omaha television station. I had bargained to get a salary of $100 dollars a week, because I didn't feel I could tell Meredith's doctor father I was making less. Meredith, who had a superior college record, couldn't find any work because, as one personnel director after another told her, "You're a young bride. If we hire you, you'll just get pregnant before long and want maternity leave."

In retrospect, the political and cultural climate in the early '60s seems both a time of innocence and also like a sultry, still summer day in the Midwest: an unsettling calm before a ferocious storm over Vietnam, which was not yet an American war. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was confronting racism in the South and getting a good deal of exposure on The Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC and The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, the two primary network newscasts, each just 15 minutes long.

In the fall of 1963, first CBS and then, shortly after, NBC expanded those signature news broadcasts to a half hour. As a sign of the importance of the expansion, Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley were granted lengthy exclusive interviews with President Kennedy. ABC wouldn't be a player in the news major leagues until the 1970s, when Roone Arledge brought to ABC News the energy and programming approach he had applied to ABC Sports. Kennedy, America's first truly telegenic president, was a master of the medium, fully appreciating its power to reach into the living rooms of America from sea to shining sea.

During our time in Omaha, John F. Kennedy was not a local favorite. The city's deeply conservative culture remained immune to Kennedy's charms and to his arguments for social changes, such as civil rights and the introduction of government-subsidized medical care for the elderly. I'm sure many of my conservative friends at the time thought I was a card short of being a member of the Communist Party because I regularly championed the need for enforced racial equality and Medicare.

One of the most popular speakers to come through Omaha in those days was a familiar figure from my childhood, when kids in small towns on the Great Plains spent Saturday afternoons in movie theaters watching westerns. Ronald Reagan looked just like he did on the big screen. He was kind of a local boy who had made good, starting out as a radio star next door in Iowa and moving on to Hollywood, before becoming a television fixture as host of General Electric Theater.

Reagan's Omaha appearances were part of his arrangement with GE, which allowed him to be an old-fashioned circuit-riding preacher, warning against the evils of big government and Communism, while praising the virtues of big business and the free market. He was every inch a star, impeccably dressed and groomed. But those of us who shared his Midwestern roots were a bit surprised to find that although he was completely cordial, he was not noticeably warm. That part of his personality remained an enigma even to his closest friends and advisers throughout his historically successful political career.

In Omaha the only time he lightened up in my presence was when I noticed he was wearing contact lenses and I asked him about them. He got genuinely excited as he described how they were a new soft model, not like the hard ones that could irritate the eyes. He even wrote down the name of his California optometrist so Meredith could order a pair for herself. (Later, when he became president, I often thought, "He's not only a great politician, he's a helluva contact lens salesman.")

President Kennedy also passed through Omaha, but only for a brief stop at the Strategic Air Command headquarters there. In those days, SAC was an instantly recognized acronym because the bombers it comprised -- some of which we could see because they were always in the air ready to respond in case of an attack -- were a central component of America's Cold War military strategy.

More memorable for me was a visit to SAC by the president's brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The younger Kennedy was a striking contrast to the president, who had been smiling and chatty with the local press and even more impressive in person than on television. Unlike the president, who was always meticulously and elegantly dressed, the attorney general was wearing a rumpled suit, and the collar on his blue button-down shirt was frayed. He was plainly impatient, and his mood did not improve when I asked for a reaction to Alabama governor George Wallace's demand that JFK resign the presidency because of his stance on school desegregation. Bobby fixed those icy blue eyes on me and said, as if I were to blame for the governor's statement, "I have no comment on anything Governor Wallace has to say."

I was on duty in the newsroom a few weeks later when the United Press International wire-service machine began to sound its bulletin bells. I walked over casually and began to read a series of sentences breaking in staccato fashion down the page:

Three shots were fired at president Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas . . . Flash -- Kennedy seriously wounded, perhaps fatally by assassin's bullet . . . President John F. Kennedy died at approximately 1:00 pm (CST).

John F. Kennedy, the man I had thought would define the political ideal for the rest of my days, was suddenly gone in the senseless violence of a single moment. In ways we could not have known then, the gunshots in Dealey Plaza triggered a series of historic changes: the quagmire of Vietnam that led to the fall of Lyndon Johnson as president; the death of Robert Kennedy in pursuit of the presidency; and the comeback, presidency, and subsequent disgrace of Richard Nixon.

On that beautiful late autumn November morning, however, my immediate concern was to get this story on the air. I rushed the news onto our noon broadcast, and as I was running back to the newsroom, one of the station's Kennedy haters said, "What's up?"

I responded, "Kennedy's been shot."

He said, "It's about time someone got the son of a bitch."

Given the gauzy shades of popular memory, the invocations of Camelot and JFK as our nation's prince, it may be surprising to younger Americans to know that President Kennedy was not universally beloved.

Now Kennedy was gone, and this man was glad. I lunged toward him, but another co-worker pulled me away.

Comments

[Blutus]

1968?

My Lai.
March 16, 1968.

Not one mention.

[nomoron]

The debate over JFK's abilities as a leader will go on forever. Like you said, he wasn't beloved by everyone. The sad result of his assassination was the loss of a countries relative innocence during a time when real progress on social issues could have proven substantial and could well have led to the increased admiration of those we mean to inspire. Whether he was killed in a conspiracy involving the Military Industrial Complex or not will be debated 'til the end of time, but there's no denying the influence this faction of society has enjoyed since 1963.
I was just a boy during the hostilities of the 60's, but was old enough to understand the tragedy of killing leaders committed to stand against social injustice. I've witnessed the denegration of Presidential leadership and the sale, by the media, of egomaniacal men and women who propose leadership, yet haven't a clue what it means to lead. I've seen a country that's allowed itself to deteriorate into opposing factions uninterested in what's good for the country, but defined only by their own self interests and over inflated sense of value to the community.
No, the most overwhelming result of the 60's wasn't the slaying of men, but the idea that men and women can make a difference in finding common ground and bringing people together in a real effort to solving the ills of a nation. That is leadership. At this point I see few of these qualities in the prospective candidates. Those who do will never possess the unqualified support of the American people for corporate fascists understand this is not in their best interests and will put in the work necessary to promote candidates sympathetic to their goals, regardless of the consequenses to the rest of the society.

[mbaty]

How would this country be different if Kennedy had not been shot? It's amazing to think of how that event has probably contributed greatly to the political climate of America now. I think it's odd that the generation before the boomers have been called, "the greatest generation," implying, of course, that it's all downhill from there. It seems like the 60's were a big wake up call, and then we pushed the snooze. Only now are we beginning to feel the foresight of that "rebellious" time and listen to what people were saying. Whether or not the people who conspired to kill JFK are in power now, it does seem like that movement was quashed at a time when it could've led to many of the 'green' solutions that we will be needing desperately in the next few years, as well as other issues that were actually important to harmonious civil life in a diverse country.

[wkitwizard]

"He who does not learn the lessions of history is doomed to repeat them."
Meanwhile, the "sheeple" stand at the edge of the cliff and wait for Karl Rove to tell them to jump off.
What a disgrace America has become because the citizens were frightened by those nasty nineteen
arabs on Sept 11th. No air force, no navy, no land army-just nineteen idiots prepared to die for their
god. Bush/Cheney stole America while everyone was hiding under the bed from the "terrorists" bogeymen.
The America I once knew in 1963 doesn't exist anymore. It's been rendered a gutless, toothless, oil-slurping giant, hated around the world, tortures, and shreds the Constituion. The redneck trailer trash won.
They wait in their trailers for the rapture while the country goes down the toilet. Look out! The terrorists might come down main street with their tanks and planes!

[bugscuffle]

The Loudest Generation.

[stellanoir]

hmmmmm,

Kind Sir,

I see you've evoked some rather intense commentary here.

Many are just so angry about what's happened over the past 7 years.

As I've said before, my 13th generational american maternal blood has been simmering at a slow boil for a long while. It is not especially spiritual to vent one's spleen though. That would be an understatement.

Look, I feel your approach to the broader picture of generational trends warrants great merit.

I'm too young to be a boomer but paid close attention as a kid. I'm too old to be a generation x-er. My epi-generation is especially quirky in general. We've collectively got one foot on the banana peel and the other on the train. Woh.

Yes I'm fed up with the military profiteers controlling so much our media and the acute disinformation that circulates incessantly.

So I'm praying. . .

*We are creating with spirit, that deceit be eclipsed by truth, that corruption be eclipsed by true justice, that tyranny be eclipsed by freedom, that bigotry be eclipsed by understanding, that bellicosity be eclipsed by diplomacy, that militarism be eclipsed by environmentalism, that terrorism be eclipsed by humanism, that greed be eclipsed by generosity, that righteousness be eclipsed by kindness, that war be eclipsed by peace, and that fear and hatred be eclipsed by universal love.*

Optimal time for stating this affirmation is 2:26 pm EST on Tuesday, December 11th.

If you want to know why, then check my profile for my most recent posts.

I told you I was of the "quirkiest generation."

But seriously, those born in '68 are coming into power and given that they embody the birth promise of their time, I am hopeful.

Silly me.

Thank you for your efforts. Still I wonder why KO is the only journalist in the corporate media who is willing to speak the obvious truth. It baffles me.

best

[wkitwizard]

NEWS FLASH:
I was a freshman in college and in Dallas the day JFK was shot. Don't tell me how history came down-I was there! As a Navy brat who went to many schools around the country, I was shocked at the hatred spewed out by many of the Dallas elite as well as the standard redneck trailer trash that lived there.
My parents loved him, and my sister and I saw no reason to feel anything less than admiration and respect for him.
As for Vietnam-get off your butts and go to the library and read for a change! Put down the video games and learn reality. Eisenhower put America into Vietnam-not JFK. He was doing his best to drawdown troop levels when he was killed.
After all these years, look where American has come.
Ruined by wingnuts assholes who think god is showing the way. May they rot in hell.

[gobble]

I am eager to watch your documentary. 1968 was an important time for me. Both positive and negative. It was the year I married. But it also was a time of great distress. Martin Luther King died and then Robert Kennedy. I felt as if the innocent world that we knew was falling apart. The VietNam War was ravaging the country, tearing everyone apart. And many of us, including our family was affected. We were the young, free-thinking generation that was going to change this vicious world. A time of rebellion against all the old values.

And yet, like a previous writer has stated, what did we do as a generation. We've yet to produce a great president. Many of us are more educated, more wordly, and more traveled than our parents. But, I believe in many ways we have been too spoiled and self-absorbed to accomplish the greatness of the Depression Generation.

[MajorKong]

Sigh, just what I need to see, more baby boomer introspection. Apparently my life has no meaning because I wasn't at Woodstock.

[Oakland]

My anger is at you and the rest of you so called journalists. You couldn't shut up about Clinton's BJ, but Bush/Cheny are stealing, lying, killing with the help of Republicans and Democrats and all any of you or our "free" press can do is cheerlead and continue to feather your own nests. Shame on all of you for letting Dan Rather get ambushed and highjacked without a word of support from any of you. Neutral my foot. It was about protecting your paychecks.

[sparkandy]

I was a junior in high school the day Kennedy was shot. I grew up in a household that did not approve of Kennedy - Daddy because Kennedy was too much of a Yankee, and Mother, because she did not approve of expanding our role in Viet Nam past advisors - she thought we were just bailing out the French. But as much as my parents disliked Kennedy, they, like the rest of the country, were devastated. A day or two after the assassination, they took us all out of school and to a special service at church to pray for the President's soul and for the country. Never heard a bad word about him after that.

[Orlando]

Please watch the FREE movie on google "JFK II" to understand that the people who committed the coup d'etat that day in America are still at the highests levels of government.

Please watch and forward.

[mexamerican]

hey, brokaw, it may come as a surprise to you to know that we don't need the accomplishments of the sixties generation forced down our throats like you did with the "greatest generation." as far as i can see, the baby boomers have fucked everything up. they've gotten fat, sold out, brought materialism to an art that not even the most corrupt perverted roman could have imagined. of course, this generation is even worse. but what do you expect from kids raised by wolves?

[SparXaFire]

Tom, I agree. While we had no idea in November 1963 how Kennedy's death would affect us, I knew it would be some kind of sweeping journey in directions we were not supposed to be going. I still feel that way today. We are NOT where we are supposed to be. I started college in September of 1967 and eagerly look forward to your program.

[fedupwiththis]

Tom - I was in college when JFK was murdered. During the election I had been brain-washed by my father into thinking that, indeed, Nixon was "the one." After seeing him in action I quickly became a Kennedy supporter. The way he dealt with the Soviets over the Cuban missile crisis was masterful. I will always love his memory for forestalling mutual destruction through missteps or weakness.