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Published on 06/09/1999 All articles from this issue

Forum hears from dean of Washington press corps

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By Laura Brown

Special to the Town Crier

After 56 years of reporting on Washington, D.C., including 39 years as the White House Correspondent for United Press International, Helen Thomas has not lost her faith in government nor her respect for the Presidency.

Confessing to a standing-room-only Morning Forum audience on June 1 that she had some trepidation about being away from the Capital because "there's never a day without news - if it isn't happening, it will be," Thomas recounted her experiences covering every president since John F. Kennedy.

Known for asking tough questions of presidents, Thomas had something to say about each one. Regarding the increasing scrutiny of presidents' private lives, she said "If you aspire to public office, you should decide at age 5, and live the rest of your life accordingly."

Thomas recounted anecdotes revealing the uneasy relationship between politicians and the press. She told of Kennedy's remark, "I'm reading more now and enjoying it less."

When Lyndon Johnson had gall bladder surgery at Bethesda Naval Hospital, the psychiatric ward was temporarily used as a pressroom. Asked what had become of the mental patients, a White House staffer replied, "We gave them all press cards."

Jimmy Carter's mother, Miss Lillian, when asked what wisdom she gained from her son's presidency, said, "To never open my mouth around Helen Thomas."

George Bush asked for "freedom from the press" rather than freedom of the press.

When Thomas questioned General Colin Powell about running for president, he looked around and said "Isn't there a war somewhere that we can send her to cover?"

Thomas acknowledged the truth of Bill Clinton's explanation why the press follows him when he jogs: "They want to see if I drop dead."

Thomas, who has traveled in the U.S. and abroad with every president since Kennedy, recalled a dinner at Lyndon Johnson's ranch when Johnson aide Bill Moyers, a former Baptist minister, said grace. LBJ said "Speak up, Bill," and Moyers rejoined, "I wasn't talking to you."

The woman who is Dean of the White House Press Corps and ends every presidential press conference with the traditional "Thank you, Mr. President," shared her preparation for a nationally-televised press conference, saying "First, I call my hairdresser."

Thomas' recently-released memoirs, "Front Row at the White House," gives close-up views of the eight presidents she has reported on.

The Morning Forum is a members-only lecture series held at the United Methodist Church of Los Altos. Membership is closed for this year. To get on a waiting list for membership, write to: Morning Forum, P.O. Box 274, Los Altos 94023-0274 .