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Session:         Page of 617

LBH
Interview # 11
Interviewee: Congressman Edward I. Koch
Interviewer: Ed Edwin
New York City
Jan. 3, 1976

Koch:

I told you I would tell you some stories about Bella Abzug. But before I do that. I would like to tell a story about McCarthy.

Q:

Now we're talking about Eugene McCarthy.

Koch:

Eugene McCarthy. It was in '68 when I was running. And you may remember I told you I had gone to see Senator Kennedy and told him about the fact that I was going to run and he was very supportive and I told him at that time that I thought he should run for President and he said, no, he was not going to run because he wanted to be in the position of being able to criticize President Johnson on the war and he thought that if he criticized and was running for President, that that would diminish the nature of his criticism. It wouldn't be considered in the same light, and so he had no intention of running. I said I really was sorry about that, “but I want you to know that I'm for you.” That was the way we left it.

Now, in my district -- at that time the 17th -- the support was for Gene McCarthy (anti-war) and there wasn't any competition. I really never liked Gene McCarthy. I always thóught of him as somewhat removed. I just didn't like him. I think I've indicated












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