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And I'm for Kennedy.” Well, he tried to persuade me not to. He's a very likeable guy. He never gets tough. It wouldn't help him any but he never does. He has a lovely manner about him. And that's the end of that conversation.
The next morning I'm on television. Jerry Wilson had been alerted to it that morning, because he said to me, “Now, I'm going to announce that you're for McCarthy and Nizer is for Johnson.” I said, “No, you can't do that. I'm for Kennedy. I'm going to speak against the war, but I'm for Kennedy.” And it had not been billed Johnson vis-a-vis McCathy, so it's not as though I'm changing the rules. It was just assumed it was that way since it was a question of a debate on the war. So he's very shocked, but he says, “We're going to play it like I don't know.” And at the opening he introduces us and then he turns to Nizer: “You are speaking on behalf of President Johnson?” Nizer says, “Yes,” and goes into his pitch about the war, and he turns to me and he says, “Councilman Koch, and you are here speaking in support of Eugene McCarthy.” “Oh, no,” said I, “I am for Senator Kennedy. I'm not opposed to Gene McCarthy. If he wins, I certainly will support him, but I am for Robert Kennedy.” That was a pretty good show, and I get back - everybody's watched the show because we told all the campaign workers...
Oh, a highlight: just before the show goes on there's a telephone call. They want to speak to me. Who is it?
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