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Mary LaskerMary Lasker
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support from the places where he ought to have support, if he were going to have any real chance.

Then I went to see the Minnesota delegation. Hubert Humphrey was saying that he was thinking of coming out for Stevenson that night. McCarthy made a superb nominating address for Stevenson that afternoon. Freeman was already committed to Kennedy. So, I realized that the situation in Minnesota was split.

I could find no sure substantial support, but I thought that if Humphrey came out for him that night, that he might rally the liberal voters and consolidate the opposition to Kennedy and give heart to the liberal forces. I thought that Humphrey's announcement that he was going to support Stevenson, which was a big and courageous thing to do politically--this was, politically, a tremendous showdown in the party and would determine who was going to be what--might give courage to other people and that Stevenson's nomination might still have a chance in the convention. I urged Humphrey to do this, and he said he would decide at 8:30 that night and let me know. I saw him at about that time and he said he was going to the broadcasting studio to announce his support within a half hour. I told this to Kintner and Sarnoff and some other people, and I said that I thought it would mean that other people who were uncertain whomthey were going to be for would be influenced by it.

Well, he may have had some effect, but, as you know, when the votes were counted, the Kennedy forces had the votes, but they had gotten the deciding votes probably within the last 48 hours, right then and there. The Pennsylvania delegation





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