The Average American
Audio Snippets
In this audio, Pop records the events of the entire trip of the Presidential campaign of Sen. George McGovern on cassette. Listening as he recorded the events are my Mom, Carl & Dorothy Thrun and my Aunt Joyce. Quite a long story - over 90 minutes.
In this audio, Mr. MacNeil interviews Pop as they are about to board the campaign bus following a visit to a Senior Citizen home in Rockford, Illinois.
In this audio, Dad discusses his impressions of McGovern's campaign stop at a rural grain elevator.
In this audio, Pop has a quick conversation with McGovern's photographer Sam as Dad makes his way up the aisle of McGovern's airplane to meet with him.
In this short conversation Dad speaks with Dick Dougherty who was the Press Secretary to Sen. McGovern during his Presidential bid. The occasion for this discussion was as Pop was walking up the aisle of the airplane to speak directly with Senator McGovern. Dick Dougherty was also the Press Secretary to Sen. Robert Kennedy up until he announced Senator Kennedy's death from an assassin's bullet on June 6, 1968 in Los Angeles.
In this audio, Dad has his first face to face discussion with Sen. McGovern aboard his campaign airplane flying over the Midwest.
In this unedited audio, Dad has a 7 minute conversation with Democratic Presidential Candidate, Sen. George McGovern in Dad's hotel room in Alburqueque, New Mexico. After the interview is over, Dad asks Sen McGovern to sign his notepad.
As the Senator complies he asks Dad, if "... he is leaving us soon?" Dad misinterprets the question thinking McGovern is asking him if he is going to vote for Nixon - when all McGovern was doing was asking Dad when he was going home.
Dad replies "Oh know, I am still undecided." Dad was told later by one of the TV crew that his response to McGovern's question gave McGovern the biggest laugh of his day.
As McGovern was entering the elevator to return to his own suite he said something to the effect "I wine and dine the guy all week, fly him all over the country, give him 2 exclusive interviews - and he still won't commit to vote for me!"
In this audio Mr. Macneil interviews my Dad about whether the week long trip has swayed him to now vote for Sen. McGovern. At the end of the segment Dad arrives home and is welcomed by the family.
Unedited audio of the prior clip as Dad completes his week long visit to the McGovern Campaign.
In this audio, Dad is interviewed on a local morning ABC TV talk show called Kennedy & Company. He is being interviewed in August of 1973, about his feelings regarding the growing Watergate scandal engulfing President Nixon.
During the Watergate hearings, the Rolling Meadows Daily Herald contacted my Dad to see if the revelations from the hearings were changing my Dad's views on President Nixon. Dad remarked that they had - and he sent a transcript of the article to Robert MacNeil in Washington DC. Mr. MacNeil, still working for N-Pact, made reference to Dad's changing opinions in his evening commentary that aired Nationwide.