◆ SpookStack

rm TY meni—thare was among the bureaucracy & wre of trepidation. Stories circulated that the pew 3 " was # hard-driving tyrant who would keep-the See turel " eee ‘This myth was quickly exploded. Young Kennedy a his staff at ease. A stenographer reports that one @ay she looked up from her typewriter to see the smiling ng attorney general standing in front of her, his nd extended. He said, “I'm Bob Kennedy. What are you working on now?” Young Kennedy has personally seen or greeted almost everyone in the department. One day he entered a roum where department lawyers were in conference. When they al! arose, Bob told them, “Don’t let me in- derrupt. Go right ahead.” . We 2 man isn't prepared or isn't doing his job, Bob can give a stiff reprimand. By the same token, he is tolerant of first-time mistakes and is quick to reward competency, diligence and loyalty. His greatest professional attributes are his integ- rity and his ability to inspire in his associates a com- plete dedication to a cause. ee ~ Exemplifying this is one of his top aides who works 12 hours a day under constant pressure, - __ 24 wouldn't do this for anyone except Bob Ken- . nedy ” he said. “He's so damn ‘decent and bonest, and he's trying to do a good job down here. 4. .. m -g “He's_tough, but he is also considerate and he liens to what people around here have to say.” © The attorney general has a delightful sense of humor. On Washington's birthday he noticed that sev- era) of his lawyers had signed in at the building to work /ona hotiday. He wrote all of them a note of thanks. i From one lawyer he received this reply: “In the . spirit of George Washington's birthday, J cannot teil a - lie. I signed in so I could use the parking lot and go to , the movies ” ‘ The candid lawyer got thia note from the attorney general: “With honesty like yours, the nation’s cherry trees are safe.” | ; With typical thoroughness, Bob is concentrating on several fields of activity he considers most impor- tant at this time—anti-criminal legislation, civil rights, anti-trust and juvenile delinquency. an rs “Of eourse, the most sensitive area is civil rights,” j ste a: 78 about the many problems that exist. - a *, ~ ‘Sy the field of anti-trust, we want to help the ‘qeneumer and the businessmen who can’t belp them- 7 ~ a’ * cerfgin) Because of his experience qs chief counselof_the { especially in j offered to send Bob a parachute. ‘he said. “We are doing something, without headlines,”| . te rackets committee, fie attorney general to combat organ- in the compaign : ow .@ = a> - {NE notable achievement im the department was ob- \ taining convictions in several criminal cases of de fendants who had 6 managed to worm free. When these trials were approaching, Bob sent sev- eral of his top lawyers—-including two to Kansas City— to help district attorneys prosecute the cases. The de- partment won in ail of them, including the conviction of Felix Ferina in Kansas Giy and Mickey Cohen in Los Angeles. . ’ OF ad One of Bob Kennedy's most galling frustrations has been his tnability to topple Jimmy Hoffa, the tough end powerful boss of the teamsters union. Rarely hat Washington witnessed 2 more bitter struggle. Hoffa has described Kennedy as “a young, dim- . witted curly-headed smart aleck and a ruthless little monster.” so Kennedy has accused Hoffa of tolerating hoodiums , and other unsavory characters in the teamsters and of making a travesty of union democratic procedures. Kennedy ‘thought he had Hoffa failed once when the teamster boss was arrested for trying to bribe a Bob was convinced the evidence wax air-tight. ke When a reporter asked him what he would do if Hotfa were acquitted, Bob considered this possibility so remote that he facetiously remarked, “I'd Jump off the Capitol dome.” . Thus it was a terrific shock to Kennedy when Hoffa was acquilted, and Edgar Bennett Williams, the attorney for Hoffa; made the defeat more exasperating when he Hoffa's iatest acquittal a few days azo in ‘fraud ease in Florida has only intensified the attorney general's views that Hoffa’s power poses an extremely dangerous probjem for the nation. The attorney genera! and his Close associates who have worked on the case still believe that sooner or later Hoffa will be brought to bay. - r) OB'S toughest test under fire was the episode of the Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Ala. The attorney general sent 500 U. S. marshals to help maintain law and . At 2:30 o'clock on 2 Monday morning, Bob, whe had been at the office all day Sunday, received a telephone cali from Gov. John Patterson of Alabama. Patterson ‘was screaming into the telephone, accus- Kennedy of sending the Freedom Riders to Alabama aoe ‘eos ere amone | and attempting to destroy the Democratic party.