October 14, 1964: The Fall of Walter Jenkins -- and of Nikita Khrushchev

October 14, 1964: Walter Jenkins, unofficially the White House Chief of Staff (officially, the office was vacant) to President Lyndon B. Johnson, resigns his post under pressure, following an arrest on what would once have been quaintly called a "morals charge."

He began working for Johnson, then a Congressman from Texas, in 1939, and remained with him through serving in the House of Representatives, the Senate (including LBJ's tenures as Minority Leader and Majority Leader), the Vice Presidency, and finally the Presidency.

He became a close friend to both Johnson and his wife, Claudia "Lady Bird" Johnson. Another LBJ aide from Texas, Bill Moyers, said, "If Lyndon Johnson owed everything to one human being other than Lady Bird, he owed it to Walter Jenkins."

But on October 7, Jenkins and another man are arrested in the men's room of a YMCA in Washington, for what was officially labeled "disorderly conduct." In spite of Jenkins being a married Catholic with 6 children, this was code for saying that he had been caught in a homosexual act.

It was difficult to keep the story quiet, especially when reporters found out he had previously been arrested on such a charge in 1959. That made it much harder to explain away as the result of overwork or, as one journalist wrote, "combat fatigue."

On October 14, The Washington Star called the White House for comment. His hand forced, LBJ told White House Press Secretary George Reedy to make a statement that the Administration was coming clean about the story -- 20 days before the Presidential election.

Jenkins had to resign, and the Republican Party wanted to make hay out of this. They knew LBJ was soundly beating their nominee for President, Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, at the polls. Goldwater, unofficially the leader of the Party, refused to go along with it, and told them to back off. In his memoir, he said, "It was a sad time for Jenkins' wife and children, and I was not about to add to their private sorrow."

Indeed, it was a bad month for Presidents of the United States. The incumbent, Johnson, had lost his most trusted advisor. The day before, former President Harry S Truman, 80 years old, had tripped and fallen at his home in Independence, Missouri, and had to be hospitalized. Those who knew him said that, physically, he never really recovered, although he lived another 8 years.

On October 20, former President Herbert Hoover died at the age of 90. And on October 22, the other living former President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, was hospitalized in Washington for acute tracheobronchitis.

*

Walter Jenkins had bad luck. But, as a President running what amounted to a re-election campaign, Lyndon Johnson had good luck: The same day that Jenkins' resignation was announced, Nikita Khrushchev was ousted as Soviet leader. Apparently, he had become too liberalizing for the Supreme Soviet. They allowed him to live at his dacha (vacation home) outside Moscow, and he was able to get his memoir smuggled out of the country. But he died in 1971, officially disgraced by the country that, 10 years earlier, he had raised to its greatest height.

He once said, "If you feed the people with slogans, they will be with you today, and they will be with you tomorrow, and they may be with you the day after tomorrow. But the next day, they will say, 'To Hell with you.'"

The day after the Jenkins resignation and the Khrushchev ouster, Britain had a previously-scheduled national election. It changed the party of government: The Labour Party beat the Conservative Party, so Alec Douglas-Home was out as Prime Minister, and Harold Wilson was in. That same day, Game 7 of the World Series was played, which also helped take attention away from the Jenkins scandal.

The next day, October 16, China announced it had The Bomb. Two days after that, Johnson gave a televised Oval Office speech, addressing the world situation; and comedian Jackie Mason appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, fell flat (under the circumstances, "bombed" would be a bad analogy), and was banned from the show by Sullivan, who accused Mason of giving him the middle finger onstage. That became a big story.

And, as I said, two days after that, on October 20, Hoover died, and both Johnson and Goldwater suspended their campaigns until after his funeral, on October 25 -- which both Truman and Eisenhower had wanted to attend, but couldn't due to their infirmities, but Johnson and Goldwater did.

Between the media's reluctance to divulge details of a sex scandal, particularly what would later be called a gay sex scandal, and the preponderance of other news over the next few days, the Jenkins story couldn't gain any traction. Indeed, many people never even knew it had happened. On November 3, LBJ won 44 States.

Jenkins returned to his hometown of Austin, Texas, and worked as an accountant until his death in 1985. Moyers got Jenkins' job, but proved to be less skillful at it, and some historians believe that not having Jenkins to talk to may have hurt LBJ in his full term in office. Indeed, a lack of continuity hurt Johnson. Moyers only filled the job until July 8, 1965, before succeeding Reedy as White House Press Secretary, and, like many other former White House officials, later became a prominent journalist.

Both a fellow Texan, pleasing Johnson, and a Harvard man, which Johnson usually distrusted, Jack Valenti, the White House Appointments Secretary, became the de facto Chief of Staff, but only held the post until June 1, 1966, leaving to accept the Chairmanship of the Motion Picture Association of America, which he held for 38 years, including the implementation of the new movie rating system that replaced the Hays Code in 1968.

Having succeeded Valenti as Appointments Secretary, Marvin Watson, yet another Texan, also succeeded him as Chief of Staff, until April 26, 1968, and served as U.S. Postmaster General for the remainder of the Johnson Administration. And against the Appointments Secretary became the Chief of Staff, James R. Jones, serving until LBJ left office. Jones was later elected to Congress from a District in Oklahoma, and President Bill Clinton appointed him U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.

Valenti died in 2007, Watson in 2017. As of October 14, 2022, Moyers and Jones are still alive. (UPDATE: Moyers died in 2025.)

Times have changed: If something like the Jenkins scandal had stricken a Presidential Administration in an election year from the 1980s onward, the American media would have led every broadcast with it, no matter what other news was going on, at home or abroad.

*

October 14, 1964 was a Wednesday. Joe Girardi was born. He was a good catcher, who reached the postseason with the 1989 Cubs and the 1995 Colorado Rockies, and 4 times with the New York Yankees. In 1996, he caught Dwight Gooden's no-hitter, and his triple off Greg Maddux got the Yankees on the scoreboard in Game 6 of the World Series. He mentored Jorge Posada, and while Posada caught David Wells' perfect game in 1998, Girardi caught David Cone's perfect game in 1999.

Joe was named National League Manager of the Year with the 2006 Florida Marlins, but was fired after just 1 year anyway. After a year in the YES Network broadcast studio, the Yankees named him manager. As a Yankee player, he wore Number 25; as manager, he switched to 27, a sign that he was determined to win the Yankees their 27th World Championship. In 2009, he did, joining Billy Martin and Ralph Houk as the only men to win World Series with the Yankees as both player and manager.

He then switched to 28, but he wasn't able to get that 28th World Championship, and, his contract running out after the 2017 season, he was not rehired.

Also on this day, English soccer star Paul Stewart was born. The Manchester native scored in the 1991 FA Cup Final for Tottenham Hotspur -- the last major trophy that "Spurs" have won. He also played for Manchester City, Liverpool and Sunderland, making him one of the few players to play in a Manchester Derby (City vs. United), a North London Derby (Arsenal vs. Tottenham), a Merseyside Derby (Liverpool vs. Everton) and a North-East Derby (Newcastle United vs. Sunderland).

Game 6 of the World Series was played at Busch Stadium (formerly Sportsman's Park) in St. Louis. Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle hit home runs on back-to-back pitches from Curt Simmons‚ and Joe Pepitone belted Gordie Richardson for a grand slam. The Yankees won, 8-3, and sent the World Series to a deciding Game 7. With all the home runs that Mickey and Roger hit, this is the only time they hit back-to-back homers in a postseason game.

Football was in midweek. The NBA season began 2 days later. One game was played in the NHL: The Chicago Black Hawks beat the Boston Bruins, 3-0 at the Chicago Stadium.

June 5, 1963: The Profumo Affair

June 5, 1963: John Profumo resigns as Britain's Secretary of State for War. The equivalent position in America would be the Secretary of Defense.

The issue wasn't that he had been exposed as having an affair with model Christine Keeler. It wasn't even that she was also having an affair with Captain Yevgeny Ivanov, a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy in London, who had been exposed as a Soviet spy. Powerful men in the British government had been getting away with naughty behavior since the Romans invaded 2,000 years earlier.

No, the issue was that Profumo had stood before the House of Commons, and had lied about it. That was the true unforgivable sin in British politics.

Keeler was just 17 when she met Stephen Ward, an osteopath with several prominent clients, including Profumo, who served in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Keeler and Ward lived together, but she later said there was no sex involved. She had already had a baby that did not survive, with a U.S. Air Force officer stationed in London. Keeler and Ward had been introduced by Mandy Rice-Davies, an ex-girlfriend of a friend of Ward's -- and she was only 15 at the time.

She was 19 when Ward introduced her to Profumo, who was 46, on July 8, 1961, at a pool party at a Buckinghamshire mansion. Ward also introduced her to Ivanov, who was 35. She soon began affairs with both men, neither of which lasted long -- but lasted long enough to ruin the lives of everyone involved.

The infamous photo of Keeler, taken by Lewis Morley.

She later said she wasn't totally nude, and was wearing underwear.

In 1962, she had simultaneous affairs with jazz singer Lucky Gordon and promoter Johnny Edgecombe. The jealousy between the men boiled over, and Edgecombe slashed Gordon's face with a knife. A few weeks later, she broke up with Edgecombe, and, following her to Ward's house, he fired gunshots into it, hitting no one. He was arrested, and, as the investigation grew, one revelation led to another, until, finally, Profumo could deny it no longer, and had to resign.

Ward went on trial -- not for espionage, but for "living on the earnings of prostitution." One thing led to another, and it was revealed that Rice-Davies had also had an affair with William Waldorf Astor, the 3rd Viscount Astor. He denied this, and when Rice-Davies was asked about it, she told the media, "Well, he would, wouldn't he?" This phrase became famous, and would be abbreviated to "MRDA," for "Mandy Rice-Davies Applies."

Ward was convicted, but committed suicide via pills before sentence could be pronounced. Ivanov was recalled by his country, and resumed his naval career. Keeler was convicted of perjury, was sentenced to 9 months in prison, and served 6. She later married twice, with a child from each marriage. Having lost her money in legal fees, she got by over the years with paid TV appearances, talking about the scandal. Rice-Davies was never prosecuted, and became a singer and a novelist.

The government appointed Tom Denning, Baron Denning, the Master of the Rolls, to investigate the various rumors that had emanated from and around the Profumo affair. His report, published on September 26, 1963, concluded that there had been no security leaks, nor evidence to link members of the government with associated scandals. In other words, there was no evidence that any state secrets were leaked to the Soviet Union as a result of the affair(s). Denning laid most of the blame for the affair on Ward, an "utterly immoral" man whose diplomatic activities were "misconceived and misdirected."

Nevertheless, Macmillan resigned as Prime Minister on October 18, 1963, citing his health, replaced by Foreign Minister Alec Douglas-Home. While the Conservative Party government might have been doomed in the 1964 election anyway, the Profumo affair didn't help, as Labour won 317 seats to the Tories' 304, and Harold Wilson became Prime Minister.

Profumo's wife, actress Valerie Hobson, forgave him, and they retreated into charity work, rebuilding his reputation. By the time he died, he had long been back in British society's good graces.

In 1989, the story gained back some traction for 2 reasons: The film Scandal retold the story, with Ian McKellen as Profumo, Deborah Grant as Hobson, Joanne Whalley as Keeler, Bridget Fonda as Rice-Davies, John Hurt as Ward, Leslie Phillips as Astor, Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbé as Ivanov, Leon Herbert as Gordon, Fine Young Cannibals lead singer Roland Gift as Edgecombe. And it was mentioned in Billy Joel's rapid-fire history song "We Didn't Start the Fire," leading a generation not old enough to remember 1963 what the line "British politician sex" was about.

Astor died in 1966, Macmillan in 1986, Ivanov in 1994, Hobson in 1998, Denning in 1999, Profumo in 2006, Edgecombe in 2010, Rice-Davies in 2014, Keeler and Gordon in 2017.

*

June 5, 1963 was a Wednesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 in Baltimore, but it was costly for them. At the time, Memorial Stadium had a chain-link fence in the outfield, making for easier removal for football games. After already going 2-for-2, Mickey Mantle went deep into center field to try to catch a ball hit by Brooks Robinson. It was no use, as it went over that fence for a home run. But it making the attempt, Mantle got his foot caught in the fence, and broke it. He was out for 2 months, the longest of his many in-season injuries. At any rate, Whitey Ford outpitched Milt Pappas, and Roger Maris hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Braves, 11-9 at the Polo Grounds. The Mets scored 7 runs in the 6th inning, and forced extra innings. But Bubba Morton singled home 2 runs in the top of the 10th inning to win it for the Braves. Hank Aaron and Eddie Mathews each went 3-for-5, and Mathews added 2 RBIs.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-0 at Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia. Ray Culp pitched a 3-hit shutout. Stan Musial, in his last season, when 0-for-4.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates swept a doubleheader from the Cincinnati Reds, 5-4 and 4-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Over the 2 games, Roberto Clemente went 2-for-8, Bill Mazeroski went 5-for-8 with a home run and 4 RBIs; Frank Robinson went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, and rookie Pete Rose went 0-for-5 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Cleveland Indians, 5-4 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Jim Bunning outpitched Jim "Mudcat" Grant. Al Kaline went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI.

* The Chicago Cubs swept a doubleheader from the San Francisco Giants, 9-5 and 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Willie Mays went 1-for-2 with a home run, a walk and 2 RBIs in the 1st game, and appeared as a pinch-hitter without reaching base in the 2nd game. Over the 2 games, Ernie Banks went 4-for-7 with 2 home runs, a walk, and 3 RBIs.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Athletics, 4-0 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Jim Roland (7 innings) and Bill Dailey combined on a 5-hit shutout. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Houston Colt .45s, 5-1 at Colt Stadium in Houston. Sandy Koufax went the distance for the win. The Colts became the Houston Astros in 1965.

* A doubleheader was split at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, where the Los Angeles Angels groundshared with the Dodgers until their stadium in Anaheim was built. The Chicago White Sox won the opener, 3-0. John Buzhardt allowed 9 hits, but kept the shutout. The Angels won the nightcap, 8-2.

And the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators were rained out at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (And yet, just 42 miles away, Baltimore got its entire game in.) The game was rescheduled as part of a doubleheader on August 2. The Red Sox won the 1st game, 5-0. Earl Wilson pitched a 6-hit shutout, and helped his own cause with a home run. The Senators won the 2nd game, 4-3. Over the 2 games, Carl Yastrzemski went 3-for-8 with a walk and an RBI.