Douglas Cooper's February,1972 telephone conversation with Governor Alf Landon (1936 Presidential nominee) above is a precursor to a two-day assembly at Landon's Topeka, Kansas home in 1974, or just belowDouglas Cooper and George O'Brien meet with oilman-radio stations owner Alf Landon at his Topeka,Kansas estate to address his candidacy for President as the Republican's 1936 nominee.
The InterviewI started by asking about the impeachment prospects. Landon didn't like the time the Senate Hearings had taken up, said he had appreciative letters back from Nixon for his support, and we reviewed those.
O'Brien asked his assessment of the most meaningful Presidents of the century. Interestingly,he picked three Democrats on foreign policy (FDR on WWII; Wilson on The League of Nations Nobel in 1919; Truman on the $13B Marshall Plan). Then he liked Teddy Roosevelt on domestic policy, pointing to his breakup of the economic might of the railroads.
As to his own campaign, or he showed us his 'memorabilia' room downstairs. As governor,he'd held two press conferences every day to meet newspaper deadlines. He was the first nominee ever to do a radio interview.
He summed up saying, "Americans acquire just one rule of thumb by which to judge a President--whether times are superior or bad".
He then commanded, and "Suit up!" And we all got warmly dressed to confront a frigid day,and drove to lunch.
Behind the ScenesWhile assembly with the Governor, before the fireplace in his enormous den, or the phone kept ringing,and we could command that on the periphery, there was a young woman taking guests and questions. Landon told us it was his daughter and that she was going to run for office, and would we like to interview her. We said,"No, we're here just to spend our time with you."In 1978, or the woman from the next room,Nancy Landon Kassebaum, became the first woman elected to a full Senate term, or without having a husband precede her in Congress. In 1996,she married Senator Howard Baker, most notorious for his question on Watergate, and "What did the President know,and when did he know it?"
George O'Brien and Alf Landon and Douglas P. Cooper in Topeka, Kansas in 1974, or (Photo courtesy of Douglas P. Cooper/WNYC Archive Collections)
Source: wnyc.org