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Four JFK Appointees Resigning from White House Staff

Jan. 16, 1965 - President Johnson announced today that four members of the White House staff appointed by John F. Kennedy were resigning, and a fifth would leave soon.

Johnson began a news conference in the living room of his house at the LBJ Ranch in Johnson City, Tex., by announcing the resignations of two special assistants, Kenneth O’Donnell (right with President Kennedy in 1961) and David Powers; the President’s special counsel, Myer Feldman, and the White House staff physician, Dr. Janet Travell.

He said his chief of Congressional liaison, Lawrence O’Brien, had also submitted his resignation but that “at my urgent request” he had agree to remain “to launch the new legislative program” in the 89th Congress.

Sources close to O’Brien made it clear he had not agreed to serve indefinitely on the President’s staff. They said he had committed himself to remain until he considered Johnson’s legislative program to have been effectively started.

That would be at some point after all major messages and bills had been sent to Capitol Hill — probably a matter of several months.

Johnson said Lee White, who has been serving as associate special counsel to the President, would take Feldman’s job. White is also a Kennedy appointee.

Johnson did not announce any replacement for Dr. Travell, but Rear Admiral George Burkley has been acting for some time as the President’s personal physician.

O’Donnell and Powers have not been working full time at the White House in recent months.

Johnson recalled today that when President Kennedy was assassinated, he had asked the Kennedy staff to stay on.

He said that “they have rendered a noble service” and that he was accepting their resignations reluctantly.

The President was asked about a number of other matters during the news conference, but he was not especially responsive to questions. At times he seemed almost brusque as he abruptly cut off lines of questioning.

He answered some questions with a simple “No,” and when one reporter began to rephrase a question, Johnson broke in to say, “I said no.”



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