Aug. 7, 1963 - The Kennedys’ newest child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, is having trouble breathing, but Pierre Salinger, White House press secretary, said tonight the infant “is not on the danger list.” However, Dr. Lendon Snedeker, acting superintendent of the Boston Children’s Medical Center, told reporters later, “We must be very cautious about the child’s chances for survival.” President Kennedy was flown to Logan International Airport at 9:07 p.m., and a motorcade took him to the medical center. There, after consulting with Dr. James Drorbaugh, a specialist in premature infants, Mr. Kennedy (pictured tonight at the hospital) donned a white gown and mask and went in for a quick look at his son before returning to the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston, where he will remain overnight. He plans to leave the hotel about 9:45 a.m. for another visit with his new son. Mr. Salinger, when asked why the baby had been baptized so quickly, said: “I would rather not comment on that.” In the Roman Catholic faith, when a child is premature and weak he is usually baptized immediately. Mrs. Kennedy has had a history of hardships in pregnancies and premature births. Before the birth of Caroline in a New York hospital, she had previously suffered a miscarriage and a still birth. Her second child, John Jr., was born prematurely in 1960. Mr. Salinger reported that Mrs. Kennedy’s condition tonight was “fine.” He also reported that Mrs. Kennedy saw her baby more than once before he was taken to Boston.
