974

REMARKS ON ETHNIC SLURS, KAHULUI,
MAUL HAWAII

September 23, 1968

I got up this morning fully expecting that I would make certain re-
marks to you that more or less fit into the context of a campaign on
the beautiful island, such as the valley island of Maui. You know
Judy and I have traveled somewhat in Hawaii. We were here in
April. We didn't get to Maui, unfortunately, because of the press
of time and commitments on Kaui. But we're delighted to be here
today. One thing I can certainly assure you of, however, is that the
little bit of time that we're going to have here is not going to satisfy
my appetite for Maui. We're going to come back.

A funny thing happened on the way to Hawaii. Maybe it wasn't
so funny after all. Those of you who read your local papers are going
to find that this Vice Presidential candidate, this son of a Greek im-
migrant, is being accused of an insensitivity to the national pride
and heritage of other peoples. I submit to you that this is a rather
ridiculous charge to make to a man who grew up in a neighborhood
where his family was the only Greek family, a man who saw his father
come home dead tired in the afternoon and climb down off a vege-
table truck to be ridiculed by certain people who referred to us as
"those Greeks on the block. " Yes, we were sensitive in those days
but thank God the United States has passed that point where we're
drawn up so tight that we can't communicate with each other, and
where our sense of humor is beginning to disappear.

On the plane a reporter, whom I consider a friend of mine — be-
cause I never jest with my enemies — who happens to be Japanese,
was asleep. I referred to him in certain slang, similar to the slang
that people on athletic teams use affectionately among themselves,
some of which wouldn't bear repeating. I don't think I said anything
quite that harmful to my friend, Gene Oishi, and I don't think Gene
Oishi took what I said in any sense of downgrading him. But coming
on the heels of another amplified statement that occurred a week ago
in the campaign, where in designating certain ethnic groups — as I
feel I have a right to because I am part of one, and a very big part
of one — I inadvertently used a slang expression for another ethnic
group, and I confess ignorance because my Polish friends had never
apprised me of the fact that when they called each other by this ap-
pellation it was not in the friendliest context.