America 1929: John F. Kennedy, the Great Writer

3 PM, City Hall.

Jimmy Walker sat in his office, his face ashen. On the desk in front of him lay a copy of the New York Herald, its front page featuring the article "The Patron Saint Who Moves."

"That damn Arthur Kennedy! I thought he was done for! Turns out he's back to writing in this lousy newspaper!"

The secretary standing to the side said cautiously:

"Mr. Mayor, perhaps we should..."

"Should we? Threaten him again? Or just throw him into the Hudson River? Don't forget, Elizabeth Harrison was just here yesterday!"

Walker interrupted him impatiently.

"Use your brain! If you're going to your death, don't drag me down with you!"

The secretary lowered her head and didn't dare to reply.

Walker stood up and paced back and forth in his office.

"What exactly is Kennedy trying to do? Does he think he can continue to oppose me just by switching newspapers?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment, then said cautiously:

"Mayor, perhaps Mr. Hearst has a solution. Why don't we ask him? After all, this article hasn't been good for him either."

Walker paused for a moment, then nodded.

"You're right. This whole thing was messed up by Hearst's side. Let him clean up the mess."

He walked back to the table and picked up the phone.

"Get me William Hearst."

……

Ten minutes later, the call was connected.

"Mr. Hearst, I think you've already seen today's *New York Herald*. What are you planning to do?"

"What can I do? Kennedy is no longer with my newspaper."

"But he only became famous because of your newspaper! If it weren't for your *New York Daily* promoting him, he would still be a nobody! This would never have happened!"

Walker raised his voice, sounding extremely angry.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Hearst, on the other hand, was much calmer, controlling his emotions, and explained:

"Mr. Mayor, please calm down. I understand your anger. But you must understand that we have already published the article as you requested. I also asked that my newspapers not to publish his articles, but since he went to this tabloid, there's nothing I can do."

"So you're just going to watch him keep writing?"

"Of course not."

Hearst paused.

"I have an idea. Since he's going to use the pen name 'The Honest Man of Brooklyn,' let's let 'The Honest Man of Wall Street' continue writing."

Walker paused for a moment.

"Keep writing? You mean...?"

"What I mean is, we can find someone to pretend to be an honest person and continue writing articles. As long as the articles are well-written, readers will naturally be unable to tell who is real and who is fake."

Walker remained silent for a few seconds.

"That's a good idea. But what if the readers become convinced that the honest guy from Brooklyn is the real one?"

"Then we'll ruin his reputation."

Hearst's voice carried a chill.

"I'll have someone investigate his background. As long as we find even the slightest incriminating evidence, we can make a big deal out of it in the newspapers."

"What leverage?"

"Any leverage will do. A messy private life, unpaid debts, even tax evasion. Anything that can ruin his reputation is acceptable."

Walker thought for a moment.

"That sounds feasible. But are you sure you can find leverage?"

Hearst let out a cackling laugh.

"Mr. Mayor, no one in this world is completely clean. If you're willing to spend the time digging, you'll always find something."

"Even if we can't find the real ones, we can make some up. Anyway, the readers won't verify them."

Walker frowned.

"Making it up? Isn't that too risky?"

"A risk?" Hearst countered. "Don't you think it's risky to let Kennedy continue writing?"

"He's changed his pen name and the newspaper he works for now. What's next? Will he directly attack you by name? What do you plan to do then?"

Walker fell silent.

Hearst continued:

"Mr. Mayor, we must take the initiative. We must defeat him before he gains a firm foothold."

"I'll have my reporters interview people who have read Kennedy's articles and ask them which honest man they trust more. Then I'll publish an editorial on the front page titled 'Who is the Real Honest Man?'"

"In the editorial, I will imply that Kennedy is an opportunist and that he left the New York Daily News because we discovered his true colors."

"As for that honest guy from Brooklyn, it's just a new identity he made up to continue swindling money."

Walker finally smiled after hearing this.

"As expected of Mr. Hearst. That was a ruthless move."

"It's not ruthlessness, it's necessity. In this industry, either you destroy others, or others destroy you. There is no third way."

Hearst corrected.

"And what about me? What can I do?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just stay silent. The more silent you are, the more confident you will appear."

"If a reporter comes to interview you, just say you're not interested in those articles, and that you only care about serving the citizens of New York. That way, those articles attacking you will seem like they're just making trouble."

Walker nodded. "I understand."

Hearst then reminded him:

"There's one more thing. You'd better have someone keep an eye on that Harrison girl."

Why?

"Because she's Kennedy's weakness. If we can find out what kind of improper relationship she has with Kennedy, that would make things much easier."

"An unmarried woman and a poor boy getting together is a good story in itself."

Hearst laughed.

Walker smiled too.

"Mr. Hearst, now I understand why you have become the most successful newspaper tycoon in America."

"You flatter me, Mr. Mayor. I simply know better than others how to exploit human weaknesses."

Hearst said modestly.

"Then it's settled. You'll be in charge of the propaganda war, and I'll remain silent."

Walker suddenly remembered something: "Right, what if Kennedy really finds some evidence? Like the construction materials of the approach bridge."

"That makes it even simpler. We can say that the building materials are indeed problematic, but that's the contractor's responsibility, not the city hall's."

"Then we find a few scapegoats and send them to jail. That way, you not only escape responsibility, but you become a hero in the fight against corruption."

Walker gasped.

"Mr. Hearst, that was a brilliant move... truly ingenious."

Hearst laughed out loud on the phone.

"Mr. Mayor, remember this: in politics and business, what matters most is not the truth, but the right to tell a story."

"As long as we control the narrative, even if Kennedy is telling the truth, no one will believe us. That's settled then. I'll arrange it as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, Walker leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face.

"JFK Kennedy, you think you can keep jumping around just by changing your pen name? I'll show you what happens when you go against City Hall in New York."

……

At dusk, outside the city hall.

Several reporters were waiting to interview Walker.

"Mayor! Mayor!"

"A reporter shouted."

"What are your thoughts on that article in the Vanguard newspaper?"

Walker stopped and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"What article?"

"It's that article, 'The Patron Saint Who Moves.'"

Walker waved his hand.

"I haven't read the article you mentioned. I don't care about those things."

The reporter pressed on in surprise, "You don't care? But people are saying that the article was criticizing you."

Walker gave a standard smile.

"Young man, in this position, I get criticized every day. If I had to respond to every single one, I wouldn't be able to do anything."

"I only care about one thing: how to serve the people of New York City. As for those articles, let them write whatever they want."

After saying that, Walker turned and left.

The reporters looked at each other in bewilderment.