Assistant Legislative Secretary, Govemor's Office, 1963-1966 By
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California State Archives State Government Oral History Program Oral History Interview with FRANK CULLEN SR. Assistant Legislative Secretary, Govemor's Office, 1963-1966 ChiefofStaff, Govemor Edmund G. Brown, 1967-1996 May 6, 13, June 3, 9, 30 2003 Los Angeles, California By Susan Douglass Yates Oral History Program University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles RESTRICTIONS ON THIS INTERVIEW None. LITERARY RIGHTS AND QUOTATION This manuscriptis herebymade available for researchpurposes only. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication withoutthe writtenpermission of the California State Archivist or the Head, Department ofSpecial Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to: California State Archives 1020 O Street, Room 130 Sacramento, CA 94814 or Department ofSpecial Collections Charles E. Young Research Library P.O. Box 951575 UCLA Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575 The request shouldincludeidentification of the specificpassages and identification ofthe user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Frank Cullen Sr., Oral History Interview, Conducted 2003 by Susan Douglass Yates, UCLA Oral History Program, for the California State Archives State Government Oral History Program. Secretary of State KEVIN SHELLEY State of California PREFACE On September25,1985, Governor GeorgeDeukmejian signed into law A.B. 2104 (Chapter 965 ofthe Statutes of 1985). This legislation established, under the administration ofthe California State Archives, a State Government Oral History Program"to provide through the use of oral historya continuing documentationof statepolicy development as reflected in California's legislative and executivehistory." The following interviewis one of a seriesof oral historiesundertakenfor inclusion in the stateprogram. These interviews offerinsights into the actual workingsofboth the legislative and executive processes andpolicymechanisms. They also offer an increased understanding ofthe men and women who create legislation and implement statepolicy. Further, they provide an overview of issue development in California state government and ofhow both the legislative and executive branches of government deal with issues and problems facing the state. Interviewees are chosen primmly on the basis oftheir contributions to and influence on the policyprocess of the state of California. They includemembers of the legislative and executive branches ofthe state government as well as legislative staff, advocates, members ofthe media, and other people who played significant roles in specific issue areas of major and continuing importance to California. By authorizing the CaliforniaStateArchives to work cooperatively with oral history units at California colleges and universities to conduct interviews, this program is structured to take advantage ofthe resources and expertise in oral history available through California's several institutionally based programs. CALIFORNIA STATE ARCHIVES 1020 O STREET • SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 • TEL 91^^53 7715 • FAX 916 6$} 73^3 * WW.SS.CA.GOV PROGRAMS ARCHIVES, BUSINESS PROGRAMS, EI.ECTIQNS, INl'ORMATION TTCHNGLOGY, GOLDEN STATE MUSEUM, MANAGEMENT SERVICES, SAFE AT HOME, DOMESTIC PARTNERS REGISTRY, NO'FARY PUBIJC, I'OIJTICAI. REFOIUM Participating as cooperation institutions in the State Government OralHistory Program are: Oral History Program History Department California State University, Fullerton Oral History Program Center for California Studies California State University, Sacramento Oral History Program Claremont Graduate School Regional Oral History Office The Bancroft Library University ofCalifornia, Berkeley Oral History Program University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles The establishment ofthe Califomia State Archives State Government Oral History Program marks one ofthe most significant commitments madeby any state towardthe preservation anddocumentation of its governmental history. It supplements the often fragmentaryhistorical written record by adding an organized primary source, enriching the historical information available on giventopics and allowingfor more thorough historical analysis. As such, the program, throughthe preservation and publication of interviews suchas the onewhich follows, will be of lasting valueto current and future generations ofscholars, citizens, and leaders. John F. Bums State Archivist July 27, 1988 This interview is printed on acid-free paper. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW HISTORY i BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY ! iii SESSION!, May 5, 2003 [Tape 1, Side A] 1 Family background—^Parents Robert J.F. Cullen and Maye E. Branigan Cullen—Ethnic makeup ofBrooklyn in the 1930s—^Decisionto become a priest—Family life—Family stays in Rockaway Point during part ofthe year—Growing up during the Depression—Influence ofparents—^Parents are Irish-Republican in a predominately Irish-Democratic neighborhood—Attends St. Anthony's Novitiate, OFS seminary—^Joins the United States Army Air Force in 1943—In 1944 goes to California to train as a flight engineer for the A-26 airplane. [Tape LSide B] 29 Trains as a flight engineer at Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica—Deployments as flight engineer for the A-26 airplane—Meets J. Bryan Connors, S.J. and John Francis Devlin, S.J. while stationed at Myrtle Beach—Battle ofOkinawa—Cullen is stationed at Okinawa and is responsible for Japanese prisoners ofwar at the end ofWorld War II—Flies over Hiroshima after the atomic bomb is dropped—^Experiences with the Japanese prisoners ofwar—After the war Cullen attends College ofthe Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts—Works at uncle Arthur J. Heaney's pawnshop in Brooklyn part time while in college—Through meeting future wife, Mary Anne White, Cullen becomes involved in John F. Kennedy's 1948 congressional campaign—^MaryAnne White's father Peter White—Robert F. Kennedy asks Cullen to join JFK's 1952 campaign for the U.S. Senate. [Tape2, Side A] 58 Cullen joins JFK's 1952 Senate campaign covering western Massachusetts—Cullen and Mary Anne White marry in New York City in 1951—Cullen and Mary Anne '\^te socialize with Bobby Kennedy and Ethel Skakel in the late 1940s. SESSION 2, May 13,2003 [Tape 3, Side A] 63 More on socializing with Bobby Kennedy and Ethel Skakel in the late 1940s—Initial Impressions ofJFK—Bobby Kennedy—^Reasons for supporting JFK—^Activities in western Massachusetts during the 1952 Senate campaign—Workingto get more Catholics elected to public office—Creates Frank Cullen Associates (FCA) Company, a business to help train salesmen in selling insurance—Involvement in the 1956 Adlai E. Stevenson presidential campaign—Thoughts on lack ofcompromise in current politics—^Decides to expand business and moves family to California in 1958. [Tape 3, Side B] 91 Family life and activities after moving to California—^Becomes involved in the 1960 Kennedy presidential campaign as an advance man—Meets Governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Sr. and Governor Adlai Stevenson at the 1960 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles—The 1958 gubernatorial election—While attending the 1960 Democratic National Convention meets Lyndon B. Johnson as well as Elizabeth Snyder, chairwoman ofthe California Democratic Party—Through the California Democratic Party helps with the Kennedy c^paign—Jesse M. Unruh's involvement in the 1960 Kennedy presidential campaign—^Kennedy loses primary in California but the state Water Project bond passes—Unruh and Brown's relationship with the California Democratic Party and the California Democratic Council—^Mary Anne Cullen decides to go into social work in Los Angeles—Cullen's business activitiesin the early 1960s—^Joins Governor Pat Brown's 1962 re-election campaign after learning Richard M. Nixon is going to run against Brown. [Tape 4, Side A] 118 More enjoining Govemor Pat Brown's 1962 re-election campaign after learning Richard M. Nixon is going to run against Brown—Works on networking and fund-raising with Democrats in San Diego County—^Meets Bemice Layne Brown—San Diego newspaper campaign coverage—^More on the campaign in San Diego—After Brown wins the 1962 election, Cullen joins the governor's office in an unofficial capacity—^Factions for Pat Brown and Jesse Unruh—^Pat Brown's view of Richard Nixon in later years—^The 1962 race between Brown and Nixon. SESSIONS, June 3, 2003 [Tape 5, Side A] 144 More on Cullen joining Governor Brown's office—Cullen networks and gathers information for the governor—^Richard Tuck—The impact ofthe Caryl Chessman case upon Governor Brown—Cullen works on various projects in connection to Governor Brown's office—^The 1964 Pierre Salinger campaign for the U.S. Senate—^After Salinger loses the general election, Cullen transports Salinger's belongings prior to his leaving for France—^Political impact ofSenator Clair Engle's terminal illness—California Democrats focus on keeping Engle's seat. [Tapes, SideB] 170 More on California Democrats focus on holding onto Engle's seat—Cullen gathers information from Democratic supporters regarding Engle's seat—^Assassination ofPresident John F. Kennedy—Governor Brown decides to support Alan Cranston for U.S. Senate while Cullen joins the Salinger campaign—Cullen works with Joe Cerrell, Don Bradley, and others on the campaign. [Tape 6, Side A] 197 Tactics ofthe Cranston and Salinger campaigns—Salinger's win in the primary causes a split amongst Democratic supporters—Salinger's campaigning style alienates Democrats—^Reasons for Salinger beating Cranston in the primary—^More on Salinger's campaigning style alienating