President Near When Son Dies

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30206, 10 August 1963, Page 11

President Near When Son Dies

(N.Z.P.A .-Reuter—Copyright) BOSTON, August 9. President Kennedy’s two-day-old son, Patrick Bouvier, died in a Boston hospital today. “The struggle for the baby boy to keep breathing was too much for his heart,” the White House press secretary, Mr Pierre Salinger told reporters.

The President was with his son when he died at 8 4 G.M.T The President, who spent the night at the hospital. was awakened by doctors at 6 10 am GMT., wh?n the baby’s condition grew worse

When the baby died, the President's brother. Robert the Attorney-General, and Mr David Powers, of Boston, a Presidential assistant, were with him. Patrick. the Kennedy's third child, was born five weeks prematurely through a caesarean section on Wed nesday at the Otis Air Force base hospital on Cape Cod He was immediately found t< be suffering from a respiratory ailment and was rushed from the base to the Children's Hospital Medical Centre in Boston for treatment

President Kennedy flew to Cape Cod from the White House on Wednesday to see his wife and then rushed to Boston to see his child

Two medical teams worked in shifts through last night sharing a huge pressure chamber with the baby, as the fight went on m vain to give the boy normal use of his lungs

The baby, who weighed only 41b lOoz when he was born on Wednesday, took a turn for the worse yesterday afternoon

The doctors had decided to keep the child m the .hamber overnight because the previously-noted imorovement in breathing and oxygen intake had continued Through a porthole Mr Kennedy had b“en able to see the baby in the compartment which is eight feet in diameter permitting doctors and nurses to work inside

President Kennedy will flv to Otis Air Force base later in the morning to join Mrs Kennedy, who is still in hospital there Mrs Kennedy has been in excellent condition since the birth of the baby.