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In Washington even the New Frontier was beginning to back away from the fad it had fielded. The President's own Fitness Council warned of the dangers to the unaccustomed—perhaps even a heart attack. That was enough for portly Pierre Salinger, who had promised he would carry the Administration's banner in a do-or-die walkathon with newsmen. Salinger canceled the hike, explaining: "My shape is not good. While this fact may have been apparent to others for some time, its full significance was pressed upon me as a result of a six-mile hike last Sunday. I have done little walking since then, except to go from my office to the White House dispensary." Pleaded Pierre: "I may be plucky, but I am not stupid."