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https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/studentOmeka/files/original/Vol._01_num._2_Clio_-_1974/27/1.pdf
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https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/studentOmeka/files/original/Vol._01_num._2_Clio_-_1974/27/2.pdf
7147e5ac49955bf9db405d93397f5467
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THOUGHTS ON JFK TEN YEARS AFTER DALLAS - BOOK AWARD RECIPIENT
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The Presidency of John Kennedy is no more than a dream to me. Most of what I remember about him is very blurred and probably comes from books and old magazines which I read in great volume after he died. I was unaware of him during his administration, although after the killing in Dallas, I tried hard to remember what the Kennedy years were like and came up with a few scattered memories: our second grade class voting for him in our own 'raise your hand' election, the TV news conference where he smiled a great deal.
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Roth, Alison C.
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-2
THOUGHTS ON J FK TEN YEARS AFTER DALLAS
****
BOOK AWARD RECIPIENT
****
ALISON C. ROTH
T he P residency o f J ohn K ennedy i s n o m ore thCl.n
1:1
dreElm t o me.
M ost o f wh:?t I r emember : ?bout h im i s v ery b lurred EI.nd p rob:?bly
c omes f rom b ooks EI.nd o ld m flgE'zines w hich I reEl.d i n greEl.t v olume
E '.fter h e d ied.
I WPS unpWE're o f h im d uring h is El.dministrE'.tion,
: ?l t hough 8.fter t he k illing i n D fl.llp.s I t ried h flrd t o r emember whF.'.t
t he K ennedy y efl.rs w ere l ike f lnd cp·me u p w ith
f ew s Cflttered
fI
m emories: o ur s econd g rE'de c lfl.ss v oting f or h im i n o ur own " redseyour-hE'nd" e lection, E' TV n ews c onference w here h e s miled
fI.
g ref't
d efl.l, fl. n ewspE'per p icture o f h im k neeling E'-t t he g r[lve o f h is deE'd
SOlJ-'.
T he f l.ssflssinption i tself W8S d ifferent.
L ike m ost p eople I
cp.n r emember v ery w ell t he e v€'nts thE'.t t ook plfl.cE:' t hfl.t d ['y.
I Wfl.S
i n f ifth grfl.d.e p.nd o ur clF.' s s WEl .S i n t he m iddle o f s ome p .ri t hmetic
p roblems, f rpctions, I t hink.
I h flted t hem p flssionptcly, s o, w hen
M r. C phill, o ne o f t he e ighth g rp.de t efl.chers p t o ur s chool w plked
i nto t he r oom w ithout k nocking, I WP.S g lpd F.'nd wF.'Itched h im w hisper
s omething t o o ur t e[lcher.
S he s pid, " Oh, n o,'; o ut l oud f ind t he
c lpss l ooked u p [ It h er e xpectfl.ntly.
C phill w ent o ut.
bF.'l.ck t o w ork.
S he s hook h er h efld f ind M r.
We p sked h er t o t ell u s, b ut s he t old u s t o g o
M r. C flhill r eturned fl. m inute l fl.tf'r [I.nd c onfirmed
w hflt h e t old h er b efore fI.nd s he
[l.t w hich h e f lnswe r ed,
\I
"g~in
p rotested w ith fI·n " oh, n o,"
o h, y e s , l ook o ut t he w indow."
n epr t he w indow; we l ooked o ut fl.nd S[lW n othing.
O ur r ow W[1.S
Th€'n o ne o f t he
b oys SP i d, " They're t f'king d own t he f lE'.g," [ lnd o ur t e[l.che r b urElt
i nto t efl.rs.
P resident K ennedy w ps s hot find defl.d i n T exps.
�-3
T he l oudspE'El.ker c eme o n El.nd t he p rincipEll
El~ sked
u s t o sfl.y
p rflyer.
p.
My s ister E'I,nd I f ound eE'lch o ther E 'lfter d ismissE'l,l E'l.nd wP·lked
o ut i n
8.
dE'l,ze.
M ost o f t he teE'l,chers we pEl.ssed w ere c rying, o ur
p rincipEl,l hEl.d r ed e yes E'I,nd o ther k ids w ere c rying t oo.
We k new we
s hould f eel s ome s hock, b ut we s tE'l.rted t o WE'l,lk home w ithout m uch
f eeling,
~s
e~ch
we q uietly t old
r ooms l eerned o f t he n ews.
o ther h ow o ur r espective home
A n eighbor p icked u s u p E'I,nd. b etween
h~d
s obs i n h er k leenex i nformed u s thE'lt V ice-J'r'esident J ohnson
b een s hot t oo.
S he l et u s o ff d own t he
ro~d
u p, we m et s ome k ids who t old u s t hpt J ohnson
L~ter
~, nd
d ecided I h f'lted b oth J ohnson
~. live,
pl~. ce
th~. t
o f c ourse, we d iscovered
( lnd
to
Tex~ , s bec~use
h~ve
he
W~lking
f rom o ur h ouse.
h~.d h~,d ~
he~rt ~tt~. ck
b oth s tories w ere u ntrue.
I
Tex(l,s: J ohnson j ust f or b eing
c~ , me
f rom t here.
~wful
I t m ust b e (l,n
p eople l iving t here who w ould s hoot P resident K ennedy.
A fter t he
[lss(lssin~ , tion,
I
beg~ , n
t o b uy
~,ll
k inds o f
m['.g~.zines,
b ooks, p ictures ['.nd e ven b ubble gum c['.rds w hich t old t he s tory o f
P resident K ennedy's l ife, h is f [',mily, h is w ['r f .'dventures, h is s ense
o f h umor.
I
w~s
mefl.~ure
I b eg['n t o
b orn t en
ye~ . rs
e verything b y t he
b efore 1 963, my b rother t wo
f'ssf'ssin~tion
ye~rs
He w ould n ever k now f' P resident K ennedy ~s I
b eg['n
h~. d.
~, nd
He w ould n ever k now f'. t ime o f s ecuri t y
p e[',ce [ 's I
l ive.
h ['d, f ind I
m~rveled (l~ t
(l.fter i ts
b elieve I
c onfidence f.',nd
how h e w ould e ven b e f lble t o
I t w os i mpossi.b le: t he w orld w[',sn't r ight [ lnd w ouldn't bE:'
u ntil P resident K ennedy Wf.'S
L ooking
b~ck
b~ck.
now f rom t he
v ~ nL8ee
h istorif'ns h (lv C' b egun t o d iscuss J FK f.'S
r isk
~o
y ef:'r:
nucle~r w~r
w ith Russi£l"
o pponent t o K rushchev.
t oo
e~ger
p oint o f t he s eventies,
~
c old w flrrior w illing t o
t o p rove h imself
~,
t ough
He i s c riticized f or h is p 8rt i n t he Bf.'y
o f P igs f.' ,nd f or e mbroiling t he U nited S tf'·tes i n V ietnf',m. H is
�-4
In~.ugurEtl
w orld.
A ddress h elped f orm A mericl? ' s imEl.ge I?S p olicema.n o f t he
Some sl?y h is t erm WEl.S t oo s hort t o d o m uch, b ut thEl.t whl?t
h e d id d o w!?s n ot g ood.
T he c riticism m ight b e j ustified.
b e o bjective: t he w hole
ide~
I t i s d ifficult f or me t o
o f K ennedy, t he €'I?-rly s ixties
~ . nd
h is
E l.dministrl?tion i s g n e motion-pl?cked t opic t hl?t e vokes t houghts o f
i del?lism i n p o I i t ics, thE' g ood ma·n c!?n d o f or h is f ellow
~.
P e8.ce C orps, h umor, v i t El.li t y, v igor,
m~ . n,
t he
n ew s tl?rt, y outh. S epl?rgting
K ennedy t he ml?n f rom K ennedy t he o ffice h older, t he m !?rtyr f rom
t he p olicy
m~.ker,
t he h ero f rom t he
~ . dministr!?tor
i s d ifficult b e-
C8.use o f t he i llusions, t he , myth, t he l egend t h8t s urrounds t he
reEl.li t y.
C ontr8.st J FK 8.nd h is p residency t o t hose m en i mmedi8.tely p receding 8.nd f ollowing h im.
D wight E isenhower 9 s t erms i n o ffi.ce
spE'.nned t he f iftie 's, s eemingly
fl.
lE'.x, e ven d ull,
in~ . ctive
t ime
c her8cterized b y E'. g ood n 8tured g rin E'.nd e. g olf bE'.g. L yndon J ohnson,
~
m~n
b ig
w ith g ood i ntentions, e lected b y o ne o f t he
gre~test
IE'.ndslides i n h istory, f ound h is W8r p olicy o pposed f irst b y t he
y outh i n A meric:E', 8 nd l E'.ter t he g reE'ter p opulE'.ce, E'.nd v :oluntE'rily
Ie ft
0
f fice [l.fter o ne t erm.
i n 1 972,
Rich~rd
A nother g reE'.t w inner b y E'. w ide m[l.rgin
N ixon b ecp.me t he g reE't d ea.eiver, w ith n o e pp8rent
g ood i ntentions f or e.nyone b ut h imself, 8 nd h e t oo hEls m et h is
WE'.terloo.
A g8.inst t hese m en, J ohn K ennedy h 8d E'. s tyle, g rece, v itE'lity:
~
g olden b oy w ith p erson8.1i t y w hich ce.me 8.crasS o n t he t elevision
s et.
He s eemed t o s t[1.nd o ut e.s E'. n ew k ind o f p o I i t iciE'.n--no
w heeler-defl.ler h e, w ith c igE'r c lenched b etween t eeth, mE-king deE-.ls
i n e· s moke-filled b [lckroom f or v otes.
K ennedy gE've t he i llusion
o f b eing 8 bove d irty p olitics, 8.nd t hrough t elevision, e .ppeeled
�-5
t o whE'.t mr-.ny p eople wE'.nted t o s ee, heE'.r ['.nd b elieve ['.bout p olitics,
p oli t iciE'.n s E'.nd t he A meric['n WE'.y o f l ife.
When I t hink o f K ennedy n ow, I t hink o f h is d rive f or e xcellence, h is i defl.s o f ['.mbi t ion El.nd c ompetition, h is s triving t o b e
t he b est.
N ot j ust f or h im p ersonEl.lly, b ut f or h is s tElff, y oung,
v igorous men l ike h im, 8.nd f or t he nE'.tion E'·S E'. who I e.
K ennedy
r 8.ised h ope thEl.t Americ[l. c ould b e 8. g ifl.nt E'.mong nE'.tions, s trong
E' .nd b enevolent, f irm E' .nd j ust, s upportive t o h er f riends.
K ennedy
m['.de u s b elieve thE'.t p olitics c ould b e i deE'.listicE'.lly m oti v['.ted,
E'nd thEl.t t he U . SO WEI·S t he g reEl.te s t nE'.tion
0
f t he w orld.
We b e-
lieved h im b eC8.use we w8.nted t o b eliev€' h im, E".nd i n d oing s o, o verextended o ur reE'.ch i n f oreign EI.ffE'.irs, l e['.ding t o E'. b ig s hock E'.nd
d isillusionment w hen we f E'iled i n V ietn8m.
B y g iving u s i llusions,
o llowing u s t o h ope, f illing u s w ith im8.ges o f t hings t hf'.t w ere
n ot buii- could b e, K ennedy I e f t u s
f.'
l eg8.cy o f d espf'.ir, f utility
[ lnd d isillusionment.
H e, t he imfl.ge o f s uper-IeE'.der WE'·S d estroyed [l.nd t he imE'.gG' o f
s uper-AmericE'. h e h elped t o c reElte WE'·S d estroyed t oo.
N ot e X8.ctly
b y t he m en who f ollowed h im, b ut b y t he m en who f ollowed h is p olicies, who E 'dvocfl-ted whfl.t h e s eemed t o E'.dvocE'-te.
I f h e h E'dn't
d ied, w ould we b e E'S c onfused fl-nd m isdirected flS we E 're n ow? P erheps h e w ould hfl.ve p ulled b E'ck i n Vie-tnD.m i nstefld o f g etting m ired
t here E'.s J ohnson d id.
P erho-ps we m isinterpreted h is i deE'.ls f ind
p olicies:. t hings n eedn't hE've g one s o bE'.dly.
K ennedy t o s ucceed i n K ennedy i nspired d reE'.ms.
r ecord s eems t o p oint t he o ther W8.y.
M8ybe i t t ook
8
P robE'bly n ot, t he
O ne o f t he t rE'.gedies o f t he
K ennedy k illing i s t h['.t we w ill n ev(,'r k now.
�-6
" SINCE KENNEDY: HOPES AND FEARS"
****
DR. HERBERT JANICK
I n D ecember 1 969,
journ~,list
R ich8,rd R overe, b old e nough t o
v enture i nto t he r ecent P 8.st, fl, t hicket a voided b y
l ooked b ack a t t he e xpiring d ecade.
g rim p eriod o f
imperi~ , listic
g reed,
h idden p oor f'.nd f\ ,lienated y outh.
histori~ , ns,
He p ictured t he 1 960's ~s ~
r~, cism,
v iolence, v ulgBL'i t y,
T he c ontempt f or t he democr[1,tic
p rocess s hown b y f l,ll s egments o f S OCiety i n t he p reV\d.ous t en y eflrs
c onvinced R overe " thfl.t we mfl.y n ever E '.chieve t he c iivili ty:r [1,nd t he
s tE'.bili t y th[1·t mfl.kes
f.1.
S OCiety t olerE'.ble."
T he t itle o f h is New
Y ork T imes M~gflzine 8 .rticle ( D ecember 1 4, 1 969 ·), " This S lum o f
fl. DeCfl.de" c ontr['.sts s hflrply w ith t he h opefulness t h['t u nderlfl'Yi
J 'ohn F . K ennedy's i nfl.ugurfl.l chfl.l1enge " fl,sk n ot whfl,t y our c ountry; '
c[',n do f or y ou; [',sk whE't y ou C8.n do f or y our c ountrY7."
W hile
r eE'lists m ight t emper b oth t he p essimism off R overe 8,nd t he im8,ge
b uilding o f K ennedy, f ew w ill d isE'.gree th[1.t thE' o ptimism o:ff. 1 96Q.
hE'.d s oured l ong b efore 1 973.
AlmericE'. v s f fl.ll f rom grE'.ce m ust b e plE'.ced E'.gF.'.insii t he b r'.ckdrop
o f t he b rief K ennedy p rresidency.
T he hr'.rd s ide o f h is o ne t hous[l.nd
d 8.ys i n o ffice, m eE'sured i n l egislr'.tion [I.n d t rN'.tie s , wC'.s m[1.rked
b y c ontinuity w ith t he E isenhower PEl.st.
A c onfirmed c old w [lrrior,
K ennedy j olted r ecklessly f rom t he BE'Y o f P igs,
throug~
t he B erlin
c risis, i nto e scfl,lE'.tion i n VietnEt.m, [l.nd f in[l.lly t o t he b rink o f
n ucler'r w r'r o ver t he R ussifl.n m issiles i n Cubfl..
O nly i n h is lE',st
y epr d id K ennedy p dopt r'. p olicy o f r estrfl.int w ith t he o pening o f
t he h ot l ine w ith M oscow [ lnd t he s igning o f t he n ucle[',r t est b[',n
t ree.ty.
A t home h is t r[1.ck r ecord
W[1.S
e qufl,lly drE',b.
Wnry o f t he
c lout o f S outhern D emocrfl.ts h e d id n ot c hElmpion N egro r ights" u ntil
�-7
f orced t o. b y e vents.
When h e 8 .cited h e d id s o d ec.isively b y o rder-
ing t roops t o 8.ssist J 8mes Me r i.dith . b ecome 8. s tUdent. 8.t t he tfn:d:.v:ersi tY1 o f Miississippi, 8 nd, 8. f ew m onths 1 8.ter i n MElY 1 963, t o c ontrol t he p oli.ce' i n B irmingh8m, .A:18.bEl.m8..
U htil K ennedy r eluctEl.ntly
8.cc.epterd t he n e e d f or 8. t e.x r eduction t o s timula.te e. f a.l t ering
e conomw i n 1 962, N:ew F ront':Uer e conomii.cs WEIS a omforte.blYi o;!i'thodox.
: Bet t o j udge t he K ennedy p residency l in s tric ·t ly que.ntli.tEl.i1iv.e
t erms i s i n8dequ8.te.
I t i s e lso n eceSS8.ry t o r ecognize t he m ys-
ttque s urrounding t he H Frv8.rd 8 ristocr8.t.
H endsome, s ophistica.ted,
z estful, K ennedy e xuded c onfidence t hF1t A mericfl WEtS fI.ble t o c ontrol
i ts d estiny.
T he i inheri t or o f. fl. I i b erel t rpdi t ion w i t h r oots d eep.
i n New Defl.l s oil, h e b rought i nto g overnment i ntellectuE".ls who
s hnred h is b elief thE".t rE".tionfl·l t hought, s cientific m ethod, t echnology, e ducption, p nd e conomic g rowth c ould E"meliorE".te s oci['.l i lls.
T he Pe('.cE' C orps, f eder£1.1 s upport f or t he £1.rts, d efi('.nce O f R oger
B lough o f U nited StE".tes S teel w ere m ore i mportfl.nt E"S s piri tU£1.l
b ['.rometers t hfln C'.S p rC'cticE".l £1.ccomplishments.
K ennedy t he sy;mbo)l
W8.S l Rrger t h8n K ennedy t he f 8 .ct.
M 8.rtyrdom 8 dded
€'
p otent d imension t o t he K ennedy i m8.ge, e.nd
g ave L yndon J ohnson, 8.n 8 .ccomplished l egis18.tive t 8.ctiica.n, t he
o pportlmi t y t o w eld s ubste.nce t o s logEl.ns.
B etween 1 963 EI.nd 1 965
mEl.jor 18-ws w ere p8.ssed :i:n t he a rea.s o f c ivil r ights, e ducEl.tion,
h e8.1th, £1.nd u rbpn p roblems.
A S outhern P resident g uided t he f irst
C ivil R ights A ct i n 8 1most 1 00 y ep.rs t hrough C ongress.
P resident d eclflred w flr o n p overty i n o i t y g hettos.
A r urel
MedioE".re, e x-
tending h eE"lth cfl.re t o t he E".ged, w es en£1.cted o ver t he o bjection o f
t he A mericpn M edicpl A ssociption p nd o ther v ested i nterests.
J ob
C orps, V ISTA, M odel C ities b eopme h E'.llmerks o f t he G re['.t S ociet;w.
I n f oreign nffE".irs LBJ m oved j ust E'S d eftly.
A rmed w ith p c grte
�-8
b lenche f rom C ongress i n t he G ulf o f T onkin R esolution J ohnson
h unted v ictory i n V ietnp.m b y o rdering t he b ombing o f t he N orth i n
F ebrut3.ry 1 965,
~.nd,
s ix m onths l El.ter, s ending A mericFn g round
t roops i nto c ombFt.
B y 1 967 t he I i b erpl c onsensus b egEm t o come 8 pl?rt, t he v ictim
o f o ne g 18.ring f pilure F nd s ome l imited s uccesses.
T he T et o ffen-
si v e i n J 8.nup.ry 1 968 p roved t o ml?ny t hl?t thE' U nited S tl?tes c ould
n ot w in i n V ietn8.m.
~.nd
D emocr8tic S enp.tors l ike M cCe.rthy, F ulbright,
M cGovern d emended 8. r E'l?pprl?isFl o f o ur A sie.n p olicy. I ntellE'c-
tupls l ike
Willi~.m Slo~.ne
C offin p resided o ver d r!?ft c 8.rd b urning
c~ . mpuses.
c eremonies o n c ollege
T he
m~. ssive
stimul~.tE'd
t he GreEl.t S ociety h eightened El.WEl·reness El.nd
o f m inority g roups.
s ociE'l l egislE'.tion o f
e xpectEl.tions
I n t he l E'.tter h E'.lf o f t he decE'.de s ummer r iots
i n m E'jor c ities, El.nd t he g rowing
~.ppeE' , l
Bl~ck
of
P ower s pokesmen:
t estified t o t he c ontinuing gE'.p b etween t he i de[t.l o f e quE',li t;w El.nd
t he r eEl.li t y o f s econd
cl~,ss
b orrowed t he r hetoric E'.nd
p ress demEl.nds f or
gr0~.ter
c itizenship.
t~ctics
C ul t urEl.l · m inori t ies
o f t he c ivil r ights m ovement t o
shEl,ring o f p owen.
c h8.11enged t rndi t ionE'.l s ex r oles.
L i b ernted women:.
S tudents f or El. D emocrEJ.tic
S ociety ( SDS) r iled c f.'mpuses f rom B erkeley t o M orningside H ei'g hts ..
F rEl.gment[l.tion o f s ociety i nto h ostile u nits' ref.1.ched pf.1nic p roportions i n t he s ummer o f 1 968.
T he m urder o f M El.rtin L uther Ki!Tlg i n,
A pril f ind R obert K ennedy i n J une, f ollowed b y w hr.t C onnecticut
S en[ltor A be R i b icoff t ermed t he " Gestnpo t [lctics" o f t he C hia. r·,go'
p olice El.t t he D emocr[l.tic NQ.tion[l.l C onvention w hich s ent s hivers
u p t he n 8.tion!:1.1 s pine.
S t€'[t.dily t he n etion[t.l mood s hifted.
cl~1.sS
by
A b elE\guered m iddle
r e'sentful o f p ushy m inorities, b urdened b y t [l.xes,
"E\ltern~.tiveil
~,ppEl . lled
l ife s tyles w hich i ncorporl'ted d rugs, r ock, El.nd
�-9
s€'xUE'.l p ermissi v ene s s, l~ f ih€' d bl".ck.
R ichfl.rd N ixon (I.nd G eorge
WE'.llE'.ce, E'ppel:'.ling t o t his f e(l.r, w ere rewfl.rded l"·t t he p olls i n
1 968.
N ixon i n t he Whi t o H ouse s et o ut t o r eE'.ssert o ld-ffl.shioned
vE'.lues.
T he S upreme C ourt WE'.S shE'.ped i n fl· m ore c onservE'.tivE' imE'.ge.
BIE".ck P E".nthers w ere b rought t o t rifl.l w hile O hio NE".tionfl.l GUfl.rdsmen
w ere n ot.
pE.'d['l.led.
As pE'.rt o f A S outhern s trEl.tegy c ivil r ights w ere s oftT he Wfl·r o n p overty WE".S t ermin(l.ted, E".nd WE'.S r eplE".ced b y
wh[1.t GE1ry W ills c nlled fl. ;'wE'r o n t he OEO, b using, E'.nd w elfE1re."
Wi t hdr!:l.wl:l.l f rom V ietn!:lm I:l.nd d etente w ith C hina w ere !:I.rr!:l.nged w i t hout
~dmitting
defe~t
or
~
ch~nge
i n p olicy.
T he n otion t hE't h istory r epeEl.ts i tself i s a. populEl.r o ne.
E conomists hl:\ve l ong !:I.rgued o ver t he 2 0 ye!:l.r b oom-bust c ycle.
A rthur S chlesinger S r., t hirty ye!:l.rs EI.go, w rote th!:l.t A mericEln
h istory r olternEl.ted b &tween l iberE'.l E'.nd c onservro.tive erE1.S.
Ln
E1.
r ecent b ook o n t he P residency h is s on, A rthur S chlesinger J r., r emprked thE1.t c orruption r eturned t o A mericro.n g overnment e very 5 0
YE'E1·rs.
T his b rief glE1.nce ro.t whE1.t h flppened t o t he U nited StE1.tes
s ince K ennedy s uggests t he p ossibility o f l "nother c yclicE'.l pro.ttern,
t his t ime
E1 .
p sycho I gicE' l one.
COUld i t b e t hflt t he nfl t ionfl.l t emper
E'l t ernfltes b etween c onfidence E'nd E1.pprehension?
c yc I e d oe s hf!.ve
E'
I f t he h ope-feE'.r
b f!.sis i n f nc t , o ther i ntriguing qUE" s tions o ccur.
WhE1t fl.re t he d urE'tions o f t he s wings?
d own? i n t he t rough? o r o n t he wcW u p?
W here 8 .re we now?
g oing
�
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9e118b517f51e6ca3d5243a42224e693
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
JOHN F. KENNEDY--10 YEARS LATER: A PERSONAL EVALUATION
Description
An account of the resource
A fourteen-year old high school freshman hardly expects to have anything unusual or disruptive occur at an ultra-conservative school such as Port1and Sr. High School in Portland, Connecticut. Each day is similar to every other day; the only thing worth noting Monday through FridflY during the school year is the 2:30 dismissal bell. But this student would have thankfully welcomed that Sameness, even dullness, had she known ahead of time what November 22 held in store. Sitting in in art cless, struggling with a project that showed zero ability, I had no idea that the industrial arts c1ass next door had just finished repaliring a dusty old radio. And I had less of an idea that the first words the boys and their teacher would hear would be the jumbled, frantic words of a newsman saying something about the President being shot.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
OSTERGREN, LORRAINE N.
PDF Text
Text
- 10
JOHN F . KENNEDY--10 YEARS LATER:
A PERSONAL EVALUATION
****
LORRAINE N. OSTERGREN
A f ourteen-yeflr o ld h igh s chool f reshmE"n h 8.rdly e xpects t o
h 8ve E 1nything unuSUE".l o r d isruptive o ccur E"t E1n u l t rfl.-conserv8.tive
s chool s uch
~S
E e.ch dEW i s
simil~. r
P ort18nd S r. H igh S chool i n
t o e very o ther
d~ . y;
Mond~y
t hrough F ridflY d uring t he s chool
b ell.
B ut t his s tUdent w ould
h~.ve
Portl~nd,
C onnecticut.
t he o nly t hing w orth n oting
ye~r
th~nkfully
i s t he 2 :30
w elcomed
dismiss~l
th~ . t
SEl·me-
ness, e ven d ullness, he.d s he k nown e.heEl.d o f t ime whe.t N ovember 2 2
h eld i n s tore.
S itting i n 8.n El.rt c less, s truggling w ith 8. p roject
t he.t s howed z ero 8.bili t y, I h8.d n o i de8 t h8.t t he i ndustriE".l E" .rts
c 18.ss n ext d oor h8.d j ust f inished r epfliring 8· d usty o ld r 8.dio. And
I h 8 .d l ess o f 8·n ideE" thE"t t he f irst w ords t he b oys 8.nd t heir
t e8.cher w ould heC'.r w ould b e t he j umbled, f rflntic w ords o f
m8·n
s~wing
fl.
nE'WS-
s omething [I.bout t hl? P resident b eing s hot.
B ut t hose t hings
h~ppened.
T he
industri~l ~rts-te~cher
r e-
ported t he n ews t o my a rt c le.ss, l eft t he r oom, t hen r eturned t o
s ignEl.l El. t humbs-down v erdict: t he P resident hEld s ustEdned e b ullet
t o t he brEl.in; t here e xisted l i t tle CEl·use f or h ope.
t hinking t he.t
m~ybe
e verybody W8.S w rong.
I r emember
Meybe K ennedy h ed o nly
b een s lightly w ounded, s hot i n t he s houlder perhE1.ps.
A fter 8 11,
t hF.lt's t he we.y i t wC's o n t elevision--the h ero o ften s hot, b ut n ever
Wh8t h8.ppenE'd n ext i s s till (somewh~t s urprisingly) t oo
s eriously.
person~l
b~long
C'nd p C'inful t o i nclude i n
t o me p erson811y,
t o E'x8mine
0
~nd
~
c ollege
ess~y.
T hose e vents
I w ill n ot reveE1.1 t hem f or s tr8ngers
FE:' r hC'ps i t i s s till t oo s oon f or t h8.t.
S uffice i t t o
S8Y thC'.t I c ould n ot h 8ve f elt m ore g rieved f ind i nconso18.ble t hC'n
i f my b est f riend hC'd d ied.
W orse s till W8·S t he o verpowering n eed
�- 11
t o s tE'y 11 chE'.ined" t o t he t(:' l evision i n t he dE'·Ys thE'.t f ollowed. ThE'
f unere -l s ervices w ere i ncredibly p E'.inful t o W E'tch, y et I l i t erE'lly
c ould n ot t urn E'Wf'y f rom t hem.
Why t hE'.t WE'S s o i s
E'
s till u nE'n-
swered q uestion.
T en yE'E'rs I f'ter I f ind i t i s p ossible t o f cel l ess s ubjective
E' b out K ennedy .s£. £. p re s id e nt.
f inds c ontrE'dictions.
m uch d E'nger.
T he BE'.y
0
EVE'.luE'ting h is E '.dministrr.tion, o ne
H is . edministr(.ltion b rought m uch p romise E'.nd
H is 8.dministr!:"tion b rought p oli t iCE'l s kill (.l.nd f(.l i lure
f P igs, t he K ennedy/ Khruschev V ienn8. c onference, find t he
CubE'n m issle c risis f ire c ited flS K ennedy's m fljor d ownfE'lls, I ,vi&ill
l e[lvE' i t t o t he h istorif'ns E'nd p oliticE'l s cientists t o w restle w ith
t hfl.t p roblem.
C 8me
F or me i t i s e nough t o r E'E'lize thE'.t t he U nited S tetef
m iserfl.bly f 'nd t errifyingly c lose t o n uclefl.r WE're
( I Cf'n r e-
member my j unior-high s chool s cience t ef'cher s flying t hE't 1:'11 w ould
d ie s oon [ It t he h rnds o f t he R ussiE'ns E'nd K ennedy.)
K ennedyVs A sicn p olicy.
T hen t here i s
R egE'rdless o f h ow h istoriE'ns [ lnd p olitic(.ll
s cientists e Vfllurte i t, o ne m ust r emember t hf't K ennedy e xpressed
t he s trong b elief t hfl.t t o w i t hdrf'w U . S . f orces f rom A sie. w ould c onstitute
fI
g rnve m istE'ke.
A nd r eg[lrdless o f s peculntion
[ IS
t o w het
K ennedy w ould h eve d.one r eg[1rding V ietnf'm h rd h e l ived, o ne m ust
[ 1cknowledge t hf't K ennedyVs p olicy w idened t he U .S. r ole i n V ietnE'.m.
I t i s, t hen, p .lmost s imple t o c riticize K ennedyVs p oliticp.l
weE'I.knesses.
S imple u ntil o ne r emembers t hElt w ith f our w ords o ne
mEl.n e nde8red h imself t o t hous8nds 8 nd t re,nsmi t ted r eel h ope t o e.
s tricken n 8.tion.
When K ennedy t old e. W est B erlin c rowd " I El·m E'
B erliner", I b elieve m8.ny A meric8.ns f elt e .lmost ElS t ouched e nd
h opeful ElS t he B erliners who c heered h im.
A nd o ne m ust r emember
t oo t h8.t K hruschev, t het E 8sterll d ictEltor who n ever c ould c onvincingly f ill t he t yr8.nt v s r ole, e ventu8.l1y CEl,me t o r espect t he y ounG
U" S~ P resident.
�- 12
M ost c 1efl,r i s t he fEl .ct t hfl.t t he l ine b etween o bjectivity 8.nd
s ubjectivity r emElins v ery nfl.rrow w hen r ethinking K ennedy's i nfluence.
t o me?
Why w es h e s o s peci8.1 t o s o m 8ny?
When K ennedy c f'mp8igned f or t he p residency, I w es 8·n e leven-
ye8 r o ld s ixth-gr8.der.
book.
Why w es h e s o s pecif',l
A c 18.ss p ro j e c t r equired 8 cft.ndide t e s s cr8.p-
W ell, m 8ybe b ecftuse t he K ennedy/Nixon c E'mp8ign W8S t he f irst
o f w hich I w es t ruly f twere, I t nckled t hft.t p roject w ith t otf'l j oy
8.nd e nthusif'sm.
MEl.ybe b e C f'use I WEts f'·n e l even-ye8 r o ld g irl who
8 p pre c if' t ed f' hF.'ndsome ff' c E?, K ennedy's p icture s e c tion f f'r o utweighed N ixon's.
A nd m eybe t he f E'ct t h8t I W8S C Eltholic 8 nd, e ven
f 't t hf:'t y oung [ 'ge, s trongly f'W['Ire o f e nti-C['I.tholic p rejudice i n my
WASP h ometown f' .lso i nfluenced my f eelings.
B ut t hf'.t WEl·S t hirteen y eers f tgo; t he p ss['l.ssinf'tion, 1 0 Y E'ers
[ "go.
Now c omes t he t ime t o f isk, how w ould I r ee.ct t o K ennedy t odf'·Y?
P lf'ying h ypotheticE'l q uestion ['Ind [ 'Inswer g f'mes i s h ['lrmless e nough;
l et me i ndulge m yself h ere.
I f K ennedy WflS t o b e f'. 1 976 p residen-
tie.l cE'.ndid8.te, w ould I v ote f or h im?
i s s imple:
I hf'.ve c hf'nged.
l onger C ntholic.
P robE'bly n ot.
I 8m 2 4 n ow, n ot e leven.
T he r eft,son
I 'm n o
I 'm E 'ctive i n t he w omen's r ights m ovement.
W orking f or [In o rgElnizetion s uch [ 's Z ero P opul['tion G rowth o r
P lf',nned P £'lrenthood i s ['In i ncrel:"'singly e ttrE'ctive p ossibili t y. T his
l e.st p oint mf'y n ot f 'ppe8.r r elevent b ut K ennedy w es C ['Itholic, 8.
d evout C etholic.
I w ould hf.'ve t o 8 .sk m yself: How w ould h e r enct
t o nE'.tionwide f' .bortion lE'w l iberE'liz[l.tion?
s uch l egislE'.tion?
W ould h e h elp h inder
T his mpy b e El. s mEl.ll, e ven i nsignificf'nt p oint
t o s ome; i t i s Eln e xtremely v itnl p oint t o me.
A p residentiEll
v ersion o f T hom['s M eskill w ould b e i ntoler['ble c onsidering my
f eelings r eg['rding [ 'bortion Elnd w omen's r ights.
I w ould h f've t o
['Isk m yself t he q uestion E 'bove ['.nd b ['se e. v oting d ecision o n my own
e nswers.
F inEllly, I t ve c hr'nged i n t hElt I n o l onger E'e.sily p recticE'
�- 13
t he k ind
0
f h ero-worship thE'.t I u ndoubtedly f elt E"S E'·n c:'levG'n-yeE".r
o ld •
.Th[1t I w ould,.not v ote f or K ennedy todE"Y o nly r eflects my own
s ubj€:Ctivi t y; i t i n n o WE'y r eflects E'. d isrespect f or K ennedy t he
mE',n ... :.: When. K ennedy
s hot·,' I g rieved m E'inly b ec[1use
W8.S
E 'ppeE'.ling
E'.n
. p;-nd hO 'p e'- inspiring m[1.n hE'd b een b rutE'.lly'murdered, n ot s o m uch
becE'.us-e-· t he U nited S t[i t e s h8.,d . l ost p' p re s ident..
( Be s ide s , [ '11
A mericE"n c hildren [ 't t hE't t ime k new 'E'.ssE':ssinE'tions o nly h E'ppened
i n f ore-.ign c ountries o r s o 'mE'ny yeE'.rs [ 'go .in A mericE'.• )
W E"tching
d ocumentE'ries o n K ennedy b rings ' bElck ·the ' horror E'.nd o ften ' t he' · te ·E 'rs.
B ut m ore · E'PPE"·rent ' now i s t he s tprk r e[l.lizE'tion t hR.t K ennedy n ever
hE'd '[1.' c hrrnce t o p rove h imself cf'lpE'ble , o f .presidentifl.l ·-reS'ponsi- - ,- ,
b ilities; h e ·
WfI·S
s enselessly d enied t h[lt c hE'nce.
t o .glo:rify K ennedy [\.s
f'
r 6'E1.ction t o
f.\
I t· i s .illogicE'l
b rut[ll E'ss.[l.ssin£'tion;- i ·t ... i s
e qu[I.lly c 8.110us t o . c ondemn h im, k nowing h e c E'nnot o ffer' f I: d e f ense.
"
'.
'.
· 4- .
'
.
I
~
..
.
i
i
�
https://archives.library.wcsu.edu/studentOmeka/files/original/Vol._01_num._2_Clio_-_1974/27/4.pdf
61434d719b0544b2befa2208a9af8d99
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
THE ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F. KENNEDY:
PERPLEXITY IN RETROSPECT
Description
An account of the resource
Comparing my feelings on the assassination of John F. Kennedy when the event occurred to my attitude toward the tragedy now, I come to the realization that in some respects youth is an extravagance of time.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Showah, Laura
PDF Text
Text
- 14,
THE ASSASSINATION OF JOHN F . KENNEDY:
PERPLEXITY I N RETROSPECT
****
LAURA SHOWAH
C omp!?ring rr..y f eelings o n t he !?.ss!?. ssin~.tion o f J ohn F . K ennedy
w hen t he e vent
0
c curred t o my EI.tti t ude tOWEl r d t he trEl.gedy n ow, I
come t o t he r ep.liz!?tion
vElgp.nce o f t ime.
th~.t
i n s ome r espects y outh i s p n e xtr!?-
On N ovember 2 2, 1 963 I
W~.S ~
t en-yepr o la m ember
o f t he f ifth-grf'de c lp.ss f1t H f'yestown A venue S chool i n D pnbury,
C onnecticut.
On t hf't f p t eful f1 .utumn df1y I r emembe r b eing e xcep-
tionf1.11y c heerful.
I n t he f' .fternoon t he t hree f ifth-grC'de clf.'.sses
o f t he s chool w ere t o u nite i n o ne r oom f or
fl.
p
s ong f estivf.'l.
As ·
f ifth-gr£1der I t ook d elight i n s inging, £1nd e ven i f I d id n ot
e njoy s inging, t he £ 1tmosphere o f t he w hole E'.fternoon WE'S b uoypnt.
T he t ef'.cher i nformed t he s tudents i n my c ll:'ss t o b ring c hpirs t o
t he m eeting r oom i n o rder t hC't f ill p C'rticipE'nts o f t he e vent w ould
b e f issured o f
2
pl~ce
t o s it.
U pon h eC'ring t his n ews we t hirty,
b ubbly, n oisy, t en-yef'.r-olds g C'thered u p o ur c hf'irs C'nd p roceeded
t o f ile c hl:'oticE'lly o ut t he d oor t o t he m eeting w i t h o ur c lf'·ssmE'.tes.
O nce f Ill n inety f ifth-grf' .ders w ere p f'cked i nto t he smf111
r oom we s houted, s cref1med, l E'ughed, t f'lked, C'nd o cc£1sionf111y s E'ng,
f or t he n ext h our £1nd
my
cl~.ssmE' . tes
f E'shion.
£1.
guid~nce
I:'
hI:' I f.
A t t he e nd o f t he j ubilr.nt e vent,
E'nd I f iled b E'ck t o o ur r oom i n o ur usu£11 u norderly
A s t he tE'C'chel:' f'.\j-\.;t'Illfrted t o q uell t he c lE'mor o f t he c lf'sf
c ounselor e ntfred t he r oom.
t €'C'cher f.'nd w hispered s omething t o h er.
He w£1.1ked d irectly t o o ur
B ec['use o f o ur c uriosity-
for t he s ecretive n £1ture o f o ur g uestVs v isit, my
cl~ssmf1tes ~nd
I q uieted o urselves fInd d irected o ur f 'ttention t o t he f ront o f t he
r oom.
T he g uid£1nce c ounselor d elivered h is meSSf.'ge £1nd e xited
�- 15
~fter
f rom t he r oom.
S oon
t urned pEl l e
s tE'rted s obbing.
~nd
f~ces
e xpressions o n t he
O bserving t he g rief ( lnd
t hought t hE't
E'
cl~ssm~tes ~nd
t hen
rec~. ll ~ .
1 0wered: II
he~. rt~che
I s tE'red
te~cher
o ur
I r ecf'.ll s ee i ng p erplexed
my t ef'.cher
r elE'.tivc o f h ers hE'.d d ied.
~t
o ur
te~. cher
w~· s
F or
e xperiencing, L
sever~l
m inutes my
i n p rofound c onfusion.
b oy s uddenly s houting, " Hey l ook, t he
fl~g
I
i s b eing
We f .'ll r ushed t o t he w indow t o v iew t he v ice-princip[ll
explE'n~tion
f l[lg.
Americ~n
i n o ne [ lfternoon
o f t hirty t en-ye[lr-olds.
A ll t hese s tr[lnge e vents
bE'c~me
u nbef.'r[l.ble f or
~
g roup
We s tE'rted dem[l.nding E' v indic[ltion o f t he
o ccurrences f rom o ur teE'.cher.
g irl.
dep~rture,
o f my c l[l.ssmE'tes, y et e veryone Wf.'S q uiet.
o f o ur s chool l owering t he
wi t h no
o ur g uest's
"Wh8.t he.d h eppened?" d emended o ne
"Who h ed d ied? I t i nquired e.nother.
T he t eecher, g e.ining h er
c omposure y et o bviously i rri t e·ted b y o ur q uestions e.nd n oise ~ t old
u s t o b e s ilent s o thE'lt s he c ould I ?xplein t he d ey's e vents t o u s.
S he t hen s t8ted b luntly t he.t P resident K ennedy h e.d b een s hot t het
e.fternoon.
S oon e.fter h er e.nnouncment, t he p rincipf.'l o f o ur s chool
s poke t o u s t hrough t he p ublic e ddress s ystem.
H is v oice, d eep,
d ignified, e.nd u nee'SY, r eitere .ted t he n ews w hich
o ur clEl.ss.
WEIR
j ust g iven t o
A fter h e e nnounced t he d ee,th o f t he P resident, t he
p rincipel r equested u s t o s t8nd, a nd e ng8ge i n a m inute o f s ilent
p r8.yer.
I r emember s t[l.nding, b ut n ot p rl?ying; i nste[l.d I Wf.'.S
w ondering.
I we·s w ondering why s o mElny p eople w ere b ecoming s o
u pset o ver t he d rf.'th o f s omeone t hey d id n ot k now
t he n ext f ew d£l·YS,
E \S
person~lly.
F or
I wf.1tched t he t elevision c overElge o f t he
f unerf.'l [',nd [IS I w itnessed t he p erson[ll f.'gony o f t hose [I.ro'Lmd m e,
my s entiments o n K ennedy's
th(l.Jl~
de~th
r emE'ined t he Sf.'me.
deE'.th m er-nt t hE' e nd o f [l.ny g ood
w hen f.' . l oved-one d ied, s orrow W[lS
[ I.
[ I.
I reE'.lized
p erson c ould E '.nhieve
n [lturE' ,l s entimento
~
so
Y et K ennedy
�- 16
hE'd n ot p ffected my l ife i n p ny m pnner t hpt I c ould r ecognize,
t herefore h is d epth m epnt l ittle t o me
PS
p t en-yepr o ld.
R eflecting b eck o n my i nitiel s entiments t owprd K ennedy's
e,sse,ssinEl,tion I f eel
FS
i f I w ps d eprived o f E'n o pportunity t o
c omprehend El.n o utst8.nding p ersonFli t y.
versiFl f igure e mong h istoriElns.
K ennedy i s n ow 8. c ontro-
Some Elrgue t hpt K ennedy WElS t he
u ni t ing f orce f or e c ountry l ooking f or d irection i n El. t ime o f
c onfusion.
H is i dE'els o f b enevolence t o t he n eedy, m pintenEl.nce o f
l iberty, p,nd p revention o f wP,r F ppep,led t o E lll c lEl,sses 8 nd EI,ges o f
AmericEl.n c itizens.
Y et s ome h istoripns n ow c ontend thEl,t K ennedy
WEI,S t he s ource o f g reet A meric8n d isunity.
K ennedy i s o ften v iewed.
El.S fl. mfl.n who we s lEl.den w ith e f epr o f t he c ommunist m enpce, [l.nd
t hus p lunged t he U nited S t['.tes i nto m ['ssive i nvolvement i n t he
V ietn['.m wfl.r.
No m (1,tter h ow o ne p erceive·s· K ennedy's p residenti[1l
p olicies, f flvorE'bly o r d isfE'vorE'bly, o ne m ust c onced.e t hpt t he mfln
h imself' r eceived t he [ 'dmirE'tion o f t he A meric[',n p ublic d uring h is
p residency.
T he p roof o f t his c ontention i s n ot o nly t he g rief
e xhibited b y U nited S tetes' c i t izens w hen K ennedy w ['s pssE'.ssinpted,
b ut [ 'Iso t he p .dmirp,tion d isplp.yed b y p eople f or K ennedy t od[l.y. N ot
l ong P go, p.
hi~tory
p rofessor i n p ref'[lce t o [I. d iscussion o n K ennedy'
c i t ed [In e xcerpt f rom K ennedy's I n[l.ugurel A ddress.
A s t his m[1·n
r eE'd f rom t he s pe(;;'ch, h is v oice WP·S s olemn 8 S i f h e w ere p ondering
t he i denls o f t he [I,ddress ['.nd i ts [ luthor.
K ennedy h ['d o bv:iously
l eft [' f e.vorebl€' i mpression o n t his p rofessor.
h ow I l istened i n
[ ',we
L ooking bE'ck o n
t o t his mrm r eed t e t he p['.ss[l.ge I r eplizE' t h[l ,t
my f eelings t owf'rd t he [ 1sspssin[1.tion o f P resident K ennedy p re t he
s p.me n ow PS t hey w ere t en y eprs [ 'go.
I s till w onder why p eople
b eceme s o u pset o ver t he d e[lth o f K ennedy.
K ennedy h ed t he [ 'bili t y t o g enerE'te e nthusifl.sm f or h is i defl,ls
p mong t he A mericp.n p eople.
Mflny p eople who b ecflme f e.miliflr w ith
�-17
t he mEl·n d uring h is l ife f 'gre,ed thE'·t he Wfl·S fl, dynE'.mic Ft.nd c hFt.ris- ""
mE'.tic f igure.
When K ennedy becFt,me P resident o f t he U nited S tfl.tes
I WEI.S s even-yeE'rs o ld.
When K ennedy d ied I WE'S t en-yeflrs o ld.
BecfI,use I WflS s o y oung when K ennedy l ived, I d id n ot E 'ppreciflte t he
e minence o f t he ml:'ln.
I E',m now c l('l.ssified
('I.S
fI, y oung E 'dult, b ut
K ennedy i s deEl.d, E'l.nd s o I w ill n ever gEl.in f irst-hE'nd k nowledge o f
t his mr..n's greC'.tness.
Gr€l.nted, I CE'·n l isten t o p eople tE'.lk r e-
spectfully E'.bout K ennedy, b ut I t w ill n ever b e €I.ble t o he€l.r K ennedy
s pee.k l ive E'.bout
E'.
mE'.jor w orld p roblem, n or w ill I e ver b e €I.ble t o
s ee f or m yself how K ennedy w ould cE',lm e·n h ysterice,l AmericEl.n p ublic
d uring e p eriod o f i nterne,tionE'.l c risis.
I n r etrospect, t he
E'.ssessinE'·tion o f J ohn F . K ennedy s till b rings
m ind.
d ied?
8.
q uestion t o my
Why d id t he AmericE'.n p ublic g rieve s o much when K ennedy
�
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- 18
THE GIFT OF POWER--JOHN KENNEDY
* '* '* '*
GARY?" H. KOZAK
NormE".lly i f o ne w ere t o fI.sk E 'bout E'.n e vent i n t he pfi.St, I
w ould s hrug my s houlders E'.nd f i.nswer w ith fin " I d on't r emember."
VVhE't i s i t t h[l.t mfi.kes t he deE'l·th o f J ohn F . K ennedy s tfl.nd o ut fl.S i f
i t hE'.d h E'.ppened y esterdE'Y?
Why i s i t w hen y ou f isk fi.nyone !'l.bout
t hfl.t t rflgic N ovember f I.fternoon t hey w ill b e f lble t o r ecfl.ll t heir
exE' c t f I.ctions, t houghts, fI·nd w hereE'bouts?
T he r e s ponsE'S t o t he s e
q ue s tions p oint o nly t o t he t remendous impE".ct o f t his o ne i ndi v idupl
t odflY, u pon
fl.
s ociety b estowed w ith t he m ost c orrupt r egime s ince
P resident Grfl-nt' s .
As
f1
n t='t.ion, we l ong f or t he i ntelligence, chE".rismfl, [1.nd
d ecisiveness i n o ur I N'.dership tod('l.y, t hE't M r. K ennedy o ffered t en
ye[1.rs fl.go.
F rom h is c ultured fl.nd d ignified p resencE' t o h is p olit-
iCE'·l E 'stuteness, J ohn K ennedy r epresented t his c ountry w ith p riide
[ lnd f ortitude.
C ert[linly h e ht;"1.d f lfl.ws; f or h e WfI.S m ortE'l.
P os-
sibly i t w~s h is d ecision w hich i nitifllly i nvolved t his c ountry i n
VietnE'.mj s urely i t W8.S h is g flmble w hich m oti v fl.ted t he Bfl.Y o f P igs
i nv[l.sion, b ut h is i ntegri ty;r W[l.S n ever c hflllenged.
T en ye[1.rs P go I
W PS fI.
t en yefl.r o ld s ixth-grfldcr who
fI·S
y et
hfl.dn't r el[l.ted t o s tfl.tely 8 .fffl.irs.
Why t hen hfi.d h is d e[l.th s tunned
me f ind o ther c hildren o f t he t ime?
L ike p ll o ther k ids I l ooked
f orwr'rd t o t his dE"Y o ff f rom s chool, btl-/; th(-.' l 'wwJ.;'n]·on t cl('v:i.siol1
r ocked me ['I.S i f s omeone i n my own ff.1.mily hfi.d m et t his i ll f!:1.te.
P erh('.ps t he u nity w ith t he l e[1der, p erh[1.ps thE' f fl.milif.1riz['.tion w ith
h is f fl.mily, ":::[Ikes h is d e[l.th fI·S h flrd t o g rfl.sp todfl.Y E'.S i t d id t en
YE'C'·rs rt.go.
Americ[1.ns p re s till s C'prching f or t he s trong l E'fI.dersliip .
t hDt J ohn KennE;'dy p rovin.ed.
r?e o verc['me fi.ll o bst[lales:
PT 1 09,
�- 19
p ersonEl.l fEl .mily disEl.sters, b ifl.s EI.gEtinst p. C p.tholic i n t he W hite
H ouse, t he p ublici t y El.dvE'.ntEl.ge o f i ncumbent V ice P resident N .ixon.
He c hE'.llenged E '.dversi t y find cflme o ut t he v ictor.
K ennedy wp.s fl· roP.n p .ll c ould i dentify w ith, t he .SUJ>.e.rmen , o r
t he JEl.mes B onds.
siEl.l s ubject.
T his i s why h is deE'·th s till r emfl.ins E' c ontrover-
T heories r elfl.ting t o c onspirEl.cy, f oreign p lot, o r
e ven p. p oli t icp.l m pndrte p ermeE'te fI.ny c onversfltion o f t he P resident
fl .nd h is f rtpl e nding.
MfI.ny s till f eel t hfl.t L ee HfI.rvey O swpld i s
o nly p p.rt o f t he fI.nswer i n e xplElining t he deEl.th o f K enn€'dy.
Todp.y l ep.dership i s c lfl.ndestine (l.t b est fI.nd c rrimin[l.l fI.t w orst.
We l ook towfl.rd N ixon flS we l ooked towfI.rd K ennedy b ut t he r eflecti.on
i s n ot t he sP·rne.
N ixon' s c ountenfl.nce i s c old [I.n d f lustere, K ennedy's
wp·s wp.rm p nd t rusting.
U nlike o ther l er-.ders who s eem t o f eel p ower
i s fl. d ictorifl.l mE1.ndp.te b estowed. u pon t hem E".t i nE"ugurp.tt.on, KennedJV'
k new p ower p.s t he E ".bili t y t o p ull p eople t ogether E".nd g et t hings
d ona.
F or t his we g re g rE".teful.
�
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- 20
KENNEDY LEADERSHIP: A CRITIQUE
****
DR. RUSSELL FRYER
J ohn F . K ennedy
im~ . ges
o f t his
n~ture
h~. s
l ong e njoyed o ne o f t he m ost
f~.vored
i n t he p ublic m ind ~.mong r ecent Americ~. n P residents.
c~· n
~ttributed
be
o f h is
~bortive
t o p ersonE'.l
P residency.
qu~.li t ies
Much
E'.nd t he t rfl.gic
F or t he b etter
p~rt
of
~ dec~de,
mfl.ny h istoripns r einforced t his fEl.vorfl.ble e VflluEl.tion, b eginning
w i t h t hfl·t s ubst['.ntifll b ut flEl.wed s tudy b y (I.n ' insider' flnd h ighly
e steemed h istori[l.n, A rthur S chlesinger, J r., i n A T housfl.nd DE'·Ys.
E ven t hough t he p romise w~s n ever
a::p-le t o b e c ompletely f ulfilled,
e xcept f or t he "Bfl.y o f P igs" e pisode, K ennedy's IE'E'.dership flnd
p erformC'nc€' i n t he W hite H ouse h['.s b een g enerfl.lly lE'.uded fl.nd h eld
u p fl.S C' m odel w orthy o f e mulfl.tion.
I n r ecent y eprs, h owever, t he p endulum i s s tfl.rting t o s wing
t he o ther wPY.
I f n ot y et
1:'.
r iSing t ide, i t hfl.s t he fl .ppep.rfl.nce o f
b eing fl g ro1;Llldswell o f d issenting o pinion p.nd P.t t he v ery l e[l.st
s eems t o r eve[ll P. m uch m ore c ri tic~l mood i n f l.ssessing t he K ennedy
Y€'r'·rs.
WhC't i s t he n flture o f t his " new c riticism?"
M flinly, i t i s
p flrt o f fl. l [lrgpr ' revisionism' r elfl.ting t o t he o rigins o f t he c old
Wfl.r [lnd U .S. p ost-World Wfl.r I I f oreign p olicy, emphfl.sizing t he
' responsibility' o f A mericfln l e[l.dership f or m isjudging S oviet i ntentions i n thE'
f\.
immedj~ ~t0 ' POGij ·~ :WCl. l.' ·
p ari o d- E'nd m ore o r l ess m psking
c fl.lcull:'ted e conomic i mperi['.lism u nder t he g uise' o·f
' contf'.ining
C ommunism' ['.nd fl.ccepting r esponsibility f or t he d efense o f ' democr[l.cy' w herever i n t he w orld i t ['.ppec>red t o b e i n p eril, s ometimes
r eferred t o
[ IS Americ~n
' globplism.' I n r espect t o t he K ennedy
�- 21
P re 8 idency, t his n ew h istoric8,1 s chool 0 f s o-c[' l le d ' r8,dicC' 1
r evisionists
v
h [,8 b een f ocusing u pon whC't t hey b elieve i s t he
u nderside o f t he c elebr8,ted K ennedy h C'ndling o f K hrushchev i n t he
1 962 CubC'.n M issile C risis [l.nd t he r elntionship b etween K ennedy
r hetoric C'nd i nitiC'tives r egC'rding t he e scnlC'ting S outheC'.st AsiC'.
c risis i n t he e C'rly 6 0's.
T he b est o ne cC'n do i n C' b rief e ssC'y i s t o C 'lert t he r e['der
t o s ome r ecent s tudies t hC't C're h elping t o p ush t he p endulum
t ow8 r d
f1.
l e s s fC'.vor8.ble n sse ssmE"nt
0
f t he K ennedy p e r formC'nce C' ,nd
l e8.de r ship.
RichC'.ra. J . WC'l t on's C old
Foreig~
P olicy o f J ohn
E..!.
J:!£.:£.
8 ud C ounterrevolution: .:the
K f'nnedx i s E'n i mpressive [ lnd w ell-
do c umented, i f '" t t ime s o ve r -stC'.ted C'nd t cmdentious i nterpre t C'·tion
o f t he d iscrep['ncies b etween K enned y 9 s r eputC'tion 8 8 8 s ophistic8ted, k nowledgeC'ble, f lexible-minded E 'vE'luC'tor o f t he A mericC'n
,
n C',tionr-l i nterest v is [) v iS ' cold wC'.r' p roblems 8 nd h is C'.ctuC'.l
c onduct, w hich r eveC'ls h im t o hC'.ve b een 8. c ommitted I 'cold w 8.rrior"
n ot m uch d ifferent f rom t he s eemingly d iscredited D ulles-Eisenhower
' holy w(\.r n gC',inst C ommunism' s yndrome t hrt J FK i n o ther r espects
s eemed r nxious t o r epudirte f1.nd
ch~nge.
M r. W8l t on c 18ims t h8,t K ennedy b etr8yed h is own s t8.ted p rinciple e nunci8.ted i n
1:1.
p ress c onference h eld o n A pril 1 2 , f ive d 8ys
b efore t he B8,y o f P igs ' inv8.sion,' w here h e s 8.id:
T he b 8sic i ssue i n Cube' i s n ot o ne b etween t he U nited
S tC'.tes EI,nd CubE'.. I t i s b etween t he CubE'.ns t hemselves.
I i ntend t o s ee t hC't we E 'dhere t o t h8t p rinciple f ind flS
I u nderstC'.nd i t t his 8 dministrEd;ion Vs C 'tti t ude i s s o
u nderstood b y t he E 'nti-C8,stro e xiles f rom CubE'. i n t his
c ountry.
I n M r. WE'l t on's v iew, n ot o nly WC'S K ennedy m ore C 'nti-C8.stro
t hE'n N ixon i n t he f 8 ,mous p re-election TV d eb8tes, h is ['.ppro[1.ch t o
C C'.stro C'.nd C ubnn C ommunism WC'·S b oth s implistic C'nd m istC'ken i n
�- 22
c oupli .J.'lg Cubr'll I'i"['.tion[1.1ism f.1nd C O[1[nunist f .1ggression. H is d ecision
t o [ 'dopt E'. ' tough s tf.1.nce' i n t he f tlce o f c ontrr.ry fE'.cts l ed l ogiCf.11ly t o t he Bo.y o f P igs fif.1 .sco [ lnd t he C ubr.n m issile c risis f lirtE'tion w i t h b rinkmpnship E'nd n ucleflr WE'.r.
B oth R obert K ennedy i n h is smE'.ll b ut e vocfltivE' p ersonE'l e vpluE'tion o f t he 1 962 Cub[l.n M issile C risis i n T hirteen DEWS f.1nd T ed
S orenson i n K ennedy u nderscore t he d uplicity E'.nd E'.ggressive i ntent
o f t he R ussi.E'ns i n p lnnting ' offensive wE'E'.ponry' o n Cubfl.n s oil l ess
t hE'n
(.'t.
h undred m iles f rom A mericE',n b orders, C'S w ell [I·S t he s uperb
fl .nd m[l s terful WE'y K ennedy h[l.ndled t he ' problem', c E'using K hrushchev
t o ' bfl.ck d ovvn,' [ lnd p ull C'w['y f rom
[ I.
' big p ower c onfrontr.tion' t h[lt
c ould w ell h ['ve l ed t o ' nucle[lr h ol[l.c['ust.'
M r. W rl t on's viE:'w,
r eflecting f.'. g rowing c horus o f f :'nti-Kennedyism, i s t hE'.t t he A meric['.n g overnment o verref.1.cted, pf.'.rtly d ue t o K hrushchev's p robf.'.bly
' st[l.ge d ' b luste r ['.nd t hre[l ·ts r eg['.rding t he B erlin s i t U[1tion [I .t t he
J une 1 961 V iennp. s ummit m eeting [1.nd K ennedy's f eeling th[1.t [1. ' get
t ough' p olicy
W r'·S
n ecessf.'ry i n f utUre deE'.lings w ith K hrushchev,
c oupled w ith d omestic p oli t ic[1.1 p ressures t hf't mf.'.de K ennedy v ulnerE'ble t o t he chf.1.rge o f ' being s oft o n c ommunism.'
c ontrE'ry t o
t
I n o ther w ords r
c onvention[ll w isdom,' K ennedy wo.s F,".S m uch F,",t f 8ul t [ 's
K hrushchev f or t he p erilous w eek o f c onfrontE'.tion o ver CubE', ['.nd
i n s ome r esp e cts W[lS b oth f oolhef.1rdy [ 'nd i rresponsible i n h is
[ lppro[lch t o t he c risis. T he p ossibility o f p d iplomC'tic s ettlement o f t he d ifferences b etween R ussiE'. p nd t he U nited S tf.'tes o ver
Cub~
e xisted m onths b eforE> t he w eek o f c Ol1frontf.1.tion v i[l
sl;['.~c-
men t s mnde b y t he Cubf.1,n E'mbE' SSE'.do r [1.t t he U N . t hf'.t [ Ill CubE'
0
w ['.nted WE'r e ' E'.ssurf'nces' t he U .S. w ould n aG 'l;ry t o i .nvE'.de CubE'.•
T he r e[l.l m otiv[l.·ti o n . h <:' hin.d. J On'llRhchC' v v s d ecision t o pl[1.ce o ffensive m issiles i n Cubf'. WE'·S t he B(l.y o f P igs e pisode 8 nd t he t lfef'r
�- 23
Cubf1. Wf.'S i n s erious d E'nger f rom t he U nited S t[l.tes,iI E'nd n ot
I ItE'st o f
i ssue.
st ~ 'cngth';
t o s trike f.'·t t he U nited S tE'tcs o n
fl.
[ IS
E'.
v ulnercoble
K ennedy hEl.d p rovoked Cub8. e.nd R ussie. t o r espond i n t his
W?y b y " drElwing e n e conomic El.nd p oli t ic?l n oose t ight e round
Cub~.• "
F inRlly, i n t he ' settlement' t hRt u ltimRtely r esolved t he c risis,
Cub8. 8.nd R ussi8. g ot whEl ,t t hey h8.d d esired 8.11 8.10ng:
ment n ot t o i nv8de CubEl"
E'-
U.S. c ommit-
t e.ci t u nderste,nding t h8t t he U . S . m issiles
w ould b e r emoved f rom T urkish /:l,nd I te,liEl,n b e,ses 8 ,nd, o f c ourse,
t he e nd o f t he b lockEl,de.
I t m8Y b e 8,ppropriEl.te 8 .t t his j uncture
t o q uote M r. W Rlton m ore f ully o n t his p oint:
I b elieve thf1.t h is d ecision t o g o t o t he b rink o f n uclee.r
Wf1r W8S i rresponsible f1nd r eckless t o El. s upreme d egree,
thf1.t i t r isked t he k ind o f t errible misc~lculf1.tion t hat
K ennedy Wf1 s f11wfl·Ys wco.rning K hrushchev f 1bout, t hfl.t i t W[l·S·
u nnecessf.'ry, E'nd t hflt, i f o ne fl .ssumes m inimum c ompetence,
t he K ennedy E',dministr[ltion k new i t Wf1·S n ot n ecessf1ry. r
E 'rgue, i n s hort, t hE"t K ennedy, w ithout s ufficient r eflson,
c onsciously r isked n ucleco.r CE'tco.strophe, w ith f111 thco.t i mplied f or t he p eople n ot o nly o f t he U nited S tf1.tes f1.nd
R ussico, b ut o f t he e ntire w o r l d . '
A noth€' r e vent t hE't hf1,S p recipi tf.',ted m uch E ',ttention f rom ' revisionists' i s t he r ec.ord o f t he K ennedy E ',dministrfl,tion i n t he
E'!:',rly d ecision-mE"king i nvolving A mericfl.n VietnE',m i ntervention.
W ould K ennedy hr.vE' e ventuE',lly r ef1.1ized t he f olly o f U .S. e fforts
t o b olster E', c orrupt, E'.u1tocrE'.tic E'nd c rwnbling S rdgon r egime E'nu.
p ull bE",ck i n t ime f rom t he m ili tf.'.ry e scf11[ltion thco.t e nsued u nder
P resident J ohnson?
No o ne w ill e ver k now, o f c ourse, t he E"·nswer
t o t his sE'E'.ring q uestion.
H owever, t here f.'·re c lues E'.S t o how J ohn
K ennedy m ight hEwe fl .cted i f h e hE'd l ived, [ lnd E"·mong ' revisionists'
t he co.nswer i s t hrt h e w ould u ndoubtedly h r.ve [I.cted m uch f1S J ohnson
d id If:l.ter.
T he ff.' ,tE'l f lE'.w i n t his l ine o f t hinking, D -ccorcHng t o
D evid H e.lberst8.m i n
Th~ ~E'§1t. ElP9. :th~ :R:r·:t.gJ:l.j;~$_t, . FInn .
T rving L . J e,nis
i n Vic:t..il11fl. .9.f .(}TQJ,lRtJtink, w es shfl,red b y v irtu8.11y e very P resident
R nd P residentiRl R dvisor d uring t he e rR: t hey p rided t hemselVes
�- 24
o n t heir p regmgtism, t heir 1 8ck o f i llusions, t heir i ntelligence
e.nd i ntellectuEl.l s ophisticEl.tion, b ut w ere j ust 8.S i ncElpe.ble o f
t ruly q uestioning 8 nd e xgmining t heir r 8ther n El.rrow-bElsed El.ssumptions r eg8.rding t he r ee.l w orld o f i nterne.tione.l p ower p olitics e.nd
t he A meric8.n d emocrgtic t r8di t ion.
d imension
80
T hey l ost s ight o f t he e thic81
c ruci81 i n u niting d emocr8,tic mE'E'ns 8.nd e nds.
T hey
p rided t hemselves o n t heir r e8.1istic t oughness 8 nd 8 bility t o h 8ndle
e.ny c h8.l1enge, i ncluding t heir w illingness t o u se A mericg's h uge
[I.rsenfll o f m ilit8ry f orce i f n ecessery t o V contein c ommunism,' b ut
i n 8 .ctugli t y w ere j ust 8 S s elf-deluded 8.nd m is-c[llculE'.ting [IS t heir
w ould-be [In t E'gonists.
sti t uted f or s ubst8.nce.
AppeE'.rE'.nce E',nd r ee.li t y c l[l,shed; sh[" dow s ubT he h e8rt o f t he m [l.tter, E '.ccording t o M r.
J 8nis, i s t h[·t:
• •• e 8ch o f t hes€' d ecisions (i.~, BE'.y o f P igs, V ietnE'm WE'r)
w['s [I. g roup p roduct, i ssuing f rom E'. s eries o f m eetings o f E'
s mflll b ody o f g overnment o fficiE'ls E'.nd [ l.dvisors who c onstituted 8. c ohesive g roup. A nd i n e ech i nstE'nce, t he m embers
o f t he p olicy-m["king g roup me.de i ncredibly g ross m iscE'lcu18.tings [ l.bout b oth t he p r["ctic8.1 8.nd mor[".l c onsequences o f
t heir d ecisions.
T hen t here i s t his
p~ss8.ge
f rom H ['lberstgmVs b rilli['nt s tudy
o f t he Americ~n i nvolvement i n V ietnnm:
And t hus i t WE'·S t he i rony o f t he K ennedy A dministretion
t h[".t J ohn K enne d y, r [' t ion81ist, p ledged E 'bove E 'll t o r ['.tionf.lli t y, s hould c ontinue t he m ost i rr['.tion81 o f [ '11 mf:"jor
A mericr,n f oreign p olicies, t he p olicy t owfl.rd C hin[' E'.nd t he
r est o f A si['. He W[l.S [l.WE're o f t he c hrnge i n t he C ommunist
w orld, h e WflS 8Wf.'re o f t he s plit b etween t he C hinese find
R ussi8.ns; i t w rs, h e r eelized, s omething v ery i mport8nt.
B ut h e w ould d e[l.l w ith i t I nter.
Wh8.t i s o ne t o c onclude?
I s i t s imply t he e xpected c ounter-
point t o t he t endency o f s ome h istorif:1ns t o o ver-rE'te n nd o verprr.ise t he K ennedy P residencY--E'nd t he t ruth l ies s omewhere b etween?
O r i s i t 8 n o ver-due 8.nd p ersu8.sive r e-ev8.1u8,tion o f 8 n e r8. i n A meriC8.n h istory t h8.t h 8s h8.d s uch m omentous c onsequences f or t he n 8tion, r eve81ing t he u nderside o f t he s elf-congr8.tu818.tory s t8nce
�- 25
t h[l.t
h~l.s
s o l Oilg p ermer'.ted t he AmericEl.n s elf-imEl.ge El.nd hEl.s pE'.ved
t he wEI.y f or t he ' fEl.ilures o f p olicy,r' thEl.t s till c ontrol El.nd h inder
t he p rospect f or EI. r evised s elf-imEl.ge m ore i n El.ccordEl.nce w ith c ontempor~ry
reEl.li t ies?
C leEl.rly, i f t he lEl.tter viE'W i s IEl.rgely c orrE'ct,
t hen t he e fforts o f t he ' new r evisionists' El.re b oth vEl·lw.ble E'I.n d
w elcomed, r egprdless o f how 'bE'l.lrmced v o r tElccurE'l.te' t hese sEl.me i nterpretr.tiorh.i w ill El.ppeElr i n h istoricEl.1 p erspective.
leEl.st, i t i s
[I.
A t t he v ery
n eeded r eminder thEl.t h istory i s IE'.rgely t he r ecord
o f hunw.n d ecision, humE'l·n
strength~.J.
a nd
hum~.n
w eEl.knesses.
There- is
n o greE'l.ter t r'.sk f or t he c ontemporEl.ry h istoriEl.n thE'.n t o h elp u s E".ll
sepEl.rE".te b etter m yths f rom r eEl.li t y, Elnd t hink m ore c leE".rly !I.bout
t he c ompeting
dem~"nds
o f e thics p.nd p olitics.
�
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- 26
F I LM REVIEW: "EXECUTIVE ACTLON"
****
RICHARD. GALLAGHER
T he t enth. ('I.nni ve'IrS(I.ry,: o f P resident J :ohn F . Kenned;y;rts f'.SSf'.S8 :~ .r. ,,.,ti-om
hf'.s s pr-.rked ['. r enewed i nterest i n t he c ontroversiE1·1 Q ir-
CUlTIstr-.nces s urrounding thE'.t e vent.
merous b ooks [l.nd r -.rticles i s
b y D['.lton
Tr~lmbo,
E\.
J )oining t he r f'.nks o f t he n u-
n ew f i .lm, " Executive A ction," w ritten
M ['rk L(I.ne, EI.nd D onnld F reed.
A s o ne m ight e xpect,
t he' f i .lm c lE'ims t hr-.t L ee HEI.rvey Oswfl.ld d id n ot (I.ct f t.lone i n k illing
t he
Presiden~.
H owever,
th~
f ilm d oes n ot s top t here.
l it
~lsa
p resents t he h ypothesis thEl.t 0swEl.ld WEI.S f rElmed, EI.nd thft.ii t he El.SSEl.SsinEl.tion Wft·s P .ctup.lly p.rrflnged b y t hree we(l.l t hy r ight-wing c onspirr-.tors.
T he m ftkers o f t he f ilm, i t m ust b e n oted, hf'·ve m(l.de t he
f o,;l lowtng d iscl(l.imen:
" This d oes n ot p urport t o b e ft. d efinite
d ocument o n t he [l.ssE'.ssinft-tion o f J FK. I t
N evertheless, i t i s
p lfl.usibly, p resented r-.n d i s b ound t o h[l.ve (I.n i mpftct o n p ubliQ ' o pinioru.
T he p urpose o f t his r eview i s t o a onsider w hether o r n ot s uch
fl.
c onspirncy m ight h ftve e xisted.
" Executi v e A ction" d epicts t he c onspir['.tors [l.S i ntelligent,
r(l.tionftl, f ind c oldly cEl.lculE".ting.
r ight-wingers h nd
[I
T he f ilm C 'sserts thEl.t t hese
n umber o f l ogic[l.l r epsons f or p lotti,n g K ennedy's
m urden:.
( 1) He WEI·S " encourE'.gilng" ft. blEl.ck r evolution;
( 2) He w ps p ll'.llning E" n uclcE'.r- 1i(~t3'-t; -
( 3) He WE"·S i nv;oking [,Jlt;.i. "
p rev-C'llt me r gt:' 1';;:1;
bEt1'l:
t reE'ty;
I.t~ .w · t; - r{.\gulf'-[;:ion8 t o
( 4) He WE'.S g oing t o p ull A meric[l.n t roops o ut o f
VietnE"m b y C hristmpn, 1 965;
( 5) H e, ( I.long w ith h is t wo b rothers, W(I.S b eginning
E". t wenty-four yeE".r dynf1.sty o f K ennedys i n t he
W hite H ouse ..
�- 28
cert~. inty.
T his, i n
f~ct,
i s t he b E'.sic p remise o n w hich t he r ight-
wing c onspirE'cy t heory. r ests.
d ifferent.
T he ffl.cts o f t he m fl.tter fI .re q ui.te
K nowledgepble R epublicpns w ere
~w~. re,
i n 1 963, thE'.1t
BE"rry GoldwE".ter wr·s f['.r o ut i n f ront i n thE'.t p prty' s c ontest f or
t he
Pre~::tidenti~.l
n ominl'.tion.
Goldw~.ter
( I.ppepled t o p ll r ight-wing
g roups, i ncluding t he t ype o f p eoplE' d epicrted i n " ExeautiYe A !ction:."
K ennedy's r e-election, o n t he o ther hE'.nd, WfI·S b y n o me(l·ns (I. s ure
,
t hing.
A p rim(l.ry r ep.son f or h is t rip t o D pllE'.s w['·s t o i mprove h is
weE'.k p osition r n t hfl.t i mportE".nt s t['.te.
C ert(l.inly,
h is c hE'nces o f r e-election w ere e xcellent.
[ 'IS
t he i ncumbenit,
B ut t he e ssentiE'l p oint,
w hiah t he f ilm n eglects, i s t hpt E"·S o f 1 963 t here WE'S
p ossibili t y t hE"t t he R epublic(l.ns m ight w in i n 1 964.
E' .
c leE'r
U nder t hese
c ircumstE'.ncE's, i t w ould hE'.ve b een m ore l ogic(l.l f or r .ight-wing c onspirE".tors t o )
w~i t
u ntil E".fter t he 1964i e lect±..on t o c onsider t he
" necessi t y" o f E'.ssE'.ssinE'.tion.
hEwe w i t hdr(l.wn
~he
T he c ontention t hE'it K ennedy w ould
V ietnam f orces i s o f d ubiious' v plidi t y.
K enneth .
O 'Donnell, i m h is b ook J Johnny We HE".rdly K new We, c lfl.ims t hpit KennedYT
s trted i n 1 963 thE".t h e w ould w i t hdr['.w t he' t ro :o,ps ['.fter t he 1 964
e lection.
I f t his i s t rue, t hen we m ust w onder why O 'Donnell wfI.iteQ;
n ine yefl.rs t o mr.ke t he r evelfl.tion.
l e(l.st, l et u s
~. ssume
thro·t K ennedy
V ieiinpm b y t he e nd o f 1 965.
F or t he s(I.ke o f E '.rgument,
W E'$
(1.11
p l(l.nning t o w i thdrE".w f rom ·
TIf GoldwE".ter w ere e lected, t here w ould
s tiill rem(l·in c onsidert:'.ble t ime t o r everse t he w i t hdrE'.wfll p o l ic;W.
I lf K ennedy w ere r e-elected, i t w ould l efl.ve E'.n y w ould-be conspii.rro.tors
m ore thE'.n E'. y err t o plE'.n (l.nd cE'.rry o ut Eln 8 ;ssaasinE'.t:Lon.
Giv.em· the..
p rospect o f E". G oldwflter cE".ndidE"cy, i t i s hE".rd t o b elieve t h(lt i ntelligent, rE".tionfl-l r ight-winge-rs· - would n ot hEW€:, b een w illing t o
g ive t he e lector['.l p rocess E". chE".nce.
TIt mus-t n lso b e r emembered t hE'·t t he l eft w ing hE'.d E"mple reE'·son'
�- 29
t o b e d issf?I.tisfied w ith K ennedy.
T he
B~. y
Cub~ . n
o f P igs, t he
M issile
c ri s is, Elnd t he g enerf?ll EI.nti-corrununist t one o f t he K ennedy A dministr8.tion El.ngered mEl.n y o n t he rf?l.dicf?l·l l eft.
GEI.rry W ills, i n N ixon
A goni8te8, mEl.kes f?I. s trong cEl.se f or r egElrding K ennedy f?l.S t he m ost
e xtreme C old WEI.rrior t he P residency hf?l.d y et s een.
T he mEl.kers o f
" Executive A ction rl c ould eEl.sily hElve i nserted l eft-wing c onspirf?ltors
Elnd l eft t he r est o f t he f ilm
int~ct.
T he r esult w ould b e j ust
~s
u nconvincing.
T his i s n ot t o SEJ.y thEl.t t he WEI.rren C orrunission R eport i s t he
f inEl.l w ord o n t he EI.ssf?l.ssinEl.tion.
I n f E\ct, t here i s s trong c ircum-
stEl.ntiEll e vidence t o i ndicEl.te t hElt L ee Hf?I.rvey OswEI.ld d id n ot P .ct
EI.lone.
He WElS, b y m ost E I.ccounts,
r ifle h e o wned
WE'.S
fl.
p oor mf?l.rksmEln, f).nd t he t ype o f
n otoriously u nreliE'.ble.
T he f Elilure o f t he
W 8rren C ommission t o p ublish t he f .'.utopsy p hotogrE'.phs e ncourEt.ges
s pe CU18 t ion t hE'.t m ore thEl.n o ne f l.ss8.ssin W8.S i nvolved.
l ikely t h8.t
[ I.
c onspirE'.cy o f s ome s ort d id e xist.
B ut
r emember, r equires o nly t wo p ersons w orking t ogether.
I t i s e ven
c onspirCl.c;y;',
fl.
I t mEly hE'.ve
b een n othing m ore c omplicfl.ted t h8.n OSWE'ld 8.nd n n 8 .ccomplice,
s hooting f rom t wo d ifferent l ocptions.
To s uggest t h8t i t WE'.S r ight-
wing b usinessmen, o r C ommunists, o r w h8tever, i s t o e ngf.'ge i n t he
w ildest s peculEl.tion.
T he ff.'.ct o f t he m8.tter i s thE'.t El.ny ( or n one)
o f t he e xisting t heories c ould b e t rue.
some dElY b e k nown.
P erh8.ps t he t ruth w ill
I t i s m ore l ike l y, h oweve r , t hl'.t t he m oti v 8.tions
b ehind P resident K ennedy's f .'.ssf1.ssinE'.tion w ill n ever b e known:.
" Executive A ction-" i s, i n mE'.ny Wf\.ys, 8. . p rovocC'.tive f ilm.
h istory.
I t i s n ot
�
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HISTORY NEWSLETTER
P hi Alpha Theta i s a n I nternational H istory Honor S ociety and i s
composed o f t hose who have e xcelled i n t he s tudy o f H istory. A pplications
f or membership i n t he Sigma E ta C hapter o f Phi Alpha Theta a re b eing
a ccepted u ntil Monday, F ebruary 4, 1974. Requirements d ictate t hat s tudents
h old a 301 a verage i n H istory ( at l east 12 s emester h ours) and a 3 .0 a verage
i n t wo-thirds o f o ther c ourses. The a pplication f ee i s $20.00, which i ncludes
l ifetime membership dues. P lease c ontact Rich Ducey (Box 482) o r t he H istory
Department f or f urther i nformation.
******************
T his s amester t he H istory Department i s i nvolved i n a p ilot
prograln. American P erspectives ( Section 6 ) i s u tilizing a team approach,
and what i s u nique about i t i s t he f act t hat t horo a re s tudents t aking
p art i n t he t eaching, The f our s enior u ndergraduate t eaching a ssistants
a re J oan Zawacki, Rich G allagher, Rich Ducey, and Gary S utcliffe. Jack
F riel i s t he g raduato member and Dr. H erbert J anick i s t he f aculty
membor. This experiment w ill a ttempt t o p rovide a c ourse i n which t he
s tUdent i s a p articipant r ather t han a n o bserver. A pproximately s ixty
[r~-;ldents a re e nrolled i n t he c ourse and each t eaching a ssistant a nd
Dr'. J allick w ill bo r osponsible f or a bout t en s tudents. I t o ffers a n
n lternativo s olution t o t he problems o f l arge e nrollments and a s hortage
of' facult~y.
******************
Tho t hird segment o f t he H istory D epartment's L ecture S eries w ill
b e b e p resentod MOnday, F ebruary 11, 1974, a t 4,00 PM i n t he S tudent
Union. Profe;: ,':) r Bigelow Cushman p a n E nglish p rofessor who s pecializes
t n American s'(",udies, w ill g ive a t alk e ntitled "American DocumentG I
U terature and H istory." The theme o f P rofessor Cushman's l ecture
w ill b e t he ways i n which American l iterature c an b e used a s a n
h istorical s ource. A ll s tudents and f aculty a re i nvited t o a ttend.
******************
The t hird i ssue o f CLIO i s s cheduled f or t he end o f March. The
s taff r equests c ontributions f or t he i ssue. There i s no s pecific theme
f or t his i ssue, so p apers c oncerning anY a spect o f h istory a re
a cceptable. S tudents who w rote term p apers l ast s emester may b e
i nterested i n s ubmitting them a t t his t ime f or p ublication. P lease
c ontact Rich Ducey (Box 482).
******************
The H istory S ociety w ill p resent two f eature f ilms t his s emester,
"The l ast H urrah" and "The Poppy i s Also a F lower." The d ates w ill b e
announced s hortly. The c lub i s a lso r equesting a dditional f unds from
t he SGA i n o rder t o p resent a D.W. G riffith 5,ymposium i n March o r A pril.
A d ecision i s e xpected s hortly. S tudents who a re i nterested i n j oining
t he H istory S ociety a re u rged t o c ontact Rich G allagher (Box 1824).
******************
Sharon Noel g raciously a ccepted t ho r esponsibility o f t yping t his
i ssue o f CLIO and we on t he s taff would l iko t o e xvrOBS o ur appreci~tion
t o Sharon f or a j ob w ell done.
�
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Vol. 01, num. 2, Clio - 1974
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1974 Clio, v1, 2
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1973-11-01