Exploring the Impact of John F. Kennedy

The Life and Legacy of JFK | Kennedy

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Summary

This video from HISTORY dives deep into the life and legacy of John F. Kennedy, exploring his early years, family dynamics, wartime experiences, political career, and eventually his presidency. Through a detailed narrative, the video explores JFK's formative years, including his wealthy upbringing and travels abroad that shaped his worldview. It further covers his heroic acts during World War II, his rise in politics, significant moments during his presidency such as the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuban Missile Crisis, and advancements in Civil Rights. The video provides insights into his charismatic leadership, personal life, and the profound impact he left on America after his assassination, leaving a lasting legacy that still resonates today.

Highlights

Young JFK's travels provided him with unique insights into global politics. 🌍
JFK's leadership was evident during the PT-109 incident in WWII, highlighting his bravery. 🚢
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a pivotal moment in JFK's presidency, exemplifying careful deliberation and crisis management. 🚀
Kennedy's charisma and eloquence in public speaking inspired many and shaped his public image. 🗣️
The tragedy of his assassination in 1963 marked a poignant moment in 20th-century history. 🕊️

Key Takeaways

JFK's journey around Europe as a young man helped shape his world view and political beliefs. 🗺️
Kennedy's bravery during WWII, especially during the PT-109 incident, showcased his leadership qualities. 🚤
Despite setbacks like the Bay of Pigs, JFK's presidency included significant moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and progress in the Civil Rights Movement. 🚀
Kennedy's eloquence in speeches and public appearances fueled his image as a dynamic leader, capturing the imagination of many. 🎤
His untimely death in 1963 cemented his legacy as a revered figure in American history. 🌍

Overview

John F. Kennedy's life was one of adventure and profound impact, starting with a privileged upbringing that offered him unique opportunities to see the world. His formative years were marked by extensive travels across Europe, where he gained insights into global affairs that would later inform his political journey. These experiences, coupled with his family's emphasis on public service, laid the groundwork for his future roles in leadership.

Kennedy's time in the Navy during World War II tested his resilience and showcased his leadership abilities, particularly during the harrowing PT-109 incident. His wartime experiences not only solidified his resolve but also earned him the admiration of his peers and the American public. These qualities set the stage for his political career, where his charisma and eloquence would play pivotal roles.

As the 35th President of the United States, JFK's term was filled with challenges and triumphs. From navigating Cold War tensions during the Cuban Missile Crisis to advocating for civil rights at home, his presidency was a testament to his commitment to progress and change. Although his life was tragically cut short, Kennedy's vision for a better world continues to inspire generations, epitomizing the belief that every individual can make a difference.

Chapters

00:00 - 01:00: Joe Kennedy Sr. and the Family Move to New York When Jack Kennedy was 10 years old, his father, Joe Kennedy Sr., moved the family to New York. Joe Sr., known for his formidable skills as a business opportunist and stock market investor, expanded his wealth by engaging in various business ventures, which included investments in the film industry. His work predominantly kept him in New York, where he was deeply involved as a film producer and executive, focusing on the business side of the movie industry.
01:00 - 03:00: Childhood at Bronxville and Hyannis Port The chapter titled 'Childhood at Bronxville and Hyannis Port' describes a period during which the protagonist, Jack, grows up in a lavish environment at the Bronxville house in New York, characterized by its mansion-like structure, sizeable lawn, and expansive play areas for children. The family also spends their summer and early autumn months in Hyannis Port, a beachside village in the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts.
03:00 - 07:00: Jack's World Tour and Global Awareness The chapter titled 'Jack's World Tour and Global Awareness' describes the Kennedy family's connection to their summer home at 50 Marchant Avenue in Hyannis Port. Although they have a residence in Bronxville, Hyannis Port is the place where the family spends the most time together, and it is what truly binds them as a family. The chapter gives a sense of the familial bonds and the central role of this location in their lives, surrounded by his eight siblings including Joe Jr. and Rosemary.
08:30 - 16:00: World War II and PT-109 Heroics The chapter titled 'World War II and PT-109 Heroics' delves into the upbringing of Joe and Rose's children, highlighting the values instilled in them, such as understanding the value of money, the importance of a strong work ethic, and staying informed about world affairs. These discussions, often taking place during dinner, were pivotal in shaping the children's perspectives and understanding of world politics.
17:30 - 24:30: Marriage to Jackie and Political Ascent The chapter titled 'Marriage to Jackie and Political Ascent' highlights the early influences on the Kennedy siblings, particularly the boys, cultivated by their parents. The Kennedys emphasized an awareness of history, current events, and global issues, often discussed over dinner. This environment encouraged the boys to continue exploring these subjects independently.
24:50 - 32:10: 1960 Presidential Campaign and Election The chapter provides a glimpse into the 1960 Presidential Campaign and Election, with a focus on the Kennedy family dynamics in Hyannis Port. The narrative describes the lively and competitive nature of the large family, where nine children engage in various activities such as sailing, tennis, touch football, and pick-up baseball games. The emphasis is on the companionship and close friendship among the siblings, highlighting their strong family bond.
32:30 - 39:30: Presidency: Challenges and Leadership The chapter discusses the challenges and leadership of the presidency, focusing on John F. Kennedy's connection to the sea as a mental refuge. It highlights how the maritime environment at Cape Cod helped Kennedy achieve mental clarity for making significant decisions. The family compound there became a stable and calming presence in his dynamic life.
41:30 - 49:30: Civil Rights Struggles and Cold War Tensions The chapter discusses the early life of Jack, who traveled to Europe, the Middle East, and the Soviet Union in 1939.
52:50 - 65:30: Cuban Missile Crisis and Legacy The chapter discusses the journey of an individual, likely a historical figure, traveling through Eastern Europe, with a focus on their visits to Warsaw, Poland, and Nazi Germany. During the trip, they frequently communicated with a person named Lem Billings, sharing their insights and experiences. At one point, they were joined by a Harvard roommate, Torby Macdonald, and faced heckling from Nazi stormtroopers.
67:30 - 69:00: Assassination and Legacy This chapter delves into an incident surrounding a controversial event involving accusations of disrespecting a statue of a Nazi figure, which was followed by a near-death car accident. The protagonist, Jack, is portrayed as maintaining his characteristic humor even in dire situations. While racing to see his father near Paris, Jack crashes his vehicle but manages to turn the upside-down moment into a humorous one-liner to his companion, Torby, displaying his resilience and ability to find levity in adversity.

The Life and Legacy of JFK | Kennedy Transcription

00:00 - 00:30 [old-time music playing] [narrator] When Jack was 10, his father relocated the family to New York. A formidable business opportunist and an investor in the stock market, Joe Sr. had grown his wealth by applying his skills to various business ventures, including the film industry. [man 1] He was spending most of his time now in New York. He was a film producer, he was a film executive, and the business side of the movie business
00:30 - 01:00 was in New York. [gentle music playing] The Bronxville house where Jack really grows up is... you know, was a mansion with a huge lawn, big driveway, lots of land for the kids to play. [narrator] The family began spending their summer and early autumn months at the beachside village of Hyannis Port, part of the Cape Cod area in Massachusetts.
01:00 - 01:30 After renting a summer residence at 50 Marchant Avenue for several years, Joe Sr. purchased the home. The family spends more time together in Hyannis Port than... than anywhere else. What binds them together is not their home in Bronxville, but Hyannis Port. [narrator] Jack was surrounded by eight siblings: Joe Jr., Rosemary,
01:30 - 02:00 Kathleen, Eunice, Patricia, Robert, Jean, and Ted. Though they were raised in considerable wealth, Joe and Rose taught their children about the value of money, the importance of a strong work ethic, and the need to stay informed about world affairs, which often led to heated political discussions at the dinner table. Joe and Rose led conversations
02:00 - 02:30 about current events and global events, uh, for all nine of the siblings, over dinner. And Joe was like a quiz master. The parents seeded the children, particularly the boys, with this sense of history, current events, global events. And from that, the boys did pursue it on their own. [Eileen McNamara] I think you can't understand the Kennedys
02:30 - 03:00 without understanding Hyannis Port. Uh, it's this big, old rambling house. There's nine children spilling out of the rooms. They're all sailing. They're all in competition with each other. There's a tennis court. If they're not playing tennis, they're playing touch football. If they're not doing that, they've got a pick-up baseball game going. And they never lacked for companionship because they had each other. They're each other's best friends.
03:00 - 03:30 [Douglas Brinkley] Kennedy felt at one with the sea. He was able to get clear mind, they call it blue mind, where everything comes clear to you when you're in a maritime environment. And that's why so often he would be at Cape Cod when he would make his big decisions in his life. [narrator] In the decades to come, the family compound would serve as a source of stability and calm in Jack's ever-changing world.
03:30 - 04:00 In 1939, with his father now living and working in London as ambassador to Great Britain, Jack decided to travel overseas. He set off on a seven-month tour of Europe, the Middle East and the Soviet Union, meeting with leaders, diplomats, and everyday people to gather information about the growing threat of war. Jack's journey began in London, where he took tea with Princess Elizabeth.
04:00 - 04:30 Then he was off to Eastern Europe, stopping in Warsaw, Poland. As he traveled, he often corresponded with Lem Billings and reported his observations back to his father. -[indistinct chatter] -[kisses] [speaks indistinctly] -[man] Another one, Jack. -[laughter] What? Okay, that's enough. [narrator] On another leg of the trip, Jack was joined by his Harvard roommate, Torby Macdonald. They crossed into Nazi Germany and were heckled by local stormtroopers
04:30 - 05:00 who believed they were disrespecting the statue of a Nazi hero. Days later, traveling at high speeds near Paris, en route to see his father, Jack lost control of his vehicle, flipping it. In his true lighthearted fashion, Jack laughed off his near-death experience. While upside-down in the car, he is said to have quipped to Torby, "Well, pal, we didn't make it, did we?"
05:00 - 05:30 [speaking in German] On August 19th, Jack arrived in the German capital of Berlin. At that moment, Hitler's troops were preparing to attack Poland, making their way to the border. Less than two weeks later, Hitler's forces invaded. The Second World War had begun. [ominous music playing] During his time visiting the House of Commons, Jack was deeply inspired by Winston Churchill
05:30 - 06:00 and was awestruck listening to his first wartime speech, rallying the free world to stand up to the oncoming battle against Hitler. After listening to Churchill's remarks, Jack was motivated to do his part as well. Upon the outbreak of the war, German U-boats began sinking ships. The first ship lost was the Scottish passenger liner SS Athenia. Joe Sr. sent his son to meet with
06:00 - 06:30 and assist hundreds of American survivors hospitalized in Glasgow. During this trip, Jack spoke publicly, reassuring those affected that they would be safely transported back to the U.S. He was also tasked with gathering first-hand information about the attack. Finally, safe passage home was secured for the American survivors. Jack's work was done.
06:30 - 07:00 After seven months in Europe, Jack Kennedy was now 22 years old. He had seen Nazi Germany up close, listened to his political hero, Winston Churchill, speak in the House of Commons, shared tea with the future queen of the United Kingdom, crashed his car in France, and helped fellow Americans in the wake of a wartime attack. He was exposed from a very early age to a really incredible array of international experiences.
07:00 - 07:30 Quite untypical for people in his generation in this country. [narrator] Jack had experienced first-hand what it meant to be involved in high-level political, cultural, and military situations, and began to break away from his father's stifling political beliefs. His whirlwind tour of Europe laid the foundations of a new worldview that would evolve for years to come.
07:30 - 08:00 [man 2] I think it was just the self-confidence that Jack got from traveling abroad, from being on his own, uh, from being encouraged through all of those early meals led by Joe and Rose to think for himself, that he eventually did think for himself and from his travels came to different conclusions than Joe came to, that America needed to play a prominent role
08:00 - 08:30 on the world stage if freedom were to prevail. [airplane engines humming] [soft, dramatic music plays] [rumbling explosions]
08:30 - 09:00 [music fades] [narrator] On March 6, 1943, Lieutenant Junior Grade Jack Kennedy stepped aboard a troop carrier in San Francisco. The destination was Tulagi, part of the Solomon Islands, some 1100 miles northeast of Australia. He was headed straight into the heart of war. [sweeping and dramatic orchestral music plays]
09:00 - 09:30 [artillery fire echoes] -[falling artillery whining] -[airplane engine humming] [solemn music plays] On August 1, 15 PT boats, including Jack's PT-109, set off toward the Blackett Strait at 6:30 p.m. Including himself, there were 13 men on Jack's boat. In near darkness,
09:30 - 10:00 PT-109 became separated from the other PT boats. Jack shut down two of the boat's three engines to conserve fuel. It would also help the boat remain hidden from the Japanese air patrols looking for the phosphorescent glow left by boat wakes. The enemy they're really worried about is above. And if they make a wake, not only are the aircraft gonna see them, if there's enemy ships about, they will also see them.
10:00 - 10:30 [man 1] Oftentimes, if the PT boats were deployed, and they were waiting for Japanese ships to arrive, they would be idling. Meaning they would be operating at one engine instead of three. Very low speed. You know, almost idling in place. [grim music plays] [narrator] PT-109 idled. Under the moonless sky, the crew noticed movement on the water in the pre-dawn hours of August 2.
10:30 - 11:00 Jack and his men struggled to identify the shape in the darkness. As the wake grew closer, the outline of a massive ship emerged. Moving towards them was the towering Japanese destroyer Amagiri. [Domagalski] And she is speeding directly towards PT-109. Kennedy tries to turn but there's... there's really no time. [tense music plays] [narrator] The Amagiri collided violently with Jack's boat.
11:00 - 11:30 The Japanese destroyer sliced through PT-109, causing fuel to explode into a raging fire more than a hundred feet tall. Two of Jack's men were killed instantly and the remainder scrambled to escape the flaming wreckage. [grim music plays] [Domagalski] Kennedy himself is thrown against the bulkhead. He reinjures his already bad back. [Martin] The Japanese destroyer doesn't even slow down.
11:30 - 12:00 They just wanna get out of there. So they just power right through and keep going. And the gasoline spreads out over the ocean and it's on fire. [water splashes] [narrator] Amidst the chaos, Jack dove into the dark waters to save badly burned sailor Patrick McMahon. [man 2] That guy was just a common sailor that he saved his life. So... that's the things that, uh,
12:00 - 12:30 really made me admire him most, I think, his courage. [narrator] Paddling in cold water for hours, Jack ordered his most severely injured crewmen to cling to a small plank that had splintered from the boat. [Martin] Some of them had swallowed gasoline, some were burned, some had been crushed against the boat. But, uh, McMahon was the worst off. He had been severely burned. [solemn instrumentals play]
12:30 - 13:00 [Domagalski] At daybreak the next morning, this small group is still clinging to this wreckage. They are in open waters. And then the wreckage starts to sink. [tense percussive music plays] [narrator] Surrounded by Japanese soldiers on the neighboring islands, they were in a terrifying situation. While floating in the Pacific, Jack and his crew were faced with an enormous decision: Continue fighting or surrender to hostile forces.
13:00 - 13:30 Jack said, "There's nothing in a book about a situation like this. I have nothing to lose." They decided to continue on. Kennedy had a flare gun which he could have used, but to illustrate the danger they were in, you know, to shoot off a Very light will also tell the enemy you're there. They were just as afraid of being captured or killed by the enemy as not being rescued. So Kennedy chose not to shoot off a flare
13:30 - 14:00 to signal a rescue at that point. [Domagalski] Kennedy spots a distant island and he decides the best course of action is for his group to swim to that island. [narrator] Jack tied a knot to the wounded Patrick "Pappy" McMahon's life jacket and put the other end between his teeth. It was described by one of the witnesses as if he had done it all the time in his life. He just got a knife out and cut the strap,
14:00 - 14:30 put the strap of the life jacket in his mouth, and pulled Pappy on his back. His bad back. [narrator] Jack began the 3.5-mile journey through shark-infested waters. Listening to Kennedy's labored breathing, McMahon didn't know if they could make it. Kennedy replied, "It can be done." [Matthews] "We can do this." "We can do this."
14:30 - 15:00 Well, that's what you want, isn't it? A skipper that says, "We can do this." [Martin] The morale of the crew was very important, and Kennedy knew that. They need to know somebody's trying to do something. One of us has to try and always be doing something to improve their situation so they don't give up. [narrator] The next day, Jack brought a new measure of hope to his injured and starving crew when he found a nearby island with old Japanese provisions including crackers and a supply of fresh water.
15:00 - 15:30 Amazingly, on the same day, Jack encountered two Melanesian natives, Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana. They were part of a network called Coastwatchers, providing intelligence on Japanese movements to the Australian Allied forces. Jack inscribed an SOS message on a coconut for the Coastwatchers to relay back to their commander. Jack set off with the natives to a nearby PT boat base
15:30 - 16:00 on Gomu Island. [Martin] Kennedy really didn't want to leave his men but he got in the canoe anyway and he hid under these palm fronds in the bottom of the canoe. And while they're paddling across the bay towards Gomu Island, a Japanese plane flies down and scouts them. The two natives... give them the wave, and the pilot left them alone. But Kennedy's hiding under this palm frond, hoping he wasn't seen. They arrive at Gomu Island and Kennedy hops out of the canoe and...
16:00 - 16:30 [Domagalski] Two PT boats come by. They pick up Kennedy. [narrator] Jack led the two boats back to Olasana Island to rescue his crew. [dramatic, hopeful music plays] And by the morning of August 8, they are back at the American PT boat base, ending the ordeal of the PT-109 sailors. [music fades] [narrator] Jack was now a war hero.
16:30 - 17:00 Bravery and leadership earned him a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart. Jack later said, "The real heroes are not the men who return, but those who stay out there, two of my men included." Kennedy comes home a different man in a lot of ways. Someone who's been forced to grow up, I think, in a lot of ways, and see the hard side of life that I think he had never, ever encountered as a rather privileged young man
17:00 - 17:30 in the Boston area before. I think, in many ways, World War II was maturing for a whole generation, of course. But for John in particular, I think he came back with a sense of responsibility. [narrator] Jack's time in the war would impact how he would lead the rest of his life. [gentle melody plays] [narrator] Kennedy first laid eyes on his future wife
17:30 - 18:00 at a Georgetown dinner party in the spring of 1951. He wouldn't see her again until the spring of 1952. Like Danish journalist Inga Arvad years before, this woman fascinated him. [tender piano melody plays] Born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on July 28, 1929, in Southampton, New York, her mother Janet was Irish and her father, John "Black Jack" Bouvier,
18:00 - 18:30 was of French, Scottish, and English descent. Raised Catholic like Kennedy, she also grew up in an environment of economic and societal privilege. She was talented and ambitious even as a child, taking ballet lessons, learning multiple languages, and reading often. She was a bright yet rebellious child. One of her teachers described her as, "very clever and full of the devil."
18:30 - 19:00 On the surface, her life seemed idyllic, though it was anything but. Her father was an aggressive alcoholic and a notorious philanderer, often absent from her life. Black Jack's neglectful behavior led to a divorce from Janet in 1940 and affected Jackie for the rest of her life. Jackie spent her senior year of college in France
19:00 - 19:30 which would be a major influence on the European aesthetic often associated with her. She graduated from George Washington University in 1951, the same year she met a rising congressman from Boston. When Jackie first met Kennedy, she thought he was a man who clearly did not want to marry. But he leaned across the dinner table and asked for a date in May 1952.
19:30 - 20:00 For Kennedy, who was interested in history, politics, and literature, he was, at first, taken aback by Jackie's intelligence, then entranced. Despite the clear attraction between Kennedy and Bouvier, others were wary of the relationship. Members of Kennedy's inner circle warned Jackie about his womanizing ways. [man 1] You know, one of the legacies of being Joe Kennedy's son
20:00 - 20:30 was that you learned very early that men were allowed to fool around, have as many lovers as they wanted. Jack's promiscuity, you know, is learned as a young man from watching his father. [woman 1] They had a sense of entitlement about what they could do that other people couldn't do. What they could get away with that other people would never think they could get away with. [tender music playing] [narrator] As Jackie processed the news,
20:30 - 21:00 she felt it was an inevitable masculine flaw, saying, "Well, that's what men do." Despite warnings, she fell for him. [woman 2] I mean, she knew he had that mix of danger and charm, and I don't think she was kidding herself. She knew what she was getting into. [man 2] He liked to play the field. He liked having all of these girlfriends. He liked having young women around, and cared little about marriage.
21:00 - 21:30 It was his father who actually sort of put the pressure on him, saying, "If you want a national political career, you can't be this carefree bachelor. You need to get married. You need to be respectable." [Brower] There's no secret that he was cheating on her constantly and she was aware of it. She looked the other way in part because that was how she was raised in the upper echelon of society, to accept it. But she was devoted to him.
21:30 - 22:00 I would say that there was love throughout. You know? I would say that from the beginning all the way to the end. [narrator] On the evening of June 24, 1953, the couple shared dinner at Martin's Tavern in Georgetown. That evening, at booth three, Jack proposed to Jackie and she said yes. [Bach's "Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007" plays]
22:00 - 22:30 [Taraborrelli] This looks like a royal wedding. You know, like, if you look at that church and you look at those pictures, it's hard to believe that he was just a senator and she was just sort of a socialite. It looks like... they're like the king and queen of some country.
22:30 - 23:00 [narrator] Kennedy later sent his parents a note which read, "At last, I know the true meaning of rapture. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making me worthy of her." Jackie had a certain sense of order and her own set of standards for furniture,
23:00 - 23:30 food, fashion, and aesthetics. Kennedy, a wealthy man with a carefree style, had some adapting to do. The two had interesting intellectual conversations where Kennedy found he could speak to her as an equal. From incoming reports on Indochina to works by classic writers like Voltaire, Jackie translated books from French to English for him. [Taraborrelli] Jackie was very well-read. Uh, you know, she loved to read and she loved to write.
23:30 - 24:00 She was a very creative person. She loved to paint. ["Suite No. 1 in G major, BWV 1007" continues] [narrator] By January 1954, they had settled into their new home in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. A new chapter in the Kennedy story had begun. [music fades] [narrator] Following Stevenson's defeat and Eisenhower's reelection, the Kennedy family gathered at Hyannis Port for Thanksgiving in 1956.
24:00 - 24:30 Kennedy and his father Joe are huddled in a small study discussing the future. After Kennedy surged in popularity at the Democratic National Convention, questions arose about a presidential run. Kennedy listed every reason why he believed running for president was a bad idea. His father countered each point one by one. [slow piano music playing] The two went back and forth
24:30 - 25:00 until the conversation reached a stalemate. Finally, Kennedy uttered four words that would unwittingly change the course of his life. "Where do we begin?" [dramatic music playing] [Kathleen] Somebody once asked him, "Why do you wanna run for president?" And his answer? "That's where the action is." He wanted to be where the action was.
25:00 - 25:30 [narrator] As Kennedy campaigned in 1960, he honed the power of his words. John F. Kennedy knew how to deliver a speech. [Kathleen] He was funny and he gave short speeches. They're witty, They're to the point. They were all, at most, six paragraphs, maybe 12. Make them want more. [JFK] I run for the presidency because, mind you, I have strong ideas about what this country must do.
25:30 - 26:00 I have strong ideas about the United States playing a great role in a historic moment when the cause of freedom is in danger all over the world. These are rhetorical devices to make your words more powerful. [crowd cheering] That particular accent and the particular pacing and all of that, I don't think anybody's come close to it. [Jeff] This is somebody who gives speeches that make people wanna get up and march somewhere.
26:00 - 26:30 [crowd cheering] Now, ladies and gentlemen, I ask your help. I ask your help in building the United States. I ask your help in reestablishing the prestige and strength of our country. I ask your help! [crowd cheering] [applause] [narrator] The 1960 presidential race between Kennedy and Nixon would be the first widely televised election in history. [applause]
26:30 - 27:00 If the American people couldn't see their candidate in person, they could watch him from the comfort of their own home. The candidates would debate four times, arguing their case to the nation. The candidates need no introduction. The Republican candidate, Vice President Richard M. Nixon and the Democratic candidate Senator John F. Kennedy. The President gained, America gained by continuing the dignity, the decency that has characterized us, and it's that that keeps the prestige of America up.
27:00 - 27:30 Not running down America the way Senator Kennedy has been running her down. [Neal] Much has Richard Nixon is criticized, he mounted the stage of the Republican party on five separate occasions to accept the nomination for national office. Three times for president and twice for vice president. He was formidable. I really don't need Mr. Nixon to tell me about what my responsibilities are as a citizen. I've served this country for 14 years in the Congress and before that in the service.
27:30 - 28:00 I've just as high a devotion, just as high an opinion. [Conan] If you look at the Kennedy-Nixon debate, a Republican running at the center and a Democrat running at the center in 1960 don't disagree on much. And so, when people were trying to decide who do they want, you have two people who want the job who are saying they're pretty much gonna do similar things. So then TV becomes that much more important because you're making your decisions based on, what does your gut tell you?
28:00 - 28:30 Kennedy presents very differently than Nixon. [Sid] And the difference between the crowds the day before that debate and the crowds after that debate, the crowds the next morning heading into Iowa... [crowd cheering] ...were enormous. We called them the dancers. The crowds... If you look down the street half a mile away, as soon as they saw you, you'd see the crowd start to jump.
28:30 - 29:00 I don't think I looked at him as some sort of a sex idol. I looked at him as a, um... as an energizer. He was the future. He was next. [suspenseful music playing] [narrator] Finally, Election Day had arrived. Kennedy, his wife Jackie, and their two year-old daughter Caroline were camped out at Hyannis Port.
29:00 - 29:30 [Sid] Joe Kennedy, the father, had a big place on Hyannis Port and were invited to be there on election night as the returns were coming in. And the cohesion among the family was a beautiful site. [reporter] Photographers and reporters are all around them for this is the man who, in the next 24 hours, may become the president of the United States and she First Lady of the land. [tense music playing]
29:30 - 30:00 [narrator] Jackie was pregnant with John Jr. due at the end of the month. Jackie described the scene as a cold, clear autumn day. She would later remember her husband as restless but quiet, spending some time in the sun and then trying to nap. [reporter 2] From the very beginning it becomes obvious that this is going to be a close election. The television networks have made elaborate preparations
30:00 - 30:30 to broadcast the election returns as they come in from the different parts of the country. Huge tally boards post the returns as they come in minute by minute, hour by hour. The excitement of being there watching the returns coming in. It was neck and neck all night. [Sandler] I guess the thing I really remember trying to stay up. Come on, I'm not gonna stay up until 6:00 tomorrow morning
30:30 - 31:00 and find out we still got 10 hours to go. But we stayed up awful late and we had no idea. [reporter 3] In Illinois, the voting will be so close that the lead will go back and forth from one candidate to the other. But then this turns into a see-saw battle in quite a few of the states all night long. [dramatic music swells]
31:00 - 31:30 [narrator] As darkness set over Cape Cod, Kennedy hung up the phone with his brother Bobby after learning that the numbers would not be in for hours. He retired to his bedroom. [waves crashing] In the morning, Kennedy's closest aide, Ted Sorensen, set out for Kennedy's house. Just like any other day in Hyannis Port. [birds squawking] As he approached, he noticed something was different.
31:30 - 32:00 Secret Service agents were stationed around the home. John F. Kennedy was the next president of the United States. [gentle music playing] Kennedy won the election with 303 electoral votes to Nixon's 219. The popular vote was much closer with Kennedy receiving only 118,000 more votes
32:00 - 32:30 -than Nixon. -[applause] [JFK] To all Americans I say that the next four years are going to be difficult and challenging years for us all. The election may have been a close one but I think that there is general agreement by all of our citizens that a supreme national effort will be needed in the years ahead to move this country safely through the 1960s. I ask your help in this effort
32:30 - 33:00 and I can assure you that, uh... every degree of mind and spirit that I possess will be devoted to the long-range interest of the United States and to the cause of freedom around the world. [narrator] In early 1961, as Kennedy stepped into the presidency, he was briefed on the festering situation with Cuba and the plan he would be inheriting. Several months earlier, the CIA under Eisenhower had created a plan to overthrow the Castro regime.
33:00 - 33:30 It wasn't about Cuba in and of itself, it was about the fate of that region. A region that we did not wanna lose to the Communists. [narrator] Starting in March 1960, the CIA had begun to train Cuban exiles to conduct an invasion. [whistle blows] These exiles would ideally put up a fight that would inspire the Cuban people to rise and help topple Castro in a coup d'état,
33:30 - 34:00 replacing the dictatorship with a democratic government. Kennedy was unsure about authorizing the complex invasion. He was worried if it became public, that the Soviets would see the American intervention in Cuba, their ally, as an official act of war. [Jim] The CIA was telling him that Castro was about to get a large shipment of arms from the Soviet Union including MiG fighter jets. And once Castro got these,
34:00 - 34:30 it would be almost impossible to get rid of him. So it was kind of now or never. He felt compelled to go forward with it. Knew it was a bad idea, but he did not know how to undo it. [applause] [narrator] On April 16th, Kennedy reluctantly agreed to the plan with one major exception. If the operation foundered for the Cuban exiles, the US Military would not intervene. [plane engine whirring]
34:30 - 35:00 [explosion] [tense music playing] On the morning of Monday, April 17th, the exiles had landed near the Bay of Pigs and the invasion had begun. [man] It was such a magnificent feeling. We're here and we're gonna do it. And a few minutes later, we hear that this other airplane shooting at us.
35:00 - 35:30 [machine gunfire] [narrator] By Tuesday, April 18th, the Cuban exiles were caught between Castro's overwhelming forces and the sea with nowhere to go. [Jim] These are 1,400 men. Castro's army is 25,000. The real story here is these desperate men on the beach watching their chances go away, and back in the White House, Kennedy suffering mightily
35:30 - 36:00 with what to do about this. [narrator] The Bay of Pigs was a mistake and Kennedy knew it. Meeting with them at Camp David, Kennedy remarked to Eisenhower, "No one knows how tough this job is until after he's been in it for a few months." "Mr. President," Eisenhower replied, "if you'll forgive me, I think I mentioned that to you three months ago." [dramatic music playing] By the summer of 1961,
36:00 - 36:30 Kennedy had been in office less than six months. He had already endured the Bay of Pigs failure and made great strides in the space race. But now, there was new crisis escalating in Europe. A European summit was planned, giving Kennedy the opportunity to meet Khrushchev face to face to discuss the future of Berlin. He embarked on a week-long journey
36:30 - 37:00 with stops in Paris, London, and Vienna for the summit with Premier Khrushchev. [soft piano music playing] Kennedy began his journey in France, making a grand entrance in Paris on June 1st, 1961. People lined the streets, screaming and cheering as he and Jackie rode by. [JFK speaking]
37:00 - 37:30 [narrator] The coverage in the press was triumphant. [JFK speaking] [utensils clinking] [laughter] [people applauding] [narrator] Though the trip started out bright and celebratory in France, it was about to take on a far more serious tone.
37:30 - 38:00 Kennedy was finally going to meet face to face with Nikita Khrushchev. [tense music playing] -Vienna, June 4th, 1961. -[crowd cheering] [JFK speaking]
38:00 - 38:30 [narrator] Kennedy knew the world was watching, and this conversation would determine the future of the nation. If an agreement could not be reached with the Soviet Union, the ongoing tensions between the two superpowers could reach a boiling point. [tense music playing] Before their meeting, Kennedy and the Soviet premier posed for a photo.
38:30 - 39:00 The president was tense but eager to stand his ground. [Engel] The idea that a young man who came from privilege could possibly have the toughness to operate on a global scale vis-à-vis Khrushchev made Khrushchev laugh. Kennedy says, "We are not leaving West Berlin. And if you interrupt freedom of access to West Berlin,
39:00 - 39:30 freedom of daily life in West Berlin, that is grounds for war." [JFK] No advantage or concession was either gained or given. No major decision was either planned or taken. No spectacular progress was either achieved or pretended. [narrator] Kennedy's meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna ended without a clear resolution.
39:30 - 40:00 [dramatic music playing] Though conflict had been narrowly avoided, things were far from over between the United States and the Soviets. One letter, one announcement, or one misstep could lead to war. And Kennedy treaded lightly in the political minefield. [JFK] And we in this hall shall be remembered either as part of the generation that turned this planet
40:00 - 40:30 into a flaming funeral pyre or the generation that met its vow to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Kennedy certainly had a rocky first year. There's no question. Of course, it was tough and they didn't have many successes to report then, but they were not discouraged. They just thought, "We have to do better. We'll do more and do better."
40:30 - 41:00 [narrator] In the final days of 1961, Kennedy was informed that reporters were considering writing a book about his first year in the White House. Kennedy responded, "Who would want to read a book about disasters?" Throughout his first year, Kennedy had learned the dangers of putting his trust in the wrong people. Bobby Kennedy, of course, became a real right-hand man for John Kennedy.
41:00 - 41:30 [Haas] Joe Kennedy told the boys when they were growing up, "Stick together." When Jack became president, and in the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs, this stick together doctrine became something that Jack lived. He stuck together with Bobby. Whenever he had a foreign policy challenge, he most valued Bobby's advice. [narrator] A year full of mistakes and lessons learned came to a close.
41:30 - 42:00 As the Civil Rights movement called on Kennedy to be more active and Cold War threats loomed over Washington, Kennedy accepted the past and kept his eyes on the horizon, determined to lead his country to a better 1962. [JFK] Let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own.
42:00 - 42:30 [narrator] September 30, 1962. Another crisis flared in the ongoing American civil rights struggle. James Meredith, an African American man, attempted to enroll at the all-white University of Mississippi. [solemn music playing] [man 1] I think Mississippi is the hardest of the hardcore segregationist states.
42:30 - 43:00 [narrator] James Meredith applied to the University of Mississippi in January 1961, but was denied admission. With the help of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Meredith filed a lawsuit against the university, alleging racial discrimination. In September 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Meredith's favor. James Meredith had talked about taking on this whole barrier
43:00 - 43:30 of white supremacy when he was a student at Jackson State. But it's a whole 'nother thing different in terms of filling out this application and then going through this entire process that he actually went through to integrate the University of Mississippi. [narrator] In the fall of 1962, Mississippi governor Ross Barnett defied federal rulings and personally interfered with Meredith's attempts to register on campus.
43:30 - 44:00 [tense music playing] [woman 1] He was a diehard segregationist and he was militantly opposed to Meredith's entrance. [Barnett] They say now they're enthusiastically supporting this platform and they're going to integrate all of the schools by 1963. And, uh, that's something that we just can't take. [narrator] Governor Barnett and Attorney General Robert Kennedy reached a deal to allow Meredith to enroll. However, on September 30, 1962,
44:00 - 44:30 when Meredith arrived on campus escorted by U.S. marshals who were sent by the Kennedy administration, a racist mob was waiting for him. So a full-scale riot breaks out with the mob targeting the marshals. [ominous music playing] [narrator] White mobs began lobbing bricks and acid at federal marshals stationed outside the University's Lyceum Building. The marshals responded by throwing tear gas
44:30 - 45:00 into the crowds. Amidst the chaos, Kennedy activated the Mississippi National Guard. The violence continued unabated for hours and well into the early morning of October 1 when federal troops finally arrived and crushed the riot. Two people were killed, hundreds were wounded, and many were arrested during the riots. [somber music playing]
45:00 - 45:30 At last, on October 1, 1962, Meredith was able to register for courses. He was the first African American student registered at the University of Mississippi. [man 2] Kennedy was not, by nature, a big risk taker. But he was, by nature, a responsible leader. He was one of those that took a long time to make a decision. [man 3] You know, caution has its limits and it can be incredibly problematic,
45:30 - 46:00 but I think there is something to it that's important, even when the stakes are intense and deadly and every minute counts. [narrator] Over time, Kennedy would learn the presidency could only be a tool for change if the one who held the office had the courage to act. [grim, echoing note plays] Just weeks after the crisis at the University of Mississippi,
46:00 - 46:30 the world was catapulted into the most dangerous chapter in its history. As early as August 1962, Director of Central Intelligence John McCone began to receive unusual intelligence reports. These reports described Russian ships transporting Soviet soldiers and technicians to Cuba which was governed by dictator Fidel Castro. [Castro speaks in Spanish] [narrator] The Cuban coast was only 90 miles from Florida.
46:30 - 47:00 [man 4] Many Soviet ships were crossing the Atlantic. That was, you know, very obvious. We were tracking the ships. And it soon became clear they were not just taking agricultural equipment and food supplies to Cuba. They were taking military equipment. And we picked up from electronic intelligence signals the fact that they were deploying a anti-aircraft system all around the periphery of Cuba. [narrator] On August 22,
47:00 - 47:30 it was reported that as many as 20 Soviet vessels may have arrived in Cuba with military cargo. [Kennedy] These new shipments do not constitute a serious threat to any other part of this hemisphere. If at any time the communist buildup in Cuba were to endanger or interfere with our security in any way, or become an offensive military base of significant capacity
47:30 - 48:00 for the Soviet Union, then this country will do whatever must be done to protect its own security and that of its allies. It is under our most careful surveillance. There's lessons we can take even without romanticizing how perfect Kennedy was during this. One is the importance of deliberation. I mean, it is remarkable that the president in these moments of heightened crisis doesn't always act first.
48:00 - 48:30 He thinks, he listens, he analyzes. [soft dramatic music playing] [man 5] Had he been impatient, he would have gone with his first instinct which was the first instinct of his advisors. But he looked at Khrushchev not as a madman but as a fellow politician who has gotten himself in a pretty rough spot and, "It is my job Jack Kennedy, president of the United States, to help him get out of this place,
48:30 - 49:00 and I need to do it patiently." [man 6] I think we were very lucky that it was Kennedy. Because there's no question in my mind that whether it was Johnson or Nixon or Eisenhower, they would have invaded Cuba. [solemn music playing] [Naftali] And Kennedy was not convinced that a blockade would lead to the Soviets withdrawing their missiles. There was no reason to believe that.
49:00 - 49:30 But he recognized-- and that's what makes him such an interesting leader-- he recognized that he had no better options. [narrator] A blockade could be considered a declaration of war, but Kennedy saw it as the best path forward. With the president's decision made, and millions of lives on the line, the two most powerful countries in the world stared each other down at point-blank range. After days of preparation, including countless meetings with his brother Bobby,
49:30 - 50:00 Ted Sorensen, and other close advisors, Kennedy decided it was time to address the nation as the country prepared for a full-scale nuclear war. -[tense music playing] -[clock ticking] In terms of how dangerous the situation is, and at this point we were one step from going to war. -[music intensifies] -[ticking continues] [narrator] On the evening of October 22,
50:00 - 50:30 Kennedy sat behind his desk in the Oval Office surrounded by cameras and members of the press. Finally, he spoke. Good evening, my fellow citizens. This government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba. Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact that a series of offensive missile sites
50:30 - 51:00 is now in preparation on that imprisoned island. [grim music playing] My fellow citizens, let no one doubt that this is a difficult and dangerous effort on which we have set out. Many months of sacrifice and self-discipline lie ahead. Months in which both our patience and our will will be tested. [grim music continues]
51:00 - 51:30 This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal, and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. We are confronted primarily with a moral issue. It is as old as the Scriptures and is as clear as the American Constitution. The heart of the question is
51:30 - 52:00 whether all Americans are to be afforded equal rights and equal opportunities. Whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. [man] At the 11-minute mark, if you watch it, you see that Kennedy is beginning to ad lib. He's speaking extemporaneously. We have a right to expect that the Negro community will be responsible, will uphold the law, but they have a right to expect that the law will be fair. That the Constitution will be color-blind,
52:00 - 52:30 as Justice Harlan said at the turn of the century. This is what we're talking about, and this is a matter which concerns this country and what it stands for. And in meeting it, I ask the support of all of our citizens. Thank you very much. [dramatic note echoes] [narrator] Kennedy's speech marked a historic turning point in American history. However, racial hatred continued to haunt America. Hours later, prominent NAACP Mississippi field secretary Medgar Evers
52:30 - 53:00 was assassinated outside of his home. His murder shocked the nation and illustrated the urgent need for civil rights legislation. [somber music plays] Within a week, Kennedy sent his sweeping civil rights bill to Congress. The bill would unilaterally ban racial discrimination in public places including restaurants, hotels, and stores. Another provision would increase the attorney general's speed and ability
53:00 - 53:30 to assist with the integration of public schools. It's robust. It directly forces the state to not adhere to states' rights, that the federal government would intervene if you do not actually enforce federal law. [poignant instrumentals play] Things that folks have been asking him to do for years. [narrator] Kennedy's administration began a series of private White House meetings and conferences with more than a thousand people from around the country
53:30 - 54:00 representing education, women's organizations, the South, and religious institutions. The goal was to discuss the proposed civil rights bill and Kennedy's expectations for how these groups could responsibly adhere to the bill and reliably carry out its values. He really had no choice. Morally and politically, he had no choice but to introduce the civil rights bill. [gentle, poignant music plays]
54:00 - 54:30 [gentle, poignant music continues] [narrator] With talks underway about the Civil Rights Act, Kennedy embarked on the eighth trip of his presidency in late June 1963. His travel schedule included a visit to West Berlin, a meeting in England with his good friend, British prime minister Harold MacMillan,
54:30 - 55:00 and a long-awaited visit to his ancestral home of Ireland. [dramatic music plays] This would be Kennedy's final international trip. When Kennedy arrived in Germany, he made his long-awaited visit to the Berlin Wall on June 26, 1963.
55:00 - 55:30 [woman] He sees the Berlin Wall for the first time. You could almost feel Kennedy finally understanding on a whole different, deep level what the Cold War meant by seeing the Berlin Wall. [music intensifies] [crowd cheering] And so he said, "For people who don't understand
55:30 - 56:00 what is this Cold War conflict, come here. Come look at this." [narrator] Nearly half a million Berliners stood outside to hear Kennedy speak. [music swells] [music softens after dramatic flourish] It was a larger crowd than he had ever seen. [Kennedy] Thank you. There are many people in the world who really don't understand,
56:00 - 56:30 or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the communist world. Let them come to Berlin! -[crowd cheering] -[dramatic music continues] From Dallas, Texas, the flash apparently official. President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time,
56:30 - 57:00 two o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago. Vice President Lyndon Johnson has left the hospital in, uh, Dallas, but we do not know, uh, to where he has proceeded. Presumably, he will be taking the oath of office shortly and become the 36th president of the United States. [somber music playing]
57:00 - 57:30 The procession was not anything out of the ordinary
57:30 - 58:00 except that we walked. We walked slowly all the way to the Capitol. [somber music continues]
58:00 - 58:30 I remember the strength and courage of Mrs. Kennedy and how she... how she held up during all that. [melancholy music playing]
58:30 - 59:00 [inaudible]
59:00 - 59:30 I don't think I'll ever forget when, uh, the... the caisson passed with the coffin, and little John-John stepped out... [voice breaking] and... and saluted. [man 1] And here at the Capitol, all those kids that I'd been in college with and we... had...
59:30 - 60:00 [voice breaking] ...had idolized Kennedy so. They're lined up... blocks... and they drove from Utah, California, Texas... [sniffles] [voice breaking] Just to pass by the casket.
60:00 - 60:30 I talked to them and they... they would say what I suspected, that... our whole life was ahead of us with Kennedy, and... we lost it. [sniffles]
60:30 - 61:00 [John F. Kennedy] "We must always consider," he said, "that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us." I ask for your help and your prayers as I embark on this new and solemn journey. [applause] [solemn music playing] [Queen Elizabeth] This acre of English soil
61:00 - 61:30 is now bequeathed in perpetuity to the American people in memory of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy who in death my people still mourn and whom in life they loved and admired. [solemn music playing] [Earl Warren] Our nation is bereaved. The whole world is poorer because of his loss.
61:30 - 62:00 But we can all be better Americans because John Fitzgerald Kennedy has passed our way. And now that he is relieved of the almost superhuman burden we imposed on him, may he rest in peace. [Bishop Hannan] "There is an appointed time for everything,
62:00 - 62:30 and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to be born, and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to tear down, and a time to build. A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance."
62:30 - 63:00 [Robert F. Kennedy] "When he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he shall make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun." "The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."
63:00 - 63:30 [man 2] We're traveling along a river of history from the past towards a future, and the only way to have some idea of where we're going in that future and how we can plot our little ships is to understand where we've been, where we're coming from. History is absolutely critical for an understanding of who we are,
63:30 - 64:00 where we are, and where we're going. John Fitzgerald Kennedy is a unique character in U.S. and world history. [man 3] I saw the First World War at age 21 in 1963 as ancient history. Today, I look back on the Kennedy era as something that is still present in my mind. [somber music playing]
64:00 - 64:30 It's a testament to how much John F. Kennedy inspired people and motivated them and delighted them that all these many, many, many, many, many years later, we're still talking about him and trying to figure out, "What was it about that guy? What did he have?" It's very fascinating. [narrator] John F. Kennedy left the world that day
64:30 - 65:00 in November 1963, but his words still remain, ingrained in the very fabric of our national conscience. They echo through every room in the White House, every chamber in the Capitol Building, from Brookline to the Solomon Islands and to Washington, back home to Hyannis Port. [John F. Kennedy] With a good conscience our only sure reward,
65:00 - 65:30 with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on Earth, God's work must truly be our own. [man 4] That's what I think of when I think of JFK's legacy, you know, that every man can make a difference, and everyone should try. [narrator] As we continue to grow and evolve as a nation,
65:30 - 66:00 his words are not diminished by time. They remind us who we are, where we came from, and what we can become. Kennedy said, "There is no doubt it is a difficult and dangerous adventure, and that sacrifice and self-discipline will be needed ahead. But the greatest danger is that we sit back and do nothing.
66:00 - 66:30 The cost of freedom is always high, but we have always paid it."