Considerable attention will be focused today on the release
of Kennedy assassination documents. For
some, this will be an opportunity to promote or debunk views on the tragic
event despite evidence which is likely to be inconclusive.
It also is an opportunity to reflect on the Kennedy
administration, its accomplishments, potential and legacy. Although lasting only 1,036 days, many
aspects of that period inform us about the use of the presidency to inspire a
nation and, indeed, a world. The ability
to balance firmness with moderation at the time of great international tension;
the promotion of the arts; idealism, tempered with realism, as evidenced by the
Peace Corps; welcoming differing political opinions without abandoning
principle—these are some of the characteristics of that time.
I’ve tried to capture some of that in my forthcoming book, “Dinner
in Camelot,” where the president brought to the White House the nation’s
leading scientists, writers and scholars and to honor them for their
achievements and provide encouragement to young people to follow them. Dr. Linus Pauling picketed Kennedy outside
the White House before the dinner, changed clothes and then went inside the
White House for dinner; Kennedy welcomed him cordially.
I met John Kennedy fifty-seven years ago this Saturday. It was a watershed moment for me. It was a magical time for many, with the
promise of a better life and better world despite the backdrop of the Cold
War. Our greatest presidents were those
who encouraged such optimism.
Wit, charm and grace are terms frequently used to describe
those years. Not everyone would agree,
of course, with the policies of that time, but there was a public dignity
attached to the office. While as a
historian, I welcome new information about the Kennedy assassination, I also
believe that the Kennedy presidency is instructive.
Photo is of a Kennedy press conference, January 24,
1962. Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House
Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston;
public domain.
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