Introduction John F Kennedy c 1961 Library of Congress Archive Photos Getty Images 6 6
series of On Sept 26 1960 John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Richard Milhous in the first Nixon faced off of an unprecedented four televised debates between two U S pres idential nominees It was a paradigm shift for the nation the first time that Americans could see would-be leaders of the free world speaking at length answer ing difficult questions and doing so in a somewhat impromptu style It allowed viewers and there were 70 million of them that first night to get a gut feeling about the two candidates How do they think How do they react under pressure Do they smile Grimace Pause Stall Of course television is a visual medium and as JFK was younger more charismatic and better looking than his opponent Nixon also had stubble and perspiration on his face having the debates televised worked to JFK’s advantage Interestingly many of those who heard the debates on radio rather than saw them believed that Nixon had won the opposite was true for TV viewers Did the visual dimension of television add the element of the superficial Perhaps But it was 7 7
John F Kennedy nonetheless a point of no return rede fining the process by which Americans choose their presidents Today it is interesting to think about how the 35th president of the United States is remembered Many Americans old and young can conjure up images of Kennedy his equally photogenic wife Jackie and their two children John and Caroline Many can also hear some of JFK’s famous lines particularly Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country com plete with that distinctive Massachusetts Kennedy twang It is also widely known that Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected And the first Roman Catholic But what many may not remember or even know in the first place is that before going into politics he worked as a news paper journalist first at the Chicago Herald American and then at the International News Service In addition he wrote sev eral books before becoming president one of which was a best seller and another of which garnered a Pulitzer Prize What many also may remember about John F Kennedy is how he died Images long black of the Kennedys in that 8 8
Introduction limousine in Dallas Tex were beamed live into television sets across America and then repeatedly afterward The shock of Kennedy’s assassination was followed by the heartbreaking visual of his young son John Jr whose third birthday it was on the day of Kennedy’s funeral saluting as his father was buried But Americans were left not just with sorrow but also with hope Hope that following JFK’s exhortations the space race would be won And that through programs such as the Peace Corps which he established Americans would indeed not just ask what they could do for their country but for the world Pivotal Presidents John F Kennedy pro files the life of a leader whose mystique lives on adding detail to the challenges and successes of Kennedy’s time in office as well as taking readers through his private life and early years This book explores examines and explains the indel ible moments and international crises of America’s first extensively televised presidency 9 9
