November the twenty second is the date of John Fitzgerald’s Kennedy’s assassination. This November twenty second was the 50th anniversary of his brutal slaying. Jay H. Ell has been quite taken aback at the sentiment this landmark has evoked. Most Americans were not alive in 1963. For a week the American media was totally dominated by the event itself and his legacy. Kennedy, who only served a1000 days in office, somehow captured the public’s imagination like no other American figure in the twentieth century. Statements such as, “his assassination ended hope and innocence in America” or “he inspired a new vision for America” are the consensus of, at least, the American media.
To illustrate how powerful the Kennedy myth is the right wing megalomaniac media leaders have declared him one of them. This rather than attack him as the inspiration of the “New Frontier’ or the “New Left”. The Republican media spectrum from Rush Limbaugh to Charles Krauthammer all maintain that JFK was a conservative that would never been at home in the present Democratic Party. Taking a leaf out of the Bob Dole playbook that Nixon and Reagan would never have got the Republican nomination for Presidency in today’s “Republican” Party they have declared JFK a conservative who would not recognize today’s Democratic Party. The only difference is that Dole represents 50 years of the Republican establishment and Limbaugh and Krauthammer represent the spectrum of the Republican propaganda machine.
Just to once again reinforce the point of his prominent position in the American psyche, everyone alive at the time of his assassination claims to remember where they were when it happened. The respected television anchor Tom Brokaw has produced a television documentary on the subject as well as an accompanying book. Richard Reeves, the celebrated historian, speaking on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of the assassination noted that at least 40,000 books had been published on JFK and at least 140 were due to be released this November.
JFK AMONG THE PRESIDENTS
This still begs the question of why JFK captured and still holds the American imagination and psyche even 50 years later. Why him and not Teddy Roosevelt or Franklin Roosevelt or Lyndon Baines Johnson, (LBJ). The latter two ushered in the legislation that changed America more than any others in the twentieth century.
Now no serious historian would argue that JFK was one the greatest of American Presidents. However in current day popular polls he is rated just behind the greats. So what is it that has resulted in this endless fascination of this post war President? Jay H Ell does not claim to fully understand it but believes that there are a host of factors that has kept his memory and his mystique alive.
JFK’S PRESIDENTIAL RECORD
Foreign Policy
First let us examine his Presidential record. Foreign policy is the arena where Kennedy has his greatest legacy. After the Bay of Pigs Cuban invasion disaster, Cuba ironically provided him with his greatest triumph. Missile sites were sited on Cuba and the USSR was on its way with weapons. A showdown loomed that could have started the third world war. Kennedy stood firm and threatened to stop any Russian ship that was destined for Cuba. Kruschev blinked and the ships turned back. The missile sites in Cuba were dismantled. In return the USA promised never to invade Cuba and take down some obsolete missile sites in Turkey.
His much acclaimed "Ich Bien ein Berliner" speech marked the USA’s position on supporting Germany and a commitment to fight Communism. He was also the first American President to sell sophisticated weaponry to Israel. In addition the Vietnam misadventure was started by him.
Domestic Policy
JFK called his domestic policy the “New Frontier”. He lowered the war and postwar high income taxes. The latter in addition to other measures helped turn the economy around. However, even in economics few of Kennedy’s programs were passed in the 1000 days.
The two areas of Domestic policy that his administration was best known for were the establishment of the Peace Corp and his commitment to civil rights. The former was an unqualified success. It formalized the placement of volunteers for 24 months to help in countries in areas of need. The program functions to this day. He also spearheaded what would become the highly successful NASA program.
In the area of civil rights his actions did not match his rhetoric. He intervened in Southern States on a few crucial occasions in Mississipi and Alabama sending troops to ensure the educational rights of African Americans. However, Richard Reeves in his work, President Kennedy: Profile of Power, notes that in 1963 both his speechwriter Ted Sorenson and his brother Bobby exhorted him to do more legislatively. A speech that JFK delivered in 1963 was to become the basis of the landmark Civil Rights Act. Again it was not Kennedy that ushered that in but his successor, Johnson.
It is fair to say that this is not a stellar resume. Even though he was cruelly cut down in his prime in the area of civil rights that he was hailed as the champion he was just a little short of disappointing.
So there have to be other factors that have contributed to this earthshattering legacy.
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR SEEN ON TV?
The charismatic youthful Kennedy with his enchanting wife captured the imagination of the Americans as they were contrasted with the stuffy conventional images of those previously holding the office. The electorate identified with this young vital family as they watched them and their interplay with their extended family playing touch football in the Kennedy Compound at Hyannisport. In addition to this his campaign breathed a new awakening epitomized by Frank Sinatra singing, “We’ve got high hopes, high hopes, high apple pie hopes ….. so vote for Kennedy”. Even with his wealth he projected the image of the Catholic Irish immigrant, underdog outsider.
All this was for the first time was being seen in pictures in living rooms as television made its debut in American elections. He was born to the TV medium. His rasping, forceful, eloquent, hopeful and inclusive Inauguration Speech, mapping out a new beginning, change and a renewal ranks up there with Lincoln’s Gettysburg address and was broadcast to the world. For practical purposes there were only three television channels and they were free to everyone. The novelty of it all had to have resulted in probably the greatest proportion, ever, of Americans being witness to their first family. The assassination, it’s aftermath, the funeral, the dignified strong widow in her blood stained pink suit, her tiny son saluting the corsage with the extended family in attendance, all of this added to etching the image of JFK in a nation’s psyche to this day as the old TV reels are played again and again.
Billy Joel captured the feeling of the despondency of the youth at his death. He maintained that the nation was robbed of this new vibrant President and had gone back to depressing “politics as usual” with Johnson as President.
So JFK heralded a new gestalt. There was a perception of joy, optimism, togetherness and progress – Camelot was born and then prematurely died.
CONSPIRACY THEORIES ON JFK’S ASSASSINATION
From the very beginning to this day one or other conspiracy theory has been espoused, elaborated on or debunked. Over the past 50 years two thousand books have been written on the subject of conspiracy. Several screen movies have been made and documentaries crop up periodically. From the bizarre circumstances following the assassination starting with the shooting of Oswald evidence has "turned up", has been allegedly tampered with or withheld. Witnesses were found, “intimidated”, died or mysteriously disappeared. All and sundry were implicated at one stage or another – the CIA, FBI, the Mob, the Cubans, the Russians and even the Israelis were suspects. President Johnson was regularly mentioned together with Richard Nixon and Edgar J Hoover.
The official enquiry into the tragedy was lead by Chief Justice Earl Warren who was assisted by a high powered committee including future President Ford. The Warren Commission, in a 900 page report, found that Lee Harvey Oswald was the sole gunman. If the hope was that this exhaustive enquiry would settle the issue once for all, it backfired. All it did was serve as an endless nidus for more conjecture, more debunking and more theories.
In 1979 the groundswell of cynicism at the single bullet theory with its lone gunman lead the US House Committee on Assassinations to conduct an investigation into the killing of Kennedy. The latter concluded that there were probably two gunmen that shot at Kennedy. Among other observations it was noted that the CIA were uncooperative, were causative of other assassinations and were involved in some of the organizations that Oswald was a member of. Also the Committee absolved any foreign nation in the crime – a conclusion that is generally accepted.
All this has kept Kennedy in the public consciousness and increased sympathy towards him. The citizenry believe that the government is somehow hiding something and that indicated they wanted to get rid of JFK. This was all happening at a time when there was less and less confidence in government as opposition grew to the Vietnam war. (One of the supposed motives, with very little evidence, for his assassination was that Kennedy was going to disengage from Vietnam). Dissulsionment with government has only increased since that day. So if the “government” was hiding and still is hiding facts of JFK’s murder, JFK must have been on the people’s side. A 2102 Gallop poll revealed that over 60% of Americans believe that there was a conspiracy. This number was far higher in earlier years, as much as 75% ten years ago. Jay H. Ell believes that the decreasing numbers reflect the fact that most of those now surveyed were not alive at the time of the assassination.
One fact is certain till the CIA releases their remaining 1000 documents in 2017 they remain under a cloud. Another certainty is that JFK’s mystique will continue as it is doubtful that this question will ever be answered to everyone’s satisfaction.
JFK’S FAMILY SUCCESSORS
The Kennedy family has constantly been in the public eye thereby never eliminating JFK from the public consciousness. The most famous of them all was brother Robert who was JFK’s attorney general. In 1968 Bobby was the favorite to be the Democratic candidate for Presidency and take over his brother’s mantle. But it was not to be as he too was slain by an assassin’s bullet adding to the mystique of JFK and the Kennedy legend. Edward Kennedy the youngest brother served in the Senate for nearly 50 years. He was considered to be a lion in that institution with his name attached to much legislation covering the spectrum of services to the American population. In addition there were several others that served in public office. The most recent being JFK’s own daughter Caroline who was appointed Ambassador to Japan.
So JFK has lived on in the American public scene through the Kennedy public servants.
THE KENNEDY CURSE
JFK and Bobby were not the only two brothers to die at a young age, the eldest brother Joseph had already been a victim of World War 11. Sister Rosemary was institutionalized for mental instability. Another sister Kathleen died in an airplane accident in France. Two of JFK’s children died prematurely. Brother Edward and Joseph Kennedy 11, the son of Bobby were both drivers of cars that resulted in the death of female passengers. Another of Bobby’s children Michael was charged with statutory rape only to die in a skiing accident. William Kennedy Smith, a JFK nephew was charged with rape but was found not guilty. Two of Edward’s three children were afflicted with serious cancer one subsequently dying of a heart attack. Another child of Bobby’s, David Anthony died of an overdose.
The ultimate tragedy occurred in 1999 when John John Kennedy, JFK’s only living son died in a plane accident.
This all served to keep attention on JFK. None of these "curses" were ever reported without reflecting back to the legacy of the murdered president.
SCANDAL
JFK lived in an era where the private lives of public celebrities were respected by the media. However over the years more and more of his promiscuous adulterous life became exposed. More significantly this has not effected the adulation afforded to him today. None of this tarnished his glow. No feminists have come out and attacked his memory as a result of literally scores of incidents involving the staff of the Whitehouse, socialites, and a slew of actresses.
Like David of the bible he was forgiven in presumably because of his other achievements. If anything these ongoing revelations just added to the mystique and myth.
LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON (LBJ)
LBJ had to be the father of Civil Rights Legislation in the USA. He morphed JFK’s “New Frontier” into the “Great Society”. Significantly he did it all in Kennedy’s name. He repeatedly maintained that he was carrying forward what Kennedy had started and maintained that this needed to be done in his memory. It is doubtful that this work could have been accomplished as easily or at all with JFK as President. Johnson the great negotiator, skillful politician and wheeler dealer in Congress now had the added power of the Presidency to enact changes of the magnitude of Franklin Roosevelt and as difficult as Abraham Lincoln’s tasks were. Landmark Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts were passed. He also appointed the first African American to the Supreme Court and to the Cabinet. In 1968 he passed yet another Civil Rights Act relating to Housing. In addition the Great Society included disability help and Medicare and Medicaid.
CONCLUSION:
The Kennedy charisma, his assassination with the ongoing conspiracy theories, family, tragedy and even scandals added to the mystique and have contributed to his legacy. All this coupled with the belief that he was responsible for the Civil Rights triumphs of LBJ as well as being the architect of LBJ’s Great Society have given JFK a status in the popular culture that no serious historians have afforded him. Jay H. Ell believes that it is to LBJ, JFK owes a great debt for his current place in history and the psyche of American folklore. Jay H. Ell further believes that without LBJ, Kennedy’s New Frontier would never been translated into The Great Society.
So perhaps it is time to pay tribute, as well, to the 50 year Anniversary of LBJ becoming President.
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