Fifty Years On

The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived and dishonest – but the myth – persistent, persuasive and unrealistic.
            President John F. Kennedy

Fifty years ago today, in the city of Dallas, the president of the United States died.  From a historian point of view, births and deaths are seldom discussed or noteworthy.  Yet, a man holding the most powerful position in the world, a man whose greatest promise was his youth and the time he possibly had in office, draws people in and invites them to delve into his achievements, his beliefs and his legacy.  I have my opinion on conspiracy theories, especially those related to the death of the president, however, they are beyond the point and not relevant.  What is relevant is what President John Fitzgerald Kennedy meant as a part of the American story and his role in the history he made and world he helped create.  

Among historians, it is often said that forty to fifty years are required to properly assess an event or individual.  So, it is with some historical certainty that I offer these thoughts.  From the beginning, John Kennedy was a classic New England liberal but one with conservative fiscal policies – today, what we would call the kind of left-leaning centrist that was instrumental to the approach of President Bill Clinton.  He had a compelling personal story as a member of one of the richest, most powerful American families.  He was a World War II veteran who served the dangerous duty of captain of a PT boat in the Pacific patrolling against the Japanese navy.  He had a beautiful family, including a glamorous wife and adorable children.  While southern Democrats bemoaned the Catholic, northern liberal, he made inroads into the South thanks to his vice presidential candidate, Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas. 

Politically, he is most discussed on two levels – his relationship with the Soviet Union and his actions dealing with civil rights.  President Kennedy’s record against Nikita Khrushchev was spotty at best.  His greatest highlight against the Soviets is undoubtedly the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis where the president displayed an intestinal fortitude greater than many of his critics imaged.  However, he flubbed horribly during the Bay of Pigs incident the year before and in a showdown with the Soviets over Berlin that led to the creation of a wall.  With regards to civil rights, he was reluctant to join the fray, fearing a backlash of southern discontent in the 1964 re-election bid.  He balked at James Meredith’s attempt to enter Ole Miss and he was not supportive of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s march on the capital.  It was this failing that led to some of his dreadful approval numbers prior to his death. 

In hindsight, his presidency when taken as a whole was not terribly productive.  One could say he did not have enough time and that is certainly a valid point but some presidents have done much more with less time.  Yet, his death created a mystique and aura that may only be available to us wrapped in nostalgia and our wonder of what could have been.  Some say that he was interested in scaling back in Vietnam but his increase of military advisors to the South’s government does not suggest he was making any serious exit strategies.  It is interesting to speculate how different his legacy would have been had he survived and won re-election.  Without the threat of another election, he could have been more decisive with civil rights, unions (part of a general centrist/right leaning fiscal stance) and other important aspects of his philosophy.  

This anniversary of President Kennedy’s death, unfortunately, will be misdirected.  It has been said that more people visit the Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas than visit his presidential library in Boston.  In that is not just a morbid curiosity of his dramatic death but a disregard or misrepresentation of his record.  His promise was never fully realized but that is not a criticism.  Many good men have filled the Oval Office and failed to manifest their greatest hopes and aspirations.  John F. Kennedy is simply one.  Today does not need to be a saturnine remembrance but a reminder of our best intentions.