♪ america's new ambassador to britain, joseph p. kennedy, faces a cameraman as he's about the depart for st. jameses court. >> when president roosevelt sends joseph p. kennedy in 1938 across the atlantic to be the ambassador to the united kingdom, he was a star, a celebrity. he had run a studio in hollywood. and he was already a scess in business and politics. he was among the top 20 richest men in america. it was big news. >> the rise of joseph kennedy is as remarkable as it is seemingly unstoppable. >> joe kennedy came from an irish family, and they worked their way from the bottom to the top. they were outsiders. >> his grandparents came during the great potato famine of the 1840s to boston.