morning. great to have all three of you with us. thank you so much for being with us, here we are on november 23rd, jon meacham, when i ask you the difference between 1963 and november 3rd, 1963, talk about that dividing line in america s history. men with guns changed history. john kennedy was a remarkable example. one of our best in american history of watching someone grow in office. there was evident evolution. he saved us from nuclear armageddon and moved by the courage of the non-violent resistance in the south. he and his brother slowly but finally certainly embraced civil rights. he s given a speech in june of 63 who says civil rights is
different. first of all, he would have run against barry goldwater, as successful a campaign as lyndon johnson did. the majorities into the house and senate. he would have passed four imagine initiatives, tax cut, fed aid, and civil rights bill, as lbj did. what about vietnam? first, i would have said we would have been detent with him sooner than nixon. his whole impulse with that great speech in june of 63 was about thinking anew, afresh about our relations with the soviets. on vietnam, he was tremendously skeptical about putting in ground troops. george ball, the undersecretary of state said you put 2, 3 hundred thousands in the troops of the jungles, he said you ll never hear from them again, and he said you re crazy as hell. meaning he was skeptical.
going to unravel and he wouldn t have been remembered as a great president. where do you lie? i think he was not a great president. he was there for only 1,000 days, sixth briefest presidency in the country s history. but i think he certainly was a significant president. he broke the hold of white protestant males on the office, first catholic to win the office. one could see a direct line from him to barack obama. when we get a woman as president i think you can see a direct line to that, as well. he put across that nuclear test ban treaty which was a major advance. he also put that civil rights bill before the congress, and he was taking a big political chance. he and bobby kennedy were convinced that it risked his re-election in 1964. and the peace speech at american university in june of 63, it was a great state paper. i think if he had lived and had a second term we would have seen detente with the soviet union
sinister dark side that was all going to unravel and he wouldn t have been remembered as a great president. where do you lie? i think he was not a great president. he was there for only 1,000 days, sixth briefest presidency in the country s history. but i think he certainly was a significant president. he broke the hold of white protestant males on the office, first catholic to win the office. one could see a direct line from him to barack obama. when we get a woman as president i think you can see a direct line to that, as well. he put across that nuclear test ban treaty which was a major advance. he also put that civil rights bill before the congress, and he was taking a big political chance. he and bobby kennedy were convinced that it risked his re-election in 1964. and the peace speech at american university in june of 63, it was a great state paper. i think if he had lived and had
line as well. he put across that nuclear test ban treaty which was a major advance. he also put that civil rights bill before the congress, and he was taking a big political chance. he and bobby kennedy were convinced that it risked his re-election in 1964. and the peace speech at american university in june of 63, it was a great state paper. i think if he had lived and had a second term we would have seen detente with the soviet union sooner than it owe curved under richard nix son. james swanson, i think the impact of him globally and his death. my mother was 18 when he died. she remembers spontaneously bursting into tears because he radiated such excitement and hope and inspiration with these great speeches and great rhetoric and he was handsome and young and vibrant. do we miss that part of his legacy when we discuss kennedy? is that not in itself a mark of a great president that he can affect people so much around the world? exactly, piers.