John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum Forum series

ONE EXCEPTION, Allan Brinkley speaking on JFK was more than disappointing. I had the feeling I was being served up the equivalent of a middle school oral report during the interview portion. The Q and A revealed what an absolute fraud this alleged bit of scholarship must be. The shallow understanding of what led to the bay of pigs and naïveté of how that shaped his presidency moving forward was troubling. The worst was the unfounded assertion that JFK had no skills in dealing with congress. The adeptness Kennedy demonstrated when convincing and then mobilizing the American people to pressure the senate was masterful. The American University speech stands as the prime example of how well placed morality can shame the entrenched power structure ,if only for a moment. His political skills were ahead of his time. None saw it coming, that brief window of opportunity, but him. He seized it and because of his savvy we have the NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY.

Volume too low.