The Kennedy Half Century by; Larry J. Sabato

The Presidency, assassination, and Lasting Legacy of John F. Kennedy This book was published in 2013. I mentioned I was reading it to my son Andy. He asked what 50 years meant. I couldn’t answer then but now I can. It refers to the amazing legacy that continues today and how Kennedy is revered by so many Americans of all political parties. Every President who followed Kennedy quoted Kennedy or referred to him as they attempted to govern. I remember the debates with Nixon. I was solidly in favor of Nixon and was distressed to see him defeated. There is no question in my mind that the debates were what enabled Kennedy to squeak out his victory. I was devastated until I heard his inaugural address. Not since Lincoln and FDR had I heard such encouraging words spoken. His call for all to “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country” was stirring. The entire population came together. We were energized and looked positively toward the future. The author takes us thru his brief tenure as President with emphasis on his handling of the October crisis with the Soviet Union when they brought missiles to Cuba. He began the process of improving the lives of our black citizens which at that time was a stain on our country, particularly in the South but also the entire nation. Upon his untimely death L.B.J. was able to pass historic legislation to eliminate the Jim Crow voting process that denied blacks the right to vote The author spends a considerable amount of ink in describing the assassination of Kennedy. Even today most people like me who were alive do not accept Oswald as the lone assassin. This month was the time 50 years later that all records were to be released. At the intelligent people’s urging even Trump did not release all records. There is no question in my mind that the CIA and FBI don’t want these released. I am not inferring they were responsible for his death but they have dirt under their fingernails that they don’t want us to see. Don’t you find it reprehensible that citizens are denied access to the truth? There were numerous persons who were nearby when it occurred. Some of them were never questioned by the Warren Commission. There were many unexplained happenings that were not explored. It appeared that Johnson and the Commission wanted to put this to rest by naming Oswald as the only shooter. This author missed one important point. The bullet that went into his neck was a normal bullet but the one that hit his brain shattered his head. Fragments were found in the brain matter. Only a dumdum bullet would have done that. Shells remaining at the book depository building were normal. Where did this one bullet come from? No answer was given. I will go to my grave not believing the Warren Report. As far as Vietnam is concerned there is no clear proof one way or the other that Kennedy would have backed off or accelerated as LBJ did. My humble opinion is that he would not have made it into the monumental mess that it became. The most important thing to take from reading this book is how tragic it has been to Americans. Kennedy was bringing us all together with hope for the future. With his death that was lost. No other President to follow could restore that feeling. I would grant that Reagan was the closest but even he could not duplicate that feeling of contentment that was lost. Look at how tragic our fractured country is today. Had we been able to follow Kennedy’s leadership things today would be vastly different. I need to add that the author didn’t spare Kennedy from his womanizing tendencies. It is abundantly clear there were no harassment incidents. The pleasure was mutual. I don’t say this to be flippant but there is a great difference to the charges we read about on a daily basis anymore. The Press in those days did not report on these transgressions as they do today. At any rate the vast majority of Americans were able to discount this in their new found feeling that all could be well. Upon his death Jackie coined the phrase “Camelot”. We all agreed this was a mystical time that was lost forever, never to return. This is an excellent book to read if you like history. I found this at the Tucson Public Library. Jack B. Walters November 19,2017