Hot History - JFK - The Hot President

Episode Date: November 17, 2023

Today we deep dive into the life and death of the 35th President of the USA, John F Kennedy. So famous that he is remembered by 3 letters, JFK has as many myths, legends, and conspiracies as Area 51, and we look at them all including his efforts in WW2, family life, civil rights work, and even his supposed affair with Marilyn Monroe.

Hello and welcome back to another episode of Hot History, the podcast where we talk about the things in history that you probably should know, but don't. I am so excited to have you listening along as we get down and dirty with the highs, lows, and of course, all of the scandals involved in the life of the 35th president of the United States of America, John F. Kennedy. Class is in session. Very few figures in history. are so instantly recognizable by only three. Letters, but JFK is a man so embroiled in myth, legend and conspiracy that he still lives on, even 60 years after his death. So who was he?

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the second youngest man ever elected to office and believed in the ideas of democracy and freedom for the whole world, serving at the height of the Cold War before he was assassinated on the 22nd of November, 1963. So where does a future president come from? He was born in 1917 and was the second of nine children. His parents came from two of Boston's most prominent and wealthy Irish Catholic families and despite having health problems growing up, he lived a very privileged childhood. His father Joe was a successful businessman before venturing into politics where in

37 he was named ambassador to the United Kingdom. John, who was a student at Harvard, accompanied his father, journeying all over Europe and whilst staying in London in 1939, he even met the king and queen of England, and their 13-year-old daughter, then Princess Elizabeth, with whom he had tea. England left an impression on him, for when he returned to Harvard, he produced a thesis about Britain's unreadiness for war, which was later published into an acclaimed book titled Why England Slept. So John grew up, no stranger to travel politics and analysing conflict which would come in handy, as in 1941 he joins the US Navy at the height of World War II.

Now, JFK's military career is one that's shrouded in a bit of mystery, so let's unpack it. In 1943, he was given command of a patrol torpedo or PT boat, which was struck by a Japanese distraer in open water. Now, according to first-hand accounts, a crewman yelled, ship at two o'clock. And according to Kennedy himself, he says that we first mistook it, for another PT boat, but soon made out the towering black hull of a Japanese destroyer, which split their own PT boat in two. When later speaking about the collision, Kennedy, who had brushes with death due to his sicknesses as a child, stated, so this is what it is like to die.

And in fact, two of his men were killed. Kennedy, however, was thrown against the dock and while his back was hurt badly, his life was spared. He called out to his men who was scattered in the sea. Kennedy, a former member of the Harvard swim team, swam out to each of the 11 survivors and guided them back to what remained of their boat. Ian Martin, who spent a year researching the PT sinking, says that what happened next was a defining moment for the young lieutenant, who was well-liked, but unproven as a leader.

With one of his crew, badly injured, Kennedy towed him across open ocean before crawling ashore to an island where he collapsed from exhaustion. and it would be a week before the crew were eventually rescued. Kennedy was later awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and the injuries suffered during the incident also qualified him for a purple heart. But is this story of heroism unfounded? Let's start with Kennedy's entry into the Navy in the first place. When submitting for his medical evaluation,

Kennedy was found to suffer from back problems, sustained most likely from a football injury at Harvard. Whatever the injury was, it led him to fail his military physicals, and it wasn't until his father stepped in that he was declared fit for duty. So Kennedy's physical fitness is the first red flag that we find. Next, let's look at the action prior to the PT being struck. JFK's own brother questioned him on this, writing to him, what I really want to know is where the hell were you when the destroyer hove into sight? and indeed many historians and military analysts have questioned Kennedy's actions,

saying that he lost the 109 through very poor organisation of the crew. Indeed, some questioned whether he was drunk or under the influence before the collision actually occurred, given the pains he had from his existing back injuries. After the war, the Navy did launch a formal inquiry into the PT sinking, but JFK caught a break, when a good friend of his, whom he would later very kindly appoint to the US, Supreme Court helped write the report. He was also assisted by John Hersey, a brilliant Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and writer who met JFK and was fascinated by the story so much so

that he wrote an article which created a public image of a heroic young lieutenant. And it was this reception that gave Joe Sr. J.F.K.'s father an idea. While JFK survived the war, his eldest brother Joe Jr. was not so fortunate. A grieving Joe senior told John that it was now his duty to fulfill the destiny once intended for his brother to become the first Catholic president of the United States. And so Joe exploited the PT109 story and made it an essential piece of campaign biography, where John Kennedy becomes a certified action hero, writes biographer, Fullbright Scholar. And indeed, long-time president aide to JFK Dave Power, said that without PT109, you have no President John F. Kennedy.

And so in 1946, John runs for Congress, which he wins, entering at the age of 29. Six years later, at age 34, he successfully won the Senate seat. But JFK was not only on the rise publicly. In fact, his private life was about to change forever. For on September 12, 1953, Kennedy married the beautiful socialite and journalist, Jackie Lee Bouviero Nassas. Jackie O, as she became known, has become one of the most

enduring public figures in American history. Without a doubt one of, if not, the most famous first lady. She is coveted for her motherhood, grace, and most notably, her style. The pair met at the house of a mutual friend. Jackie was a reporter for the Washington Times Herald and John was the young senator from Massachusetts.

Jackie later told CBS News in 1953, that I interviewed him shortly after I met him. While the pair were in love, and let's be real, they were both young hotties, their marriage was also one of political gain. Dave Powers flatly admitted that Jack wondered whether or not he would have to marry a Massachusetts girl, and he waited until he was elected senator to find out whether there was any loss of votes there. Jackie even overheard a conversation between Jack and a friend stating that they spoke of me as if I weren't a person, just a thing, just a son.

sort of asset. And indeed the first few years of their marriage was not without trials. Two years in, he was forced to undergo a painful back operation after his injuries in the war. A friend who visited him during the recovery later wrote, the area where they cut into his back never healed, and now and then a piece of bone would come out of the wound. His pain was excruciating. While this is most certainly hyperbole, this was the first in a line of major health complications. that would plague the young senator. But he does bounce back, and in 1956, he announces his candidacy for president. He chose Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate and faced a difficult battle against

Republican opponent Richard Nixon. Offering a young, energetic alternative to Nixon, Kennedy benefited from his performance in the first ever televised presidential debates, watched by millions of viewers. In November's election, he won by a narrow margin, becoming the second youngest man and the first Roman Catholic to be elected president of the United States, just as his father had hoped for his elder brother. And so Kennedy and his beautiful wife and children move into the White House. In his inaugural address given on January 20, 1961, the new president called on his fellow Americans, stating, ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what

you can do for your country. So what is going on in the world at the time? of JFK's presidency. Well, we have the Cold War, which started after the end of World War 2 when Germany was split into two halves. We have West Berlin, controlled by the Americans, and East Berlin controlled by the Russians, known at this time as the Soviet Union, who believe in communism. There was a great big wall put up here, splitting the two blocks, as they were called, and while there was no actual fighting, hence why it's called the Cold War, it was an aggressive arms race, with nations building bombs and in the end, it also came down to a war of ideology. Communism versus democracy.

JFK would also be tested in his first few months in office after he approved a plan to send 1400 CIA trained exiles to the Bay of Pigs in Cuba to start a rebellion and overthrow the communist leader Fidel Castro. The mission ended in failure, with nearly all of the exiles captured or killed. In June, Kennedy met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to discuss the city of Berlin, which is when East German troops put that big old wall up. Kennedy clashed again with Khrushchev a few years later after learning that the Soviet Union was constructing a number of nuclear missile sites that could pose a threat to the US.

This was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. A year later, Kennedy won perhaps his greatest foreign affairs victory, when Khrushchev agreed to join him and British Prime Minister Harold McMillan in signing a nuclear test ban treaty, a move that would safeguard the world from World War III. However, Kennedy was a firm believer in democracy and freedom, still fundamentally opposing communism, so he decided to escalate the US's involvement in the ongoing communist conflict in Vietnam.

So he did a fair bit with foreign affairs, and following the post-World War two years, he was a breath of fresh air and optimism. But what did he do for America? Well, to be honest, nowhere near as much as he intended. During his first year in office, Kennedy oversaw the launch of the Peace Corps, which would send young volunteers to underdeveloped countries all over the world, but was unable to achieve much of his proposed legislation during his lifetime,

including two of his biggest priorities, income tax cuts and a civil rights bill. One of the most common criticisms of Kennedy's presidency was his apprehension to commit himself to the civil rights cause. Kennedy fledged his whole presidency on the idea that in showing the world what a free, a democratic society had to offer, the United States would ensure the defeat of communism. However, since he'd taken office, African Americans continued to be treated as second-class citizens. Indeed, just before Kennedy was elected, Martin Luther King, was arrested while leading a protest. JFK phoned King's wife to express his concern, while his brother, Robert Kennedy, put in a call to the judge to help secure his release. The Kennedy's personal

intervention led to a public endorsement by Martin Luther King Sr., which contributed to increased support amongst black voters. So why did it take him two years to answer the call to issue real civil rights legislation? Well, many of the Democratic seats at the time were held by Southerners who opposed civil rights legislation, and the president needed their vote to be re-elected. So instead, he emphasized enforcing existing laws rather than creating new ones. During this time, racial incidences turned violent, much like in May, 1961, where freedom riders traveling by bus from Washington, D.C. to Birmingham, Alabama, were attacked. The situation here escalated so much so that Kennedy

was forced to send federal marshals to protect the protesters. The inaction would continue in September 1962 when James Meredith, a black man, attempted to register at the segregated University of Mississippi, a deal which Kennedy personally had helped broker. But Kennedy prematurely announced Meredith's successful registration on national television and mobs broke out at the uni. Kennedy's approach to civil rights was viewed as non-committal. But, Kennedy's approach to civil rights was viewed as non-committal, but the violence in Birmingham and Mississippi left him no choice. He had to make a firm stand. So on the evening of June 11th, the president delivered a televised address to the nation stating that the heart of the question is whether all Americans are to be

afforded equal rights and opportunities. And so Kennedy announced that he would send comprehensive civil rights legislation to Congress. Securing civil rights legislation, securing civil rights legislation was not the only thing Kennedy was slow in doing. His efforts to cut taxes and increase funding for education also died in Congress, and at the end of his brief presidency, many of his promises had yet to be fulfilled. And why was that? Well, on November 22nd, 1963, the president and the first lady took a trip to Dallas, Texas on their re-election campaign. The pair arrived at the airfield in the morning and travelled in a motorcade along with the Texas governor and his wife. While on their way to a speaking engagement, the president was shot two times in the back of the neck

and head at around 12.30pm, while his wife held his head in her lap. By the time they reached the hospital, the president had died. Now, JFK's death is the most famous presidential assassination in history, beating out the likes of Lincoln, Garfield and McKinley. And while some argue it was due to the fact it occurred only 60 years ago, it has far more to do with the conspiracy surrounding his assassination. So let's break down some of the top theories. We have theory number one, that President Kennedy is shot from the Dallas School Book Depository

by communist sympathizer Lee Harvey Oswald, who acted alone. Theory two, he was again. shot by Oswald but working with the Cuban government. Theory three, the CIA were behind the assassination. Theory four, he was killed by the mysterious umbrella man, who shot the president with poison darts, allowing Oswald to take his kill shot. And theory five, the man or men on the grassy knoll were responsible. In the end, there have been over 42 groups, 82 assassins,

and 214 people named in conspiracies about the Kennedy Assassins. But what actually went down? Well, at around 6.30 a.m. that morning, Lee Harvey Oswald gets on the bus to work at the Dallas School Book Depository. Carrying something long in a bag, which he tells his co-worker, is curtain rods that he has to remove from his boarding house. At 1230, after the second shot is fired, Oswald gets a Coca-Cola from the soda machine and walks out of the building after being stopped briefly by a police officer. He then gets on a bus seven blocks away from the book deposit tree but jumps off shortly after getting into a cap. He is taken back to his boarding house where he changes and grabs his pistol. At 115 a police officer speaks to someone fitting

Oswald's description and is shot dead by said person. At 140, Oswald runs into a movie theater and while police start searching, they find him with his gun. There is a struggle and Oswald punches an officer in the face. The officer punches him back, giving him a black eye. He is taken to the homicide and robbery office and is questioned and charged with the killing of the police officer, and it isn't until 1.35am the next morning that he is charged with Kennedy's murder. But it doesn't end there. The next day, while on his way to jail, Oswald is ambushed, by nightclub owner Jack Ruby and shot in the stomach. Oswald is pronounced dead in the same hospital.

Kennedy was treated and pronounced dead at two days prior. The whole fiasco is so dramatic and there are still so many questions left unanswered that the word conspiracy finds its way into nearly every newspaper in the nation. To such a degree that a Senate committee was set up to investigate Kennedy's death, Their findings, in the end, however, concluded that Oswald had acted alone, but speculation and debate over the assassination still persisted. So much so that in 1992, Congress passed the John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act, which dictated that all assassination records should be publicly disclosed. Trump and Biden have started this, releasing tens of thousands of documents in the last few years, with new documents becoming available all the time. many of them censored and always approved by outside sources beforehand.

But is this censoring to cover up potential evidence of sinister involvement, or is it to protect Kennedy's legacy? In the hours, days, months and years following the assassination of her husband, Jackie Kennedy dedicated herself to creating an enduring legacy of her husband's presidency, which was centered around one word. Camelot. But what hell does that mean? Camelot is a fictional castle that house King Arthur and his knights of the round table.

And the term Camelot is associated throughout history with good and noble kings who always win. Henry VIII even incorporated the round table in his personal insignia. Jackie began using the term days after the assassination, when interviewed by journalist Theodore H. White. She said that one of Jack's favorite musicals was Camelot and quoted his favorite line. Don't let it be forgot that once there was a spot for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot. There'll be great presidents again, but there will never be another Camelot.

And so Jackie linked the idea of the good noble king taken from Earth all too soon to her husband, creating America's own version of Camelot, which came to encapsulate the youth vitality and integrity of JFK and his administration. So we've covered about 46 years of history from JFK's birth through his wartime action, his time as president and his death. But where does he sit in time? Well, he was born a year after the Romanov family were executed, nine years before Queen Elizabeth II was born, and 36 years before the first McDonald's was opened. He died 14 years before Elvis did, 30 years before Jurassic Park was released and 43 years before the Macbook was invented.

He was alive at the same time as Marilyn Monroe, who he allegedly had an affair with, Frank Sinatra, with whom he had a falling out and banned from the White House altogether, and he was elected president the year after Israeli agents tracked down renowned Nazi Adolf Eichmann. So what impact does he have on modern society? Well, to the American people and the world, JFK pioneered the modern notion of the president as a select. His wealth, good looks and high society friends made him more than the commander-in-chief. It made him a legit, certified celeb. Future presidents, including Ronald Reagan, the movie actor-turned-politician, and Donald Trump,

the tabloid fixture and star of The Apprentice, would follow suit. He also pioneered the use of television for debates, speeches and press conferences, inviting politics into the home of Americans. His hardline international diplomacy also helped preserve Western democracy in the Cold War era and prevented a catastrophic nuclear war. I would say, though, that perhaps the most enduring impact is that of Jackie Kennedy, whose style and championing of the arts and literature has been reincarnated not just through designers, but through everyday women for decades.

Which brings us around to our last question. How is JFK represented in pop culture? Now it's a list as long as my arm, so we're cherry-picking here, but the same year of his assassination, the film PT109, aired, starring Cliff Robertson, Martin Sheen played the president in the film Kennedy and earned a Golden Globe nomination for his betrayal, and a young Patrick Dempsey played him in JFK, reckless youth. In modern times, it's been played by James Marston in The Butler,

Rob Lowe in killing Kennedy and was even featured in season two of the Crown. Plus, we can't miss his mentions in Forrest Gump and Baz Luhrman's Elvis most recently. Jackie's had a fair share of screen time as well, also featuring in The Crown Season 2. She's played by Natalie Portman in Jackie and Katie Holmes in The Kennedys. The Beach Boys wrote the warmth of the sun the morning before Kennedy was murdered, dedicating it to his memory the year after his death. Paul Simon wrote his hit The Sound of Silence about the aftermath of the assassination, and Bob Dylan wrote Murder Most Fowl, which also alludes to Kennedy's death.

Stephen King even wrote a novel, titled 11, 22, 63, in which a time traveller attempts to prevent the assassination of Kennedy. A prospect, many of us, would perhaps jump out, if not to merely ask. Did you actually build underground tunnels to visit Marilyn? And that brings us to the end of another episode of Hot History. If you'd like to support us, then you can find us on Spotify and Apple podcast as Hot History. Follow us on TikTok at hot.com at hot. History and on Instagram at Hot History Club. As always, it is a pleasure getting down and dirty in time with you.

And tune in next time as we discuss the people's princess. Princess Diana of Wales.