JFK 35: Recent Episodes
JFK Library Foundation
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, inspired a generation that transformed America. But not everyone knows the stories behind the man - his experiences as a young servicemember in World War II, how he wrote some of his most memorable speeches, what sparked him to set the country on a path to the moon. Join Matt Porter and Jamie Richardson of the JFK Library Foundation as they dig into the archives at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston and interview their colleagues to get a behind-the-scenes look at JFK’s life and legacy.
The U.S. Constitution has served as the foundation of American democracy for nearly 250 years, guiding the nation through war, economic hardship, political upheaval, and profound change. In this episode of JFK35, historian Barbara Perry joins us to explore the Constitution's enduring importance and how presidents—including John F. Kennedy—have understood their oath to preserve, protect, and defend it.
President John F. Kennedy's connection to the sea shaped his life from an early age to the his time in the White House. In this episode, JFK Presidential Library Director Alan Price explores how the sea helped shape President Kennedy's life and presidency, while examining the vital role America's oceans and maritime history have played throughout the nation's 250-year story.
Two-hundred and fifty years after America's founders declared the United States free and independent from Great Britain, we look back at the choices they made to shape a new nation—and how their leadership influenced future presidents, including President John F. Kennedy. Award-winning presidential historian, fellow at New America, and bestselling author Alexis Coe joins us to explore America's earliest leaders, the challenges they faced, and how President Kennedy—and other presidents who followed—drew on their legacy.
As part of JFK35's America 250 season, former U.S. Archivist Colleen Shogan joins us to discuss In Pursuit, a new essay project that explores the lessons America's presidents and first ladies can offer as the nation marks its 250th anniversary. Together, we examine the importance of preserving history, the role of public memory in a democracy, and how understanding our past can help strengthen the future of the United States.
From a young woman's sketch of John F. Kennedy with a mustache to boxes of dog treats discovered in his Oval Office desk on the day he died, the JFK Presidential Library and Museum preserves artifacts that reveal personal, unexpected, and deeply human sides of history. In this episode, we speak with Supervisory Archivist Abbey Malangone and Museum Curator Janice Hodson about some revealing items from the Library's vast collections — from public tributes to everyday objects — and the stories they continue to tell about President Kennedy's life and legacy.
The JFK Library holds thousands of primary source treasures that bring history to life. In this episode, JFK Library Foundation Executive Director Rachel Flor takes us behind the scenes to explore the original records showing how Jacqueline Kennedy reimagined the White House as the People's House. We'll also hear the voice of one of President Kennedy's closest friends, preserved in an intimate oral history.
At the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, history isn't frozen behind glass — each artifact has its own story to tell. This episode, we talk with the JFK Library Foundation's Maggie Bramley about the museum items that continue to inspire her — from the Kennedy family bible to a commode gifted to the President and Mrs. Kennedy by French President Charles de Gaulle.
Lessons from a letter? JFK Presidential Library Education Director Suzi Fonda shares some of her favorite letters from children who picked up their pens urging President Kennedy to take action on Civil Rights.
In the first episode of our Staff Picks series, Library Director Alan Price highlights three artifacts that capture pivotal moments that shaped President John F. Kennedy’s life. The coconut shell that carried his rescue message during World War II tells a story of courage and resilience, a letter from the surviving members of the Amagiri show how two bitter enemies can make peace, while Jacqueline Bouvier’s wedding dress symbolizes a new chapter for the future president. Together, these pieces reveal how personal experiences shaped the leader we know today.
In this episode, we take a closer look at how President Kennedy viewed the social contract between the president and the American people with historian Fredrik Logevall. In particular, we’ll look at how that played out for four segments of the population who had been historically marginalized in varying ways: African Americans, women, people with intellectual disabilities, and immigrants.
This episode is the last of a four-part series taking a closer look at what made President John F. Kennedy a strong democratic leader, not as a leader of the Democratic Party, but as the leader of a modern democracy.
In this episode, we explore how President Kennedy’s call to public service helped shape a generation of dedicated government leaders. His vision for a professional and expert-driven public sector laid the foundation for decades of democratic progress. Historian Fredrik Logevall joins us to reflect on the lasting impact of JFK’s New Frontier.
This episode is part three of a four-part series taking a closer look at what made President John F. Kennedy a strong democratic leader, not as a leader of the Democratic Party, but as the leader of a modern democracy.
In this episode, we look back at how President Kennedy understood the needs of his roles as a diplomat abroad and a strong negotiator at home. Historian Fredrik Logevall joins a conversation as we look at events that tested Kennnedy’s skills as a negotiator.
This episode is part two of a four-part series taking a closer look at what made President John F. Kennedy a strong democratic leader, not as a leader of the Democratic Party, but as the leader of a modern democracy.
Democracy requires leaders who understand the responsibility they hold as elected leaders. In this episode, we will return to the speech President Kennedy made in Massachusetts, now referred to as the “City on a Hill” speech. Historian Fredrik Logevall joins a conversation that will look at the four specific qualities of leadership Kennedy highlighted as essential for a healthy democracy.
This episode is part one of a four-part series taking a closer look at what made President John F. Kennedy a strong democratic leader, not as a leader of the Democratic Party, but as the leader of a modern democracy.
For more than 150 years, women have put their name forward to run in a presidential election. Of them, only three have made it on the ticket for a major party, and just two have made it to the top of the ticket. We discussed the history of women running for the top job with UMass-Boston Center for Women in Politics Director Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson and the state of the 2024 campaign with NPR political reporter Asma Khalid.
This episode of JFK35 contains adult language that may not be appropriate for all listeners. Listener discretion is advised.
Presidential campaigns, from John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 to today’s candidates, have strategically sought endorsements from celebrities and social influencers. We'll look at the history of campaigns using pop culture and technology to create viral moments.
From the 1960 campaign to today, black and latino voices have played important roles in presidential campaigns. In this episode, we speak with Columbia Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb and Lincoln Project Co-Founder Mike Madrid about how presidential campaigns have made special efforts to earn the vote of the nation’s Black and Latino communities.
In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson told the nation he would not seek re-election as President. This year, President Joe Biden stepped down in the middle of the 2024 presidential campaign. In this episode, we speak with LBJ Foundation President and CEO Mark Updegrove along with presidential historian Alexis Coe about presidents who chose to “pass the baton” and the country’s legacy of ensuring peaceful transitions between presidents for nearly 250 years.
In John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Campaign, there were many concerns over the high costs of running for president. Still, the money required to run in 1960 is dwarfed by the expenses of today’s presidential and congressional campaigns. Former Senator Russell Feingold, a chief architect of bipartisan campaign finance reform, discusses how our elections got to this point and how America can still untangle the mess of financing political campaigns.
For the first time in more than 40 years, a president was fired on and injured by an assassin’s bullet. In this episode, we speak with presidential historian Alexis Coe about the history of violence against presidential candidates and author and writer Tom Nichols about how the country’s intensely partisan politics have spurred violent acts across American communities.
Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was the mother of a 20th century political dynasty. In this episode, we’ll explore her history through the museum she helped create at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site and speak with historian Barbara Perry, author of Rose Kennedy: The Life and Times of a Political Matriarch.
This Earth Day, the JFK Library Foundation announced the Earthshot Innovation Challenge: Northeast U.S. Edition. The challenge is a $100,000 prize to ignite regional innovations to address climate change. Foundation Executive Director Rachel Flor discusses the award and when winner’s will be announced.
In 1934, the National Archives and Records Administration was created to oversee the protection and dissemination of governmental and historic records of the United States. In this episode, we speak with the Dr. Colleen Shogan, the 11th Archivist of the United States.
The Hemingway Letters Project seeks to publish a comprehensive edition of the writer Ernest Hemingway’s letters. In this episode, we talk with two of the project's editors, Verna Kale and Sandra Spanier, in advance of the publication of volume 6 of the series. We talk about the detective work they’ve done and how Hemingway’s letters give a deeper understanding of the man.
What did President Kennedy think of the presidency himself? And what makes a president? In this episode, we hear from JFK himself and talk to historian Alexis Coe about her project at New America on the presidency, as well as her work as an historian.
On August 28, 1963, 250,000 people of different races, religions, and economic backgrounds convened on the nation’s capital for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The man behind organizing the event – Bayard Rustin – is profiled in a new Oscar-nominated film “Rustin.” In this episode, we speak with producers of the film, Tonia Davis and Bruce Cohen, and historian Dr. Clayborne Carson of Stanford University.
In February 1963, President Kennedy said, “A man may die, but an idea lives on.” In this episode, we look at the legacy JFK left behind and how some are continuing the spirit of his work. We speak with NASA astronaut Victor Glover who represents the new generation of space explorers and is set to be the first black man to travel to the Moon. We also have a conversation with JFK Presidential Library Director Alan Price and JFK Library Foundation Executive Director Rachel Flor about their work preserving President Kennedy’s legacy for generations to come.
President Kennedy’s trip to Texas was meant to rally support for his programs and policies and lay groundwork for the 1964 election. But instead, something happened that changed the course of history: the president was assassinated. The world seemed to stop as John F. Kennedy’s state funeral was arranged. This episode brings you into the White House in the aftermath of the assassination and historian Fredrik Logevall looks at the trip to Texas and how the country - and the world - mourned the president.
Sixty years after President Kennedy’s administration, fewer than 1 in 5 people in the United States have a living memory of the President. But his legacy continues to live on in those generations that have come after him. In this episode, we speak with the next generation of leaders who will help carry the torch left by President Kennedy. This episode features interviews with Emily Cherniak, founder and executive director of New Politics, and two returning Peace Corps volunteers, Keevon Baten and Alejandra Garcia.
In 1963, President Kennedy came home to Ireland, the land of his ancestors. During that visit, he called upon the Irish to take their place among the world’s peacemakers. In the decades that followed, Ireland would experience first hand the difficulty of peacemaking. Sixty years after Kennedy’s visit, the country would live up to Kennedy’s challenge as a global peacemaker. In this episode, Ireland Tánaiste Micheál Martin T.D. and Good Friday Agreement negotiator and JFK Profile in Courage honoree Monica McWilliams reflect on JFK’s legacy in Ireland. New York University professor Marion Casey discusses Ireland’s more recent connection in the White House with President Biden’s election in 2020.
On the heels of his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, JFK traveled northward to Ireland, where his great-grandparents emigrated from in the 19th century. The first Irish Catholic president, JFK’s visit was both meaningful for him personally and a rousing and significant event for the people of Ireland. We’ll hear about the impact of his trip and speak with Dr. Catherine Healy, Historian-in-Residence at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum, about JFK’s travels in the country.
In the summer of 1963, JFK arrived in a divided Germany with the recent construction of the new Berlin Wall nearly two years earlier. President John F. Kennedy spent his entire administration in a “twilight struggle” with the Soviet Union including averting possible total war during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Historian Tim Naftali takes us from JFK’s Presidential Campaign to his final foreign trip to West Berlin. The Atlantic staff writer and Cold War expert Tom Nichols explains how JFK’s Cold War legacy has continued on through today.
In 1963, President Kennedy gave a speech at American University outlining “a strategy of peace” on how the two superpowers, the U.S. and Soviet Union, could back off the precipice of total nuclear annihilation. In this episode, we look back at the speech with historian Fredrik Logevall and people who were there on campus. We also interview former Secretary of Energy Dr. Ernest Moniz about JFK’s legacy when it comes to nuclear arms and national security. We also look at JFK’s other legacy of peace with an interview with the 21st Director of the Peace Corps Carol Spahn.
Black Americans, particularly in the South, were denied their right to vote, with poll taxes, voter ID laws, literacy tests, intimidation, and mob violence. By 1963, the Kennedy administration was prepared to act to expand the access to the vote, though Kennedy himself would not live to see the passage of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.
This episode looks at where voting rights were in 1963, and at how the fight continues today as some states expand the franchise and others seek to restrict it, with interviews with Dr. Peniel Joseph the Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values, and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the University of Texas, Austin , and JaTaune Bosby Gilchrist, Executive Director of ACLU of Alabama.
In 1963, President Kennedy would make decisions that would reflect on his lasting legacy. It would also be a year that he would never complete after becoming the fourth sitting U.S. President to be assassinated on November 22, 1963. In this special series, we will look at some of the President’s key trips and policy decisions from 1963 and how the legacy of those decisions continue to live on today.
Since the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established, Boston has been described as a “city on a hill” or a city to be looked to as an example for others. President Kennedy drew from the same material when he left for Washington D.C. In this episode, we look back at some of Boston's notable mayors who left their mark on the original “city on a hill” including President Kennedy's grandfather, John Fitzgerald. We also look ahead to Boston’s future under new mayor Michelle Wu.
President John F. Kennedy was the first president to take live televised questions from the press on a regular basis and he would provide the model for what would become the modern television presidency. In this episode, we’ll take a look at Kennedy's relationship with the media at news conferences and have a conversation with members of today’s White House press corps about how different presidents have approached their relationships with the press once in office.
It has been 60 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963. In this episode, we’ll hear how far the United States has come since Kennedy signed the landmark legislation, and just how far it still has to go in guaranteeing equal pay for equal work.
Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It was one of the first federal anti-discrimination laws that dealt with wage discrimination on the basis of sex. While Kennedy was the man who signed the bill into law, it was only because of a women-led movement that the act became a reality.
The JFK Library plays an important role as a place where original documents, photographs, audio, film, and other artifacts from John F. Kennedy's presidency are preserved. While the pandemic interrupted some of the Library's normal activities, archivists used the time to reduce a large digital backlog of materials waiting to be published online. Archivists Stacey Chandler and Abbey Malangone provide an update from the archives it returns to post-pandemic operations.
Presidents’ Day is a day to celebrate past presidents and American history. In this episode, we speak with two “living history interpreters” who have spent years portraying historical figures to the public. Audrey Stuck-Girard portrays Abigail Adams and other 18th century figures and Bill Barker portrays President Thomas Jefferson.
President Kennedy faced several major environmental threats during his presidency from the widespread use of dangerous chemicals in farming to private developers buying up pristine natural habitats. Award-winning author Douglas Brinkley discusses his new book, Silent Spring Revolution, about the woman who led the modern environmental movement influencing the Kennedy administration and others that came after. This episode also revisits a conversation with Cape Cod National Seashore superintendent Brian Carlstrom.
Sixty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, today’s world leaders can apply lessons learned to potential future nuclear crises. Former Obama Administration Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Executive Director of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University Alexandra Vacroux, and former Pulitzer-prize winning reporter and author Jonathan Kaufman discuss potential crises ahead and how the Cuban Missile Crisis’s legacy remains relevant.
After the United States and Soviet Union survived the Cuban Missile Crisis and its immediate aftermath, the next steps for the two superpowers would be critical. This episode looks at Kennedy’s "strategy of peace" speech at American University and the limited test ban treaty negotiated between Khrushchev and Kennedy, that some say saved the world a second time. It looks ahead at the positive and negative steps made towards Kennedy’s vision of a world with fewer nuclear weapons and what challenges today’s leaders face involving the spread of nuclear weapons.
John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev reached an agreement about the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 28, but the crisis wouldn’t end there. Fidel Castro, angered by Nikita Khrushchev’s decision, threatened a serious setback in the negotiations to remove all offensive weapons - including tactical nuclear weapons - from his country.
October 27, 1962, also known as “Black Saturday," was the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis as events began to spiral out of control. With two contrasting messages from Chairman Khrushchev, President Kennedy had to find a way to resolve the crisis or risk a nuclear war. Outside of the White House, the crisis took a fatal turn and war was expected to break out at any moment.
By October 22, 1962, after days of long discussions with his advisors, President John F. Kennedy was ready to go public about the Soviet missiles in Cuba. His address to the American people laid out his plan to initiate a naval quarantine to prevent more Soviet ships and weapons from reaching Cuba. He also stressed the uncertainty and danger that lay in the days and months ahead. In Moscow, this announcement stunned and angered Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who learned that his atomic gambit had failed. As the specter of a devastating nuclear war loomed larger than ever, the White House waited to see how the Soviets would react.
In the first few days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy and his advisors faced an extremely difficult choice on whether to attack Cuba, and how to do it without engulfing the world in a nuclear war. In this episode, you’ll hear some of the conversations from the top secret meetings between Kennedy and his advisors as he considered his options. Meanwhile, the President would have to act in public as if nothing is going on to keep the Soviets from finding out what he knew until he was ready to make a decision. With the public still unaware, the President would face several challenges – including opposition from his top military advisors – as he decided what to do next.
From the moment President Kennedy took office, he warned the country about the dangers of nuclear weapons that could result in the deaths of millions. It would be his decisions and actions that would keep the country from the brink of total nuclear war. In the years leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy would face a number of embarrassing failures in both Cuba and on the world stage with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. It would be partly these failures and other escalations that would embolden Khrushchev to embark on his Atomic Gambit.
On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was told the Soviet Union was assembling nuclear warheads on the island of Cuba, just 90 miles from the Florida coastline. Over the course of the next 13 days and beyond, President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev would make decisions in a crisis that brought the world closer to all-out nuclear war than it has ever been.
Today, we continue to live with the historic legacy of the Cuban Missile Crisis and its lessons of leadership, diplomacy, and ultimately, grace under pressure. Atomic Gambit, a JFK35 podcast special series, takes a deep dive into the history, the players, and the pivotal moments that made this episode a turning point in world history.
First episode premieres on October 13, 2022.
We know much about the speeches President Kennedy gave during his time in office, but what about the ones he never gave. Speechwriter and author Jeff Nussbaum joins us to discuss his new book about how some undelivered speeches in the 1960s, including two by President Kennedy, could have changed history.
In the Kennedy Administration, Edward R. Murrow and a team of journalists and filmmakers produced stories about the United States’ activities and ideals for international audiences. Hollywood producer George Stevens, Jr. led the Motion Picture Service which produced more than 300 mostly short-form films for the global audience. He joins the podcast to reflect on his time in the administration.
Both sides of JFK’s family were at the forefront of the amateur photography movement, using the burgeoning field to document their lives over the course of many decades. Today, this collection of photographs gives us an insight into the lives of these lively families, and also presents some unique challenges to archivists. JFK Library Archivist Laura Kintz tells us about her work exploring the family photo collections.
More than 100 years before President John F. Kennedy would take up residence at the White House, his great-grandmother Bridget Murphy arrived on the shores of America. There she met Patrick Kennedy, another Irish immigrant, and they started a life together that would lead to one of America’s most famous political families. We sit down with Neal Thompson to discuss his new book, “The First Kennedys.”
President Kennedy was the first sitting U.S. President to visit the nation of Ireland. The great-grandson of Irish immigrants, the visit was more than a homecoming for John F. Kennedy-- it was the beginning of a new stronger relationship between the two countries that continues today
Until John Glenn completed his orbital flight in 1962, the United States was trailing the Soviet Union when it came to spaceflight. Sixty years later, NASA continues to lead in space. We revisit Glenn’s historic trip and speak with astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson about how far NASA has come since Glenn and where it hopes to go next.
President Kennedy understood that advancing technologies would change American society forever and that strong leadership would be needed to protect workers by changes in technology. In this episode, Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA 17th) joins us to look at how technology has changed society since 1960, and what kind of leadership is still needed today to ensure equity in the digital age.
On December 15, 1961. John F. Kennedy became the first sitting president to visit the new Commonwealth of Puerto Rico where he met with Luis Muñoz Marín, the territory’s first independently elected governor. We speak with Puerto Rico’s Governor Pedro Pierluisi about how Kennedy’s visit 60 years ago and his legacy still resonate with Puerto Ricans today.
Sixty years ago, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association to support her ongoing work to restore and maintain the White House. This week we spoke with White House Historical Association president Stewart McLaurin as they celebrate their 60 years and learn how the association carries on Mrs. Kennedy’s legacy.
John F. Kennedy, born between two world wars, would see the rise of fascism in his youth and later serve on the front lines to stop it from spreading across the world. Those lived experiences would influence Senator and later President Kennedy as he navigated the country through the rise of another authoritarian movement in Soviet Communism.
While President Kennedy didn’t live long enough to see Congress pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his brother Robert would pick up where JFK left off. Historian Patricia Sullivan discusses both Kennedys roles during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Georgia Representative John Lewis was a fixture in the civil rights movement and in Congress for 60 years until his death in 2020. In this episode, we look back at his early years during the Kennedy Administration and revisit the legacy of courage he left behind. Joining us in this podcast is longtime civil rights activist Ambassador Andrew Young and Kabir Sehgal who co-wrote the book “Carry On,” with Rep. John Lewis.
Have you ever wondered what it was like to grow up in the White House? The JFK Library has a new special exhibit, First Children: Caroline and John, Jr. in the Kennedy White House. In this episode, we discuss the exhibit with Museum Curator Janice Hodson and also travel back in time to look at an original song about the Kennedys with the original performer.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver may not be as well known as her brothers Jack, Bobby, and Ted, but during her lifetime, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to influence public policy and serve the public good. In celebration of the centennial of her birth, we speak with biographer Eileen McNamara and her son Timothy Shriver, and hear from Eunice herself.
In this episode, Hemingway Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Hilary Justice gives us the background on the JFK Library’s collaboration with PEN America and Ernest Hemingway family’s support of the PEN/Hemingway Award, and we speak with the 2021 PEN/Hemingway winner, Kawai Strong Washburn.
Lauren Leander is an ICU nurse at the Banner University Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, who took care of the most critically ill patients in Phoenix and stood with colleagues in a counterprotest of stay-at-home-orders in the early days of the pandemic. As director of the Ohio State Health Department, Dr. Amy Action boldly proposed an aggressive shelter-in-place order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and became the target of protestors and legislators who sought to limit her power. Both women never wavered in their work even when faced with public opposition. They are being honored with a special JFK Profile in COVID Courage Award for their selfless actions to help others during the pandemic.
Darrell R. Marks has spent his career helping his indigenous students at Flagstaff High School find new opportunities after graduation. But when the pandemic hit, his job changed from helping not only his students with their futures, but their families deal with the effects of the pandemic from shortages in food, water, and other basic necessities. Marks is one of seven people being honored with a special JFK Profile in COVID Courage Award for his selfless actions to help others during the pandemic.
President John F. Kennedy felt a profound connection to the environment, particularly the sea. During his presidency, Kennedy would establish three national seashores including on Cape Cod. Learn about his environmental legacy from the Superintendent of the Cape Cod National Seashore and from his granddaughter Tatiana Schlossberg.
Thanks to a twist of fate, the archives of Ernest Hemingway have been mostly preserved here at the JFK Library. Learn more about that story from the Library’s Hemingway scholar in residence and hear from two of the filmmakers about how the Ernest Hemingway Collection played a key role in the new documentary.
The United States saw the highest voter turnout in decades in the 2020 election. In many states, the increase in turn out was partly due to years of voter mobilization to bring in more historically disenfranchised voters to the polls. In this episode, we speak with one of the people who has been on the front lines of that movement - Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight and Fair Count - and take a brief look at the state of voting in the Kennedy era.
John F. Kennedy ran for president as television was beginning to change the game of presidential politics. The importance and power of presidents' use of the bully pulpit was growing as they could reach vastly larger audiences in a single presidential address live on television. This episode looks closely at one of Kennedy’s most trusted aides and speechwriters, and also hears from Dr. Vanessa Beasley, an expert on presidential rhetoric at Vanderbilt University.
The long road to the White House in the 1960 campaign between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon comes to a dramatic end. In this final episode, we’ll look at the last days and hours before the election, the uncertainty of possible recounts afterward, and look ahead to how both candidates approached the future. We’ll also look at how lessons learned in 1960 still resonate today.
On October 4, 1957, the successful launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik sparked fear of Soviet Union dominance in technology and space. In this episode, we’ll look at how John F. Kennedy used American fears of the Soviet Union and creeping Communism to his political advantage in the 1960 campaign. We’ll also look at how 60 years later, threats from Russia -- this time in cyber space -- linger over our elections today.
As the Election of 1960 entered its final stage with the first presidential debate, who would benefit most-- Richard Nixon or John F. Kennedy? In this episode, we’ll tell you how that first debate changed the 1960 campaign and the many that followed.
In this episode, we take you on a journey that follows the 1960 campaign into millions of living rooms through television, and then explore how the Kennedy team used the new medium to connect with voters. We'll also look at Nixon's television strategy and how the 1960 campaign’s use of television would influence future presidential campaigns' use of the medium in the decades ahead.
What would it take to win the White House in 1960? For the Kennedy campaign, it started with building a trusted team, and a readiness to try new campaign strategies and tactics. In this episode, we’ll look at how Kennedy and Nixon’s campaign decisions helped make or break the election, and how some of those innovative strategies would influence modern campaigns through today.
While John F. Kennedy was formally launching his run for president at the start of 1960, another movement was gathering steam. This week, we’ll find out how the emerging modern Civil Rights Movement affected Kennedy’s and Nixon’s campaign strategies, and see how Kennedy worked to win over Black voters who were skeptical of his commitment to civil rights. And we'll also discuss how racist Jim Crow laws in the South prevented Black citizens from voting, with a look to where we are today.
Despite clear victories over some of his opponents during the primary season, John F. Kennedy’s path to the presidency still wasn’t certain as he arrived in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Convention. In this episode, we’ll hear about the young senator’s rise to the top, the challenges he faced in uniting a fractured party, and how he would turn one of his biggest opponents into one of his greatest assets.
In our first episode, we’ll look at the primary race that created the opportunity for John F. Kennedy's insurgent campaign to take the Democratic presidential nomination, and how it would blaze new trails for campaigns to come.
This special eight-part audio documentary, from the team who brings you the JFK35 podcast, will tell the story of the Kennedy campaign and how it has influenced American campaigns since. The series features historians, political operatives, journalists, and more as it covers the campaign from the primaries through Election Night, highlighting key moments and lesser-known stories in the race leading up to the final vote.
When President Kennedy became his party’s nominee in 1960, Eleanor Roosevelt would eventually endorse him from her role as the leading member of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. However, he wasn’t her first or even second choice. We talk with historian Barbara Perry, who’s working on a book about the political pair, and how Kennedy was able to get the New Dealer’s seal of approval.
While JFK was only a year old at the time of the 1918 Flu Pandemic, Ernest Hemingway, whose papers are housed at the JFK Library, was old enough to witness and record his thoughts throughout the pandemic. Hear from Hemingway scholar Susan Beegel to learn how the flu affected his family and loved ones while he was a young man overseas in World War I.
Live televised press conferences are a mainstay in politics today, but it was President John F. Kennedy who held the first one from the White House in 1961. On this episode, we’ll take a look at how and why President Kennedy continues to be a role model for presidential press conferences almost sixty years later.
After President Kennedy announced his plan for a Peace Corps, he had one man in mind to run it, his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver. Our guests include Dr. Jamie Price, executive director of the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, and also Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, President Kennedy’s great-nephew and an alumni of the Peace Corps.
JFK Library and JFK Library Foundation Directors Alan Price and Rachel Flor discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Library's and Foundation’s ongoing work, including sharing more of the Library and its resources to those at home.
In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honorees Christina Fialho and Christina Mansfield, who co-founded the non-profit Freedom For Immigrants. The organization has influenced new laws in California to protect immigrant rights and stop the expansion of controversial private detention facilities for immigrants.
In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honoree Washington Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Habib received the award for his work on important issues for his constituents including sponsoring bills that would guarantee paid sick leave for almost all workers and the Washington Voting Rights Act, which would prevent racially polarized voting systems.
For many, the holidays are a time to be with family and friends, decorate trees, and send out cards to loved ones. Things weren’t much different in the early 1960s - though in the midst of the Cold War, there were concerns about Santa Claus’s safety during nuclear testing. We sat down with archivists Stacey Chandler, Maryrose Grossman, and Laura Kintz who talked about President Kennedy’s reassuring message to a child that the North Pole would be safe, as well as other holidays moments and traditions inside the Kennedy White House.
The environment and climate change have become household issues in the 2020 Presidential Election, but in 1960, the issue did not have the same sense of urgency. Still, President John F. Kennedy had a strong affection for the environment and its protection. In this episode, we look at some of President Kennedy's environmental legacy and speak to his granddaughter, Tatiana Schlossberg, about her new book on how our everyday decisions can have a major impact on the environment.
If you picture President Kennedy, you might imagine him sailing confidently on the sea, or charming visiting heads of state, or tackling questions from the press. But below that cool exterior, JFK was actually kind of a nerd. We speak with JFK Library archivist Stacey Chandler to get a closer look at the man behind the cool sunglasses and clever remarks.
Meet the JFK Library’s new curator Janice Hodson, as she discusses her background, how she found herself at the JFK Library, and a sneak peak at a new exhibit next spring. As a special treat (no tricks!), we will also revisit a Halloween story from the Kennedy White House.
40 years after the opening of the JFK Library, we speak with its first two directors, Dan Fenn and Chuck Daly, as they recall the events that led up to the Library’s dedication and their work establishing its mission. We will also speak with current Library Director Alan Price about his vision for the future of the Library.
President Kennedy’s legacy from public service to science and technology to the arts continues to resonate today almost 60 years later. In this episode, learn about the Library’s revamped legacy gallery and hear from the Library’s museum specialists who helped design it.
Space scientists Maria Zuber, MIT Vice President for Research, Laurie Leshin, President of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Sara Seager, MIT Professor of Planetary Science and Physics, join us to discuss their experiments in space and vision for the next generation.
Astronauts Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson (US) and Koichi Wakata (Japan) discuss what it's like to live in space and the future of space exploration.
In the first episode of our Summer Space Special, we talk to Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins about his history-making trip to the Moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, along with his thoughts on the future of NASA's space program.
Senator Chris Dodd explains why Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the 2019 JFK Profile in Courage Award including her work passing healthcare reform and expanding access to healthcare for all Americans.
For the first time, a portion of the JFK Library's Edward M. Kennedy Collection featuring documents, recordings, and photos from his four decades in the Senate have been opened to the public. We speak with Chief Archivist Karen Abramson, Senator Alan Simpson, and longtime Kennedy aid Barbara Souliotis.
When President Kennedy took office in 1961, the United States appeared to be struggling to keep up with the Soviet Union on space exploration. President Kennedy made space a priority and promised to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. In this episode, we’ll talk with historian Doug Brinkley on how President Kennedy helped turn things around and set up the country for a successful lunar landing almost 50 years ago.
Alan Price, who joined the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as its 6th director in 2018, tells us why he took the job and what he hopes to do as the Library’s latest steward. Plus, learn more about what the roles of Presidential Libraries are and why they’re important.
Kirk Lemoyne "Lem" Billings is the man who’s often referred to as JFK’s best friend. We speak with Library reference archivist Stacey Chandler and audiovisual archivist Maryrose Grossman to understand how the two found each other became such close friends.
The JFK Library Foundation and Institute of Politics at Harvard University continue to honor those who heed JFK's call for a New Frontier with the New Frontier Awards. This week, we talk with this year’s honorees including some of the organizers of the March for Our Lives movement and the youngest-elected Mayor of Stockton California.
The West Wing has been portrayed in popular culture from TV shows including “The West Wing” and “House of Cards” or on the big screen in films like “The American President.” But what is working in the White House really like? Listen to this week’s episode where we will learn more about the early days of President Kennedy’s West Wing from a staffer who was there. We will also interview former Obama Administration staffers who say they felt echoes of Kennedy in their West Wing more than half a century later.
Learn more about JFK's positions on immigration and hear from some notable US immigrants including former SNL cast member Horatio Sanz, actor Bambadjan Bamba, and Khizr and Ghazala Khan.
When you imagine the Kennedy White House, you might picture state dinners and other social events where artists, poets, and musicians mingle with scientists, politicians, and diplomats. But it wasn’t only the famous - or even only adults - who got to enjoy the arts at the White House.
In a remarkable story of heroism, two men who lived on the other side of the world in almost completely different circumstances from John F. Kennedy, changed the course of history by saving the future president and his crew during his time as a Navy commander during World War II.
When President Kennedy set a goal to land on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, he set in motion a surge in innovation that changed the world forever. Join us as we celebrate six decades of NASA with an interview from NASA’s chief historian Dr. Bill Parry and filmmaker Rory Kennedy, who released a new documentary about NASA’s past, present, and future.
You may not think the archives of John F. Kennedy and Ernest Hemingway would live in the same building, but they are! In this episode, we tell you the story that brought the two men's collections together and introduce you to our new permanent exhibit on Ernest Hemingway.
It has been 75 years since the crash and rescue of JFK's patrol boat, the PT-109. JFK Library Curator Stacey Bredhoff takes you inside the dramatic seven days at sea and also go behind the scenes of one of the Library's education programs that tells the story to visitors.
Welcome the new JFK35 Podcast, a program by the JFK Library Foundation. In this podcast, we will bring you lesser known stories of President Kennedy's life and administration with the help of the staff and materials found inside the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.