Presidential agenda and style At its best and most intimate

“John F. Kennedy: The Presidential Portfolio”
By Charles Kenney
Public Affairs (Perseus Nooks), 2000


A sense of nostalgia grips us every time we read a well-written speech that was actually delivered by a head of state.

In Nelson Mandela, you sense the fire and passion of one who went through a crucible of human struggle. In Tony Blair, you are moved by a stirring eloquence – marked by a steely resolve – in the middle of contrary opinion worldwide (like invasion of Iraq).

And in John F. Kennedy, you happily note an easy style and flawless rhetoric that justifies the observation that Kennedy truly brought back elegance to the Presidential office – and have given Presidential speeches the quality that comes close to literature – if they are not literature itself.

The nostalgia persists because the present crop of leaders around the world – and at home – no longer bother about style, as if rhetoric is luxury, not necessity. They are wrong.

If the medium is the message, as Marchall Macluhan said many years ago, then crafting a statement of a speech is both science and art that requires the preoccupation of Presidents or their handlers.

Here is why: As someone put it, a leader may fail in other areas, but he or she should not fails to inspire. A thoughtfully crafted statement that “connects” with the people, or touch of poetry in policy that goes to the heart of the problem (and them to the “hearts” of one’s countrymen) becomes unforgettable – because it touches the core of their fierce hopes.

But, it is only in public that a head of state moves a nation. It is also in his private movements – “away from the maddening crown” – where he or she communicates a substance and style that makes one loved, at best, and credible, at least.

The problem is how do we know how these very public figures speak in the privacy of their living rooms or chat in the warmth of their fireplace?

Thankfully, there is a coffee table book, a rare find from Powerbooks, that makes
Eavesdroppers of us all.

The book, “John F. Kennedy: Presidential Portfolio,” brings the reader intimately closer to how this President made difficult decisions “in an hour of maximum danger” like the Cuban Crisis in 1962: You actually eavesdrop on his critical conversation with former President Dwight Eisenhower – and appreciate the complexity of the options to be taken, calibrated to avoid a nuclear war.

This book has the best of worlds of printed text and sound in compact disc. The printed text is divided into chapters that zero in on interesting highlights in the life of this President who continues to fascinate people.

A description of the enigmatic Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy is both apt and well informed, as when the author says: “From the beginning, there was something about her, something that set her apart.”

In the chapter, “The Power of Symbols,” the book identifies two favorite projects of Kennedy; the Peace Corps and the Space Race. The book says: “While Peace Corps volunteers labored on the ground, a much larger cold war competition was taking place far above the earth in the newest of all frontiers, outer space.”

When Yuri Gagarin orbited around the world, the Soviets outraced America. And so Kennedy asked: “Is there any place we can catch them?” So the President authorized a costly space program that landed the first man on the moon.

More intimate takes of Kennedy’s decision making, subdued temper, easy going style and unorthodox campaigning are in this book. This is one book that proves to be a fitting sequel to a much earlier book by Theodore White, entitled, “The Making of a President.”

And yet, since this is the 21st century, this portfolio has outdone White, since this one comes with a CD.

One intimate talk is with brother Robert Kennedy where they discuss how to deal with Harry Luce of Time. The third is a revealing exchange between Kennedy and White House spokesperson Lincoln White.

Kennedy chided (not scolded) White because of an unauthorized extension of the President’s statement.

“You’ve got to be goddam careful!” says Kennedy, with subdued temper. (His lesson for holding Presidential tantrums!)

The CD has about 14 tracks. A riveting voice track is the exchange between Kennedy and Eisenhower where, according to the commentator. Eisenhower is “treating Kennedy like a kid,” but in the end agrees with him and calls him respectfully as President.

In this discussion, Kennedy speaks about “increasing number of steps” on the Cuban blockade. Then he asks the General : “If we attack, could it trigger a nuclear war?” The General, with a voice of experience, replies: “I don’t think they fill fire the missles.”

In a century bereft of substance and style, where speeches sound like inter-office memoranda; in an age where a head of state loses his/her temper – and we’ll call it “forthright” – and berates his/her subordinates – and we call it “strong” – we need his kind of book to remind the top leaders that they owe such office some breeding and style – and so inspire our countrymen.