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- I, John Fitzgerald Kennedy,
do solemnly swear
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that I will faithfully execute
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the Office of President
of the United States.
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- He was instantly
overwhelmed by it.
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There were crises mounting.
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- The African Americans
are asking
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the federal government
to do its job.
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- With Bobby and John Kennedy,
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if you don't have
the Freedom Rides,
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they don't start moving
to a position where
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they are going to support
the Civil Rights movement.
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- The idea we could
get into a nuclear war
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during the '60s was very real.
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- And we shall be
remembered either
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as part of the generation
that turned this planet
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into a flaming funeral pyre,
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or the generation
that met its vow
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to save succeeding generations
from the scourge of war.
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? ?
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- To lead us to a
fruitful America
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from the state
of Massachusetts,
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John F. Kennedy.
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- John F. Kennedy lived
a life that would help
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define an entire generation.
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? ?
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- Together we shall
save our planet,
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or together we shall
perish in its flames.
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- What was it about that guy?
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- Looks, style,
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empathy,
he was incredibly charming.
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- Intellectual,
and progressive.
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- He was the future.
He was next.
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? ?
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- President for just
over 1,000 days,
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Kennedy navigated events and
crises that changed the world.
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- Kennedy is feeling
the pressure
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from the Civil Rights
activists.
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- This was a country
on nuclear war footing.
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[dramatic music]
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- This could be
the last mistake that
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anybody makes politically.
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? ?
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- He changed us in the
process of his own growth.
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- We choose to go to
the moon in this decade
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and do the other things,
not because they are easy,
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but because they are hard.
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? ?
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- 60 years after
his assassination,
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we are still fascinated
by the triumphs
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and flaws of the youngest
president ever elected.
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- I ask you to join us in all
the tomorrows yet to come,
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in building America,
moving America,
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taking this country of ours up,
and sending it into the '60s.
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? ?
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? ?
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- After only one year,
it was clear the White House
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had a new, modern,
and youthful atmosphere,
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invigorated by music,
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the arts,
and the contemporary style.
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Jackie later admired
the unique atmosphere
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of the Kennedy White House,
comparing it to Camelot.
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- He and Jackie
created a court.
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There was a court of Camelot.
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- Kennedy is young
and handsome.
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He dresses very well.
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His wife is
a beautiful woman,
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dresses in designer gowns
and clothes.
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They begin to throw
parties and soirees
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and receptions that have
great wine and entertainment.
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? ?
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- I would go to the White
House if they had any sort
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of an affair going on.
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The room was full,
and the music was playing.
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One of the senator's wives
walked over to the president,
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said, Mr. President,
would you like to dance?
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And he said, I would love to.
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And so they walked away,
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and I'm standing there
next to Jackie Kennedy.
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And after about 30 seconds,
she looks at me
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and says, damn it, Lieutenant,
don't just stand there.
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Dance with me.
[laughs]
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And so I danced
with Jackie Kennedy.
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- 31 is very young
to be first lady.
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- She also understood that
culture was very important,
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and she wanted
to make the White House
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a center for these
great cultural events.
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- The White House celebrated
American leadership
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in the arts and sciences
alike.
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In 1962, they held events
whose guests ranged from
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the father of the atomic bomb,
J. Robert Oppenheimer,
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to poet Robert Frost,
to singer Tony Bennett.
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- Shakespeare's plays
are performed.
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Jackie introduces
a French culinary menu
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to White House state dinners.
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There is a new appreciation
for the artist in society.
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- If sometimes
our great artists
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have been the most
critical of our society,
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it is because
their sensitivity.
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Their concern for
justice makes them aware
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that our nation falls short
of its highest potential.
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? ?
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- Long before Camelot
is called Camelot,
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they have created
a celebrity of their own.
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- Upon moving into the
White House in January 1961,
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Jackie began an
ambitious project,
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working to renovate and
restore the historic building
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she called home.
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- She can't believe all these
ugly Victorian mirrors
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and this kind of
ersatz furniture.
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You know,
where's all the real stuff?
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And she goes and finds a lot
of the pieces of furniture
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were just laying on dirt
floors in a warehouse.
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And it was appalling to her.
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And so she made that
her life's work.
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- This house will
always grow and should.
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It just seemed to me
such a shame
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when we came here
to find hardly anything
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of the past in the house.
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- And even today,
much of the White House
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reflects Jackie's
redesign of it.
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It reflects Jackie's aesthetic
in so many ways.
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? ?
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- You know, his wife was this
cultured, articulate,
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multidimensional person,
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who also happened
to be an incredible mom.
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? ?
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- John F. Kennedy's
love for his children
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was a reflection of
his love for family.
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The Kennedy family was tight.
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? ?
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- Jackie tried to protect
her children's privacy,
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but photos of them were
often published in the media.
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- They would occasionally come
running into the Oval Office.
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- Good evening,
ladies and gentlemen.
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I'm speaking to you
from the White House.
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- Dad.
- Wait a minute, John.
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Wait a sec.
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Don't say anything, because
I've got to give this speech.
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Would you just sit down over
there now and be a good boy?
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Come on, now, be a good boy.
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- While Kennedy continued to
enjoy the good-natured chaos
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of his family
in the White House,
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come February,
the nation's eyes
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were once again
focused on the skies.
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- Behind this day stands
years of preparation.
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- When NASA selected its
first group of astronauts,
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the Mercury Seven,
in the spring of 1959,
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only one of them was already
famous, and it was John Glenn.
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? ?
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He'd been a test pilot.
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And he had become something of
a celebrity in the late 1950s
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when he set a
transcontinental speed record
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flying from Los Angeles
to New York
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in a little over three hours.
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The first two Americans
who went into space,
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Alan Shepard and
Gus Grissom,
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flew on what were called
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ballistic flights
or suborbital flights.
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They went up, and they
came down, 15 minutes.
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As it turned out, being
bypassed for the first flight
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and the second flight
actually allowed
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Glenn to become the first
American to orbit the Earth.
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- Shepherd went up, came down,
and he became a hero.
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And Kennedy now recognized,
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any Mercury astronaut
I put up,
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it's going to be seen
as a Kennedy astronaut,
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a Kennedy cadet.
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And the public loves it, and
my public ratings go sky high.
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By the time we're putting up
John Glenn in '62,
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the world's leaning in,
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watching what's going on
at Cape Canaveral.
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- If I use the talents and
capabilities I happen to have
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been given to the
best of my ability,
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I think there is a power
greater than I am
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that will certainly
see that I am taken care of,
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if I do my part
of the bargain.
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- Fine to start VPI on--
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- On February 20, 1962,
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Kennedy and more than
100 million Americans
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gathered around
television screens and radios,
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awaiting news of
Lieutenant Colonel John Glenn,
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the first American
to orbit the Earth.
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[indistinct radio chatter]
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- Mercury capsule, go.
All prestart power--
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- Glenn, a Midwesterner,
who flew 150 combat missions
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in World War II and Korea,
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was about to make history
at age 40.
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- All recorders to
fast T minus 18 seconds
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and counting engine start.
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- Good, Lord,
ride all the way.
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Godspeed, John Glenn.
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[rousing music]
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? ?
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? ?
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- After circling
the Earth three times,
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Glenn landed safely
in the ocean near Bermuda.
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- John Glenn of Ohio,
he doesn't just
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go to the White House
or have parades for him.
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He'll go all over the
world as an ambassador.
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His Friendship 7 capsule
tours the planet,
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and people wait up
like they would to see
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something rare in the Louvre.
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- This is Colonel Glenn.
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- Oh, listen, Colonel,
we're really proud of you.
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And I must say,
you did a wonderful job.
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- Thank you, Mr. President.
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- Kennedy has turned
the space race
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into what, in many ways,
it is.
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It's a great adventure.
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- Glenn's flight was a
triumphant step for a nation
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determined to go to the moon.
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However, Kennedy knew
this accomplishment
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did not lessen the looming
threat of the Cold War.
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In 1962, he would
need to be vigilant
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as the Soviet Union
attempted to best
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the United States
here on Earth.
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- As he had in his youth,
Kennedy continued
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to read feverishly during
his time in office.
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In mid-1962, as excitement
over astronaut John Glenn's
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achievement continued,
Kennedy's imagination
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was caught by
a best-selling book,
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Barbara Tuckman's
"The Guns of August."
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The book chronicles
the events
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that led to World War I
and documents
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how easily missteps
and miscalculations
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spiraled out of control.
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- If you're a president burned
in your first major
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foreign policy initiative,
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a book about
how little mistakes,
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miscommunications,
or small steps
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can lead into
terrible mistakes,
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it's going to be attractive.
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I think that's why it was
attractive to Kennedy.
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- Kennedy felt so
strongly about the book
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and its analysis of
global conflicts,
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that he distributed copies
to his staff and his generals
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as a reading assignment.
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To Kennedy, the themes
of "The Guns of August"
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could not be more relevant.
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On October 30, 1961,
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the Soviet Union tested
the largest nuclear bomb
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00:12:02,792 --> 00:12:06,417
in history, at 58 megatons.
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It was 4,000 times larger
than the bomb in Hiroshima.
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? ?
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00:12:19,125 --> 00:12:21,708
[rumbling]
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The Soviet explosion
was so violent,
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it shattered windows
over 500 miles away.
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- The Soviet Union callously
broke the moratorium
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with a two months' series of
tests of more than 40 weapons.
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00:12:39,208 --> 00:12:42,500
In response to the
escalating Soviet program,
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00:12:42,667 --> 00:12:44,583
Kennedy announced
the United States
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would restart
its nuclear testing.
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- I have today authorized
the Atomic Energy Commission
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00:12:51,208 --> 00:12:53,625
and the Department of Defense
255
00:12:53,750 --> 00:12:57,417
to conduct a series
of nuclear tests.
256
00:12:57,542 --> 00:13:01,458
- Both Kennedy and Khrushchev
controlled nuclear arsenals
257
00:13:01,583 --> 00:13:03,167
capable of killing millions
258
00:13:03,250 --> 00:13:07,167
and rendering the world
uninhabitable.
259
00:13:07,333 --> 00:13:10,667
As this reality set in,
the themes from
260
00:13:10,750 --> 00:13:13,417
"The Guns of August"
rang clear.
261
00:13:13,542 --> 00:13:16,958
The book made explicit that
patience and clear thinking
262
00:13:17,083 --> 00:13:21,208
were key to preventing
another world war.
263
00:13:21,292 --> 00:13:24,708
- In essence, there was no way
to fight a nuclear war
264
00:13:24,833 --> 00:13:26,500
on a small scale.
265
00:13:26,625 --> 00:13:29,708
Invariably, it was going to
lead to global destruction.
266
00:13:29,875 --> 00:13:32,250
And by the mid-1950s,
that was the case.
267
00:13:32,375 --> 00:13:34,333
So when Kennedy comes
into office as president,
268
00:13:34,542 --> 00:13:36,000
he realizes that the moment
269
00:13:36,167 --> 00:13:38,500
the first mushroom cloud
appears,
270
00:13:38,625 --> 00:13:40,125
it's game over.
271
00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:42,000
And I mean that for
all of civilization.
272
00:13:42,167 --> 00:13:45,208
? ?
273
00:13:45,333 --> 00:13:48,000
- The themes explored
in "The Guns of August"
274
00:13:48,083 --> 00:13:51,667
would have a pivotal role in
the conflict on the horizon.
275
00:13:51,792 --> 00:13:54,000
? ?
276
00:13:57,083 --> 00:14:00,250
Dealing with the ongoing
threat of a nuclear disaster,
277
00:14:00,333 --> 00:14:03,625
there was one place that
offered comfort and stability
278
00:14:03,792 --> 00:14:08,167
to Kennedy, Hyannis Port.
279
00:14:08,292 --> 00:14:11,167
Like many Americans,
the president and his family
280
00:14:11,333 --> 00:14:15,667
eagerly awaited
their vacation.
281
00:14:15,792 --> 00:14:17,708
Because of her
equestrian background,
282
00:14:17,875 --> 00:14:20,000
Jackie preferred trips
to Virginia,
283
00:14:20,083 --> 00:14:23,792
with the scenic
Blue Ridge Mountains.
284
00:14:23,917 --> 00:14:26,792
While Jackie rode her
horses or sunbathed,
285
00:14:26,875 --> 00:14:29,417
and John Junior
explored the grounds,
286
00:14:29,542 --> 00:14:33,208
four-year-old Caroline
played with Macaroni,
287
00:14:33,333 --> 00:14:37,125
the Pony gifted to her by
Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
288
00:14:37,250 --> 00:14:44,125
? ?
289
00:14:48,083 --> 00:14:50,833
While Virginia was
a beautiful destination,
290
00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,958
as far as Kennedy
was concerned,
291
00:14:53,042 --> 00:14:57,667
it was no Hyannis Port.
292
00:14:57,833 --> 00:15:00,000
Hyannis Port was
where he had grown up,
293
00:15:00,083 --> 00:15:01,917
where his family
was situated,
294
00:15:02,042 --> 00:15:05,917
and of course,
there was water.
295
00:15:06,042 --> 00:15:08,667
- He just loved the Atlantic
seaboard and the Coast.
296
00:15:08,792 --> 00:15:10,667
Part of it, it soothed him.
297
00:15:10,833 --> 00:15:12,667
It was like medicine for him.
298
00:15:12,833 --> 00:15:15,333
? ?
299
00:15:15,458 --> 00:15:17,833
And Jackie, his wife,
knew that.
300
00:15:17,958 --> 00:15:22,333
She'd drawn watercolors
of the Coast for him.
301
00:15:22,458 --> 00:15:24,167
And even in key moments
of decision,
302
00:15:24,292 --> 00:15:26,458
he would draw sailboats.
303
00:15:26,583 --> 00:15:33,333
? ?
304
00:15:33,458 --> 00:15:37,000
That seafaring tradition
of John F. Kennedy
305
00:15:37,083 --> 00:15:39,458
is, I think, a big part of him.
306
00:15:39,583 --> 00:15:42,375
? ?
307
00:15:42,500 --> 00:15:46,458
- For him, being on the water
was natural and relaxing.
308
00:15:46,583 --> 00:15:49,250
? ?
309
00:15:49,375 --> 00:15:53,625
It was only so long before it
was back to the White House.
310
00:15:53,750 --> 00:15:57,750
? ?
311
00:15:57,875 --> 00:16:01,333
September 30, 1962,
312
00:16:01,500 --> 00:16:04,000
another crisis flared
in the ongoing
313
00:16:04,125 --> 00:16:06,458
American Civil Rights
struggle.
314
00:16:06,542 --> 00:16:09,958
James Meredith,
an African American man,
315
00:16:10,042 --> 00:16:12,042
attempted to enroll
at the all white
316
00:16:12,125 --> 00:16:14,333
University of Mississippi.
317
00:16:14,458 --> 00:16:16,208
? ?
318
00:16:16,333 --> 00:16:18,833
- I think Mississippi
is the hardest
319
00:16:18,958 --> 00:16:21,667
of the hard-core
segregationist states.
320
00:16:21,792 --> 00:16:24,458
? ?
321
00:16:24,542 --> 00:16:27,542
- James Meredith applied to
the University of Mississippi
322
00:16:27,667 --> 00:16:33,000
in January 1961,
but was denied admission.
323
00:16:33,125 --> 00:16:36,292
With the help of the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund,
324
00:16:36,417 --> 00:16:38,875
Meredith filed a lawsuit
against the University,
325
00:16:39,042 --> 00:16:42,333
alleging
racial discrimination.
326
00:16:42,417 --> 00:16:46,792
In September 1962,
the U.S. Supreme Court
327
00:16:46,917 --> 00:16:49,958
ruled in Meredith's favor.
328
00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:55,000
- James Meredith had
talked about taking on
329
00:16:55,125 --> 00:16:58,417
this whole barrier
of white supremacy
330
00:16:58,583 --> 00:17:01,167
when he was a student
at Jackson State.
331
00:17:01,250 --> 00:17:03,667
But it's a whole nother thing
different in terms of
332
00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:05,250
filling out this application
333
00:17:05,375 --> 00:17:07,583
and then going through
this entire process,
334
00:17:07,708 --> 00:17:09,833
that he actually went
through to integrate
335
00:17:09,958 --> 00:17:12,333
the University of Mississippi.
336
00:17:12,417 --> 00:17:14,500
- Trying to integrate
a notoriously
337
00:17:14,583 --> 00:17:18,167
all white University was
a life-threatening endeavor.
338
00:17:18,292 --> 00:17:21,500
Meredith knew the danger
he was putting himself in,
339
00:17:21,542 --> 00:17:24,667
but he was determined
to enroll at the University.
340
00:17:24,792 --> 00:17:26,417
? ?
341
00:17:26,542 --> 00:17:28,333
- And he understood that
from day one,
342
00:17:28,375 --> 00:17:30,833
that you can't be
average to do this.
343
00:17:30,958 --> 00:17:33,167
You've got to be
willing to say,
344
00:17:33,250 --> 00:17:37,250
hey, if I'm going to start
this, I cannot give up.
345
00:17:37,375 --> 00:17:39,208
I've got to stick through it
the whole way.
346
00:17:39,375 --> 00:17:41,083
And if it costs me my life,
it costs me my life.
347
00:17:45,417 --> 00:17:47,417
- James Meredith had been
granted admission
348
00:17:47,542 --> 00:17:49,542
to the University
of Mississippi.
349
00:17:49,667 --> 00:17:53,250
But the process of
enrolling would not be easy.
350
00:17:53,375 --> 00:17:55,500
In the fall of 1962,
351
00:17:55,583 --> 00:17:58,167
Mississippi Governor
Ross Barnett
352
00:17:58,292 --> 00:18:01,000
defied federal rulings
and personally
353
00:18:01,167 --> 00:18:03,250
interfered with
Meredith's attempts
354
00:18:03,375 --> 00:18:06,375
to register on campus.
355
00:18:06,458 --> 00:18:08,583
- He was a die-hard
segregationist,
356
00:18:08,708 --> 00:18:13,125
and he was militantly opposed
to Meredith's entrance.
357
00:18:13,208 --> 00:18:16,042
- They say now they're
enthusiastically supporting
358
00:18:16,167 --> 00:18:18,167
this platform, and
they're going to integrate
359
00:18:18,250 --> 00:18:21,167
all of the schools by 1963.
360
00:18:21,292 --> 00:18:25,000
And that's something
that we just can't take.
361
00:18:25,125 --> 00:18:26,500
- Governor Barnett
362
00:18:26,625 --> 00:18:28,208
and Attorney General
Robert Kennedy
363
00:18:28,333 --> 00:18:31,792
reached a deal to allow
Meredith to enroll.
364
00:18:31,875 --> 00:18:36,000
However,
on September 30, 1962,
365
00:18:36,125 --> 00:18:38,125
when Meredith arrived
on campus,
366
00:18:38,292 --> 00:18:40,958
escorted by U.S. marshals
who were sent
367
00:18:41,042 --> 00:18:42,875
by the Kennedy
administration,
368
00:18:43,042 --> 00:18:46,333
a racist mob
was waiting for him.
369
00:18:46,417 --> 00:18:49,375
[distant discordant voices]
370
00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:51,583
? ?
371
00:18:51,708 --> 00:18:54,792
- And it's a federal presence
on the campus at Ole Miss,
372
00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:58,250
with people ready for this,
coming in from other states,
373
00:18:58,375 --> 00:19:01,667
crowding the campus
to resist and fight
374
00:19:01,833 --> 00:19:03,333
the entry of Meredith.
375
00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:06,292
? ?
376
00:19:06,417 --> 00:19:09,250
- Meredith was quickly
moved into a dormitory
377
00:19:09,417 --> 00:19:11,708
for his own protection
as the conflicts
378
00:19:11,833 --> 00:19:14,667
between the violent mob
and federal marshals
379
00:19:14,750 --> 00:19:16,583
came to a head.
380
00:19:16,708 --> 00:19:19,000
- Meredith's on campus.
He's gone in secretly.
381
00:19:19,167 --> 00:19:21,542
He's in his dorm room.
He's safe.
382
00:19:21,667 --> 00:19:23,125
And the order is
given to the marshals
383
00:19:23,208 --> 00:19:25,667
not to shoot unless
it is to protect
384
00:19:25,792 --> 00:19:27,042
the life of James Meredith.
385
00:19:27,208 --> 00:19:29,375
So a full-scale riot
breaks out,
386
00:19:29,500 --> 00:19:31,958
with the mob targeting
the marshals.
387
00:19:32,042 --> 00:19:34,458
[distant siren]
388
00:19:34,583 --> 00:19:37,875
- White mobs began
lobbing bricks and acid
389
00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:41,292
at federal marshals stationed
outside the University's
390
00:19:41,417 --> 00:19:43,333
Lyceum building.
391
00:19:43,458 --> 00:19:45,667
The marshals
responded by throwing
392
00:19:45,792 --> 00:19:49,208
tear gas into the crowds.
393
00:19:49,333 --> 00:19:52,417
- It was as though they had
394
00:19:52,542 --> 00:19:55,750
you know, swatted a beehive.
395
00:19:55,875 --> 00:20:01,125
And once tear gas now is shot,
canisters are thrown back.
396
00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:03,958
And then once
it becomes dark,
397
00:20:04,083 --> 00:20:06,500
and then people began
to shoot guns.
398
00:20:06,542 --> 00:20:09,500
And the marshals now,
several marshals are wounded.
399
00:20:09,625 --> 00:20:12,333
? ?
400
00:20:12,417 --> 00:20:17,000
- Soon the mobs grew
to hundreds in size.
401
00:20:17,125 --> 00:20:20,667
- State police had
blocked the campus.
402
00:20:20,833 --> 00:20:25,083
Nobody could get on
the campus without an ID.
403
00:20:25,167 --> 00:20:30,625
But hundreds of these
Klansmen, hate groups,
404
00:20:30,750 --> 00:20:34,167
were masked here
in Oxford off campus,
405
00:20:34,250 --> 00:20:38,625
ready to take up the fight.
406
00:20:38,708 --> 00:20:40,417
- At the height of
the riots,
407
00:20:40,542 --> 00:20:42,417
the mob tried to gain
control of vehicles,
408
00:20:42,542 --> 00:20:44,708
like fire trucks,
which they intended
409
00:20:44,875 --> 00:20:48,375
to ram into the crowds
of demonstrators.
410
00:20:48,500 --> 00:20:51,917
- 14, 13, 14-year-old kids
picking up concrete blocks,
411
00:20:52,083 --> 00:20:54,667
throwing them at us.
412
00:20:54,792 --> 00:20:56,583
- It was just crazy.
413
00:20:56,708 --> 00:21:02,167
I stayed out there on the edge
of watching it from a distance
414
00:21:02,292 --> 00:21:04,417
until I realized
I could get killed out here
415
00:21:04,542 --> 00:21:06,292
because so many bullets
are flying around.
416
00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:30,208
- And then Kennedy is
made aware of all of this.
417
00:21:30,375 --> 00:21:32,125
- Kennedy worked to
bring about order,
418
00:21:32,208 --> 00:21:34,708
speaking to Barnett on the
phone from the White House.
419
00:22:01,583 --> 00:22:04,500
- The governor refused to
follow up with firm efforts
420
00:22:04,583 --> 00:22:07,125
to help quell
the violence in Oxford.
421
00:22:07,250 --> 00:22:09,750
? ?
422
00:22:09,875 --> 00:22:11,708
Amidst the chaos,
Kennedy activated
423
00:22:11,833 --> 00:22:15,667
the Mississippi
National Guard.
424
00:22:15,792 --> 00:22:19,542
The violence continued
unabated for hours
425
00:22:19,708 --> 00:22:23,417
and well into the early
morning of October 1st,
426
00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:28,458
when federal troops finally
arrived and crushed the riot.
427
00:22:28,542 --> 00:22:31,667
Two people were killed,
hundreds were wounded,
428
00:22:31,792 --> 00:22:36,250
and many were arrested
during the riots.
429
00:22:36,375 --> 00:22:40,667
At last,
on October 1, 1962,
430
00:22:40,833 --> 00:22:43,958
Meredith was able
to register for courses.
431
00:22:44,083 --> 00:22:46,875
He was the first
African American student
432
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:52,292
registered at the
University of Mississippi.
433
00:22:52,417 --> 00:22:55,125
- When you have that
kind of tenacity,
434
00:22:55,250 --> 00:22:57,000
and you've got
internal fortitude,
435
00:22:57,167 --> 00:22:58,833
you've got this courage.
436
00:22:59,042 --> 00:23:01,375
He's a tremendous model
437
00:23:01,458 --> 00:23:04,208
for what it means
to be an American.
438
00:23:04,333 --> 00:23:05,958
- James Meredith's integration
439
00:23:06,083 --> 00:23:08,833
at the University
of Mississippi showed Kennedy
440
00:23:08,958 --> 00:23:10,708
the deadly consequences
441
00:23:10,875 --> 00:23:14,167
of trying to negotiate with
figures like Ross Barnett.
442
00:23:14,292 --> 00:23:16,292
? ?
443
00:23:16,417 --> 00:23:17,958
In the future,
his administration
444
00:23:18,083 --> 00:23:20,458
would have to be quicker,
more vigilant,
445
00:23:20,542 --> 00:23:22,250
and less patient
446
00:23:22,417 --> 00:23:25,875
to prevent chaos
like that of Oxford.
447
00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:27,625
- He was cautious.
448
00:23:27,750 --> 00:23:29,542
I think on a lot of issues,
449
00:23:29,708 --> 00:23:33,083
Kennedy was very hesitant
to take bold action.
450
00:23:33,250 --> 00:23:36,417
He was scared of
either overseas
451
00:23:36,542 --> 00:23:39,417
causing a problem
that would turn
452
00:23:39,500 --> 00:23:42,375
into a major and
deadly conflict.
453
00:23:42,458 --> 00:23:44,375
And here in the States,
he was often scared
454
00:23:44,500 --> 00:23:45,792
to use his political capital.
455
00:23:45,875 --> 00:23:47,458
He was worried
about re-election.
456
00:23:47,583 --> 00:23:50,167
He was worried about
angering conservatives
457
00:23:50,292 --> 00:23:52,875
in his own party.
458
00:23:53,000 --> 00:23:56,958
- Kennedy was not,
by nature, a big risk taker.
459
00:23:57,042 --> 00:24:01,375
But he was by nature
a responsible leader.
460
00:24:01,542 --> 00:24:03,625
He was one of those
that took a long time
461
00:24:03,708 --> 00:24:06,208
to make a decision.
462
00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:08,375
- You know,
caution has its limits,
463
00:24:08,500 --> 00:24:10,500
and it can be incredibly
problematic.
464
00:24:10,583 --> 00:24:12,833
But I think there is something
to it that's important,
465
00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,750
even when the stakes
are intense,
466
00:24:15,875 --> 00:24:19,292
and deadly,
and every minute counts.
467
00:24:19,375 --> 00:24:22,708
- Over time, Kennedy would
learn the presidency could
468
00:24:22,833 --> 00:24:26,667
only be a tool for change if
the one who held the office
469
00:24:26,875 --> 00:24:29,000
had the courage to act.
470
00:24:29,083 --> 00:24:33,708
And soon, a situation in Cuba
would force his hand.
471
00:24:38,042 --> 00:24:43,292
? ?
472
00:24:43,375 --> 00:24:44,708
- Just weeks
after the crisis
473
00:24:44,875 --> 00:24:47,042
at the University
of Mississippi,
474
00:24:47,167 --> 00:24:49,333
the world was catapulted into
475
00:24:49,458 --> 00:24:52,958
the most dangerous chapter
in its history.
476
00:24:53,083 --> 00:24:55,750
As early as August 1962,
477
00:24:55,875 --> 00:24:59,042
director of Central
Intelligence John McCone
478
00:24:59,167 --> 00:25:04,250
began to receive unusual
intelligence reports.
479
00:25:04,375 --> 00:25:06,833
These reports
described Russian ships
480
00:25:06,958 --> 00:25:11,375
transporting Soviet soldiers
and technicians to Cuba,
481
00:25:11,542 --> 00:25:14,167
which was governed
by dictator Fidel Castro.
482
00:25:14,208 --> 00:25:15,958
- [speaking Spanish]
483
00:25:16,083 --> 00:25:19,375
- The Cuban Coast was only
90 miles from Florida.
484
00:25:19,542 --> 00:25:22,708
- Many Soviet ships were
crossing the Atlantic.
485
00:25:22,833 --> 00:25:24,792
That was, you know,
very obvious.
486
00:25:24,875 --> 00:25:28,625
We were tracking the ships,
and it soon became clear
487
00:25:28,750 --> 00:25:30,750
that they were not just
taking agricultural equipment
488
00:25:30,875 --> 00:25:32,542
and food supplies to Cuba.
489
00:25:32,667 --> 00:25:34,083
They were taking
military equipment.
490
00:25:34,208 --> 00:25:37,000
And we picked up from
electronic intelligence
491
00:25:37,167 --> 00:25:39,583
signals the fact that
they were deploying
492
00:25:39,708 --> 00:25:44,083
a anti-aircraft system all
around the periphery of Cuba.
493
00:25:44,208 --> 00:25:45,917
? ?
494
00:25:46,042 --> 00:25:48,833
- On August 22,
it was reported that
495
00:25:48,958 --> 00:25:52,333
as many as 20 Soviet
vessels may have arrived
496
00:25:52,458 --> 00:25:55,042
in Cuba with military cargo.
497
00:25:55,125 --> 00:25:58,167
- These new shipments
do not constitute
498
00:25:58,333 --> 00:26:02,833
a serious threat to any other
part of this hemisphere.
499
00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,875
If, at any time,
the Communist buildup in Cuba
500
00:26:07,042 --> 00:26:11,750
were to endanger or interfere
with our security in any way
501
00:26:11,875 --> 00:26:16,708
or become an offensive military
base of significant capacity
502
00:26:16,833 --> 00:26:19,417
for the Soviet Union,
then this country
503
00:26:19,542 --> 00:26:23,625
will do whatever must be done
to protect its own security
504
00:26:23,708 --> 00:26:26,083
and that of its allies.
505
00:26:26,208 --> 00:26:29,125
It is under our most
careful surveillance.
506
00:26:29,250 --> 00:26:31,208
? ?
507
00:26:31,333 --> 00:26:33,917
- That became a debate
in the U.S. government,
508
00:26:34,042 --> 00:26:37,083
actually, largely between
the head of the CIA
509
00:26:37,167 --> 00:26:39,667
and other people
in the government about
510
00:26:39,750 --> 00:26:41,917
what the Soviets were up to.
511
00:26:42,042 --> 00:26:45,875
And then the U.S. also had
people on the ground
512
00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:48,750
who were sending reports
back to Washington
513
00:26:48,875 --> 00:26:52,167
about these strange objects
that were trundling through
514
00:26:52,375 --> 00:26:55,708
Cuban towns, you know,
long, tube-like things.
515
00:26:55,792 --> 00:26:58,667
Career people in the
CIA didn't believe
516
00:26:58,792 --> 00:27:02,583
that Khrushchev would
gamble so heavily
517
00:27:02,667 --> 00:27:04,792
as to send nuclear missiles
to Cuba.
518
00:27:04,875 --> 00:27:08,000
They thought this was some other
kind of military equipment.
519
00:27:08,125 --> 00:27:11,750
- And the only way to
check its reliability
520
00:27:11,917 --> 00:27:14,500
was by sending U-2 spy planes.
521
00:27:14,667 --> 00:27:18,833
? ?
522
00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:20,958
- The Americans,
of course, were flying
523
00:27:21,083 --> 00:27:25,875
U-2 high altitude spy aircraft
over Cuba routinely.
524
00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,042
- There's an area that's
not far from Havana,
525
00:27:29,208 --> 00:27:33,667
where a spy has
provided information
526
00:27:33,792 --> 00:27:36,833
that is very, very worrisome.
527
00:27:36,958 --> 00:27:39,125
And so the intelligence
community convinces
528
00:27:39,292 --> 00:27:41,542
Bobby Kennedy, who was the
president's representative
529
00:27:41,708 --> 00:27:44,000
on the group that
decides these U-2 flights,
530
00:27:44,167 --> 00:27:46,708
convinces him and convinces
the National Security Advisor
531
00:27:46,875 --> 00:27:49,583
McGeorge Bundy to take
the risk of one more flight.
532
00:27:49,708 --> 00:27:53,833
? ?
533
00:27:54,000 --> 00:27:56,833
- They sent a U-2 over Cuba.
534
00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,167
They took photographs and
were able to measure precisely
535
00:28:01,250 --> 00:28:03,042
the length of these tubes.
536
00:28:03,208 --> 00:28:06,333
And they discovered
that they were,
537
00:28:06,417 --> 00:28:08,000
in fact, nuclear missiles.
538
00:28:08,042 --> 00:28:11,000
[tense music]
539
00:28:11,125 --> 00:28:13,000
? ?
540
00:28:13,083 --> 00:28:16,333
This material was being
shipped to Cuba by the Soviets
541
00:28:16,458 --> 00:28:18,250
for two main reasons--
542
00:28:18,375 --> 00:28:21,333
to defend Castro and his
regime against another attack
543
00:28:21,500 --> 00:28:22,958
like the Bay of Pigs,
544
00:28:23,083 --> 00:28:26,500
and to retaliate
against the United States.
545
00:28:26,625 --> 00:28:29,417
The U.S. had Jupiter
missiles stationed
546
00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:33,333
in Turkey within firing
distance of the Soviet Union.
547
00:28:33,375 --> 00:28:38,500
And the Soviet Premier decided
it was time to even the score.
548
00:28:38,583 --> 00:28:40,292
- The missiles
looks like the way
549
00:28:40,417 --> 00:28:44,542
to deal with both problems,
the issue of the losing
550
00:28:44,708 --> 00:28:46,833
the arms race to
the United States
551
00:28:46,917 --> 00:28:49,750
and establish his
position as the leader
552
00:28:49,875 --> 00:28:51,458
of the Communist world.
553
00:28:51,625 --> 00:28:53,958
- For the Soviet Union
554
00:28:54,083 --> 00:28:58,083
to have a Communist government
555
00:28:58,208 --> 00:29:01,458
90 miles
from the United States
556
00:29:01,583 --> 00:29:03,583
in the Western hemisphere
557
00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:05,958
was a tremendous advantage.
558
00:29:06,083 --> 00:29:08,125
? ?
559
00:29:08,208 --> 00:29:11,667
- He was just simply fed up
with seeing America
560
00:29:11,833 --> 00:29:13,500
kind of flex its muscles.
561
00:29:13,542 --> 00:29:15,958
The way he thought
he would get even
562
00:29:16,083 --> 00:29:20,167
was to station nuclear missiles
563
00:29:20,292 --> 00:29:23,250
right next
to the United States in Cuba.
564
00:29:23,375 --> 00:29:25,458
So he thought he could
push Kennedy around.
565
00:29:25,583 --> 00:29:29,042
- [speaking Russian]
566
00:29:33,208 --> 00:29:35,792
- The CIA estimated
that there were
567
00:29:35,917 --> 00:29:39,292
10,000 Soviet troops in Cuba.
568
00:29:39,375 --> 00:29:41,500
There were 42,000.
569
00:29:41,625 --> 00:29:43,750
? ?
570
00:29:43,875 --> 00:29:46,417
[crowds cheering]
571
00:29:46,542 --> 00:29:49,250
- Khrushchev saw his
572
00:29:49,375 --> 00:29:53,292
secret deployment
of missiles to Cuba
573
00:29:53,417 --> 00:29:57,167
as the most dramatic
574
00:29:57,292 --> 00:30:01,417
and potentially
successful action
575
00:30:01,542 --> 00:30:04,542
of his entire career.
576
00:30:04,708 --> 00:30:06,833
? ?
577
00:30:06,958 --> 00:30:10,125
- The United States government
now had definitive proof
578
00:30:10,208 --> 00:30:13,875
from hundreds of photographs
taken by U.S. spy planes
579
00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:15,833
that the Soviets
were installing
580
00:30:15,917 --> 00:30:19,000
missile launching sites
in Cuba.
581
00:30:19,167 --> 00:30:22,625
The photos showed a series
of newly-built installations
582
00:30:22,708 --> 00:30:25,125
in the Cuban countryside.
583
00:30:25,292 --> 00:30:28,500
The man who took these photos,
Major Richard Heiser,
584
00:30:28,583 --> 00:30:31,708
later remarked that he was
worried his photographs
585
00:30:31,833 --> 00:30:35,458
would start a war.
586
00:30:35,583 --> 00:30:39,958
On October 15, the CIA
observed launchers, missiles,
587
00:30:40,042 --> 00:30:43,417
and transport trucks
amid active construction
588
00:30:43,542 --> 00:30:45,167
at the launching sites.
589
00:30:45,333 --> 00:30:48,792
Shipments to the island
included nuclear weapons
590
00:30:48,917 --> 00:30:52,083
within firing distance
of major U.S. cities,
591
00:30:52,208 --> 00:30:56,958
like Washington, DC,
and New York City.
592
00:30:57,042 --> 00:30:59,708
The might of Soviet
nuclear power
593
00:30:59,875 --> 00:31:02,083
was now on America's doorstep.
594
00:31:06,542 --> 00:31:10,833
? ?
595
00:31:10,917 --> 00:31:13,042
- On the morning of the 16th,
596
00:31:13,208 --> 00:31:17,292
Kennedy's National Security
Advisor McGeorge Bundy
597
00:31:17,417 --> 00:31:20,625
knocks on his bedroom door
and says,
598
00:31:20,750 --> 00:31:23,125
we've discovered
missiles in Cuba.
599
00:31:23,250 --> 00:31:26,625
? ?
600
00:31:26,792 --> 00:31:30,708
- What had seemed impossible
was now a stark reality.
601
00:31:30,833 --> 00:31:32,917
? ?
602
00:31:33,042 --> 00:31:36,042
- Kennedy creates a committee
of his closest advisors,
603
00:31:36,167 --> 00:31:37,500
which they call
the Executive Committee
604
00:31:37,625 --> 00:31:40,125
of the National Security
Council, or the EXCOMM.
605
00:32:48,208 --> 00:32:50,708
- Too much aggression
could start a war,
606
00:32:50,875 --> 00:32:53,542
but doing nothing
was not an option.
607
00:32:53,708 --> 00:32:55,500
Kennedy had a choice to make--
608
00:32:55,625 --> 00:32:59,792
attack the Soviet missile
sites, launch an invasion,
609
00:32:59,875 --> 00:33:04,542
or install a blockade
around the island.
610
00:33:04,667 --> 00:33:07,125
- There were some in the
Kennedy administration,
611
00:33:07,250 --> 00:33:10,000
notably Curtis LeMay,
who was advocating,
612
00:33:10,125 --> 00:33:11,917
we just need to bomb Cuba.
613
00:33:12,042 --> 00:33:13,833
We need to attack and
wipe out these missiles
614
00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:17,292
before they can become
operational.
615
00:33:17,375 --> 00:33:21,208
- According to Ted Sorensen,
Vice President Lyndon Johnson
616
00:33:21,333 --> 00:33:23,458
voiced his support
for bombing.
617
00:33:23,542 --> 00:33:29,125
- The Joint Chiefs of Staff are
unified in their determination
618
00:33:29,208 --> 00:33:32,000
that we should bomb
and we should invade.
619
00:33:32,125 --> 00:33:35,417
And they keep pressing
that position.
620
00:33:35,542 --> 00:33:37,458
? ?
621
00:33:37,583 --> 00:33:40,333
- Kennedy was worried
because the blockade
622
00:33:40,417 --> 00:33:43,250
didn't remove the missiles
that were already there.
623
00:33:43,375 --> 00:33:45,667
The blockade would
only prevent
624
00:33:45,792 --> 00:33:48,917
more missiles
from coming there.
625
00:33:49,042 --> 00:33:50,750
He's holding out
the possibility
626
00:33:50,875 --> 00:33:52,208
of launching an airstrike.
627
00:33:52,375 --> 00:33:54,500
But he goes to the
Air Force and he says,
628
00:33:54,667 --> 00:33:58,292
can you assure me
that you can get all of them?
629
00:33:58,417 --> 00:34:01,292
And they say to him,
we have, for the records,
630
00:34:01,417 --> 00:34:04,208
no, Mr. President, we can't.
631
00:34:04,333 --> 00:34:07,333
Secondly, we don't know
if we will actually
632
00:34:07,458 --> 00:34:09,375
hit all the targets
in our first airstrike.
633
00:34:09,500 --> 00:34:11,625
And then Kennedy asked, well,
what happens if you don't?
634
00:34:11,750 --> 00:34:14,708
And they say to him,
about 30 million people
635
00:34:14,833 --> 00:34:17,208
in the southeast of the
United States are in jeopardy.
636
00:34:17,333 --> 00:34:24,000
? ?
637
00:34:24,083 --> 00:34:25,333
- The first thing
that I think about
638
00:34:25,500 --> 00:34:27,167
when I think about
the Cuban Missile Crisis
639
00:34:27,292 --> 00:34:29,875
is how much worse
the situation was
640
00:34:29,958 --> 00:34:33,625
than the people
at the time knew.
641
00:34:33,708 --> 00:34:37,292
- Kennedy's administration did
not know that Soviet missiles
642
00:34:37,417 --> 00:34:40,375
were already prepared to fire.
643
00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:43,500
? ?
644
00:34:43,542 --> 00:34:46,500
- Now, can you imagine
our 90,000 troops
645
00:34:46,625 --> 00:34:49,792
hitting the beaches,
parachuting in,
646
00:34:49,917 --> 00:34:51,958
and being blown off
the beaches
647
00:34:52,083 --> 00:34:54,583
by tactical nuclear weapons?
648
00:34:54,708 --> 00:34:59,375
How could the United States
not respond in some way?
649
00:34:59,542 --> 00:35:02,792
And then how could
the Soviets not respond
650
00:35:02,917 --> 00:35:04,542
to the United States' response?
651
00:35:04,708 --> 00:35:07,167
- This was--
652
00:35:07,292 --> 00:35:08,792
this was not just
the last mistake
653
00:35:08,917 --> 00:35:10,167
he would make politically.
654
00:35:10,292 --> 00:35:11,667
This was--
could be the last mistake
655
00:35:11,833 --> 00:35:14,125
that anybody makes politically.
656
00:35:14,250 --> 00:35:15,833
- It would have been very easy
657
00:35:15,958 --> 00:35:17,833
for a "Guns of August"
situation,
658
00:35:17,958 --> 00:35:21,417
where this escalates quickly
into a nuclear confrontation.
659
00:35:21,542 --> 00:35:23,833
And there's lessons
we can take,
660
00:35:23,958 --> 00:35:26,375
even without romanticizing
661
00:35:26,500 --> 00:35:28,417
how perfect Kennedy was
during this.
662
00:35:28,542 --> 00:35:31,292
One is the importance
of deliberation.
663
00:35:31,375 --> 00:35:35,500
I mean, it is remarkable
that the president,
664
00:35:35,625 --> 00:35:37,583
in these moments
of heightened crisis,
665
00:35:37,708 --> 00:35:39,250
doesn't always act first.
666
00:35:39,375 --> 00:35:43,167
He thinks.
He listens. He analyzes.
667
00:35:43,250 --> 00:35:45,375
- Had he been impatient,
668
00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:48,208
he would have gone with
his first instinct,
669
00:35:48,375 --> 00:35:51,167
which was the first
instinct of his advisors.
670
00:35:51,292 --> 00:35:55,958
But he looked at Khrushchev
not as a madman,
671
00:35:56,042 --> 00:35:58,500
but as a fellow politician
672
00:35:58,625 --> 00:36:02,042
who has gotten himself
in a pretty rough spot.
673
00:36:02,208 --> 00:36:04,917
And it is my job,
Jack Kennedy,
674
00:36:05,042 --> 00:36:06,500
president of
the United States,
675
00:36:06,583 --> 00:36:10,000
to help him
get out of this place.
676
00:36:10,167 --> 00:36:14,458
And I need to do it patiently.
677
00:36:14,542 --> 00:36:18,542
- I think we were very lucky
that it was Kennedy.
678
00:36:18,708 --> 00:36:22,083
Because there's no question
in my mind
679
00:36:22,208 --> 00:36:27,083
that whether it was Johnson
or Nixon or Eisenhower,
680
00:36:27,167 --> 00:36:31,625
they would have invaded Cuba.
681
00:36:31,750 --> 00:36:35,000
- And Kennedy was not
convinced that a blockade
682
00:36:35,125 --> 00:36:38,000
would lead to the Soviets
withdrawing their missiles.
683
00:36:38,083 --> 00:36:40,625
There was no reason
to believe that.
684
00:36:40,708 --> 00:36:43,292
But he recognized,
and that's what makes him
685
00:36:43,417 --> 00:36:45,250
such an interesting leader.
686
00:36:45,375 --> 00:36:48,542
He recognized that he
had no better options.
687
00:36:48,708 --> 00:36:50,250
- A blockade could
be considered
688
00:36:50,375 --> 00:36:52,208
a declaration of war.
689
00:36:52,333 --> 00:36:55,667
But Kennedy saw it as
the best path forward.
690
00:36:55,833 --> 00:36:59,083
With the president's decision
made and millions of lives
691
00:36:59,208 --> 00:37:02,125
on the line, the two
most powerful countries
692
00:37:02,208 --> 00:37:06,167
in the world stared each other
down at point blank range.
693
00:37:09,917 --> 00:37:12,917
- We stood on the
brink of a nuclear war.
694
00:37:13,042 --> 00:37:17,542
We could not be certain
what the Soviet response
695
00:37:17,708 --> 00:37:22,042
would be to the actions
taken by the president.
696
00:37:22,167 --> 00:37:24,583
There were times when it
looked as though it would be
697
00:37:24,708 --> 00:37:28,292
a violent response,
in which case
698
00:37:28,417 --> 00:37:33,167
he was determined to go ahead,
come what may.
699
00:37:33,292 --> 00:37:40,000
? ?
700
00:37:40,167 --> 00:37:43,542
- One of the problems, when
we think about nuclear war,
701
00:37:43,708 --> 00:37:46,667
is the fact that we've only
ever seen nuclear bombs
702
00:37:46,875 --> 00:37:49,167
used twice during war,
703
00:37:49,292 --> 00:37:51,333
once in Hiroshima
and once in Nagasaki.
704
00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:56,208
And the reality is, in 1945,
those were two comparatively
705
00:37:56,333 --> 00:37:59,667
tiny, experimental
prototype weapons,
706
00:37:59,792 --> 00:38:02,833
that did, yes, of course,
devastating amount of damage--
707
00:38:03,000 --> 00:38:05,292
about a radius of four miles
of Hiroshima
708
00:38:05,375 --> 00:38:07,208
was wiped off the map.
709
00:38:07,375 --> 00:38:11,125
But 20 years later,
by the 1960s,
710
00:38:11,208 --> 00:38:15,417
nuclear weapons had become
exponentially more powerful.
711
00:38:15,542 --> 00:38:17,375
These weren't
city killers anymore,
712
00:38:17,500 --> 00:38:19,167
as the Hiroshima bomb was.
713
00:38:19,292 --> 00:38:20,917
These were country killers.
714
00:38:21,042 --> 00:38:25,167
? ?
715
00:38:25,333 --> 00:38:28,208
- Instead of 20,000 tons
of TNT equivalent,
716
00:38:28,375 --> 00:38:32,500
you're talking about
30 or 40 million tons of TNT.
717
00:38:32,583 --> 00:38:35,208
So the destructive power
of this stuff was enormous.
718
00:38:35,375 --> 00:38:37,167
The ability to deliver it
through missiles
719
00:38:37,250 --> 00:38:38,708
meant that the warning time
was a matter
720
00:38:38,875 --> 00:38:40,458
of minutes, not hours.
721
00:38:40,583 --> 00:38:43,667
- If we begin this blockade,
722
00:38:43,750 --> 00:38:46,583
then we will continue
the surveillance.
723
00:38:46,708 --> 00:38:48,750
I would anticipate two
or three things-- first,
724
00:38:48,875 --> 00:38:51,625
that Khrushchev will make
a statement that any attack
725
00:38:51,750 --> 00:38:54,333
upon Cuba will be
regarded as an attack
726
00:38:54,417 --> 00:38:55,917
upon the Soviet Union
and be responded to
727
00:38:56,083 --> 00:38:59,125
by all the weapons at
their command, number one.
728
00:38:59,250 --> 00:39:01,500
Number two is
we have to assume,
729
00:39:01,583 --> 00:39:04,958
that as this surveillance
continues, with the U-2s,
730
00:39:05,083 --> 00:39:07,208
that these SAM sites
may shoot one down.
731
00:39:07,375 --> 00:39:10,167
At that point, then,
we were just
732
00:39:10,292 --> 00:39:12,333
discussing what action
we will take
733
00:39:12,458 --> 00:39:14,125
in attacking the SAM site.
734
00:39:14,250 --> 00:39:15,833
So I would assume
that this will only
735
00:39:15,958 --> 00:39:17,792
be the first of a rather--
736
00:39:17,917 --> 00:39:20,417
of an increasing
number of steps.
737
00:39:20,542 --> 00:39:23,167
We're not going to be in
any position to carry out
738
00:39:23,333 --> 00:39:24,833
an invasion
for some days because
739
00:39:24,958 --> 00:39:27,833
we have to move those troops
around from San Diego.
740
00:39:27,958 --> 00:39:30,667
But we're going to do all
those things, and as I say,
741
00:39:30,833 --> 00:39:34,125
we can anticipate that it
will be getting more intense.
742
00:39:34,250 --> 00:39:36,875
- In the words of writer
Mark Twain,
743
00:39:37,042 --> 00:39:41,208
history doesn't repeat
itself, but it often rhymes.
744
00:39:41,333 --> 00:39:44,625
As speechwriter Ted Sorensen
prepared Kennedy's speech
745
00:39:44,708 --> 00:39:48,500
on the Cuban Missile Crisis,
he referenced Woodrow Wilson's
746
00:39:48,583 --> 00:39:52,542
World War I and Franklin
Roosevelt's World War II
747
00:39:52,708 --> 00:39:54,833
declaration of war speeches.
748
00:39:54,917 --> 00:39:59,667
Sorensen drafted each word
with the utmost caution.
749
00:39:59,833 --> 00:40:02,208
Like the Bay of Pigs
the year before,
750
00:40:02,375 --> 00:40:05,042
a dark cloud of
stress and anxiety
751
00:40:05,167 --> 00:40:06,917
settled over the White House.
752
00:40:07,042 --> 00:40:08,458
During discussions,
753
00:40:08,583 --> 00:40:10,667
Kennedy turned
to his old rival,
754
00:40:10,750 --> 00:40:15,125
now Senate Majority Whip
Hubert Humphrey.
755
00:40:15,250 --> 00:40:17,708
If I'd known the job was
this tough, said Kennedy,
756
00:40:17,875 --> 00:40:22,000
I wouldn't have beaten you
in West Virginia.
757
00:40:22,167 --> 00:40:25,458
After days of preparation,
including countless meetings
758
00:40:25,583 --> 00:40:28,125
with his brother Bobby,
Ted Sorensen,
759
00:40:28,208 --> 00:40:31,958
and other close advisors,
Kennedy decided it was time
760
00:40:32,042 --> 00:40:35,375
to address the nation
as the country prepared
761
00:40:35,500 --> 00:40:39,167
for a full-scale nuclear war.
762
00:40:39,250 --> 00:40:42,000
? ?
763
00:40:42,167 --> 00:40:45,625
- In terms of how
dangerous the situation is,
764
00:40:45,708 --> 00:40:49,000
and at this point, we were
at one step from going to war.
765
00:40:49,125 --> 00:40:51,833
? ?
766
00:40:51,958 --> 00:40:54,667
- On the evening
of October 22,
767
00:40:54,750 --> 00:40:57,917
Kennedy sat behind his desk
in the Oval Office,
768
00:40:58,042 --> 00:41:01,500
surrounded by cameras
and members of the press.
769
00:41:01,625 --> 00:41:04,333
Finally, he spoke.
770
00:41:04,417 --> 00:41:07,167
- Good evening,
my fellow citizens.
771
00:41:07,292 --> 00:41:11,708
This government, as promised,
has maintained the closest
772
00:41:11,875 --> 00:41:15,167
surveillance of the
Soviet military buildup
773
00:41:15,292 --> 00:41:17,333
on the island of Cuba.
774
00:41:17,500 --> 00:41:20,708
Within the past week,
unmistakable evidence
775
00:41:20,875 --> 00:41:23,667
has established the
fact that a series
776
00:41:23,792 --> 00:41:28,083
of offensive missile sites
is now in preparation
777
00:41:28,208 --> 00:41:30,000
on that imprisoned island.
778
00:41:30,125 --> 00:41:33,250
? ?
779
00:41:33,375 --> 00:41:36,792
My fellow citizens,
let no one doubt
780
00:41:36,917 --> 00:41:40,333
that this is a difficult
and dangerous effort
781
00:41:40,500 --> 00:41:43,708
on which we have set out.
782
00:41:43,875 --> 00:41:48,667
Many months of sacrifice
and self-discipline lie ahead,
783
00:41:48,792 --> 00:41:51,167
months in which
both our patience
784
00:41:51,292 --> 00:41:53,333
and our will
will be tested.
785
00:41:53,458 --> 00:41:56,708
[drums beating]
786
00:42:00,083 --> 00:42:02,875
- I have directed the
armed forces to prepare
787
00:42:03,042 --> 00:42:04,792
for any eventuality.
788
00:42:04,875 --> 00:42:07,667
- That's the only time I felt
as though it could be over.
789
00:42:07,833 --> 00:42:11,042
- The two sides were close
to nuclear war.
790
00:42:11,208 --> 00:42:12,667
- We must labor on,
791
00:42:12,750 --> 00:42:14,542
not towards a strategy
of annihilation,
792
00:42:14,708 --> 00:42:16,583
but towards
a strategy of peace.
793
00:42:16,708 --> 00:42:18,208
- Kennedy is feeling
the pressure
794
00:42:18,375 --> 00:42:19,583
from the Civil Rights
activists.
795
00:42:19,708 --> 00:42:22,125
- I say, segregation now,
796
00:42:22,292 --> 00:42:24,083
segregation tomorrow,
797
00:42:24,250 --> 00:42:26,542
and segregation forever.
798
00:42:26,625 --> 00:42:29,250
- George Wallace says,
I will bar James Hood
799
00:42:29,375 --> 00:42:33,167
and Vivian Malone from this
citadel of white supremacy,
800
00:42:33,292 --> 00:42:34,292
the University of Alabama.
801
00:42:34,375 --> 00:42:37,000
? ?
802
00:42:37,050 --> 00:42:41,600
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