Smithsonian American Art Museum
American Visionary: John F. Kennedy’s Life and Times
May 3 – September 17, 2017
Checklist
Note: All images are 11 x 14 inches
1.1 The Making of JFK
John “Jack” Fitzgerald Kennedy at Nantasket Beach, Massachusetts, about 1918
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Corbis Historical/Getty Images)
The still-growing Kennedy family spent summers in Hull, Massachusetts, on the Boston
Harbor up to the mid-1920s, before establishing the family compound in Hyannis Port.
1.2 The Making of JFK
Young Jack in the ocean with his father nearby, early 1920s
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Library Foundation)
Kennedy’s young life was punctuated with bouts of illness, but his teachers described him
as a tenacious boy who played hard. He developed a great love of reading early, with a
special interest in British and European history.
1.3 The Making of JFK
Joseph Kennedy with sons Jack (left) and Joseph Patrick Jr., Brookline, Massachusetts,
1919
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Library Foundation)
In 1919 Joe Kennedy began his career as a stockbroker, following a position as bank
president, which he had assumed in 1913 at age twenty-five. By 1935, his wealth had
grown to $180 million, the equivalent to just over $3 billion today.
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1.4 The Making of JFK
The Kennedy children, June 1926
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Joe Jr., Jack, Rose Marie, Kathleen, and Eunice, taken the year Joe Kennedy Sr. first
rented the family summer home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts.
1.5 The Making of JFK
Traveling Europe on break from college, The Hague, 1937
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
During prep school Kennedy’s instructors often remarked that he was a disorganized
student whose work rarely matched his abilities, but an astute housemaster noted, “When
he grows up enough to gain seriousness of purpose, he will make a real contribution.”
1.6 The Making of JFK
The Kennedy family at home, Bronxville, New York, 1937
Bradford Bachrach (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Joe Sr., Pat, Jack, Jean, Eunice, Bobby, Kathleen, Teddy, Rosemary, Joe Jr., and Rose
pose for a family portrait in the home Jack spent some of his formative years.
1.7 The Making of JFK
Vatican City, 1939
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
During Joe Sr.’s service as U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, the Kennedy family
attended the coronation of Pope Pius XII. Later that year, JFK spent his second college
semester working at the American embassy in Paris and traveled to Poland, Moscow, and
Berlin.
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1.8 The Making of JFK
On the dance floor, London, 1939
Peter Hunter (Courtesy Magnum Photos)
Eunice Kennedy celebrated her eighteenth birthday during the family’s residence in
London. While Joseph Kennedy served as ambassador, the family enjoyed a privileged
life.
1.9 The Making of JFK
Harvard University graduation, Cambridge, Massachusetts, June 1940
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
In prep school, the highest grade Kennedy received in public speaking was, remarkably, a
C+. At Harvard, Jack excelled; he made the dean’s list, graduated cum laude, and
published his senior thesis under the title Why England Slept, which became a bestseller.
1.10 The Making of JFK
Lieutenant Kennedy, Solomon Islands, South Pacific, 1943
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Corbis Historical/Getty Images)
When Kennedy applied to the Army’s Officer Candidate School, he was rejected due to
back problems, ulcers, and asthma. A year later, he was granted an exception and joined
the Naval Reserve, which led to his position as commander of the patrol torpedo boat PT109.
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1.11 The Making of JFK
Navy Marine Corps Medal ceremony, Boston, June 12, 1944
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Bettmann/Corbis/Getty Images)
On his thirty-first mission, a Japanese destroyer sank Kennedy’s torpedo boat in the South
Pacific. Two members of his crew died; Kennedy led the rest to safety, and was awarded
the Navy Marine Corps Medal for “extremely heroic conduct as Commanding Officer.”
1.12 The Making of JFK
Photo booth portrait, 1953
(Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
The senator and his new wife pose in a photo booth, possibly during their honeymoon.
Before accepting his marriage proposal, Jackie, an avid equestrienne, confided to a friend
that she might be marrying a man who was allergic to horses, something she would have
never considered before meeting Jack.
1.13 The Making of JFK
Jack and Jackie stroll Georgetown with Ethel Kennedy, Washington, DC, May 8, 1954
Orlando Suero (Courtesy Ullstein Bild/Getty Images)
Prior to meeting Jack, Bouvier worked for the Washington Times-Herald as reporter and
photographer for a daily Q&A feature. She had studied at the University of Grenoble in
France, the Sorbonne in Paris, and earned a B.A. in French literature from George
Washington University.
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1.14 The Making of JFK
Wedding day, Newport, Rhode Island, September 12, 1953
Lisa Larsen (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
By the time the Kennedys married, the senator was receiving considerable attention from
the national press. Their wedding was the social event of the season attended by 1,200
guests, among them diplomats, senators, and notable members of the old-guard; it
reportedly drew two thousand additional spectators outside the church.
1.15 The Making of JFK
Jack with daughter Caroline, Georgetown, Washington, DC, March 25, 1958
Ed Clark (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Two years before Kennedy announced his presidential run, the North American
Newspaper Alliance broke the news of Jackie’s pregnancy, writing, “A vital element has
been added to the well-planned and generously financed campaign to make Senator Jack
Kennedy president of the United States.”
1.16 The Making of JFK
Kennedy for Congress headquarters, Boston, September 1946
Yale Joel (Courtesy, The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)
The twenty-eight-year-old son of a millionaire with no firsthand experience in politics was
an unlikely candidate for Massachusetts’ blue-collar Eleventh District, but Joe Sr.’s
promotional savvy and political connections provided an edge that was surpassed only by
JFK’s reputation as a war hero.
1.17 The Making of JFK
Filming a commercial for his 1952 Senate run
Yale Joel (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
As senator, Kennedy was a strong supporter of housing legislation for lower-income
Americans, and introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage. During this period, he also
worked on his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Profiles in Courage (1956).
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1.18 The Making of JFK
Campaign event, Worcester, Massachusetts, May 18, 1952
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Recuperating from back surgery, the congressman greets women at a campaign tea with
sisters Pat and Eunice and mother Rose. The Kennedy women proved invaluable in
reaching female voters for all JFK’s campaigns, local, state, and national.
1.19 The Making of JFK
First-year congressman, age twenty-eight, with a longshoremen’s union official, Boston,
1946
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Kennedy was initially ambivalent about running for public office, but a motivated Joe Sr.
helped lead Jack toward a seat in the House of Representatives. He went on to serve three
terms.
1.20 The Making of JFK
The McClellan Committee hearings, Washington, DC, March 1957
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Foreign affairs and domestic labor issues were Kennedy’s primary legislative interests as
senator. He investigated corruption within American labor unions while on the McClellan
Committee, which demonstrated his abilities as a lawmaker. His brother Robert served as
chief counsel.
1.21 The Making of JFK
Democratic National Convention, Chicago, August 16, 1956
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Kennedy stands among his supporters at the Democratic National Convention, where he
lost that year’s bid to run for vice president. Nonetheless, the exposure put him on the
national stage and brought recognition he would build on going into his 1960 presidential
campaign.
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1.22 The Making of JFK
Pre-campaign visit to Coos Bay, Oregon, 1959
Jacques Lowe (Courtesy The Jacques Lowe Estate)
By the time Kennedy formally announced his presidential run in 1960, he had been
campaigning for his party’s nomination for nearly three years—a strategic and necessary
effort since he was considered a long shot among many favored democratic competitors.
1.23 The Making of JFK
Senator Kennedy and fiancée Jacqueline Bouvier, LIFE magazine photo shoot, Hyannis
Port, Massachusetts, June 1953
Hy Peskin (Courtesy Archive Photos/Getty Images)
From the moment they announced their engagement, Jack and Jackie were a couple to
watch—due in no small part to Joe Kennedy’s efforts, who understood the power of an
image and the importance of the press.
1.24 The Making of JFK
Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, 1957
Philippe Halsman (Courtesy Magnum Photos)
The experience he gained while serving as senator on committees for foreign relations,
labor, and public welfare helped Kennedy develop and refine ideas that would shape his
presidential campaign.
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2.1 The Road to the White House
Walking the pier, Nantucket, Massachusetts, July 19, 1960
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Bettmann/Getty Images)
Just days after a decisive win at the Democratic National Convention with more than fifty
percent of the vote to become the party’s nominee, the Kennedys catch the attention of
supporters as they head to their yacht, Marlin, for a cruise on Nantucket Sound.
2.2 The Road to the White House
Kennedy boards the Caroline, 1960
Jacques Lowe (Courtesy The Jacques Lowe Estate)
Kennedy’s private plane, named for his daughter, was purchased by Joe Sr. for the 1960
presidential campaign. The family’s tremendous resources gave Senator Kennedy a
distinct advantage in seeking the presidency.
2.3 The Road to the White House
Campaign stop in Amherstdale, West Virginia, April 1960
Photographer Hank Walker (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Kennedy speaks to Amherst Coal employees on one of fifty-three campaign stops over the
course of a month in West Virginia. Much of President Kennedy’s anti-poverty legislation
was informed by what he learned and witnessed in the rural South.
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2.4 The Road to the White House
Senator Kennedy’s return home, Barnstable Municipal Airport, Hyannis, Massachusetts,
July 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Jackie proved invaluable to the Kennedy campaign and to the presidency. Her gift for
languages and her deep appreciation for culture were widely admired as she represented
the United States, whether addressing Venezuelans in Spanish or enchanting Parisians
with her singular style. In time, her popularity grew to match, and eventually surpass, that
of her husband.
2.5 The Road to the White House
The Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles, July 13, 1960
Ralph Crane (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Life magazine reported on Kennedy’s efforts at the DNC as “steam-rolling the crafty old
pros of the party with ruthless efficiency.” Against a crowded field of six opponents, he
secured nearly twice as many delegates as the second place candidate, Texas Senator
Lyndon Johnson.
2.6 The Road to the White House
Meeting with Bobby during the DNC, Los Angeles, July 13, 1960
Hank Walker (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
To secure the Southern votes necessary to win the general election, Kennedy chose
Lyndon Johnson as his running mate despite an adamant objection from Bobby, who also
served as his campaign manager. At their Los Angeles hotel, he informs his brother of the
decision.
2.7 The Road to the White House
Arrival of the Democratic nominee, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, July 15, 1960
Grey Villet (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
In his acceptance speech, Kennedy outlined his dissatisfaction with America’s progress,
including its lack of opportunity for the poor and disenfranchised and it lagging behind the
Soviets in science and technology.
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2.8 The Road to the White House
Campaigning with California Governor Pat Brown, Los Angeles, 1960
Stanley Tretick (Courtesy Corbis/Getty Images)
Kennedy was one of only two Roman Catholics to run as major-party nominees; the other,
Al Smith, ran in 1928. The anti-Catholic sentiment among Protestants persistently dogged
Kennedy’s campaign throughout the primaries.
2.9 The Road to the White House
Kennedy preparing a speech, Baltimore, September 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Kennedy attracts an unintended audience while preparing a speech for a Democratic rally.
As the election approached Kennedy stepped up criticism of Nixon’s shifting positions:
“What is Mr. Nixon, anyhow?” he asked, “The practical progressive? the outspoken
conservative? the old Nixon? the new Nixon?”
2.10 The Road to the White House
Campaign rally, Amarillo, Texas, November 3, 1960
Richard Pipes
Texas was tough terrain for the Democrats. Even though air traffic was temporarily
suspended for a short rally at the Amarillo airport, Kennedy restrains an irate Johnson as
Republican pilots deliberately run their engines to drown out speakers from the
Democratic Party.
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2.11 The Road to the White House
Kennedy tosses an autographed copy of Profiles in Courage to a supporter, Texas,
September 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
On his swing through Texas in September of 1960, Kennedy found ardent supporters and
faced harsh critics. He spoke to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association hoping to
dispel the suspicion Protestant voters felt about a Catholic candidate.
2.12 The Road to the White House
Richard Nixon campaigns in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, November 1, 1960
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Bettmann/Getty Images)
Nixon was a household name---a two-term incumbent vice president with an impressive
foreign policy resume. Both candidates were considered moderates and enjoyed enormous
popularity among their supporters; by late August, polls showed them tied at 47 percent
each, with 6 percent of the voters undecided.
2.13 The Road to the White House
Jackie watches the fourth debate from the wings, New York City, October 21, 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
The Kennedy-Nixon presidential debates were the first to be televised, creating a new and
indivisible union between politics and the media. "It was the TV more than anything else
that turned the tide," Kennedy later acknowledged.
2.14 The Road to the White House
The third presidential debate, New York City, October 13, 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
For their third of four televised debates, Kennedy is broadcast from New York and Nixon
from Los Angeles, appearing on a split screen. While both the second and third debates
were widely considered Nixon wins, fewer viewers watched this one.
2.15 The Road to the White House
Stump speech, October 1960
Ed Clark (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
“Families forced from the farm will know how to vote,” Kennedy repeated throughout his
campaign. “The unemployed miners and textile workers . . . old people without medical
care . . . families without a decent home . . . parents of children without adequate food or
schools---they all know that it’s time for a change.”
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2.16 The Road to the White House
Bobby and Ethel Kennedy cast their votes, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, November 8,
1960
Jacques Lowe (Courtesy The Jacques Lowe Estate)
The election was the first in which Hawaii and Alaska could participate, having received
statehood a year earlier. It was also the first election affected by the Twenty-Second
Amendment, which prohibits an incumbent president from seeking a third term.
2.17 The Road to the White House
Tallying election results at Nixon headquarters, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles,
November 8, 1960
Lawrence Schiller (Courtesy Polaris Communications Inc.)
The 1960 election was one of the closest races in U.S. history—the technology of the time
didn’t allow for an official call until the morning after the election.
2.18 The Road to the White House
Nixon delivers televised statement at 3:30 a.m., Los Angeles, November 9, 1960
Lawrence Schiller (Courtesy Polaris Communications Inc.)
As election night stretches into the following morning, Nixon alludes to a Kennedy win,
but stops short of conceding. “If the present trend continues . . . Senator Kennedy will be
the next president of the United States,” he said, to the sound of jeering supporters.
2.19 The Road to the White House
Movers transport Kennedy fashion mannequins, New York City, 1961
Yale Joel (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Jackie’s influence on popular style was evident as early as 1960. In its Inauguration Day
issue, Life magazine wrote, “The Jackie bandwagon started before the Wisconsin primary,
as American women began to look admiringly at Mrs. Kennedy’s sophisticated
simplicity.”
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2.20 The Road to the White House
Waiting for election results, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, November 9, 1960
Jacques Lowe (Courtesy The Jacques Lowe Estate)
Gathered in front of the television at Bobby Kennedy’s house the morning after the
election, Kennedy, family, and aides continue to wait for the final call.
2.21 The Road to the White House
Kennedy headquarters, Hyannis Port Armory, Massachusetts, November 9, 1960
Paul Slade (Courtesy Paris Match Archive/Getty Images)
Supporters and campaign volunteers watch as Nixon gives a statement at three thirty in the
morning as votes are still being counted. By six o’clock, the Kennedy margin appeared to
face real threats in Minnesota and Illinois.
2.22 The Road to the White House
Newspapers arrive at campaign headquarters, Hyannis Port Armory, Massachusetts,
November 9, 1960
Henri Dauman (Courtesy Henri Dauman Pictures)
It wasn’t until half past noon the day after the election that Minnesota’s votes took
Kennedy over the top. The popular vote was tight, with Kennedy’s percentage of the
popular vote 49.7 percent to Nixon’s 49.5; the Electoral College margin was larger, with
Kennedy taking 303 votes to Nixon’s 219.
2.23 The Road to the White House
Family portrait, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, November 9, 1960
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Ethel Kennedy, Stephen Smith, Eunice Shriver, Jean Smith, Joseph Kennedy, Rose
Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Patricia Lawford,
Sargent Shriver, Ted Kennedy, Joan Kennedy, and Peter Lawford pose for a portrait the
night of Kennedy’s win.
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2.24 The Road to the White House
The First Couple head to the inauguration ceremony, Washington, DC, January 20, 1961
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Kennedy began to campaign unofficially for president as early as 1956. After years of
voter outreach, thousands of miles traveled, countless rallies and stump speeches—and a
fervid “Stop Kennedy” effort among his rivals—Inauguration Day had finally arrived.
2.25 The Road to the White House
Inauguration speech, East Portico of the U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC, January
20, 1961
Photographer unknown (Courtesy FPG/Getty Images)
“Ask not what your country can do for you,” Kennedy famously stated in his inaugural
message, “ask what you can do for your country.” It was a call to action---a declaration
that democracy is the responsibility of every citizen.
2.26 The Road to the White House
The President and First Lady at an inaugural ball, Washington, DC, January 20, 1961
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
The new president attended all five inaugural balls that evening, was out until almost four
in the morning, and began the first day of his administration on a Saturday morning with a
nine o’clock staff meeting.
3.1 The New Frontier
President Kennedy and a pajama-clad John Jr., Washington, DC, October 15, 1963
Stanley Tretick (Courtesy Corbis Premium Historical/Getty Images)
Every morning, Caroline or John Jr. would walk their father to the Oval Office. Among
the many distinguishing characteristics of the Kennedy White House was the presence of
young children.
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3.2 The New Frontier
White House dinner honoring Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, Washington,
DC, April, 11, 1962
Steve Schapiro
Many of the dresses Mrs. Kennedy wore were collaborations with her principal designer,
Oleg Cassini. “The Jackie Look . . . created a worldwide impression of such dimension
that she became the First Lady of the world,” Cassini later remarked.
3.3 The New Frontier
Cellist Pablo Casals performs in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC,
November 13, 1961
Mark Shaw (Courtesy Mark Shaw Archive)
Kennedy felt it essential for the president to demonstrate a regard for cultural and
intellectual excellence. His administration’s support of the arts was unprecedented, and its
First Lady led the charge.
3.4 The New Frontier
Opening of the Mona Lisa exhibit, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 8,
1963
Abbie Rowe (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
The Mona Lisa traveled to America for the first time on a trip arranged by Jacqueline
Kennedy and the French Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malraux. The painting was
shown in Washington for a historic three-week exhibition at the National Gallery.
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3.5 The New Frontier
Jacqueline Kennedy views plans for the redevelopment of Lafayette Square, Washington,
DC, September 25, 1962
Robert Knudsen (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
Among Jacqueline Kennedy’s many historic preservation efforts was her rescue of the
Renwick Gallery—America’s first building constructed expressly as an art museum in
1854—which was scheduled for demolition.
3.6 The New Frontier
With nieces and nephews at the Kennedy Compound, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, Labor
Day weekend, 1962
Robert Knudsen (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
The President chauffeurs a joy ride for a pile of Kennedy cousins on the family summer
property in Hyannis Port. Family scenes such as this fueled America’s obsession with the
First Family.
3.7 The New Frontier
Caroline and John Jr. play in the Oval Office, Washington, DC, October, 10, 1962
Cecil Stoughton (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
The cohort of soldiers and sailors returning home following World War II established their
families just as the Kennedys’ own children were born; their interests mirrored those of
these growing families across America, sharing the same concerns for their children’s
future in the face of nuclear uncertainty.
3.8 The New Frontier
Surrounded by admirers in Santa Monica, California, August 19, 1962
Bill Beebe (Courtesy Bettmann/Getty Images)
As he emerges from a dip in the ocean, the President is surrounded by a crowd of
supporters outside his sister Pat’s and brother-in-law Peter Lawford’s beach house in Santa
Monica. “That was the best swim I’ve had in months,” he announced.
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3.9 The New Frontier
A sixteen-year-old Bill Clinton meets the President in the White House Rose Garden, July
24, 1963, Washington, DC
Arnold Sachs (Courtesy Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The future president attends the annual American Legion Boys Nation forum as an
Arkansas delegate, an experience that influences Clinton’s decision to pursue a career in
public service.
3.10 The New Frontier
The First Family departs the White House, Washington, DC, late 1961
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Bettmann/Getty Images)
The Kennedys head to their Upperville, Virginia estate by Marine Corps helicopter;
shortly after moving into the White House, the family leased a 400-acre country estate
called Glen Ora to give their children some time away from Washington.
3.11 The New Frontier
At a ground-breaking ceremony for the San Luis Dam, Los Banos, California, August 18,
1962
Sam Vestal (Courtesy Vestal Family Collection)
Upon his visit to the project site, Kennedy’s humor was in fine form. “It is a pleasure for
me to come out here and help blow up this valley—in the cause of progress,” he said, to a
sudden eruption of laugher from the audience.
3.12 The New Frontier
Oval Office, Washington, DC, January 1961
Jacques Lowe (Courtesy The Jacques Lowe Estate)
Kennedy was often captured by photographers standing hunched over his desk, a stance he
adopted in an effort to alleviate the pain from his problem back.
3.13 The New Frontier
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the Lenin
Mausoleum in Red Square, Moscow, 1961
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Universal Images Group/Getty Images)
After the failed U.S. invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs, Castro strengthened his alliance
with the Soviets. The CIA formulated several attempts to assassinate Castro, but none
were successful.
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3.14 The New Frontier
President Kennedy speaks at the United Nations General Assembly, New York City,
September 25, 1961
Photographer unknown (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)
In his address, Kennedy urges the UN to meet the “challenges of our age,” presents six
proposals for a new disarmament program, and provides updates on the current crises in
Berlin, Germany, Laos, and South Vietnam.
3.15 The New Frontier
Nuclear arms protest, New York City, November 3, 1961
Steve Schapiro
Protestors against the arms race march in diapers, masked as the leaders of the world’s two
nuclear superpowers, President Kennedy and Russian Premier Nikita Khruschev.
3.16 The New Frontier
Primary school students during an atomic bomb drill, Los Angeles, about 1962
Lawrence Schiller (Courtesy Polaris Communications Inc./Getty Images)
During the Cold War era, “duck and cover” drills were an attempt to prepare for an atomic
blast and an ominous feature of American life.
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3.17 The New Frontier
Chancellor of West Germany, Konrad Adenauer, and President Kennedy view the
communist wall, West Berlin, Germany, June 26, 1963
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Rex USA)
Kennedy arrives at Checkpoint Charlie to view Berlin’s eastern sector. Opposite the wall,
communist banners erected for his visit bear boastful slogans in English. Many East
Berliners, gathered 200 yards beyond the border, stand in silence.
3.18 The New Frontier
Televised address, Los Angeles, October 22, 1962
Ralph Crane (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
Shoppers in a department store pause to watch President Kennedy make a televised
announcement confirming the presence of Soviet missiles in Cuba, just ninety miles off
the coast of Florida, and the imposition of a U.S. naval blockade.
3.19 The New Frontier
The President boards Air Force One, Palm Beach, Florida, June 1961
Lynn Pelham (Courtesy The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)
For a period during 1961, Kennedy’s back pain made it impossible for him to climb stairs;
he was forced to use a cherry picker to board airplanes.
3.20 The New Frontier
Nikita Khrushchev and Jacqueline Kennedy, Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna, Austria, June 3,
1961
Paul Schutzer (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
The evening prior to the summit between Kennedy and Khrushchev, the Soviet Premier
barraged Jackie with a stream of jokes and boasts. But when Kennedy was asked about his
first meeting with the Soviet Premier, he confessed, “Worst thing in my life. He savaged
me.”
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3.21 The New Frontier
President Kennedy tours NASA facilities in Huntsville, Alabama, September 11, 1961
Bob Gomel (Courtesy The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images)
After the Soviets launched the first successful probe to the moon and surpassed America
with the first human orbit of earth, the Space Race was declared a top priority; Kennedy
promised to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
3.22 The New Frontier
Civil rights demonstrators, Birmingham, Alabama, 1963
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Bettmann/Getty Images)
Segregation protestors brace themselves against the high-pressure fire hoses of firemen
and riot police. By 1963, the contention over integration had reached fever pitch, placing
Kennedy in a difficult position—in taking a stand for social equality he risked alienating
the conservative Democrats who had supported his presidential win.
3.23 The New Frontier
Arrival in Dallas, November 22, 1963
Art Rickerby (Courtesy The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)
The President and Mrs. Kennedy arrive at Love Field during a campaign tour. The
President was advised not to make the trip, but felt it important in order to rally Southern
support for his second term.
3.24 The New Frontier
President Kennedy’s assassination is announced on a national news, New York City,
November 22, 1963
CBS Evening News (Courtesy CBS/Getty Images)
Following a previous report about shots fired at Kennedy in Dallas, CBS news anchor
Walter Cronkite, visibly upset, announces JFK’s death: “the flash, apparently official:
President Kennedy died at one p.m., central standard time.”
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3.25 The New Frontier
President Kennedy is struck by the assassin’s first bullet, Dallas, November 22, 1963
Photographer unknown (Courtesy Popperfoto/Getty Images)
Confused bystanders watch the passing motorcade as Mrs. Kennedy grasps her husband
after he is shot through the back. Texas Governor John Connally, seated in front of the
President, is also hit.
3.26 The New Frontier
Storefront memorial, Washington, DC, November 1963
Dan Budnik (Courtesy Contact Press Images)
In the wake of the assassination, ad hoc memorials appeared in a variety of unlikely
places, as a shaken and distraught nation sought to right itself, express its grief, and honor
its fallen president.
3.27 The New Frontier
Jacqueline Kennedy departs the White House the day of her husband’s state funeral,
Washington, DC, November 25, 1963
I. C. Rapoport (Courtesy Archive Photos/Getty Images)
The Kennedy assassination and the dramatic series of events that unfolded immediately
afterward were given non-stop television coverage over four days. It was America’s first
epic, shared funeral via satellite---seen by millions and broadcast to twenty-three
countries.
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