Beenubject matter has agreed will be restricted to internal or domestic american matters. Now for the first Opening Statement by senator john f. Kennedy. In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln said the question was if this nation would exist. Nation would this exist half free. In 19 six the, the question is if this nation will exist half slave, half free. I think it will depend in great measure on what we do here in the United States, on the kind of society that we build, on the kind of strength that we maintain. We discussed tonight domestic issues, but i would not want that to be any implication to be given that this does not involve directly our struggle with mr. Khrushchev for survival. Mr. Khrushchev is done new york, and he maintains a communist offensive throughout the world because of the productive power of the soviet union itself. The chinese communists have always had a large population, but they are important and dangerous now because they are mounting a dangerous effort
I have a public plan, and as one whose heart has ached for the past eight years over the agony of vietnam, i will halt the senseless bombing of indochina on inaugural day. [applause] greta it was 1972, 2 30 in the morning when George Mcgovern delivered his acceptance speech. A few months later, he would lose badly to president Richard Nixon. The contenders. The candidacy and legacy of George Mcgovern. We are live from the mcgovern museum in mitchell, south dakota. Joining us from there is president ial author scott farris. Acceptance speech in miami. Why . Scott thank you, greta. Of the structure of the Mcgovern Campaign. Against the establishment. Senator mcgovern, he was very, very strong on the issue of vietnam. One of the things that has drawn me to writing about senator mcgovern as one of the most who ran for the presidency who was not successful, he went after the vietnam issue. He spoke about that war in ways no president ial candidate had ever spoken about war before. It was la
Next on the next on the presidency, presidency. Andrew cohen andrew looks at two days in jfks cohen looks at two days in jfks presidency. Presidency. June 10th and june 10th and 11th, 11th, 1963, that defined 1963. It defined his response to the his response Nuclear Arms Race to the nuclear arms and civil rights. Rice and civil rights. Mr. Cohen is mr. Cohen is author of two days authors in june. John author of two days in f. Kennedy and the june, 48 hours that jfk and the made history. 48 hours that made the white house history. The White House Historical association Historical Association provided this video. Provided this video. And you, tell us about andrew, tell us about your book which your book. Focuses it focuses on on two days in the two days in the Kennedy Kennedy presidency. Presidency. June 10th and june 10th and june 11th, june 11th 1963. 1963. Why why did you did you decide to decide to write a book write a book focused focused on only two days of the on only two days of
[ laughter ] but, you know, at the end of the day, you have to what is it . Theres the word hope. You hope. What was his name . Leonard cohen, the writer, leonard had something about a crack in the a crack in the sunlight or a crack in the whatever. And he said, theres something about that thats the reason we have cracks. So we can let the light through. And somewhere in people like lincoln and douglass they could let the light. Get your perfect offering, theres a crack in everything, thats how the light gets thats how the light gets in. What a perfect way to end this session. I just want to say thank you to richard, david, and craig for joining us today, for todays cabinet conversation and thanks to everyone for watching. Youre watching American History tv. Every weekend on cspan3, explore our nations past. Cspan3, created by americas capable Television Companies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. We cre featuring American History tv programs as
One of the most seminal days of my life was november 22, 1963. As an eightyearold, i learned of the assassination of president kennedy. It isnt unusual for someone like me or anyone of my generation to remember where he or she was, but it seemed to me to change something, and from he developed a fascination. As i grew up, my friends were andrested in captain kirk the new frontier and i was interested in jfk in the old frontier. Lookingdent, i had been , and as a washington correspondent as well, as a way into the kennedy story can story. There were studies, heavy amoirs, there was scarcely part of jfks legacy that had not been dissected and expected inspected and examined. I wondered if there was something new to say. Then i came upon, innocence, these two days in june. We are on the eve of the anniversary. What could i say that was new . When i thought about it, i said to myself, my goodness, two extraordinary speeches, one at in then university morning, one on civil rights in the eve