Our exhibition can be viewed on the second floor in the graphic arts gallery and it is a premier event among many organized by the kennedy president ial library. I am the director of the Smithsonian Art Museum and we call ourselves sam for short. We have assembled a group of historians and scholars to talk about the Kennedy Administration and the legacy. Many of you remember the Kennedy Administration and the arc of history. We have members of congress and i want to recognize them and their staff for doing the peoples business. Please join me in recognizing congressman jim banks, david cicilline, and steny hoyer. We have asked representative hoyer, the House Minority whip, to introduce our moderator this evening. He is the head of the foundation. I want to note that this is being livestreamed and recorded by cspan. Please turn off your digital devices so that we can enjoy the program. Thank you for being here tonight with us. Thank you for the work that you do. I was told to introduce you. They did not say graciously. I will try. David cicilline is a great leader in the United States and represents rhode island as a former mayor of providence. Thank you for all that you do. Let the word go forth, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of an scum of foreign in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by piece, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the undoing of human rights to which this nation has always been committed and to which we are committed to today, at home and around the world. I am a part of the inspired generation who listened to those words and whose life was changed. We are here to celebrate the life and legacy of the man who showed political courage by writing about it and living it. The life of our 35th resident he was a gift outright. He gave of himself at every turn. From his bravery in the South Pacific to his steadfastness during the cuban missile crisis. For those of us who remember him, it was a time of promise, renewal, progress. For those of us who do not, and his legacy has shaped our National Understanding of what Public Service means. In my office at the capital, there is a bust of john f. Kennedy and it is a miniature of the bust that is in the Kennedy Center that was given to me by my mother in 1973 and i was a member of the Maryland State Senate and she gave it to me. She knew what an impact kennedy made on my life. It was a reminder of the values that he stood for and the kurds with with the courage with which she stood for them. John kennedy came to the campus of maryland and he spoke, as im sure he spoke to hundreds of thousands of young people in this audience, about what we could do to make a difference and what we ought to do to make a difference. In short, ask not what our country could do for us, but what we could do for our country. When president kennedy went to Amherst College to eulogize robert frost, he observed that a nation reveals itself by the men it produces and by the men it honors. I am sure that we would all add, the women. Let us reveal, in our tributes, the vision that he espoused a positive vision, a hopeful vision, a vision of partnership and mutual responsibility. America bolstered by the courage of its people. An america that is confident enough to say to our adversaries, let both sides joined in a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just, the weak are secure. The man im about to introduce you graciously is charged with you leading the institution who has the mission of preserving is has the mission of preserving the legacy. Stephen serves as the executive you director of the foundation will and that supports the work will work that supports the work of the kennedy president ial library in boston and he arrived at the Kennedy Library foundation and brought with him and will bring a wealth of you experience successfully and you leading academic, and you private sector, and government institutions. Like others inspired by the call and of kennedy, he has pursued Public Service in many different in forms. At the start of his career, he worked with Joseph Kennedy ii to and he and a part in a make Citizens Energy corporation to help lowincome families. You and you why didnt he and you why didnt he let you get in the ads . And you and as a state official, he oversaw programs serving the you mentally ill. Will and john kennedy had you something to say about and disabled children and he you will said that the children may be the victims of fate, they shall not be the victims of our neglect. Thank you for your work with the mentally ill. You he wants to private sector firm to expand green energy and technology. A and for a decade, he served as an the director for the school of the blind. Will you willou he did gods work. And will and will thanks to his leadership, the school is the burn leadership, the school is the largest teacher of students who are blind. What you he led citizens do with schools, a national an schools, a National Nonprofit that helps middle schools provide low income students the provide low income students the opportunity to learn science, technology, engineering, and and and math. And you will you there is steam in this institution, because the in in this institution, because the arts are so important. Are working in a president kennedy would have been deeply room or kennedy would have been deeply proud that his memorial what you library levirate is being led by a man who has his life spent in service of or life spent in service of building a better america for all. And what you will please join me in welcoming him to the podium. Host lets hear it again for congressman steny hoyer for his leadership. We are better because of the work that you and your colleagues do on the hill. In it is a challenging time, but you are there and are moving us in an forward. In a forward. Will and in that lets us sleep at night. Route to lets us sleep at night. Thank you for your service. We really appreciate it. Stephanie, thank you so much. You and you and i really appreciate everything a that you and the team have done. If you have not had a chance to see the photograph upstairs, take a look. I have seen them before and they are a remarkable collection of some fascinating views of john kennedy and his family. A and from an artistic in perspective, it is well worth and perspective, it is well worth it. Will i will cut down my remarks. And they are distinguished and are you in academics and and in scholars. And scholars. Will will they are about to come you out and you have to stick will out and you have to stick with me for a minute. And i will be quick and we will get to the guests in a minute. Keep in mind that 80 of the people alive today were and will and in born after the and will and kennedy will and administration. You 80 . You will will you law you one of the things we will talk about is the law why this is important will and why is every year, there are surveys and he is and all always in the top three, four, or five. He was only there for 1036 days. And it was cutll will will short. Will short. You will you the other thing is you the other thing is that pew does a survey on trust in government. And in in when john kennedy was 1962, there, he did televised press conferences and he had 64 and press conferences that were live. Will i will not compare that to and you anybody else. I wouldnt do that, but he did you it every 16 days, on average. The first five press conferences were watched by 60 million all americans and they got to in americans and they got to see and somebody making decisions in what somebody making decisions and he did one right you are in and he did one right pigsd after the bay of will. After they have cakes. He didnt just do them when they and were good news. He believed in transparency in in government. So, when pew did their survey, inso, when pew did their survey, 75 of people had trust in government. A year ago, before the election, that 75 went to 19 . Will a question for society is, what will what do we do about i will this . And you this . Will will before the speakers you and before the speakers you come out, we are showing a will you are video. You will video. They both have long and you will are you they both have long and in distinguished a distinguished backgrounds and you im going to summarize both are you better of them. Ted directs the center at the library of congress and he taught at brown university. Before and taught at brown university. He is also the director of the will study for the american and your work in an experience you and and he was a speech your and he was a speech and writer for bill clinton and a worked on the clinton library. Will you you you and you are he a you will also has been the and you also has been the editor and author of nearly one dozen books. In you in 2012, he worked on the secret white house recordings. President kennedy recorded over and and or apresident kennedy recorded over 200 hours. Will will and he went through you will and put together a marvelous piece. If you have not had a chance to will and inif you have not had a chance to listen to that, i and you are inu willoal and you are you and and andnd and all and hopend a you will and the most recent book got a Pulitzer Prize and you and book got a pulitzer will come if you will will will want to learn will want to learn will really will you will more and you have you and more and you have not read this, i encourage you to. You are you read this, i encourage you to. In favor his essays have appeared in many essays and journals he is the president of , the society of historians for american populations and he is writing a biography on john kennedy. Hall will a you and i have read a lot, but i am really excited. I know that i will learn a lot. Before they come up there is a , 30second video we can watch and that will kick off the program. Never before has man had such a which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] capacity control his environment, to end thursday and hunger, conquer disease, human misery. We have the power to make this the best generation of mankind in the history of the world. Come on up. We are here as part of the centennial activities and there have been over 100 events all over the country and internationally. Why is celebrating this one important . The answer is that you commemorations are important this is my view for the civic health of the nation. We do this because it helps bind us together and i think that it is an extraordinary story. President kennedy had a marvelous sense of humor. If he was with us and if he was 100, he would make a comment about overstaying his welcome. And we recognize this, 100 years but we ago, he was born. And it is something that congressman hoyer referenced. On he inspired us and inspired americans of an age of one it in was possible to believe. This is powerful, especially as a recent citizen of the country, and reminds americans of an age when it was possible to believe that politics could speak to our of highest moral yearnings, to her be harnessed to our highest are aspirations. You that is important. That is why we celebrate him. You are your history is a civic brew. We have one history. In the version is give us a chance to remember this is one , that is disorienting. It is hard to imagine kennedy as 100. He always looks young and charismatic. There is a presence to john f. Kennedy that is unusual. Congressman hoyer read the lines from the opening sentences of the inaugural. The guest is sitting behind me said thank you. There is an immediacy to the words of kennedy that lives with us. He was a student of history, studying in school, preparing for the profiles of courage, and, if we dont learn from history, we will repeat. I think the historical sense of what, in my Research Historical sensibility is so powerful and comes out, even when he is basically young guy. There was not cell phones, ipads, or anything else. He had one thing he could do, read. That historical sensibility was manifest and it shines through. We remember him and he was quite shy. He is talking about himself and he said it was hard. He said that he would rather read a book and then talk a talk to a person. He was smaller than his older brother. His older brother was supposed to go into politics. There was a reserve that came from his reading that made him attractive, like he was holding Something Back and not giving you everything every second of the day. That is sometimes how it feels to us. We cannot even escape it, especially days like yesterday and this week. There was something cerebral about him. He said what you needed to hear and not more. That was attractive. He is one of the most popular president s. You think about washington, roosevelt, he is right up there. Why is that . He had little time there. Johnson got more past. Why do you think this is . A great question. We cannot escape the tragic end of the presidency. It haunts all of us and i have thought about what i wanted to say and i think we should avoid the trap of thinking everything was utopian and perfect in the 1960s and politics disintegrated. We had Serious Problems and we had Serious Problems and political hatred at the end of his presidency. There was a lot achieved. Most of us historians feel that the cuban missile crisis was the greatest crisis and it is an existential crisis that, if he had not led ably, there is a strong chance the world would have ended. It is a special achievement that overshadows most president ial achievements. It was high noon of american empire and culture. Everyone was doing interesting things. There was a new liberalism and a new conservatism. He represented the hopes and aspirations of a generation that was coming on the world stage and has not left. Even if he was president for only 1000 days, they were and 10 and he was an intense leader. They were intense days and he was an intense leader. They inspired us. And, i dont just mean americans. I am from sweden. I have talked with parents and other relatives about before i started this book project john f. Kennedy. The answer to your question is that it is not just americans. Not just americans who took something from what he said. It was not just the assassination. I have spoken to people about this. Some of this is what he did as president. I suspect that, if we had a global poll, he would still figure very highly. It seems to me that barack obama brought some of that, not just in the United States and abroad. There are interesting similarities. Next there are very few president ial speeches that we reread. You there are not many outside of lincoln, roosevelt, kennedy. You it is a small number. It is not just because he was handsome and young. You there is great substance in those speeches. There is great wit. There is great perception of irony and brevity. I he talks about mortality in a the Great American university that may be his best speech ever. One fact that historians have learned more about is that he had a difficult lifelong struggle with health and had a will Serious Health problems you and he knew that a 100th and birthday was out of the question. He would not have made it to in this. He knew that life was short and precious and that feeling in his question. Speeches. There is a certain authenticity that is often allusive. Elsuive. You it means taking things seriously and expanding empathy. I think, for many americans, he in made his share of mistakes, one there were ups and downs, and but there was an authenticity there that i think explained that popularity. Will explained that popularity. You you think about the a a mistakes and a mistakes and will anything i and anything i admire about him you will is that he was self reflective and willing to learn. Between that and the cuban you will missile crisis, so much happened. We see pictures of the situation room and the hotline to russia. In he started that. The navy sales navy seals, the green berets. It was, how can i do better and how can the system be better . That is a refreshing element that i have Great Respect for. We want the president to change in office. We do not want them to govern the way they campaigned. It is an impossible job. He really grew effectively and, without bail takes, he would not have survived the cuban missile a crisis. It was a terrible mistake and it will gave him the confidence and irritation to rethink his system of governance and the mistakes are crucial to growth. He grew beautifully in his thinking about the cold war and it allowed him to go further. He grew a lot on civil rights and as a person was open to different ideas of a country that was extremely diverse and he was always listening. What do you think are the top accomplishments of the 1000 days . His handling of the cold war, and broadly speaking, was an accomplishment. It seems that there are interesting things that happened in the year that followed the missile crisis. In khrushchev, he started an something that would later be called detente. In it grows out of a conviction from long before he became president. American power, American Military power, geopolitical power, it was greater than any nation and it was limited. You he had a sense that the prospect of nuclear war let in me put it this way, the and prospect of superpower war in a nuclear age was an impossibility. That last year is here he and important, in that regard. Though he was late in coming to a the civil rights issue in a serious way, a remarkable speech on june 11, i give him credit for making civil rights a moral issue and that would be important later on. I think that the Space Program and his commitment to the Space Program would be another example of success in his and administration, even if the fruits would not be seen until later. In i agree with those three and i would add that he projected a sense of confidence and people picked up on that host up james was inspired by you his inaugural address. David mcauliffe was inspired to write history. In people do different things. We can trace a lot of the great you governance in the 1960s and 1970s. There is a book that we are celebrating tha