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But on that june day in 1963 he spoke at american university. he gave what has become known as his strategy of peace speech. he was talking about the strategic pursuit of peace with the soviet union as an alternative to war with the soviet union. which is basically what everybody thought was inevitable at that time. that the u.s. and the soviets would go to war. in that strategy of speech peace, he did this one radical thing for which this speech is known more than 50 years later. in that speech he announced new policy and he made news in that speech and it was an important speech. the really ...

If he were elected as president what would he do about the draft. this kid was in danger of being drafted. senator robert kennedy at that moment in time looked at that kid and said i'm going speed it up meaning his draft status. >> it helps bobby was an enlisted man teenager. he had that credibility to make that charge. we're going to where kennedy gave his great american university speech. i'll allude to that. kennedy gave this great speech there the peace speech. but he said something i remembered ever since i read it. problems of man are manmade. they can be solved by man. in the past man h...

Going to unravel and he wouldn't have been remembered as a great president. where do you lie? >> i think he was not a great president. he was there for only 1,000 days, sixth briefest presidency in the country's history. but i think he certainly was a significant president. he broke the hold of white protestant males on the office, first catholic to win the office. one could see a direct line from him to barack obama. when we get a woman as president i think you can see a direct line to that, as well. he put across that nuclear test ban treaty which was a major advance. he also put that civil ...

Line as well. he put across that nuclear test ban treaty which was a major advance. he also put that civil rights bill before the congress, and he was taking a big political chance. he and bobby kennedy were convinced that it risked his re-election in 1964. and the peace speech at american university in june of '63, it was a great state paper. i think if he had lived and had a second term we would have seen detente with the soviet union sooner than it owe curved under richard nix son. >> james swanson, i think the impact of him globally and his death. my mother was 18 when he died. she remembe...

Course toward safety. we are now acting because the risks of inaction would be far greater. >> joining me now is douglas brinkley, presidential historian and professor at rice university. professor, good to have you with us tonight. >> thanks for having me. >> the mission tonight for the president is to change people's minds and to swing public opinion. how heavy a lift is it in the context of what those presidents we're dealing with? >> well, you know, he switched now. it's not going to be an oval office speech. usually when you have a war talk, you do it to have the gravitas of the oval offi...