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In 1963, President Kennedy would make decisions that would reflect on his lasting legacy. It would also be a year that he would never complete after becoming the fourth sitting U.S. President to be assassinated on November 22, 1963. In this special JFK35 podcast series, we will look at some of the President’s key trips and policy decisions from 1963 and how they continue to live on today. We will reflect on his assassination and how the generation of the 1960s reacted to it. We will also speak with the following generations about how the President remains an influential figure.
John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, inspired a generation that transformed America. But not everyone knows the stories behind the man - his experiences as a young serviceman in World War II, how he wrote some of his most memorable speeches, what sparked him to set the country on a path to the moon. Join Matt Porter and Jamie Richardson of the JFK Library Foundation as they dig into the archives at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston and interview their colleagues to get a behind-the-scenes look at JFK’s life and legacy.
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Let Us Begin: A Legacy Continued from 2023-11-30T09:30
In February 1963, President Kennedy said, “A man may die, but an idea lives on.” In this episode, we look at the legacy JFK left behind and how some are continuing the spirit of his work. We spe...
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Let Us Begin: The Torch Has Been Passed from 2023-11-21T09:30
President Kennedy’s trip to Texas was meant to rally support for his programs and policies and lay groundwork for the 1964 election. But instead, something happened that changed the course of hi...
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Let Us Begin: A New Generation of Leadership from 2023-11-16T09:30
Sixty years after President Kennedy’s administration, fewer than 1 in 5 people in the United States have a living memory of the President. But his legacy continues to live on in those generation...
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Let Us Begin: The Peacemakers from 2023-11-09T09:30
In 1963, President Kennedy came home to Ireland, the land of his ancestors. During that visit, he called upon the Irish to take their place among the world’s peacemakers. In the decades that fol...
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Let Us Begin: A Homecoming from 2023-11-02T08:30
On the heels of his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech, JFK traveled northward to Ireland, where his great-grandparents emigrated from in the 19th century. The first Irish Catholic president, JFK’s v...
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Let Us Begin: The Hour of Maximum Danger from 2023-10-26T08:30
In the summer of 1963, JFK arrived in a divided Germany with the recent construction of the new Berlin Wall nearly two years earlier. President John F. Kennedy spent his entire administration in...
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Let Us Begin: Peace for All Time from 2023-10-19T08:30
In 1963, President Kennedy gave a speech at American University outlining “a strategy of peace” on how the two superpowers, the U.S. and Soviet Union, could back off the precipice of total nucle...
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Let Us Begin: A Moral Issue from 2023-10-12T08:30
Black Americans, particularly in the South, were denied their right to vote, with poll taxes, voter ID laws, literacy tests, intimidation, and mob violence. By 1963, the Kennedy administration w...
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Let Us Begin: President Kennedy's White House 60 Years Later from 2023-10-06T08:30
In 1963, President Kennedy would make decisions that would reflect on his lasting legacy. It would also be a year that he would never complete after becoming the fourth sitting U.S. President to...
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The City on a Hill from 2023-05-18T08:30
Since the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established, Boston has been described as a “city on a hill” or a city to be looked to as an example for others. President Kennedy drew from the same mater...
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The Television Presidency from 2023-04-20T08:30
President John F. Kennedy was the first president to take live televised questions from the press on a regular basis and he would provide the model for what would become the modern television pr...
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Protecting the Equal Pay Act of 1963 from 2023-03-31T08:30
It has been 60 years since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act of 1963. In this episode, we’ll hear how far the United States has come since Kennedy signed the landmark legislatio...
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Making the Equal Pay Act of 1963 from 2023-03-30T08:30
Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy passed the Equal Pay Act of 1963. It was one of the first federal anti-discrimination laws that dealt with wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Whi...
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Archiving Through the Pandemic from 2023-03-09T09:45
The JFK Library plays an important role as a place where original documents, photographs, audio, film, and other artifacts from John F. Kennedy's presidency are preserved. While the pandemic int...
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Bringing History Alive from 2023-02-23T09:15
Presidents’ Day is a day to celebrate past presidents and American history. In this episode, we speak with two “living history interpreters” who have spent years portraying historical figures to...
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Silent Spring Revolution with Douglas Brinkley from 2023-02-09T09:30
President Kennedy faced several major environmental threats during his presidency from the widespread use of dangerous chemicals in farming to private developers buying up pristine natural habit...
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Atomic Gambit: The Challenges Ahead from 2022-11-03T08:15
Sixty years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, today’s world leaders can apply lessons learned to potential future nuclear crises. Former Obama Administration Deputy National Security Advisor Ben R...
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Atomic Gambit: We Are All Mortal from 2022-11-01T08:15
After the United States and Soviet Union survived the Cuban Missile Crisis and its immediate aftermath, the next steps for the two superpowers would be critical. This e...
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Atomic Gambit: Uneasy Peace from 2022-10-27T08:15
John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev reached an agreement about the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 28, but the crisis wouldn’t end there. Fidel Castro, angered by Nikita Khrushchev’s decision,...
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Atomic Gambit: Black Saturday from 2022-10-25T08:15
October 27, 1962, also known as “Black Saturday," was the most dangerous day of the Cuban Missile Crisis as events began to spiral out of control. With two contrasting messages from Chairman Khr...
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Atomic Gambit: Duck and Cover from 2022-10-20T08:30
By October 22, 1962, after days of long discussions with his advisors, President John F. Kennedy was ready to go public about the Soviet missiles in Cuba. His address t...
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Atomic Gambit: A Pretty Bad Fix from 2022-10-18T08:15
In the first few days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy and his advisors faced an extremely difficult choice on whether to attack Cuba, and how to do...
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Atomic Gambit: A Very Dangerous Road from 2022-10-13T08:00
From the moment President Kennedy took office, he warned the country about the dangers of nuclear weapons that could result in the deaths of millions. It would be his decisions and actions that ...
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Atomic Gambit: The Cuban Missile Crisis 60 Years Later from 2022-09-01T08:00:33
On October 16, 1962, President John F. Kennedy was told the Soviet Union was assembling nuclear warheads on the island of Cuba, just 90 miles from the Florida coa...
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Undelivered Speeches that Could Have Rewritten History from 2022-06-09T08:00:40
We know much about the speeches President Kennedy gave during his time in office, but what about the ones he never gave. Speechwriter and author Jeff Nuss...
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Telling America's Stories to the World from 2022-05-12T17:02:58
In the Kennedy Administration, Edward R. Murrow and a team of journalists and filmmakers produced stories about the United StatesListen
The Kennedys and Fitzgeralds: Photography and Preservation from 2022-04-14T08:20:51
Both sides of JFK’s family were at the forefront of the amateur photography movement, using the burgeoning field to document their lives over the course of many deca...
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The First Kennedys with Neal Thompson from 2022-04-01T08:32:04
More than 100 years before President John F. Kennedy would take up residence at the White House, his great-grandmother Bridget Murphy arrived on the shores of Ame...
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A Hundred Thousand Welcomes from 2022-03-17T08:29:52
President Kennedy was the first sitting U.S. President to visit the nation of Ireland. The great-grandson of Irish immigrants,...
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John Glenn's Historic Flight 60 Years Later from 2022-03-03T09:15:20
Until John Glenn completed his orbital flight in 1962, the United States was trailing the Soviet Union when it came to spaceflight. Sixty years later, NASA continues...
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Dignity in a Digital Age with Ro Khanna from 2022-02-18T09:00:30
President Kennedy understood that advancing technologies would change American society forever and that strong leadership would be needed to protect workers by chang...
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Puerto Rico: The Admirable Bridge from 2021-12-22T09:00
On December 15, 1961. John F. Kennedy became the first sitting president to visit the new Commonwealth of Puerto Rico where he met with Luis Muñoz Marín, the territory’s first independently elec...
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60 Years of Preserving the White House from 2021-12-09T14:26:29
Sixty years ago, first lady Jacqueline Kennedy founded the White House Historical Association to support her ongoing work to restore and maintain the White House. This week we spoke with White H...
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Growing Up Between Two World Wars from 2021-12-02T09:00
John F. Kennedy, born between two world wars, would see the rise of fascism in his youth and later serve on the front lines to stop it from spreading across the world. Those lived experiences wo...
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JFK and RFK in the Civil Rights Movement Era from 2021-11-18T09:00
While President Kennedy didn’t live long enough to see Congress pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, his brother Robert would pick up where JFK left off. Historian Patricia Sullivan Listen
The Courageous Legacy of John Lewis from 2021-10-28T08:00
Georgia Representative John Lewis was a fixture in the civil rights movement and in Congress for 60 years until his death in 2020. In this episode, we look back at his early years during the Ken...
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First Children in the Kennedy White House from 2021-10-14T08:00
Have you ever wondered what it was like to grow up in the White House? The JFK Library has a new special exhibit, First Children: Caroline and John, Jr. in the Kennedy White House<...
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The Kennedy that Changed the World from 2021-07-08T08:00
Eunice Kennedy Shriver may not be as well known as her brothers Jack, Bobby, and Ted, but during her lifetime, she worked tirelessly behind the scenes to influence public policy...
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Meet the 2021 PEN/Hemingway Award Winner from 2021-06-24T08:00
In this episode, Hemingway Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Hilary JusticeListen
COVID Courage: Health Care Heroes from 2021-05-28T13:27:19
Lauren Leander is an ICU nurse at the Banner University Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, who took care of the most critically ill patients in Phoenix and stood with colleagues in a...
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COVID Courage: Darrell R. Marks from 2021-05-20T19:05:32
Darrell R. Marks has spent his career helping his indigenous students at Flagstaff High School find new opportunities after graduation. But when the pandemic hit, his job change...
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Saving Our Shorelines from 2021-04-22T08:00
President John F. Kennedy felt a profound connection to the environment, particularly the sea. During his presidency, Kennedy would establish three national seashores including on Cape Cod. Lear...
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Examining Ernest Hemingway from 2021-04-08T08:00
Thanks to a twist of fate, the archives of Ernest Hemingway have been mostly preserved here at the JFK Library. Learn more about that story from the Library’...
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Voting Rights in America with Stacey Abrams from 2021-03-18T13:30:20
The United States saw the highest voter turnout in decades in the 2020 election. In many states, the increase in turn out was partly due to years of voter mobilization to bring in...
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Presidents and the Bully Pulpit from 2021-03-11T09:00
John F. Kennedy ran for president as television was beginning to change the game of presidential politics. The importance and power of presidents' use of the bully pulpit was growing as they cou...
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60/20: The End of the Road from 2020-10-29T08:00
The long road to the White House in the 1960 campaign between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon comes to a dramatic end. In this final episode, we’ll look at the last days and hours before the e...
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60/20: From Satellite Spies to Russian Trolls from 2020-10-22T08:00
On October 4, 1957, the successful launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik sparked fear of Soviet Union dominance in technology and space. In this episode, we’ll look at how John F...
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60/20: The First Debate from 2020-10-15T08:00
60/20: The Campaign Comes to the Living Room from 2020-10-01T08:00
In this episode, we take you on a journey that follows the 1960 campaign into millions of living rooms through television, and then explore how the Kennedy team used the new medium to connect wi...
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60/20: A Tale of Two Campaigns from 2020-09-17T08:00
What would it take to win the White House in 1960? For the Kennedy campaign, it started with building a trusted team, and a readiness to try new campaign strategies and tactics. In this episode...
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60/20: Unfinished Business from 2020-09-03T08:00
While John F. Kennedy was formally launching his run for president at the start of 1960, another movement was gathering steam. This week, we’ll find out how the emerging modern Civil Rights Move...
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60/20: Into the New Frontier from 2020-08-20T08:00
Despite clear victories over some of his opponents during the primary season, John F. Kennedy’s path to the presidency still wasn’t certain as he arrived in Los A...
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60/20: Primary Fight from 2020-08-13T08:00
In our first episode, we’ll look at the primary race that created the opportunity for John F. Kennedy's insurgent campaign to take the Democratic presidential nomination, and how it would blaze ...
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60/20: The Election of 1960 and Its Echoes Today from 2020-08-06T05:00
This special eight-part audio documentary, from the team who brings you the JFK35 podcast, will tell the story of the Kenne...
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Eleanor Roosevelt and JFK from 2020-06-25T07:30
When President Kennedy became his party’s nominee in 1960, Eleanor Roosevelt would eventually endorse him from her role as the leading member of the liberal wing of the Democratic...
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Ernest Hemingway and the 1918 Flu Pandemic from 2020-06-11T07:30
While JFK was only a year old at the time of the 1918 Flu Pandemic, Ernest Hemingway, whose papers are housed at the JFK Library, was old enough to witness and record his thoughts throughout the...
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JFK First to Go Live with the Press from 2020-05-14T07:30
Live televised press conferences are a mainstay in politics today, but it was President John F. Kennedy who held the first one from the White House in 1961. On this episode, we’ll take a look at...
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JFK, Sargent Shriver, and the Peace Corps from 2020-04-29T07:30
After President Kennedy announced his plan for a Peace Corps, he had one man in mind to run it, his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver. Our guests include Dr. Jamie Price, executive director of the...
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Continuing Our Missions During the COVID-19 Pandemic from 2020-04-10T07:00
JFK Library and JFK Library Foundation Directors Alan Price and Rachel Flor discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Library's and Foundation’s ongoin...
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JFK New Frontier Award Honorees Christina Fialho and Christina Mansfield from 2020-03-06T14:53:48
In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honorees Christina Fialho and Christina Mansfield, who co-founded the non-profit Freedom For I...
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JFK New Frontier Award Honoree Lt. Gov Cyrus Habib from 2020-02-28T09:00
In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honoree Washington Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib. Habib received the award for his work on important issues for his ...
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Holiday Picks from the Archives from 2019-12-20T09:00
For many, the holidays are a time to be with family and friends, decorate trees, and send out cards to loved ones. Things weren’t much different in the early 1960s - though in the midst of the C...
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Everyday Environmental Challenges from 2019-12-05T09:00
The environment and climate change have become household issues in the 2020 Presidential Election, but in 1960, the issue did not have the same sense of urgency. Still, President John F. Kennedy...
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JFK The Nerd from 2019-11-15T14:52:59
If you picture President Kennedy, you might imagine him sailing confidently on the sea, or charming visiting heads of state, or tackling questions from the press. But below that cool exterior, J...
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Meet the JFK Library's New Curator from 2019-11-01T18:12:33
Meet the JFK Library’s new curator Janice Hodson, as she discusses her background, how she found herself at the JFK Library, and a sneak peak at a new exhibit next spring. As a special treat (no...
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The JFK Library turns 40 from 2019-10-17T08:30
40 years after the opening of the JFK Library, we speak with its first two directors, Dan Fenn and Chuck Daly, as they recall the events that led up to the Libr...
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Celebrating JFK's Legacy from 2019-10-03T08:00
President Kennedy’s legacy from public service to science and technology to the arts continues to resonate today almost 60 years later. In this episode, learn about the Library’s revamped legacy...
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Apollo 11 at 50: New Frontiers in Science from 2019-08-15T08:00
Space scientists Maria Zuber, MIT Vice President for Research, Laurie Leshin, President of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Sara Seager, MIT Professor of Planetary Science and Physics, j...
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Apollo 11 at 50: International astronauts and today's space program from 2019-08-01T08:00
Astronauts Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson (US) and Koichi Wakata (Japan) discuss what it's like to live in space and the future of space exploration.
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Apollo 11 at 50: Michael Collins from 2019-07-20T08:00
In the first episode of our Summer Space Special, we talk to Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins about his history-making trip to the Moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, along with his tho...
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Nancy Pelosi: A Profile in Courage from 2019-06-27T08:00
Senator Chris Dodd explains why Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the 2019 JFK Profile in Courage Award including her work passing healthcare reform and expanding access to healthcare for all Americ...
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Inside the Edward M. Kennedy Collection from 2019-05-02T14:01:33
For the first time, a portion of the JFK Library's Edward M. Kennedy Collection featuring documents, recordings, and photos from his four decades in the Senate have been opened to the public. We...
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JFK and the Space Race from 2019-04-18T08:00
When President Kennedy took office in 1961, the United States appeared to be struggling to keep up with the Soviet Union on space exploration. President Kennedy made space a priority and promise...
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Meet the JFK Library's New Director from 2019-03-28T08:00
Alan Price, who joined the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as its 6th director in 2018, tells us why he took the job and what he hopes to do as the Library’s latest st...
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Jack and Lem from 2019-03-14T08:00
Kirk Lemoyne "Lem" Billings is the man who’s often referred to as JFK’s best friend. We speak with Library reference archivist Stacey Chandler and audiovisual archivist ...
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Call of the New Frontier from 2019-02-28T09:00
The JFK Library Foundation and Institute of Politics at Harvard University continue to honor those who heed JFK's call for a New Frontier with the New Frontier Awards. This week, we talk with th...
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West Wingers: Then and Now from 2019-02-14T09:30
The West Wing has been portrayed in popular culture from TV shows including “The West Wing” and “House of Cards” or on the big screen in films like “The American President.” But what is working ...
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JFK and A Nation of Immigrants from 2018-12-13T13:43:51
Learn more about JFK's positions on immigration and hear from some notable US immigrants including former SNL cast member Horatio Sanz, actor Bambadjan Bamba, a...
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Youth and Diversity in the Arts at the Kennedy White House from 2018-11-29T10:00
When you imagine the Kennedy White House, you might picture state dinners and other social events where artists, poets, and musicians mingle with scientists, politicians, and diplomats. But it w...
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The Two Men Who Saved JFK from 2018-11-08T10:00
In a remarkable story of heroism, two men who lived on the other side of the world in almost completely different circumstances from John F. Kennedy, changed the course of history by saving the ...
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Innovations and Challenges from Space Exploration: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow from 2018-10-25T09:00
When President Kennedy set a goal to land on the Moon by the end of the 1960s, he set in motion a surge in innovation that changed the world forever. Join us as we celebrate six decades of NASA ...
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How Hemingway's Papers Came to the JFK Library from 2018-10-11T10:00
You may not think the archives of John F. Kennedy and Ernest Hemingway would live in the same building, but they are! In this episode, we tell you the story that brought the two men's collection...
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The Crash of PT-109: 75 Years Later from 2018-09-27T08:00
It has been 75 years since the crash and rescue of JFK's patrol boat, the PT-109. JFK Library Curator Stacey Bredhoff takes you inside the dramatic seven days at sea and also go...
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Introducing the JFK35 Podcast from 2018-09-20T02:00
Welcome the new JFK35 Podcast, a program by the JFK Library Foundation. In this podcast, we will bring you lesser known stories of President Kennedy's life and administration with the help of th...
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