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komet2020's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
In America's Last President: What the World Lost When It Lost John F. Kennedy, Monika Wiesak offers reader a clear, concise analysis of the record and legacy of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK). From subject areas as diverse as the Domestic Economy, Wall Street, Civil Rights, Berlin, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the CIA, Latin America, Laos/Vietnam, Africa, Disarmament, and Israel, she illustrates through both President Kennedy's words and the challenges posed in each of the subject areas covered in the book, the actions that were undertaken and/or proposed by his administration by way of resolution.
What became clear to me as I read this book how much JFK took his duties and responsibilities seriously as President. Indeed, Wiesak shows that JFK was a compassionate and independent thinker with "great intent to serve his country, his people, and the globe around him. He envisioned a world of decentralized power --- from strong, diverse, and independent nations to thriving opportunities for America's small businesses --- a world not led by imperial forces but led by the people."
One of the greatest challenges faced by JFK as President came from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which was more interested in plunging the U.S. into wars ostensibly for the purpose of stemming the Communist threat, even if it meant risking a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Members of the Joint Chiefs such as General Curtis LeMay of the U.S. Air Force, fervently believed that the Soviets had to be fought at all costs. Nuclear war for him was winnable whether it be touched off by crises in Berlin, Cuba, or Vietnam. JFK knew the true costs of war from what he had experienced as a naval officer in the South Pacific during World War II, and from having lost his older brother, Joe Jr., a naval pilot, in 1944. Furthermore, as a young Congressman, JFK had visited French Indochina in 1951 and had seen first-hand what the impact the Indochinese War had on the people there as well as on France itself. JFK was unafraid to push back against the U.S. military establishment if it favored an action that was likely to lead to senseless destruction with little or no gain for U.S. interests. In the cases of Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis, had JFK not been there to ensure that there weren't measured responses to events as they unfolded, the world would likely be a nuclear desert today, where the dead would be envied by the living.
Wiesak also highlights the invaluable role JFK's brother Robert played in the administration as Attorney General and special presidential advisor, in assisting JFK in dealing with many of the crises faced by the administration between 1961 and 1963.
As a way of summing up what she learned about JFK, Wiesak shows that the greatest value President Kennedy showed was in "curtailing the ability of the powerful to exploit the weak." This helps to explain why in the poorest regions of the world, news of President Kennedy's assassination, came as a heavy blow to the people therein. For they recognized the humanity of the man and, like millions of Americans, were inspired by his words, his wit, and his charismatic personality.
As someone who has long admired and respected John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I am so glad to have read this book which I came upon by chance several weeks ago. I hope that you, reader of this review, will now feel moved to read America's Last President.
What became clear to me as I read this book how much JFK took his duties and responsibilities seriously as President. Indeed, Wiesak shows that JFK was a compassionate and independent thinker with "great intent to serve his country, his people, and the globe around him. He envisioned a world of decentralized power --- from strong, diverse, and independent nations to thriving opportunities for America's small businesses --- a world not led by imperial forces but led by the people."
One of the greatest challenges faced by JFK as President came from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which was more interested in plunging the U.S. into wars ostensibly for the purpose of stemming the Communist threat, even if it meant risking a nuclear war with the Soviet Union. Members of the Joint Chiefs such as General Curtis LeMay of the U.S. Air Force, fervently believed that the Soviets had to be fought at all costs. Nuclear war for him was winnable whether it be touched off by crises in Berlin, Cuba, or Vietnam. JFK knew the true costs of war from what he had experienced as a naval officer in the South Pacific during World War II, and from having lost his older brother, Joe Jr., a naval pilot, in 1944. Furthermore, as a young Congressman, JFK had visited French Indochina in 1951 and had seen first-hand what the impact the Indochinese War had on the people there as well as on France itself. JFK was unafraid to push back against the U.S. military establishment if it favored an action that was likely to lead to senseless destruction with little or no gain for U.S. interests. In the cases of Berlin and the Cuban Missile Crisis, had JFK not been there to ensure that there weren't measured responses to events as they unfolded, the world would likely be a nuclear desert today, where the dead would be envied by the living.
Wiesak also highlights the invaluable role JFK's brother Robert played in the administration as Attorney General and special presidential advisor, in assisting JFK in dealing with many of the crises faced by the administration between 1961 and 1963.
As a way of summing up what she learned about JFK, Wiesak shows that the greatest value President Kennedy showed was in "curtailing the ability of the powerful to exploit the weak." This helps to explain why in the poorest regions of the world, news of President Kennedy's assassination, came as a heavy blow to the people therein. For they recognized the humanity of the man and, like millions of Americans, were inspired by his words, his wit, and his charismatic personality.
As someone who has long admired and respected John Fitzgerald Kennedy, I am so glad to have read this book which I came upon by chance several weeks ago. I hope that you, reader of this review, will now feel moved to read America's Last President.
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