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John F. Kennedy Anti-Imperialist: His Character and Intentions Revealed in Five Speeches and One Telegram
The Oxford Dictionary has an elegantly simple definition of “a system in which one country controls other countries, often after defeating them in a war.”
John F. Kennedy was an anti-imperialist in word and deed, and thus the purpose of this to make five speeches and one telegram available in book form that shine a light on this fundamental, but strangely overlooked, element of his nature and worldview
Was Kennedy a member of the establishment? Yes, of course, he was, but he was a member of the establishment who used his position, first as a Senator from Massachusetts and then as the President of the United States, to publicly articulate over and over again an alternative vision of how the United States could use its power and wealth in the world peacefully and in a way that supported the independence and development of poorer, weaker nations.
One may object that speeches are “just words” and that “talk is cheap”, but speeches consume political capital and they come at a cost. Kennedy’s speeches did indeed cost him and may have, along with his actions, materially contributed to his murder. He could easily have chosen less controversial subjects and opted instead for bland crowd-pleasers and empty “bread and circuses” promises that fit safely into the confines of consensus, but he did not. Instead, he chose to promote a picture of America that enraged very powerful forces.
(From the introduction by Ken McCarthy)
John F. Kennedy was an anti-imperialist in word and deed, and thus the purpose of this to make five speeches and one telegram available in book form that shine a light on this fundamental, but strangely overlooked, element of his nature and worldview
Was Kennedy a member of the establishment? Yes, of course, he was, but he was a member of the establishment who used his position, first as a Senator from Massachusetts and then as the President of the United States, to publicly articulate over and over again an alternative vision of how the United States could use its power and wealth in the world peacefully and in a way that supported the independence and development of poorer, weaker nations.
One may object that speeches are “just words” and that “talk is cheap”, but speeches consume political capital and they come at a cost. Kennedy’s speeches did indeed cost him and may have, along with his actions, materially contributed to his murder. He could easily have chosen less controversial subjects and opted instead for bland crowd-pleasers and empty “bread and circuses” promises that fit safely into the confines of consensus, but he did not. Instead, he chose to promote a picture of America that enraged very powerful forces.
(From the introduction by Ken McCarthy)
- GenresPolitics
94 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 2, 2024
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December 10, 2024
You can also see this review, along with others I have written, at Mr. Book's Book Reviews.
Mr. Book just finished John F. Kennedy Anti-Imperalist: His Character And Intentions Revealed In Five Speeches And One Telegram, by Ken McCarthy.
This book was published in June 2024.
This book shows how President Kennedy was opposed to American imperialism and nuclear weapons, by giving the text of five speeches and a telegram while in office. The first two speeches were when he was a member of the Senate. Most of them also included a brief section giving the historical background to the speech. Among the speeches were his famous American University speech on peace and his speech on the nuclear weapon test ban treaty.
As the author correctly pointed out, Kennedy’s opposition to imperialism and desire for peace very likely resulted in his assassination.
I give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book finished reading this on December 9.
Mr. Book just finished John F. Kennedy Anti-Imperalist: His Character And Intentions Revealed In Five Speeches And One Telegram, by Ken McCarthy.
This book was published in June 2024.
This book shows how President Kennedy was opposed to American imperialism and nuclear weapons, by giving the text of five speeches and a telegram while in office. The first two speeches were when he was a member of the Senate. Most of them also included a brief section giving the historical background to the speech. Among the speeches were his famous American University speech on peace and his speech on the nuclear weapon test ban treaty.
As the author correctly pointed out, Kennedy’s opposition to imperialism and desire for peace very likely resulted in his assassination.
I give this book an A.
Goodreads requires grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).
This review has been posted at Mr. Book’s Book Reviews, and Goodreads.
Mr. Book finished reading this on December 9.
Displaying 1 of 1 review