Matt’s Reviews > The Ambassador: Joseph P. Kennedy at the Court of St. James's 1938-1940 > Status Update

Kennedy’s free-wheeling ambassadorship has caused many heads to turn, not least of which those in the White House. As Europe teeters on the brink of war, Kennedy cannot help but inject his own views into the mix, not always in line with American foreign policy. While the British are trying to get a handle on the Nazi uprisings on the continent, Kennedy can only watch as European war cannons sound anew. Chaos emerges!

As Ronald continues her exploration of the Kennedy Ambassadorship, she keenly draws parallels between the growing unrest in the European Theatre and Kennedy’s lax sentiments to the Nazi power grab. While FDR raged stateside, Kennedy worked to mirror PM Chamberlain’s sentiments that Hitler could be appeased and that fascism was the lesser of two evils (the other communism). American foreign policy was weak and beige.

After being given the position as ambassador, Kennedy began laying claim to the power it earned him. Settling into English society well, Kennedy made sure to use his title to provide him with many ins he might not have achieved on his own. However, as an untrained statesman, Kennedy took matters into his own hands and carved out US foreign policy without input from FDR or the State Department. Headaches for sure!