JFK

It seems my odyssey with John F Kennedy is not yet finished. Today I visited his Presidential Library which is located on the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts. The building was apparently quite controversial in its time. Originally it was decided to build at Harvard, where he was an alumnus. By the time the funds had been raised and the site had been selected the locals were aghast about all the tourists, traffic and fast food places that would accompany it. So his library was built on an old garbage dump. I was expecting something more impressive. I think it was the concrete construction that left me a little bit flat. The architect had wanted it to be built in stone but because of delays and subsequent cost blowouts he had to use cheaper materials. 

Please notice on the Presidential seal that the eagle has an olive branch in one foot and a bunch of arrows in another. Which way the eagles head is facing is a good indication of the type of President you have. FDR, during WWII, had the eagle's head facing the arrows. JFK however had the head facing the olive branch.

You start your journey with a 20 minute film. This gives a nice summation of his life, much of it in his own words, and takes you right up until the day he was elected. In it I found a compelling quote that I think still rings true today.

For the great enemy of truth is very not often the lie, deliberate, contrived and dishonest - but the myth, persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. Too often we hold fast to the cliches of our forebears. We subject all facts to a prefabricated set of interpretations. We enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. 

I'd never heard this before but it left a great impression on me.

The exhibition was a mix of the key moments of his Presidency, including the civil rights movement, the space race and the Cuban missile crisis. These weighty matters were offset by the more ceremonial such as White House dinners, Jackie's clothing and gifts received and given. I had no real idea of what to expect but it seemed like it got the mix right. 

Sadly, for me anyway, they didn't seem to give much of a mention to his speechwriter, Ted Sorensen. Kennedy called him his intellectual blood bank. When he was repeatedly asked who actually wrote the famous line "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" his tongue in cheek reply was the cryptic "ask not". They did have the speech on display with many hand written changes showing, including one to that famous line.

It was kind of cool to see it all and the entire place was a diverting way to spend several hours. I am off to Lexington, Concord and then Plymouth tomorrow. They are all easy driving distance from Boston but I think a change of scenery will do my liver some good.