A brief story locked away in the dark recesses of my mind.
I became a huge fan of JFK long, long before the media picked up on him. In 1956, he startled the US Senate by giving an hr long speech in favor of Algerian independence & in support of the then fledgling insurrection/guerrilla war launched by Ahmed Ben Bella & the FLN (Front pour le Liberation National) against France — then as now a key US NATO ally. Kennedy’s speech was NOT well received either by the US Senate or by the Eisenhower Administration (meaning Secy of State John Foster Dulles) or by the foreign policy Establishment & MSM.
But nonetheless, Kennedy stuck to that position & went out of his way to draw attention to it.
When I read it — The NY Times printed it verbatim at the time — I was electrified. I was only in the 6th grade in elementary school in Queens, NY. But I totally got that he was looking at that situation from the perspective of those who had stood up in defiance of French colonialism. Kennedy was basically saying that all people have the right of self-determination & freedom from being controlled by foreign nations & populations.
Later in 1956, I watched Kennedy nearly get nominated for Vice President under a 2nd Adlai Stevenson presidential ticket. Only for him to withdraw his name from contention & allow US Senator Estes Kefauver — who really wanted that VP nomination — to get the nomination.
When Kennedy announced his candidacy for President in 1959, I was already in high school. I joined his local campaign organization in Queens, NY — & along with about 100 high school kids in Queens — gave out Kennedy for President brochures & buttons in our local Queens neighborhoods.
A lot of it was considered “advance work” to increase local NYC recognition of Kennedy’s name & his campaign for President.
In May or June of 1960, Kennedy was supposed to give a speech in person in Queens & out on Long Island to promote his campaign before the NYS Democratic Presidential Primary was held. The “kiddie corps” (as we were called) handed out notices of his planned speech as advance work.
When Kennedy came into Queens, both before & after his speech’s that day, he insisted to his NYS Democratic Party handlers that he meet .& shake hands with each one of the hundred or so “Kennedy kiddie corps.”
So, yes, I got to meet Kennedy & shake his hand for 2 or 3 seconds. I decided before-hand that I would take advantage of the “meet & greet” moment by actually quickly saying something to him.
So when he shook my hand, I told him that I had read his 1956 Senate speech on Algeria — & had been both incredibly impressed & motivated to learn more about the Algerian uprising.
His response was amazing. He stopped moving, looked me straight in the eyes, & with that not-yet-famous but still enrapturing JFK smile, said to me: “sometimes, you have to jump out of your own skin & look at things from the perspective of those who are putting everything on the line to fight for what they believe in.”
I totally fell in love with JFK in that split second in time. And basically adopted what he said as my way of thinking. Traditional “wisdom” of accepting the “party line” perspective was & still is not the way I think or feel. Because prejudice & personal bias & ulterior motive of human beings tend to get in the way of honesty & truth most of the time.
Les Garden