JFK hit and myth
Classes continued, after which I went surfing at Malibu and I only became aware of the reaction elsewhere in the US and in Europe when my father phoned from the UK. Before 24-hour news and the internet, America was loosely connected but Californians were aware of JFK’s womanising, Marilyn Monroe and his father’s mob connections.
Our student newspaper often mocked his oratory: a bombastic inauguration speech which led to the Cuban fiascos and his assurance to Berliners that he was a doughnut.
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Hide AdThe fact is his presidency was stalled, especially on civil rights, and my black pals were hoping for a White House with Lyndon B Johnson or Hubert Humphrey.
But as occurred after the seedy death of Princess Diana, TV swept the nation up in a tsunami of nostalgia for a wholly illusory loss of hope and innocence.
(Dr) John Cameron
Howard Place
St Andrews