John F. Kennedy
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Updated: 9 Oct 2022
1917-1963
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Created byMALCOLM MITCHELL
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John Fitzgerald (Jack) Kennedy was born outside Boston in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917, at 83 Beals Street.He attended the local St. Aidan's Church, where he was baptizedJohn’s sister Rose Marie (known as Rosemary) was born.Kennedy caught scarlet fever and was in hospital for 8 weeks.John’s sister Kathleen Agnes (known as Kick) was born.Kennedy began his education at the Kindergarten of the Edward Devotion School.John’s sister, Eunice Mary, was born.John’s sister Patricia Helen (known as Pat) was born.Kennedy transferred to the Noble and Greenough Lower School.John’s brother Robert Francis (known as Bobby) was born.Kennedy attended Dexter School, which was founded by a group of trustees, including his father, after a decision had been made to sell land from Noble and Greenough School.the Dexter School announced it would not reopen before October after an outbreak of polio in MassachusettsThe family moved to Riverdale, New York to avoid an outbreak of polio.John Kennedy attended Riverdale Country School.John’s sister Jean Ann was born.The family moved to Bronxville.John Kennedy was sent to Canterbury School, a Catholic boarding school in New Milford Connecticut.Kennedy had to have an operation to remove his appendix. He was taken out of Canterbury School so that he could have time to recover from the operation.John attended Choate High School, a prestigious boarding school in Connecticut.John’s brother Edward Moore (known as Ted) was born.During his years at Choate, Kennedy was beset by health problems that culminated with his emergency hospitalization.He was admitted to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; the ultimate diagnosis there was colitis.Kennedy made his first trip abroad when he traveled to London with his parents and his sister Kathleen. He intended to study under Harold Laski at the London School of Economics (LSE), as his older brother had done.Kennedy enrolled at Harvard College, and his application essay stated: "The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offerKennedy enrolled at Princeton University but was taken ill again and had to withdraw.Kennedy sailed to France—taking his convertible—and spent ten weeks driving through Europe with BillingsJoseph Kennedy was appointed ambassador to the United Kingdom.John, and his brother Joe, went to London, where they worked for their father who was serving as American ambassador.Kennedy toured Europe, the Soviet Union, the Balkans, and the Middle East in preparation for his Harvard senior honors thesis.World War Two began in Europe when Adolf Hitler invaded Poland. Two days later, Britain and France made formal declarations of war.Kennedy completed his thesis, "Appeasement in Munich", about British negotiations during the Munich Agreement.Kennedy graduated cum laude from Harvard with a Bachelor of Arts in government, concentrating on international affairs.Kennedy’s thesis ‘Appeasement in Munich’, later published as the book ‘Why England Slept’, was published.Kennedy left and helped his father write a memoir of his time as an American ambassador.Kennedy attempted to enter the army's Officer Candidate School. Despite months of training, he was medically disqualified due to his chronic lower back problems.Kennedy, with the help of the director of the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) and the former naval attaché to Joseph Kennedy, Alan Kirk, joined the United States Naval Reserve.Despite his medical problems, Kennedy joined the US navy as an ensign.Kennedy was assigned to the ONI field office at Headquarters, Sixth Naval District, in Charleston, South Carolina.He was promoted to lieutenant junior grade.Kennedy was still mourning the death of his close, childhood friend, Marine Corps Second Lieutenant George Houk Mead Jr., who had been killed in action at Guadalcanal that August and awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery.Kennedy completed his training.Kennedy was assigned to Motor Torpedo Squadron TWO.Kennedy became commander of a torpedo boat, PT-109.he and his executive officer, Ensign Lenny Thom, assisted his injured and hungry crew on a demanding swim 3.75 miles (6.04 km) southeast to Olasana Island, which was visible from Plum Pudding Island.Kennedy and Ensign George Ross made the one-hour swim to Naru Island, an additional distance of about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) southwest, in search of help and food.Evans radioed the PT base on Rendova. Lieutenant "Bud" Liebenow, a friend and former tentmate of Kennedy's, rescued Kennedy.his crew on Olasana Island on August 8, 1943, aboard his boat, PT-157.John Kennedy took control of gunboat PT-59.Kennedy was promoted to full lieutenant.The gunboat PT-59 rescued 87 marines that were stranded on Choiseul Island which was held by the Japanese.Under doctor's orders, Kennedy was relieved of his command of PT-59.From there he returned to the United StatesJohn Kennedy was admitted to the naval hospital in Boston with back problems.Kennedy was awarded the Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart for his actions in saving crew members after his PT-109 sank.Kennedy's older brother, Joe Jr., a navy pilot, was killed while on a special and hazardous air mission for which he had volunteered; his explosive-laden plane blew up when its bombs detonated prematurely over the English Channel.Kennedy retired from the Navy Reserve on physical disability and was honorably discharged with the full rank of lieutenant.[68] When later asked how he became a war hero, Kennedy joked: "It was easy. They cut my PT boat in half.Kennedy began working as a special correspondent for Hearst Newspapers.The US Navy commissioned the ship USS Joseph P Kennedy Jr in memory of John’s elder brother.Kennedy won the Democratic Primary for the Eleventh Congressional District in Boston, Massachusetts. As he rose to prominence he became known by his initials JFK.JFK was elected to the House of Representatives.He also supported public housing and opposed the Labor Management Relations Act of 1947.John’s sister, Kathleen was killed in a plane crash.John was diagnosed with Addison’s disease. It was decided not to make the diagnosis public, because it was thought that the illness would lose votes.Kennedy began preparing to run for the Senate in 1952 against Republican three-term incumbent Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. with the campaign slogan "KENNEDY WILL DO MORE FOR MASSACHUSETTS".Kennedy was re-elected for a second term in the House of Representatives.JFK was elected for a third term in the House of Representatives.Kennedy went on a foreign trip with his younger brother, Robert and sister, Pat. They visited India, Israel, Japan and Vietnam.Charles L Bartlett introduced John to Jacqueline Lee Bouvier, a journalist at the Washington Times-Herald. They were attracted to each other and began dating.John Kennedy’s younger brother Robert (Bobby) resigned his post at the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn to become campaign manager for John’s election to the Senate.John Kennedy beat Republican candidate Henry Cabot Lodge and was elected to the U S Senate.The engagement of John Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier was officially announced.John F Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier, daughter of John Vernon and Janet Lee Bouvier at St Mary’s Church in Newport, Rhode Island. The wedding was followed by a reception at Hammersmith Farm which was attended by around 1200 people.John and Jackie Kennedy left for a honeymoon in Acapulco, Mexico. When they returned they moved into Hickory Hill, McLean, Virginia.JFK had surgery to his back to help alleviate his back pain.John Kennedy had further surgery to his back. While recovering from surgery he began writing a book ‘Profiles in Courage’.John and Jackie Kennedy sold Hickory Hill to John’s younger brother, Robert Kennedy. They moved to N Street, Georgetown, Washington. They also bought an apartment in Bowdoin Street, Boston, Massachusetts.John Kennedy’s book ‘Profiles in Courage’ was published.Kennedy failed to secure the Democratic nomination as Vice President.John and Jackie Kennedy’s daughter, Arabella, was stillborn.John Kennedy’s book ‘Profiles in Courage’ won the Pullitzer Prize.A daughter, Caroline, was born to John and Jackie in New York.JFK was re-elected for a second term in the Senate.Kennedy cosponsored the Cape Cod National Seashore bill with his Republican colleague Senator Leverett Saltonstall.John Kennedy announced his intention to run for President of the United States.JFK won the Democratic nomination for President. He chose Lyndon Johnson as his running mate.John Kennedy and Republican Candidate Richard Nixon took part in the first televised presidential debate.JFK was elected 35th President of the United States.A son, John Fitzgerald Jr, was born to John and Jackie Kennedy at Georgetown University Hospital.John Kennedy was sworn in as President of the United States. He was the youngest elected President and the first Roman Catholic President. During his inaugural speech he spoke his famous words “ask not what your country can do for you .. ask what you can do for your country”.President Kennedy meets with former president Harry S. Truman and issues Executive Order 10914 directing a doubling of the quantity of surplus food distributed to needy families. Kennedy also attends a meeting at the Democratic National Committee and hosts the swearing-in of his cabinet.Bobby Kennedy was appointed Attorney General. The appointment was controversial because he had no previous government experience.President Kennedy meets with the poet Robert Frost. President Kennedy, Ted Kennedy, and Paul B. Fay attend mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. Kennedy establishes the three-member Government Ethics Committee. Kennedy appoints Hickman Price, Jr. and Roland Burnstan as Assistant Commerce Secretaries.President Kennedy meets with several defense, foreign policy, and intelligence advisers, including Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, CIA Director Allen Dulles, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Lyman Lemnitzer. Kennedy nominates Frank Burton Ellis for a federal judgeship on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.President Kennedy holds his first regular live televised press conference in the State Department Auditorium. He announces the release of two surviving USAF crewman by the Soviet Union after being captured when their RB-47 Stratojet was shot down on July 1, 1960.President Kennedy delivers his first State of the Union address to a Joint session of the United States Congress.President Kennedy holds his second presidential news conference; he announces the establishment of five pilot food stamp distribution projects. He later meets with economic and budget advisers. President Kennedy holds the first meeting of the National Security Council and sends a letter to Defense Secretary McNamara marking the scheduled launch of the USS Sam Houston (SSBN-609) the next day.President Kennedy meets with NATO supreme allied commander Lauris Norstad, Joint Chiefs chairman Lyman Lemnitzer, and later with his cabinet. Kennedy appoints Burke Marshall as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, David K. E. Bruce as Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Kennedy telegrams the mayors of 297 cities urging an increase in urban renewal activities.President Kennedy meets with Ambassador to Laos Winthrop G. Brown. Kennedy and Paul B. Fay attend the movie Spartacus at the Warner Theater. After meeting with Health, Education, and Welfare Secretary Abraham A. Ribicoff, Kennedy orders money and surplus food totalling $4 million for Cuban refugees in fiscal year 1961.JFK created the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps arranges for volunteer Americans to help in underdeveloped nations providing help with education, health, farming and construction.President Kennedy meets with Council of Economic Advisers chairman Walter Heller and later appoints Sargent Shriver to head the Peace Corps. He also dines at the home of his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and meets with Ambassador to the United Kingdom David K. E. Bruce.Kennedy signed Executive Order 10925 which stated that government contractors had to make sure that everyone was given equal opportunities without prejudice to their colour, race, nationality or religion.President Kennedy proposes the Alliance for Progress.President Kennedy signs a commission restoring the five star rank general of the army position to former president Eisenhower.President Kennedy meets with Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Kennedy also declares parts of eastern Iowa flooded by the Cedar River to be a major disaster area.President Kennedy meets with journalists Albert Merriman Smith and Marvin Arrowsmith. The First Family view the film All in a Night's Work.The Soviet Union's launch of Yuri Gagarin into low Earth orbit aboard Vostok 1 marks the first time a human being is launched into outer space. Kennedy messages Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev, congratulating him on the successful launch of Vostok 1.This American backed invasion of Cuba to overthrow Communist Fidel Castro failed and many troops lost their lives.The invasion of Cuba fails and results in a Cuban revolutionary victory. Kennedy's administration is severely embarrassed, so much so that Kennedy stated he wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the wind."Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sent to South Vietnam to meet President Ngo Dinh Diem to assess the situation and advise how best to prevent the spread of communism.The Freedom 7 spacecraft is readied for a launch attempt which would have resulted in the first American human spaceflight; it is canceled due to poor weather and rescheduled for May 5.Alan Shepard is launched on Freedom 7 on a sub-orbital spaceflight aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket, and becomes the first American in outer space. The flight lasts 15 minutes 22 seconds, and reaches an apogee of 187.42 kilometres (116.46 mi), and a maximum speed of 8,277 kilometres per hour (5,143 mph) (Mach 6.94).President Kennedy meets with Alan Shepard at the White House, to congratulate him on becoming the first American in space. He awards him the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in a ceremony on the White House lawn. The six other Mercury Seven astronauts attend the ceremony, the next of which, Gus Grissom, would launch into space less than three months later.John Kennedy stated that America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.John Kennedy met Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, in Vienna to discuss the escalating crisis over the status of Berlin.During the night, the Soviet Union erected a wall through Berlin separating the East and West of the city.Address before the United Nations General Assembly (JFK's first of two) announcing the US intention to "challenge the Soviet Union, not to an arms race, but to a peace race".A standoff in Berlin between US and Soviet tanks ended after JFK decided that a wall through Berlin was preferable to a war.Kennedy was awarded the Laetare Medal, the highest honor for American Catholics by the University of Notre Dame, with Rev. Theodore Hesburgh in attendance.Meets with Colombian president Alberto Lleras Camargo in Bogota, Colombia.President Kennedy announces the appointment of David L. Lawrence as Chairman of the President's Committee on Equal Opportunity in Housing. Kennedy also appoints Phil N. Bornstein as Federal Housing Commissioner.President Kennedy delivers his third (and final) State of the Union address.President Kennedy selects Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. for United States Undersecretary of Commerce.[1] RFK denies government pressure is preventing Teamster union officials from getting their required bonds.[2] President Kennedy sends a message to Capitol Hill for the government to pay the cotton trade to increase sales of domestic cotton alongside the government paying the feed grain and dairy farmers to not produce.The President and the First Lady attend the revue Beyond the Fringe in New York City.In a letter to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, President Kennedy denies clemency to Victor Feguer, a convicted murderer.[4]Victor Feguer is executed after Kennedy's February 20 denial of clemency. The execution marks the last federal execution until the execution of Timothy McVeigh on June 11, 2001.President Kennedy delivers the commencement address at American University in Washington, D.C.President Kennedy delivers the Civil Rights Address in the aftermath of the Birmingham campaign and recent Stand in the Schoolhouse Door incident and further calls for legislation to enact a civil rights bill.Visits Cologne, Frankfurt, and Wiesbaden, West Germany; also holds meetings with West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and other officials.Visits West Berlin and delivers his now-famous "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech advocating representative democracy and capitalism as a replacement for communist regimes around the world.Has an audience with the newly elected Pope Paul VI at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City.President Kennedy meets with a group of Boys Nation senators, including future U.S. President Bill Clinton, at the White House.[6]Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, President and Mrs. Kennedy's third child, is born (five-and-a-half weeks prematurely) at the Otis Air Force Base Hospital in Bourne, Massachusetts. Shortly after birth, he develops symptoms of hyaline membrane disease, now called infant respiratory distress syndrome.Patrick Bouvier Kennedy dies at Boston Children's Hospital.[7]The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom occurs in Washington, D.C., culminating in the now-famous "I Have A Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Estimates of the number of marchers range from 200,000 to 300,000. After the march, King meets with President Kennedy, alongside other civil rights activists.Address before the United Nations General Assembly (JFK's second) stating various specific recommendations to "move the world to a just and lasting peace".Jack Valenti sends an invitation to the White House asking whether President Kennedy would attend a dinner in Houston on November 21 honoring congressman Albert Thomas for his decision not to retire from Congress. The invitation is received at the White House on September 19, 1963.[22]Dedication of Clair A. Hill Whiskeytown Dam just outside Redding, California in Shasta County. Kennedy touted the reservoir as the largest of the Trinity County Dams" that "could be used to benefit the farms and lands further south."Lee Oswald purchases a bus ticket using the alias "Mr. H. O. Lee." The bus leaves Mexico City for Laredo, Texas at 8:30 a.m. on October 2.President Kennedy visits Cleburne County, Arkansas, to dedicate the Greers Ferry Dam. This is the last major public appearance before he was shot in Dallas.Oswald arrives in Dallas and spends the night at the YMCA.[34]Governor Connally meets with President Kennedy at the White HousePresident Kennedy signs the Partial Test Ban Treaty, prohibiting all nuclear weapons testing providing an exception for underground nuclear testing only.President Kennedy announces an agreement with the Soviet Union to open negotiations for the sale of American wheat.Kenneth O'Donnell sends a reply to Jack Valenti formally accepting his invitation for the president to speak at the dinner honoring Rep. Thomas.[39]President Kennedy approves the recommendations made by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, and outlined in National Security Action Memoranda (NSAM 263, South Vietnam), to (1) conclude a complete US military withdrawal from Vietnam by December 31, 1965; (2) that the first of these troops, numbering 1,000, will have left Vietnam by December 31, 1963; (3) that a public announcement will be issued, to set these decisions in concrete.[8][9]Bruno returns to Washington, D.C. with the Dallas luncheon site location still undecided. The Fort Worth visit is eventually resolved when the city's chamber of commerce agrees to sponsor a breakfast for the president. Because of this, the president's overnight stay is changed from Houston to Fort Worth so that he will have time to attend the breakfast.[64][65]Gerald Behn, the Secret Service Special Agent in Charge (SAIC) for the White House detail,[66] telephones Forrest Sorrels, Secret Service SAIC of the Dallas district. He instructs Sorrels to survey the buildings that the president is planning to visit during the Dallas leg of the trip. The two leading contenders to host the Dallas luncheon are the Trade Mart (strongly favored by Governor Connally) and the Women's Building at the state fairgrounds, which Bruno favors and Connally bitterly opposes.[67]In a private dictation at the Oval Office, following the assassination of South Vietnam President Diem, President Kennedy admits that the US Government had been discussing for three months the implementation of a coup d'état in S. Vietnam, with both dissenting and approving views, and which, at length, the plan to depose the leader of S. Vietnam had been authorised and approved by President Kennedy.[10]Bruno visits the White House and has separate meetings with Kenneth O'Donnell, Gerald Behn and Walter Jenkins. It is decided that the Trade Mart poses too great a security risk, and the Women's Building is chosen as the Dallas luncheon site.[70]White House press secretary Pierre Salinger announces that First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy will accompany the president on his Texas trip.[71]The Albert Thomas appreciation dinner to be held on November 21 sells out a second time. Organizers of the dinner had already moved the venue from the Rice Hotel, where the event had sold out, to the larger Sam Houston Coliseum because of increased demand for tickets once it became known that Kennedy would attend. After it was announced that the First Lady would also attend, tickets to the dinner at the larger venue sold out as well.It is announced that First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy will begin resuming her official White House duties on November 20, more than a month earlier than expected. She had previously announced the cancellation of all her events for the rest of the year following the premature birth and death of her third child, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, the past August.[75]Oswald is driven by Ruth Paine to take his driver's license permit test, but because there is a special election that day, the office is closed.A special flight carrying all the advance groups that are to work on the preparation for the trip to Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth and Dallas departs Andrews Air Force Base at 8:20 a.m.Jack Puterbaugh and White House Secret Service agent Winston Lawson, along with Dallas Secret Service agents Forrest Sorrels and Robert Steuart, visit the office of Robert B. Cullum, president of the Dallas Chamber of Commerce, to discuss plans for the Kennedy visit. They reexamine the Trade Mart and the Women's Building and meet with representatives of the Trade Mart.[Acquiescing to the wishes of Governor Connally, Kenneth O'Donnell reverses his prior decision to hold the Dallas luncheon at the Women's Building and changes the location to the Dallas Trade Mart. According to both O'Donnell and Bruno, this change in the luncheon site, although seemingly insignificant at the time, dramatically alters the motorcade route taken through Dallas.President Kennedy attends a dedication ceremony at the border of Maryland and Delaware marking the completion of the Northeast Expressway and the Delaware Turnpike, which together form part of Interstate 95 and provided a limited-access route between Baltimore and the approach to the Delaware Memorial Bridge.[11] Both roads were renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway a month later following his assassination.: President Kennedy delivers a speech in New York City at the AFL–CIO convention and then flies to West Palm Beach, Florida to spend his last weekend.Dallas civic leaders issue statements urging against demonstrations or incidents that may occur during President Kennedy's visit. Dallas County judge W. L. Sterrett says: "I am hoping we won't have any kind of demonstration here. I have confidence that there won't be anything of that sort. That kind of thing can give a city and county a black eye."[89]Kennedy confides to his good friend senator George Smathers of Florida that Vice President Johnson wants First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to ride in the car with him during the upcoming tour of Texas.[90] The exact motorcade route is finalized.President Kennedy travels to Tampa, Florida. There, he visited the military's Strike Command Headquarters, attended a luncheon at the officer's club, made a speech at the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and another to the United Steelworker's Union.The White House formally announces the timetable of events for the president's visit, including a planned arrival time of 12:30 p.m. CST at the Trade Mart.[92]Air Force One lands at Carswell Air Force Base on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas. The president and his wife walk down the steps of the aircraft and are met by Raymond Buck, president of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, and his wifethe Kennedys arrive at the Hotel Texas in Fort Worth after being cheered by thousands of well-wishers lined on the route toward the West Freeway. Despite the late time and rainy weather, the president and Mrs. Kennedy take some time to shake hands with admirers gathered outside the hotel before retiring to their assigned suite (Room 850) for the night.the president speaks before breakfast in a square across Eighth Street, accompanied by Congressman Jim Wright, Senator Yarborough, Governor Connally and Vice President Johnson. Kennedy praises Fort Worth's aviation industry. The attendees, members of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, are largely conservative Republicans.[95]Kennedy takes his place in the hotel's grand ballroom for the scheduled speech, and the First Lady arrives amid loud applause 15 minutes later.In Fort Worth, Texas, Kennedy's motorcade departs Hotel Texas for Carswell Air Force Base.Air Force One departs Carswell Air Force Base for Dallas, Texas.[1]Air Force Two arrives at Love Field in Dallas.[1]Air Force One arrives at Love Field in DallasThe Kennedys and Connallys disembark Air Force One and are greeted by the JohnsonsThe motorcade leaves Love Field for its 10-mile trip through downtown Dallas.Assassination of John F. KennedyPresident Kennedy is officially pronounced dead.JFK increased the number of military advisers and special forces in South Vietnam to 11,000.Kennedy delivers his second State of the Union address.As Commander-in-chief, Kennedy commutes the military death sentence of seaman Jimmie Henderson to life imprisonment, marking the last time in the 20th century that an American president was faced with such a decision (As of 28 July 2008, the most recent such decision was when President George W. Bush decided to deny clemency to Private Ronald A. Gray).John Glenn, aboard the space capsule Friendship 7, is launched into an orbital spaceflight by a Mercury-Atlas 6 rocket and becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.John Kennedy’s name was linked to that of Marilyn Monroe amid rumours of an affair.Kennedy signs into law HR5143 (Pub.L. 87–423), abolishing the mandatory death penalty for first degree murder in the District of Columbia, the only remaining jurisdiction in the United States with a mandatory death sentence for first degree murder, replacing it with life imprisonment with parole if the jury could not decide between life imprisonment and the death penalty, or if the jury chose life imprisonment by a unanimous vote.Kennedy signs the Educational Television Facilities Act into law, marking the first time Congress provided major federal aid to public broadcastingMarilyn Monroe sings Happy Birthday, Mr. President to President Kennedy in Madison Square Garden as part of the President's 45th birthday celebrations (his birthday was on May 29).Kennedy delivers an address at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in which he speaks of the new movement toward interdependence that is transforming the world, and noting that the spirit of that new effort is the same spirit which gave birth to the American Constitution.President Kennedy attends the All Star baseball game at D.C. Stadium, and throws out the first pitch.Kennedy delivers a speech at Rice University on the subject of the nation's plans to land humans on the Moon. Kennedy announces his continued support for increased space expenditures, saying "we choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.A situation arose in Mississippi when state governor Ross Barnet refused to allow black student James Meredith to attend Mississippi University. Meredith had been granted permission by the courts to enrol at the University.A riot broke out in Mississippi by whites opposed to the integration of black students. Robert Kennedy responded by sending in the National Guard.James Meredith became the first black student to enrol at the university of MississippiThe United States learned that soviet missiles were being placed on Cuba.In a televised address, Kennedy announces the October 14 discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba, making public the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy also announces a naval "quarantine on all offensive military equipment" to that country.After a tense six-day standoff, the Soviet Union backed down and agreed to remove missiles from Cuba.The 1962 elections are held. The Democrats lose seats in the House to Republicans, but maintain their majority; they increase their majority in the Senate. Kennedy's brother Ted wins a special election in Massachusetts to represent the state as junior senator, in the seat his brother had held prior to his election as president.Edward Kennedy became Senator for Massachusetts.Kennedy is presented with the Laetare Medal by Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, the president of the University of Notre Dame. The Medal, annually awarded by Notre Dame, is considered the highest award for American Catholics. Kennedy was presented with the award in the Oval Office, by Fr. Hesburgh, who was also a member of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, the university's executive vice president.President Kennedy meets with President Jorge Alessandri of the Republic of Chile to have a working meeting to discuss the Alliance for Progress.President and Mrs. Kennedy attend mass at St. Ann's Church in Palm Beach, Florida. The Kennedys later hold a party for members of the Secret Service and their families.The number of advisers and special forces in South Vietnam was increased to 16,000. JFK maintained his reluctance to deploy troops.President Kennedy meets with President-elect Juan Bosch of the Dominican Republic.President Kennedy meets with Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz and AFL–CIO President George Meany.Periods
Addresses North Atlantic Council, and meets with French president Charles de Gaulle in Paris, France.Meets with Austrian president Adolf Schärf and has a summit meeting with Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev.Visits with British queen Elizabeth II and prime minister Harold Macmillan in London, England.President Kennedy makes the third international trip of his presidency.Meets with Venezuelan president Rómulo Betancourt in Caracas, Venezuela.President Kennedy makes the fourth international trip of his presidency, travelling to Hamilton, Bermuda, where he meets with British prime minister Harold MacmillanHe attended the Naval Reserve Officer Training School at Northwestern University in ChicagoJohn Kennedy was given command of PT-101.in support of the New Georgia campaign, PT-109 was on its 31st mission with fourteen other PTs ordered to block or repel four Japanese destroyers and floatplanes carrying food, supplies, and 900 Japanese soldiers to the Vila Plantation garrison on the southern tip of the Solomon's Kolombangara Island. Intelligence had been sent to Kennedy's Commander Thomas G. Warfield expecting the arrival of the large Japanese naval force that would pass on the evening of August 1.Kennedy was hospitalized at the Chelsea Naval Hospital in Chelsea, MassachusettsPresident Kennedy makes the first international trip of his presidency, travelling to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, for a state visit. There he meets with Canadian governor general Georges Vanier and prime minister John Diefenbaker. On May 17, he addresses the Canadian parliament.[5]John and Jackie Kennedy made an official three-day trip to ParisKennedy makes the fifth international trip of his presidency, travelling to Mexico City, Mexico, for a state visit. There he meets with Mexican President Adolfo López Mateos.Kennedy makes the sixth international trip of his presidency, travelling to Nassau, The Bahamas, where he confers with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and concludes an agreement on nuclear defense systems.President Kennedy makes the seventh international trip of his presidency, travelling to San José, Costa Rica, where he attends the Conference of Presidents of the Central American Republics.Kennedy makes the eighth international trip of his presidencyVisits Dublin, Wexford, Cork, Galway, and Limerick, Ireland and visits his ancestral home; also addresses the Oireachtas (parliament).Travels to the United Kingdom for an informal visit with British Harold Macmillan at his home in West Sussex, England.Travels to Naples and Rome, Italy, where he meets with Italian President Antonio Segni, and NATO officials.
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