President Kennedy: Profile of Power Hardcover – October 21, 1993

In summary this is an excellent, well balanced, and very readable book of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's (JFK) three-year presidency. The chapters have no names because it is written in chronological order. Under each chapter number is a date. For example, Chapter 34, October 18, 1962. I found this to be very helpful in reading about JFK's Presidency.As I kid I idolized President Kennedy. Prior to reading this book I pondered what JFK accomplished during his presidency. This book confirms my previous suspicions as an adult that JFK accomplished very little as President. JFK had on his staff one of the best presidential speechwriters in US history, Theodore Sorensen. JFK projected those speeches in a first rate manner. JFK handled the press very well. He did not act as if the press was out to get him such as other presidents, notably Richard Nixon. And JFK was extremely handsome, self-assured, and highly polished.But speeches alone do not make a great president. Speeches followed by actions are what count. JFK's actions were weak, because he was over his head as a politician. He had never worked for a living and had a very undistinguished and short career as a politican before becoming President. He just did not have the background as LBJ did in passing legislation and therefore did not try to pass major legislation such as significant civil rights laws, medicare, etc. as LBJ did in his presidency.Krushchev was partially correct in thinking that JFK lacked guts. Krushchev noted that Russia, unlike the US, would not have tried to hide its overthrow of Castro in Cuba as JFK did in the Bay of Pigs. Russia did not try to disguise its takeover of Hungary as the US unsuccessfully tried to overthrow Castro in the Bay of Pigs debacle.Some interesting anecdotes and information are presented by the author.Anecdotesa. At the beginnning of the Kennedy-Krushchev summit Krushchev indicated he was more interested in shaking Jackie Kennedy's hand than shaking JFK's hand another time.b. JFK and his wife Jackie had a fight because JFK did not want a picture taken at the White House where against his wishes, black entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. and his white Swedish actress wife, Mai Britt, were invited to a White House reception along with approximately 800 guests, most of whom were Negroes. My take on this is that JFK lacked spine.c. JFK was very intelligent with a good personality. He was not abrasive like his brother Robert, although when piqued, JFK used a four letter word beginning with "F".Significant Informationd. US involvement in Vietnam was more than just deploying US advisors.e. JFK was cautious about boxing in Krushchev and wanted Krushchev to be able to save face during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I highly recommend One Minute to Midnight by Michael Dobbs for an account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Michael Dobbs details that JFK waited too long to confront Krushchev in the Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK's delay allowed the Russians in Cuba to mate the missiles with the atomic warheads. If Castro had been in charge instead of Krushchev, the US would have lost tens of millions of people because of the atomic weapons in Cuba. This probably would have led to World War III, and Russia and Cuba would have also lost tens of millions by US retaliatory strikes. Also, the US meetings of its highest officials and former officals to discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis were not continuously chaired by anyone. As a result, the meetings were disorganized.f. JFK cheated on his wife with many women--no great revelation. The reader finds out that JFK was a sex addict and got headaches if he did not have sex after three days.g. JFK had no adrenal glands due to addison's disease. As a result his back really hurt him. He also came close to death due to high temperatures as a result of the treatment for addison's disease.

John F. Kennedy had it all: charm, intelligence, good looks, a beautiful wife and children, and considerable wealth so that he never had to work or be burdened with the sordid task of campaign fundraising. But most of all he had charisma. Men envied him, women adored him, and everywhere he campaigned people flocked to see and touch him.But what was he like as president, and as the leader of the free world? How did he make decisions, direct subordinates, and deal with world leaders such as Charles De Gaulle and Nikita Khrushchev? These are some of the questions Richard Reeves sought to answer when he researched and wrote "President Kennedy: Profile of Power." The introduction summarizes what he discovered about our nation's 35th president, and later illustrates in the book. "(Kennedy) was intelligent, detached, curious, candid if not always honest, and he was careless and dangerously disorganized," writes Reeves. "He was also very impatient, addicted to excitement, living his life as if it were a race against boredom."Kennedy said governing was choosing, but he tended to avoid making decisions for as long as possible, wanting to keep his options open. Avoiding decisions, especially the big decisions, however, was in itself a form of decision-making, and did in fact trap his presidency and the nation in a brutal, prolonged and ultimately unwinnable war in a small, insignificant country on the far side of the world--Vietnam.Reeves' book follows Kennedy through a number of crises: the Bay of Pigs, the meeting with Khrushchev (which left Kennedy "shell-shocked" and looking weak in the eyes of Soviet leadership), the Berlin Wall crises, the Cuban Missile crises, civil rights unrest in the Deep South, and the decision to send American boys to fight in the jungles of Southeast Asia, something Kennedy said he would never do. In fact, the Vietnam War was the one constant of Kennedy's presidency: it wouldn't go away but rather grew worse with time.U.S. involvement in Vietnam started small, with about 600 American advisors stationed in and around Saigon, a number in line with the Geneva Convention, that Eisenhower authorized prior to Kennedy taking office. Kennedy was looking for a small conflict to exercise his belief in the viability of limited warfare, while at the same time showing Khrushchev he was tough. Vietnam was that place. This was in 1961, before anyone in the U.S. had ever heard of Vietnam, never mind being able to locate it on a map.In fact, the road to the Vietnam war was paved with a series of small, seemingly insignificant decisions, made without a lot of thought or investigation or soul-searching, small decisions that Kennedy believed could easily be reversed and therefore were in line with keeping his options open. However, once he upped the ante toward the end of 1961--sending 3,300 aircraft and doubling the number of American advisors (breaking with the Geneva mandate)--the press began sending journalists to cover the war and the decision to withdraw became increasingly difficult. By the summer of 1962, Vietnam was making the front page of newspapers across the country. For Kennedy, it meant Vietnam was now a very real issue calling into question American resolve and prestige, demanding more of his attention, and eliciting more and more questions from the press. And it only grew worse as he upped deployment to 11,500 American soldiers by the end of 1962, and 16,000 by the end of 1963. By then, Kennedy was appearing on the major network newscasts such as CBS and NBC, defending his Vietnam policy.Kennedy did not live to see the outcome of his Vietnam decisions. Whether or not he would have managed the war differently than Lyndon Johnson or withdrawn completely will never be known. However, the advisors Kennedy picked and relied upon in 1961-63, such as Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, and McGeorge Bundy, were the same men Johnson relied upon in 1964-68.Reeves casts an unflinching eye on Kennedy's many illicit love affairs while in office, and his ongoing (and secret) struggle with Addison's Disease, which threatened his life. Most reviewers find Reeve's account of the Kennedy presidency to be even-handed. I believe that too. However, those who still want to believe JFK was a saint should look elsewhere.

Absolute best account of the JFK presidency. Written 20 years ago it is NOT outdated by new facts coming to light since then. This has it all. Excellent writing (as good as William Manchester). If you read only one book on the Kennedy presidency this is the one. I was disappointed however to see that the ebook does not include the many photos that were part of the print edition. I hope Amazon can answer why this is the case. I would not lower my rating however because it is based on the writing.

In research for my novel, I read a great deal about the Kennedys as they were a vital part of the 1960s. This book dissected in some detail the crises JFK dealt with, and the decisions he had to make. The 1000 days of his administration were fraught with danger as the cold war raged and reached its apex during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962. I think any student of the 1960s, or a reader who wants to know more about JFK and his administration will find this book enlightening.

Book arrive quickly and as described - like new condition.

Although I lived through these events, the day to day details without spin has changed my opinion of our former President. He certainly had some serious weaknesses, but he had some amazing strengths. I've not read much on this era so much of the behind the scenes information was new to me. I doubt that he would be electable today and that's the pity. The Kindle edition worked well.

Richard Reeves gives a detailed compilation of President Kennedy"s time as our free world leader during a time in our history that could have brought nuclear oblivion. An excellent accounting of the Presidential responsibilities leading up to November 1963.

Lover of history. Great read.