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Nearly fifty years after the assassination, most Americans continue to respond favorably towards President Kennedy’s conduct in office despite revelations of his serial philandering and the cover-up of his serious health problems. This book examines the dominant images of the Kennedy presidency for some of the possible causes of the disparities between perception and reality.
Kennedy was the nation’s first president to understand the power of imagery. He harnessed the power of media and television to cultivate clear images and sustain popular appeal. Kennedy and others in the White House consciously created positive photos that portrayed the President’s youthful appearance and his wholesome appeal as a faithful husband and loving father. Many people identified with idealized images of Kennedy, who seemed like a picture of robust health and an ideal family man. Behind the scenes, though, a different idea has emerged over time of an enigmatic, complex man. This human being was capable of both selfless and selfish motives and actions. This book assesses both the positive and negative dimensions of the Kennedy legacy to provide a fresh perspective.
Based on an examination of historical, sociological, and scholarly documents, as well as a lifelong interest in reading about the Kennedys, this thesis concludes that many Americans projected many positive values onto President Kennedy but failed to account fully for the reality of his complexities and weaknesses.