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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:
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John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world. Our purpose is to advance the study and understanding of President Kennedy's life and career and the times in which he lived; and to promote a greater appreciation of America's political and cultural heritage, the process of governing and the importance of public service. We accomplish our mission by: preserving and making accessible the records of President Kennedy and his times; promoting open discourse on critical issues of our own time; and educating and encouraging citizens to contribute, through public and community service, to shaping our nation's future.break

http://www.jfklibrary.org

  • This discussion centers around the screening of a film by Robert Drew, founder of cinema verite. The time was June 1963, when two black students tried to gain admission to the University of Alabama. The film, entitled *Crisis*, looks at the White House's handling of the event and simultaneously traces the actions of Attorney General Robert Kennedy and Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach. The film was controversial when first released. Although now recognized as a major piece of work, at the time, *The New York Times* editorialized against it claiming, "Under the circumstances in which this film was taken, the use of cameras could only denigrate the Office of the President. To eavesdrop on executive decisions of serious government matters while they are in progress is highly inappropriate. The White House isn't Macy's window." Today, because of this film, we have a remarkable historical record of what led to the integration of the University of Alabama.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Thom Powers, documentary film professor at New York University, talks about the career of political documentarian Bob Drew. In the course of a long, distinguished career following his service in World War II as one of the first American jet fighter pilots, Bob Drew worked for *Life* magazine, and while working with *Life*, came up with the idea of doing documentaries. He produced a number of documentaries, including *Primary*, which follows JFK and Hubert Humphrey during the Wisconsin primary, about a week of campaigning leading up to the primary election night. **Thom Powers** teaches documentary filmmaking at New York University and is a freelance writer for *The Boston Globe* and other publications. He has been an editor for Fantagraphics books, as well as a researcher on a number of documentaries. He is currently writing a book about documentaries entitled, *Stranger than Fiction* that will be published by Farrar Strauss.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Former JFK advisor and historian Arthur Schlesinger, journalist Tom Wicker, and veteran political analyst and former Nixon staffer Kevin Phillips explore the varying legacies of our wartime presidents. David Gergen of the Kennedy School of Government, and a former Reagan staffer, moderates.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd discusses his new book *Losing America: Confronting a Reckless and Arrogant Presidency* with Dick Gordon, host of WBUR's The Connection.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Cartoonists Mike Peters of *The Dayton Daily News*, Mike Luckovitch of *The Atlanta Journal Constitution*, and Dan Wasserman of *The Boston Globe*, present a show-and-tell about their craft. Scott Simon, host of NPR's *Weekend Edition Saturday*, moderates.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Senator Edward M. Kennedy introduces Kenneth R. Feinberg, the special master administering the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund of 2001. Mr. Feinberg discusses his efforts to compensate the families of victims of the 2001 terrorist attacks. Jack Rosenthal, president of The New York Times Company Foundation and founder of the 9/11 Neediest Fund, moderates this discussion with Mr. Feinberg.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Maureen Dowd draws upon her celebrated columns to probe the group she has made recognizable by their first names, middle initials, nicknames, or numbers as they seek an extreme makeover of the country and the world. For 30 years, Maureen Dowd has written about Washington, and America, in a voice that is passionate, outraged and incisive. Nothing has engaged her as powerfully as the life and politics of George W. Bush.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Jason DeParle, *New York Times* senior writer and author of *American Dream: Three Women, Ten Kids, and a Nation's Drive to End Welfare*; David Ellwood, Dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government; and Ron Haskins, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institute, examine our nation's policies regarding poor people. William Julius Wilson of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government moderates.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Senator Edward Kennedy presents Senator John Kerry with a bronze bust of President Kennedy in recognition of Kerry's lifelong commitment to public service, a career that includes service in the United States Navy (1966-1969) during which he was decorated for combat in Vietnam War; assistant district attorney for Middlesex County, MA (1977-1982); lieutenant governor of Massachusetts (1982-1984); US senator representing Massachusetts since 1984; and Democratic candidate for US president in 2004. The Kennedy Library Foundation's Distinguished American series invites men and women who have played significant roles in American public affairs to share their insights and experiences with the public and to be recognized for honoring President Kennedy's call for public service and his belief that one person can make a difference and every person should try. Past recipients of the Distinguished American Award include President George H. W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, Harry Belafonte, James Farmer, Helen Thomas, Congressman John Lewis, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State James Baker, Daniel Schorr, John Kenneth Galbraith, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Douglas Dillon, Mary McGrory, Betty Freidan, Tom Wicker, Ben Bradlee, Dorothy Height, George Reedy, Liz Carpenter, Myer Feldman, Nicholas Katzenbach, McGeorge Bundy, David Broder, Stewart Udall, Archibald Cox, Marian Wright Edelman, Congressman Joe Moakley, Diane Nash, Sargent Shriver, and Kenneth Feinberg.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
  • Richard Parker, author of *John Kenneth Galbraith: His Life, His Politics, His Economics* and Robert Reich, former secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton, join James Carroll, author and *Boston Globe* columnist, for a look back at the remarkable career of John Kenneth Galbraith.
    Partner:
    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation