John F. Kennedy at 90

First, it can reasonably be assumed that Kennedy would have defeated Barry Goldwater in his 1964 reelection bid, continuing to serve in office until January 1969.

It would have been Kennedy, not Richard Nixon, who made history by visiting China and the Soviet Union, and expanding our détente with those Communist nations.

Most importantly, if the later assessments of Kennedy’s White House aides are accurate, some 58,000-plus U.S. men and women would today be enjoying their golden years because J.F.K. would have ended our involvement in Vietnam following the beginning of his second term in office. Ultimately, the anti-war demonstrations with the resulting drug culture and Kent State tragedy may never have resulted.

At the conclusion of his second term in 1969, John Kennedy would have been only 51-years-old. Among the thirty-three presidents who preceded J.F.K., twenty-two were older than 51 on the day they were first inaugurated.

This historian believes that Kennedy’s post-presidential activities would have been similar to those of John Quincy Adams and Jimmy Carter. Like Adams, he may have returned to Congress as a member of the House or Senate; and like Carter, the man who had already won the Pulitzer Prize in 1957 for Profiles in Courage would have been a prolific writer and author about history and current events.

The possibilities are endless . . .

If Kennedy had survived Dallas, the odds of Richard Nixon having been elected president would have been nil. Both Nixon and Lyndon Johnson would have gone down in history’s back pages as former vice-presidents who had little impact on our nation.

And because a scandal like Watergate may never have occurred, the overall trust and confidence that Americans once held toward their government and its representatives might exist to this day.

But could Kennedy’s survival in November, 1963 have resulted in a negative affect on America?

It is possible.

All during his presidency, Kennedy had been living a reckless lifestyle filled with countless marital infidelities, nude pool parties, and injections of barbiturates and amphetamines.

Most Americans believed J.F.K. to be an ideal family man, proud of his beautiful wife and adorable children. But if the truth about Kennedy’s private life and those of his brothers, Attorney General Robert and Senator Edward had come to light, the resulting scandal would have proved devastating for both the Kennedy Clan and the nation.

Had that occurred, rather than his assassination, the legacy known as the modern-day Camelot would not exist. John F. Kennedy International Airport would still be known as Idlewilde; the John F. Kennedy Space Center would probably have been named after Wernher von Braun; the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts may never have evolved; the half-dollar would continue to bear Ben Franklin’s image; and countless schools, boulevards and bridges would not have borne Kennedy’s name.

American history can be speculated to no end.

In all fairness to President Kennedy, the man’s legacy as an inspiring, martyred leader shines on.

We remember him as the young, articulate president who promoted freedom; boldly stood up to the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crises; put the United States ahead in the space race; endorsed the Civil Rights agenda; and recognized the plight of those who live in third-world countries through programs designed “to help them help themselves.”

During a recent journey to Washington, D.C., this writer took a few moments to visit the Jefferson Memorial. It was after dark and as I stood on the south side of the monument, I stared up toward the eternal flame that flickers atop Arlington National Cemetery on the opposite side of the Potomac River.

It was a beautiful evening and that flame reminded me of the day I was proud to have shaken President Kennedy’s hand. I was only eight years old then, but I can still recall looking up in awe at his tanned, smiling face and mass of reddish-brown hair.

As I continued to stare at J.F.K.’s flame, my eyes became moist. It has been over forty-three years, but the shock and desolation of hearing the news of his assassination continues to haunt me.

My mind drifted back to his days in the White House. Yes, those days of innocence, long before Vietnam, 9-11, Columbine and Virginia Tech.

On what would have been his 90th birthday, we realize that the toll of passing time has not erased our memories of our nation’s last truly beloved president — John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

We stare at the flame, and we cannot help but yearn for those days of yesteryear.

John Burke Jovich is a presidential historian based in York, PA who writes, lectures, and consults extensively on the subject.