John F. Kennedy on Technology

1956: National recognition for brief VP race on TV

"And then he was gone, the underdog candidate who had intrigued and captivated the hearts and minds of millions of Americans," as one historian put it. "The dramatic race," which "had glued millions to their television sets," was "his great moment--he registered on the nation's memory," wrote another.

Kennedy realized that. About a year later Kennedy [remarked to a colleague], "Do you know who the 2nd most well-known senator is? I am," Kennedy said [referring to the V.P. nominee Sen. Kefauver as 1st]. "And do you know why? It was the half hour on national television when I ran against Kefauver for the vice presidency."

While in hindsight, the transformation that television was to make in American politics seems obvious, at the time few politicians recognized this new reality as Kennedy did. [He seized] every opportunity to be on-screen.

1960: Understood the relatively new media of television

Established TV as central element of electoral process

JFK convinced us that he was young and Nixon was old during their television debates. But television news itself has always been manipulated by the elite print media that set its agenda. Life in the White House during the media age revolved around attempts t manage the dialogue with the media. It wasn't Congress or the courts that dominated the decision process--but speculation on how the press and television would react that consumed the majority of the waking hours of the White House staff and consultants.

1962: We choose to go to the moon because doing it is hard

Cooperate with USSR on weather satellites & exploring space

Today this country is ahead in the science and technology of space, while the Soviet Union is ahead in the capacity to lift large vehicles into orbit. Both nations would help themselves as well as other nations by moving these endeavors from the bitter and wasteful competition of the Cold War. The United States would be willing to join with the Soviet Union and the scientists of all nations in a greater effort to make the fruits of this new knowledge available to all.

USSR is ahead in space; focus more on new science

KENNEDY: What I downgrade, Mr. Nixon, is the leadership the country is getting, not the country. I believe the Soviet Union is first in outer space. We may have made more shots but the size of their rocket thrust and all the rest--you yourself said to Khrushchev, "You may be ahead of us in rocket thrust but we're ahead of you in color television" in your famous discussion in the kitchen. I think that color television is not as important as rocket thrust. The Soviet Union made a breakthrough in outer space; the head of your Information Service has said that that made the people of the world begin to wonder whether we were first in science. We're first in other areas of science but in space, which is the new science, we're not first.