Bettie's Books

bookshelves: autumn-2013, published-2013, nonfiction, fradio, radio-4

BOTW

BBC BLURB: Letters to and from President Kennedy are published in book form and edited by Martin W Sandler to mark fifty years since the assassination of 1963. And a selection, abridged in five episodes by Penny Leicester, reveal the drama and tensions to do with American foreign policy. Other letters reveal Kennedy's wit and warmth when contacting friends and members of the public.

1. Early letters include JFK writing to his brother Joe during World War II, when both were in combat. There are also letters to 'Binga' - but exactly who is 'Binga'?

2. When Kennedy became president, letters arrived from Robert Frost, Walter Ulbricht and even John Wayne. Later, Gladys MacPherson would take him to task about his new health campaign.

3. Sundry correspondences reveal the warmth and wit of Kennedy, including an exchange with old friend Leonard Lyons about what a president is worth when he signs his name.

4. During the Cold War years, one exchange of letters with Nikita Khrushchev was surprisingly intimate and informal, away from the glare of the press and official scrutiny.

5. The Cuban Missile Crisis is at its height, and the president receives a remarkable missive from his advisor JK Galbraith, listing the pros and cons of nuclear fallout shelters.