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Nation Remembers John F. Kennedy

Aired November 22, 2013 - 13:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(SINGING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And ladies and gentlemen, Mr. David McCullough.

(APPLAUSE)

DAVID MCCULLOUGH, HISTORIAN & AUTHOR: He spoke to us in that now distant time past with a vitality and sense of purpose such as we had never heard before. He was young to be president, but it didn't seem so if you were younger still. He was ambitious to make it a better world. And so were we. Let the word go forth, he said, that the torch is passed to a new generation of Americans. It was an exciting time. He talked of all that needed to be done, of so much that mattered, equal opportunity, unity of purpose, education, the life of the mind and the spirit, art, poetry, service to one's country, and the courage to move forward into the future, the cause of peace on earth. His was the inspiring summons to serve, to hard work and worthy accomplishment, a summons we longed for. He was an optimist, and he said so, but there was no side stepping reality in what he said. No resorting to stale old platitudes. He spoke to the point and with confidence. He knew words matter. His words changed lives. His words changed history. Rarely has a commander-in-chief addressed the nation with such command of language.

Much that he said applies now no less than half a century ago and will continue, let us hope, to be taken to heart far into the future. "Gone but not forgotten" is the old expression for departed heroes. But if not forgotten, they are not gone.

On this day especially and at this place, let us listen again to some of what John F. Kennedy said. The new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises. It is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people but what I intend to ask them. This nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds. It was founded on the principle that all men are created equal and that the rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened. The heart of the question is whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated. We must educate our children as our most valuable resource. We must have trained people, many trained people. Their finest talents brought to the keenest edge. We must have not only scientists, mathematicians, technicians. We must have people skilled in the humanities. I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or state craft. I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization. This country cannot afford to be materially rich and spiritually poor.

Art is the great unifying and humanizing experience. The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction in the life of a nation, is very close to the center of a nation's purpose. And it is the test of the quality of a nation's civilization. I am certain that after the dust of centuries has passed over our cities, we, too, will be remembered not for our victories or defeats in battle or in politics, but for our contributions to the human spirit. If more politicians knew poetry and more poets knew politics, I am convinced the world would be a little better place to live. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.

Together, let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths. Those who came before us made certain that this country, that the role -- this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolution, the first waves of modern invention, the first waves of nuclear power. And this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be part of it. We set sail on this new sea because there is to be a new knowledge gained and new rights to be won and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? We choose to go to the moon in this decade and to do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Powerful words from the late president of the United States as read by David McCullough, the biographer of the late president.

We're going to continue our special coverage in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Honoring the memory of President John F. Kennedy, David McCullough continues to read excerpts from some of President Kennedy's speeches as we await the Navy choir, the Navy flyover.

Let's bring in David Brinkley to give us some thoughts.

50 years ago, exactly this hour, that awful event occurred, the assassination, Douglas, of the president of the United States. It's a powerful moment for so many people in the United States and around the world to recall.

DAVID BRINKLEY, PRESIDENTIAL HISTORIAN: Well, absolutely. I think we can now say John F. Kennedy's a sustainable hero and David McCullough, our great historian from Massachusetts, like John F. Kennedy was talking about the heroism of Kennedy. I say that because after his death there was a lot of Camelot literature, books by Arthur Schlesinger, Ted Sorenson, building up Kennedy and then some other books came out of a different generation very critical of his personal life. But now on the 50th anniversary, not only is he coming off as a sustainable hero, the amount of love, the outpouring of love from all over America, and its bipartisanship and spirit. David McCullough reading those words reminds you Kennedy was the greatest orator of the 20th century. You could chisel so many Kennedy speeches into marble and monuments. Now there's another new monument in Dallas as of today.

BLITZER: Gerald Posner, as you reflect, and we get ready for the flyover to recall and to honor the memory of the president of the United States, president John F. Kennedy, this is a special moment for the city of Dallas itself where this terrible tragedy occurred 50 years ago this hour.

GERALD POSNER, AUTHOR: Yeah, absolutely, Wolf. Dallas did itself very proud today with some serenity, a sober ceremony that was distinguished and dignified. And that's really what they wanted. This was a city that was in turmoil and filled with a lot of anger when Jack Kennedy arrived. A full-page ad in the newspaper greeted him, calling him essentially a treasoner and a traitor. Dallas has, for years, tried to live down that culture of hate that Kennedy arrived into. I think, today, they did an admirable job of focusing on what they should, which is the life of this man, in many ways. Because as we're talking right now, you bring yourself back 50 years ago, John Kennedy is at Parkland Hospital, young doctors in their 20s, good doctors are working furiously to try to get a sign of life in him. In just another hour, Jackie Kennedy, who our heart goes out to, because we see her with her husband, is going to take an ambulance ride with four Secret Service agents and a brigadier general to Air Force One with her husband, but her husband is in a casket. And 20 minutes after that stands next to President Johnson in stunned silence, we've seen that, as he is sworn in as president. Then for the entire ride back to Washington, she sits in the back of the plane with the casket.

There's no way you can go through the emotions of the day without wanting to turn the car around, turn the motorcade back when it's getting to Dealey Plaza because we know what's coming up. As a nation, our heart goes out to Jack Kennedy and the entire Kennedy family. Dallas had just the right approach to this today.

BLITZER: David Kaiser is an historian, the author of "The Road to Dallas". He's with us, as well.

What do you think folks should leave with, from this hour, from this special coverage, this honoring, this recalling, the late president of the United States?

DAVID KAISER, AUTHOR: Well, I want to agree with Gerald Posner that the city of Dallas did a wonderful job. I want to commend the mayor in particular for a very fine speech, which seems to me, to be just about exactly the way John F. Kennedy, I think, would have wanted to be remembered 50 years after his presidency, no matter how it had come to an end. It was very well done. And again, I could not help feel, I said earlier that Kennedy represented a different America with different values.

As I heard Wolf Blitzer read those -- I'm sorry, as I heard David McCullough read those magnificent words, I felt that again. And I hope again that younger Americans listen to those words carefully and that they will study Kennedy himself because he and his time so much embodied the virtues of which we are so desperately in need today and which we could rebuild if we began to do so.

BLITZER: David, hold on for a moment.

We'll take a quick break. The flyover when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The U.S. Naval Academy, Glee Club, Men's Glee Club, about to perform, to sing the Navy hymn. John F. Kennedy, as all our viewers know, he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Let's listen in as the U.S. Naval Academy Men's Glee Club begins to sing. (SINGING)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our program. We thank you for your attendance.

BLITZER: What a moving hour this has been.

John King, Ed Lavandera are standing by, both at Dealey Plaza, watching what is going on.

John, Ed, the missing-man flyover by the Air Force, I anticipated that would be the concluding moment. Did it happen, not happen, was it canceled because of bad weather? Do you have a clue?

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We have no official word yet, Wolf, as to why it didn't happen. It's a cold and rainy, pretty dismal day here in Dallas. One has to assume it's just not safe to have a low flyover at this moment in the weather. We'll try to get official word.

As the ceremony breaks up, a very solemn ceremony, as your previous guests have been talking about, as Dallas tries to turn the page and remember. It is worth remembering, as people reflect on this day, after this solemn ceremony, you see the crowd leaving.

50 years ago at this moment, this was a scene of chaos, people fleeing the scene, police running around trying to investigate. The School Book Depository across the street. Lee Harvey Oswald had gotten out of the building, but police had gotten out of it. And Parkland Hospital, Wolf, just a short drive from here, that's where the president's motorcade went.

And we're just a few moments away from 1:00 in Dallas, 2:00 in the east. 1:00, of course, when it was announced the president had been administered last rights and had passed.

So you saw in reflection today, people starting the history of the moment, a fitting ceremony here in Dallas.

BLITZER: Very fitting indeed.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: And, Ed, they really came up, did a great job. And we're calling the memory of President Kennedy today.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, and I think as John was mentioning about the chaos that was in this very spot 50 years ago, also, remember, this was about the time police were starting to track down Lee Harvey Oswald. And his name wasn't mentioned here but Dallas police officer, J.D. Tippett, killed by Lee Harvey Oswald, just a few miles south of where we are. That's about this time that that shooting had taken place. His widow was in the crowd, in the audience here today, as was Secret Service agent, Clint Hill, who was the man you saw in the Zapruder films many times trying to climb on the back of the limousine, to shield President Kennedy.

And I think that one of the big things about today is, not only President Kennedy and his family affected today, but all of the many lives that were affected by what happened here.

BLITZER: People all over the United States and around the world who are watching, affected 50 years ago this hour, that awful, awful tragedy occurred.

Guys, stand by.

That's it for me in this hour. I'm be back 5:00 p.m. in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

NEWSROOM continues with Brooke Baldwin right after a quick break.

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