Our guest today has spent his life grappling with the legacy of America’s 35th President. In his latest book, Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy, American historian Stephen F. Knott offers a nuanced assessment of the young President, whose legacy and impact people continue to debate to this day. Knott examines Kennedy through the lens of five critical issues: his interpretation of presidential power, his approach to civil rights, and his foreign policy toward Cuba, the Soviet Union, and Vietnam. What emerges is a president as complex as the author’s shifting views about him.
Dr. Stephen Knott is an Emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. His essays have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Time, Politico, and elsewhere. He is the author/editor of ten books dealing with the American presidency, the early republic, and American foreign policy.
