"A GOLDEN AGE OF POETRY & POWER, OF WHAT THIS NOONDAY'S THE BEGINNING HOUR"

ROBERT FROST BATTLES SUN AT JFK INAUGURATION


Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) The sun shone bright and clear on January 20, 1961 as the new President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, was sworn in on the East Front of the Capitol building.  It had to be a welcome sight following the previous day's snowstorm, but the sun proved to be a nuisance for 86 year old Robert Frost* when he attempted to read "Dedication**," a poem he had written especially for the historic occasion.

Participants and guests on the stage showed concern as Mr. Frost struggled to read his poem.  Frost just could not see the words on the paper because of the glare of the sun.  He said..."I don't have a good light here."


At one point, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson put his hat alongside the paper to try to shade it from the sun.  That didn't solve the problem.  Finally, the poet told the audience that he would recite another one of his poems, "A Gift Outright" (1941) from memory, and he proceeded to do so without hesitation.


A Gift Outright.


The land was ours before we were the lands
She was our land more than a hundred years
 Before we were her people, She was ours
in Massachusetts, in Virginia.

But we were England's, still colonials,
Possessed what we were still unpossessed by
Possessed by what we no more possessed.

Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living.
And forthwith found salvation in surrender

Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced
Such as she was, such as she would become


And for this occasion let me add, 
to what she will become.*


*Robert Lee Frost (1874-1963) was born in San Francisco & moved to Lawrence, MA in 1884.  He sold his first poem in 1894 & attended Harvard.  RLF taught English at Amherst College & won Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry in 1924, 1931, 1937 & 1943.  He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal (1960) & was named Poet Laureate of Vermont (1961).

**"Dedication"...Excerpts from the poem Frost intended to read at JFK's Inaugural...

Come fresh from an election like the last
The greatest vote of a people ever cast
So close yet sure to be abided by
It is no miracle our mood is high


A golden age of poetry & power
Of what this noonday's the beginning hour

"OH JACK, YOU WERE WONDERFUL. WHAT A DAY!"

YOUNGEST ELECTED POTUS TAKES OATH OF OFFICE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On January 20, 1961, with the Nation's Capital blanketed by snow, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated 35th President of the United States on the East Front of the United States Capitol.

JFK took the oath of office at 12:51 p.m. Eastern time with the temperature being 22 degrees F. along with a wind chill of 7 degrees F.

Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair describes the scene...

"Washington had never seen anything like it:  the tidal wave of glamour, promise, and high spirits that descended on the capital for the 1961 inauguration of the youngest president ever elected, John F. Kennedy--a movable, star-studded bash that couldn't be stopped even by a massive snowstorm."

Marian Anderson sang the National Anthem after which JFK's priest, Richard Cardinal Cushing, delivered the opening prayer.  Robert Frost attempted unsuccessfully to read a poem that he wrote for the historic event.  The bright sun reflecting off the Capitol dome along with the snow covered roofs of surrounding buildings made it impossible for the poet to see.

Instead, Mr. Frost recited one of his poems that he knew 'by heart,' "The Gift Outright"...then Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath of office as JFK was sworn on the Fitzgerald family Bible.

President Kennedy's Inaugural Address, considered one of the best of the 20th century, included the following words...

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days; nor in the life of this Administration; nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."

Geoffrey Perret writes...

"Standing in the sunshine, hatless and coatless, he gives a performance not even he could have forseen,"  Later in the Rotunda, Jacqueline Kennedy gently touched her husband on the cheek and said...

"Oh, Jack, you were wonderful. What a day!"

JFK+50 NOTE:

Three POTUS & three future POTUS attended this inauguration:  Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon & Ford.  Five First Ladies and 3 future First Ladies also attended: Edith Wilson, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bess Truman, Mamie Eisenhower, Jackie Kennedy, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Betty Ford.

SOURCES

"From That Day Forth,"  by Todd S. Purdum, Vanity Fair, February 2011.

"Jack:  A Life Like No Other," by Geoffrey Perret, Random House, New York, 2001.

JFK Gives Inaugural Address

January 20, 1961

Washington, D.C.

Photo by CWO Donald Mingfield

U.S. Army Signal Corps

JFK Library Image

JFK INAUGURAL

JFK INAUGURATED 53 YEARS AGO TODAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-three years ago today, January 20, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was inaugurated 35th President of the United States on the East Front of the Capitol here in Washington.

John F. Kennedy

Delivering Inaugural Address

January 20, 1961

Associated Press Photo

Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair describes it this way...

"Washington had never seen anything like it:  the tidal wave of glamour, promise, and high spirits that descended on the capital for the 1961 inauguration of the youngest president ever elected, John F. Kennedy--a movable, star-studded bash that couldn't be stopped even by a massive snowstorm."

To open the historic proceedings, Marian Anderson sang the National Anthem after which Mr. Kennedy's priest, Richard Cardinal Cushing, delivered the opening prayer.

Geoffrey Perret describes a tense moment during the prayer when...

"blue smoke begins curling from under the rostrum into the 10-degree air."

A heater under the rostrum had an electrical short.  JFK's television adviser, J. Leonard Reinsch, quickly reached under the rostrum and pulled "out a plug."  

The event marked the 1st inaugural in which a poet was invited to participate.  

Eighty-six year old Robert Frost attempted unsuccessfully to read a poem that he wrote specifically for the historic event.  The bright sun reflecting off the Capitol dome along with the snow covered roofs of surrounding buildings made it impossible for the poet to see.

Not to be outdone, Mr. Frost recited one of his poems that he knew 'by heart,' "The Gift Outright"...

"The land was ours before we were the land's.
She was our land more than a hundred years
Before we were her people. She was ours

In Massachusetts, in Virginia,
But we were England's, still colonials,
Possessing what we still were unpossessed by,
Possessed by what we now no more possessed.

Something we were withholding made us weak
Until we found out that it was ourselves
We were withholding from our land of living,
And forthwith found salvation in surrender.

Such as we were we gave ourselves outright
(The deed of gift was many deeds of war)
To the land vaguely realizing westward,
But still unstoried, artless, unenhanced,

Such as she was, such as she would become.

And for this occasion, let me change that to: what she will become."

Robert Frost and JFK

The White House

Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath of office as the youngest elected president in history was sworn on the Fitzgerald family Bible.

JFK Takes Oath of Office

Photo by Chief Signal Officer

JFK Takes Oath of Office

from Chief Justice Warren

United States Capitol

January 20, 1961

President Kennedy's Inaugural Address, considered one of the best of the 20th century, included the following words...

"We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom -- symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning -- signifying renewal, as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans -- born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty.All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days; nor in the life of this Administration; nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

Now the trumpet summons us again -- not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need -- not as a call to battle, though embattled we are -- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation," a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.  My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."

Todd Purdum writes...

"From Kennedy's opening words to his last, the speech was one for the books, ranking, by broad consensus, with FDR's first inaugural as the most stirring of the 20th century.... 

And unlike some speeches whose greatness was appreciated only much later, Kennedy's was widely seen as great from the moment he delivered it."

Geoffrey Perret tells us that while JFK speechwriter Theodore Sorensen "crafted many of the words" of the address, "the tone...is pure Kennedy."

Perret continues...

"Standing in the sunshine, hatless and coatless, he gives a performance not even he could have forseen,"

Later in the Rotunda, Jacqueline Kennedy will touch her husband on the check and say...

"Oh, Jack, you were wonderful. What a day!"


SOURCES

"From That Day Forth,"  by Todd S. Purdum, Vanity Fair, February 2011.

"Jack:  A Life Like No Other," by Geoffrey Perret, Random House, New York, 2001.

FROST'S 'STOPPING BY WOODS' PUBLISHED 90 YEARS AGO

March 7, 2013

FROST'S 'STOPPING BY WOODS'  PUBLISHED 90 YEARS AGO 

Derry, New Hampshire (JFK+50) The New Republic* published Robert Frost's 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening' 90 years ago today, March 7, 1923.

*The New Republic began publication in 1914 & in the 1960s was described as "the voice of re-invigorated liberalism...best illustrated when the dashing young President Kennedy (was) photographed boarding AF 1 holding a copy."

                       Robert Frost Farm
                  Derry, New Hampshire 
                 Photo by Craig Michaud
                   at en.wikipedia (2009)

Robert Frost,** who has been called one of the greatest American poets of the 20th century, wrote the poem in June 1922 in Shaftsbury, Vermont.

He had stayed up all during the night writing 'New Hampshire' & then was inspired to write 'Stopping By Woods' after going outside to look at the New England sunrise.

Mr. Frost was 86 years old when he read his poem, 'The Gift Outright,' at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy on January 20, 1961.***

And on the morning of November 23, 1963, Sid Davis closed his coverage of the arrival of JFK's body at the White House with the passage "The woods are lovely, dark & deep, but I have promises to keep & miles to go before I sleep.'

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods & frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of the easy wind & downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark & deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep
And miles to go before I sleep.

**Robert Frost (1874-1963) was born in San Francisco.  His father, William Prescott Frost, Jr. was editor of the SF Evening Bulletin.  After his father's death in 1885, the family moved to Lawrence, MA & later to Derry, NH.

Mr. Frost lived in the UK from 1912-1915 & after returning to the US taught at Middlebury College from 1921-1963.

***JFK invited RF to his inaugural.  RF wrote a new poem for the occasion but could not read the printed words due to the bright sunlight.  He recited 'The Gift Outright' from memory.

    JFK & Robert Frost at 1961 Inaugural

The original poem, in Frost's own handwriting, showed up in the mail at the JFK Library in 2006.  With the poem was a note from Jackie Kennedy which said "this is the 1st thing I had framed to put in (the oval) office."

                      JFK Library, Boston

When President Kennedy spoke at Amherst College in honor of Frost, he said:

"Our national strength matters, but the spirit which informs & controls our strength matters just as much.  This was the specific significance of Robert Frost."

JFK GIVES VIEW OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

August 29, 1962


JFK GIVES VIEW OF THE MONROE DOCTRINE

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy was asked the following question at his news conference at the State Department today:

"Mr. President:  Sir, would you tell us what the Monroe Doctrine means to you today in light of conditions...in Cuba?"

The President, who has received daily briefings for several weeks about an increasing Soviet presence in Cuba, responded:

"The Monroe Doctrine means....that we would oppose a foreign power extending its power to the Western Hemisphere & that is why we oppose what is happening in Cuba today.  That is why we have cut off our trade.  That is why we will continue to give a good deal of our effort & attention to it."*

*The Monroe Doctrine (1823) stated that efforts by European nations to colonize or interfere in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed by the United States as acts of aggression.

JFK would be shown U2 photographs in October 1962 that proved the Soviets were in the process of placing nuclear missiles in Cuba which was the beginning of the "Missile Crisis".

                   The Monroe Doctrine
                                   Page 1
          National Archives Document
                   Online Public Access

August 29, 1962

ROBERT FROST OFF ON GOODWILL TOUR OF SOVIET UNION

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) New England poet Robert Frost left the United States today for a goodwill tour of the Soviet Union sponsored by the State Department.

Mr. Frost, who recited a poem at JFK's Inauguration, will give poetry readings, interviews & lectures while touring the USSR.*

*During the tour, Frost came down with "nervous indigestion" but was still able to meet with Premier Nikita Khrushchev for 90 minutes.  Mr. Frost told Khrushchev: "A great nation makes great poetry & great poetry makes a nation."

  Robert Frost (left) on USSR Tour

August 29, 1968

HUMPHREY WINS DEMO NOMINATION

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) Vice President Hubert Horatio Humphrey was nominated by the delegates of the 1968 Democratic National Convention today here in Chicago.

The convention has been one of the most divisive & violent in history over the war in Vietnam.

Vice-President Humphrey supports President Lyndon B. Johnson's policy in Vietnam while others in the party oppose it.

Student protesters have let their voices be heard on the streets of Chicago while Mayor Richard Daley, a Humphrey supporter, has used the Chicago police force to attempt to control them.

Before becoming LBJs Vice-President in 1965, Humphrey had been a senator from Minnesota since 1948.  Senator Humphrey was an advocate of civil rights, arms control, a nuclear test ban & foreign aid.  He was known as "the Happy Warrior."*

*3 years before JFK proposed the Peace Corps, Humphrey introduced a bill to create just such an agency.  In 1960, he competed against JFK for the Democratic nomination for President.  


Hubert Humphrey died in 1978.

Two of my favorite Hubert Humphrey quotations:

"Compassion is not weakness & concern for the unfortunate is not socialism."

"It was once said that the moral test of government is how government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly, & those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy & the handicapped."

                    Hubert H. Humphrey

                   "The Happy Warrior"

August 29, 1975

EAMON DE VALERA DIES AT AGE OF 92

Blackrock, County Dublin, Ireland (JFK+50) The former President of Ireland (1959-1973) & head of the government of the Irish Free State as well as the leader of Ireland's struggle for independence from Great Britain, Eamon de Valera died today at the age of 92.

                   Eamon de Valera

                         (1882-1975)

De Valera, born in New York City in 1882, was brought to Ireland at the age of 2 by his uncle.

De Valera was host for President John F. Kennedy's state visit to Ireland in June 1963.

Mr. De Valera will be buried in Dublin's Glasnevin Cemetery.

            Grave of Eamon de Valera

                       Dublin, Ireland

August 29, 1949

USSR EXPLODES A BOMB

Semipalatinsk, USSR (JFK+50) It has been said the only thing worse than one nation having the atomic bomb is two nations having it.  

Today, the Soviet Union became the 2nd nation to have the atomic bomb.  At a remote test site here in Semipalatinsk, the Soviets successfully detonated their 1st atomic bomb.

The explosion, rated at 20 kilotons, is roughly equal to that of the "Trinity" test explosion by the United States.*

*An American spy plane flying off the coast of Siberia picked up the 1st evidence of radioactivity from the explosion on September 3.

     Soviets explode their 1st atomic bomb