October, 1962

OCTOBER 1962

if the 1950's as a cultural era ended, as i hold, on nov. 22, 1963, then oct 1962 was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of that era. youthful jfk had been elected president in 1960 promising "vigah" and to "get this country moving again" after the stolid years of the aged dwight d eisenhower. the contrast was typified on inauguaration day, kennedy, seemingly oblivious to the bitter cold delivering his vaulting speech while ike sat to the side wrapped like an infirm grandfather on an outing being pushed around in a wheelchair.

youthfulness can be misread as callowness however which is the way nikita khruschev, the peasant leader of the soviet union, read kennedy. they had met for the first time face to face in vienna and khruschev had sized jfk up as the weak, pretty-boy son fulfilling the ambitions of his strong-willed father. khruschev threatened war at that meeting over berlin. as the meeting ended kennedy said "mr. general secretary, it is going to be a long cold winter." the two men walked out together and posed for pictures, khruschev smiling at his bullying, kennedy, shaken and not smiling.