Walter Lippmann and the American Century — 40 At the New Frontier

1. 1. Lippmann had grave reservations about John F. Kennedy due to his father Joseph Kennedy and Kennedy's failure to denounce McCarthy.
2. 2. Lippmann criticized Kennedy's lavish spending in the primaries, saying it put an excessive premium on demagogy and favored wealthy candidates.
3. 3. By October 1960, Lippmann fully endorsed Kennedy, praising his precise mind, command of facts, and lack of demagoguery.
4. 4. During a December 1960 meeting, Lippmann advised Kennedy against appointing Dean Rusk as Secretary of State, calling him a profound conformist.
5. 5. Lippmann persuaded Adlai Stevenson to accept the UN ambassadorship after Kennedy refused him the Secretary of State post.
6. 6. Lippmann suggested changing the word 'enemy' to 'adversary' in Kennedy's inaugural address, which Kennedy accepted.
7. 7. Lippmann later deplored Kennedy's inaugural address as jingoist rhetoric, despite initially hailing it.
8. 8. Lippmann questioned whether Kennedy had FDR's vital gift of knowing what the masses felt, despite his energy and optimism.
9. 9. In a 1961 interview, Khrushchev told Lippmann that a peace treaty for Germany and new status for Berlin were needed before West Germany got atomic weapons.
10. 10. After the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Lippmann called for the resignation of key figures like Allen Dulles and Richard Bissell, whom he blamed for the disaster.
11. 11. Lippmann initially defended the Cuban revolution, arguing that self-determination includes the right of revolution and opposing U.S. intervention.
12. 12. Lippmann criticized Kennedy for failing to educate the public and inspire urgency, comparing his administration to a younger version of Eisenhower's.