John F. Kennedy's Hidden Diary, Europe 1937: The Travel Journals of JFK and Kirk LeMoyne Billings

The 1937 diaries of John F. Kennedy provide insights into his early experiences on a continent under the shadow of Nazism, including his political observations and encounters. Kennedys European and Russian policies and his famous Berlin speech of 1963 are to be understood against this background.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 01 November 2023
Publisher: Berghahn Books

Presenting the 1937 diaries of John F. Kennedy's tour of Europe, this volume offers insights into his early experiences on a continent under the shadow of Nazism.

In 1937, while still a student, John F. Kennedy undertook a grand tour of Europe with his close friend and traveling companion, Lem Billings. On this journey, he began to keep a diary, which is reproduced here in full and provides an unadulterated account of his thoughts and feelings. Superficially, it presents a picture of two young men enjoying their summer, sightseeing, going to the movies, bars, and nightclubs; but behind this, we find, in Kennedy's political observations and encounters, the looming shadow of Nazism. In retrospect, there are blind spots and misjudgments, but also insights of great topicality, for example, on populism and propaganda and their potent effects.

On this trip and during his later travels in Germany, Kennedy engaged with the crucial questions of his later presidency: How does a dictatorship work? How is an alternative concept of society to be countered? And how can an impending war be averted? Kennedy's European and Russian policies and, also, his famous Berlin speech of 1963 ("Ich bin ein Berliner") are to be understood against this background.

In addition to numerous archive photographs, this volume contains Kennedy's complete diary of his 1937 trip to Europe and, as a counterpart, the "Scrapbook" of Lem Billings, who documented it from his perspective.

Weight: 362g
Dimension: 146 x 224 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781805391036