leadership as‘ a combination of toughness and restraint, of will, nerve and wisdom’. 32 Schlesinger believed Kennedy ' s quarantine‘ avoided war’. 33 It also gave America‘ control over the future’ of the events. 34 Thus, Kennedy assumed leadership over the situation by preventing further Soviet missiles being installed which ultimately ensured peace. Schlesinger consistently praised Kennedy ' s calm leadership, noting that even after an American spy plane was shot down over Russia, Kennedy refused to declare war on the Soviet Union. 35 Schlesinger made clear Kennedy wanted no praise for resolving the crisis, suggesting he was a modest man, even after a historic victory for America in the Cold War. 36
The crucial message from Sorensen’ s and Schlesinger’ s books is that if Kennedy had not been president, the crisis would have been resolved very differently, suggesting, unfairly and with little evidence, any other president would have declared war on Cuba and / or possibly the Soviet Union. While Kennedy delivered a remarkable display of leadership, these texts certainly glorify his handling of the crisis to the Americans who read these memoirs.
2. Civil Rights Legislation
Civil Rights protests were another ongoing problem for Kennedy after a series of protests in various locations across the South, such as in Birmingham, Alabama. 37 In June 1963, Kennedy proposed sweeping civil rights legislation designed to desegregate public facilities. This had a negative impact on his approval ratings. Just 55 % of Americans outside the South supported the type of legislation Kennedy was proposing. 38 In September 1963, 50 % of Americans believed Kennedy was‘ pushing racial integration too fast’, up from 36 % in June. 39
Despite the opposition to civil rights, Sorensen and Schlesinger championed Kennedy ' s commitment to African-Americans. Sorensen believed Kennedy ' s
32 Schlesinger, A Thousand Days, 716. 33 Ibid., 688. 34 Ibid., 689. 35 Ibid., 707-708. 36 Ibid., 710-711. 37 James Hilty, Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector( Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1997), 349-
354. 38 Kohut,“ JFK’ s America.” 39 Ibid..
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