November 10, 2017 • Seaside Signal • seasidesignal.com • 7A
JFK’s British fascination
‘Like any love
affair, it had its
ups and downs’
By Rebecca Herren
Seaside Signal
A
stormy night might
have persuaded some
fans to stay home, but
for those who braved
the elements, it was
worth stopping by Seaside’s
library and listen to author
Christopher Sandford’s ac-
count of the relationship be-
tween President John F. Ken-
nedy and the country of Great
Britain: its queen, prime min-
isters, British aristocracy and
the friends he made along the
way.
Sandford, author of “Union
Jack: John F. Kennedy’s Spe-
cial Relationship with Great
Britain,” spoke to an engaged
audience Oct. 19 at the Sea-
side Library.
“It’s really the story of
Kennedy’s relationship, not
so much with the Queen her-
self, but with Great Britain
over many years,” Sandford
said. A fascination that began
when Kennedy first traveled
to Britain as a teenager, he
added, explaining the empha-
sis of his book.
It is through these relation-
ships Kennedy formed and
the events he witnessed at a
young age that shaped him
into the man and politician he
became, separating him from
the myth that emerged out of
his traumatic death.
“It was a love affair, in
many ways, that sustained
for many years. And like any
love affair, it had its ups and
downs,” Sandford said. Ken-
nedy was 17 the first time he
visited Britain. The last time
was not long before his assas-
sination in 1963.
During a trip to London
when Kennedy was 22, he
heard Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain declare war on
Germany while sitting in the
House of Commons, Sand-
REBECCA HERREN/SEASIDE SIGNAL
Author and biographer Christopher Sandford with attendee
Nancy Holmes, discussing books and other interesting tales
from the reading at the Seaside Public Library.
ford said. “It was ironic and
poignant that as Great Britain
on Sept. 3, 1939, declared war
on Germany, the young John
Kennedy was present when it
happened by virtue of the fact
that his father Joe Kennedy
was then ambassador to the
United Kingdom.”
Significant, not only for
Kennedy witnessing this his-
torical moment in European
and world history, but also
as an interesting aftermath
with what happened only a
few days later. Sandford as-
serts this was the real start
of Kennedy’s political career
that took place not in Boston
or Washington D.C., but in an
obscure hotel in Scotland.
Kennedy’s personal disress
at the outbreak of war began as
hectic and life-changing expe-
riences took place. A false air
raid had the Kennedy family
crouched in the basement of a
women’s dress shop with oth-
er frightened individuals. Five
hours later, the passenger liner
SS Athenia was torpedoed by
a German U-boat and sank off
the coast of Scotland — 128
lives were lost.
“John F. Kennedy’s polit-
ical career began, in effect,
three days later when he was
sent post haste to Glasgow to
meet with the American sur-
vivors of the disaster,” Sand-
ford said. Kennedy was sent
because no regular member
of his father’s staff could be
spared.
While Kennedy met with
150 bloodied and bruised
Athenia survivors in the
Beresford Hotel to discuss
their transport to America,
none, according to Sandford,
gave Kennedy an easy time,
despite his good manners
and charm. He patiently ex-
plained to the survivors that
President Franklin Roos-
evelt had personally assured
their safe passage and the
United States government
guaranteed no American
ships would be attacked.
The survivors were not im-
pressed.
Kennedy realized the
concerns of the survivors
were not a priority of the
U.S. Embassy, or of his
father, culminating to the
first power struggle be-
tween the two. As Sand-
ford described, “JFK to
his great credit at age
22, stood up to his father
and said ‘I looked these
people in the eye dad
and we need to look
after them’.” Eventual-
ly a ship was procured
and the survivors
made it to America.
After Harold Mac-
millan became prime
minister in 1957,
he provided loyal
support to Kennedy
during his presidency. While
in office, the two leaders ex-
changed formal messages that
led to a steady flow of person-
al correspondence.
They dealt with many chal-
lenges together. Their shared
time in office experienced
such threats as the Cuban mis-
sile crisis, Suez crisis, Berlin
Wall, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam
War and Laos.
Laos was a conflict that
faced Kennedy during the
Vietnam years. He asked
Macmillan’s opinion, who re-
plied with one word, “don’t”
— “don’t go there,” he urged.
Macmillan, too, asked
President Kennedy’s advise
when seeking to fill the role
of British Ambassador to
the U.S. Kennedy replied, “I
like David,” referring to Da-
vid Ormsby Gore, who was
a childhood friend and close
confident of Kennedy.
During the 13 active days
of the Cuban missile crisis,
Kennedy would phone Mac-
millan almost nightly and
have casual conversations,
even when neither knew if the
“Union Jack”
by Christopher Sandford
SUBMITTED PHOTO
world was going to end.
Their relationship was,
Sandford said, on one lev-
el extremely benign and on
the other extraordinary when
considering the circumstances
in which these nightly phone
calls took place. “I personally
think we are very lucky that
we had those two individuals
in charge of the Western alli-
ance at that particular time.”
In a five page handwritten
letter Ormsby Gore wrote to
Kennedy in October 1962,
he presumably congratulat-
ed Kennedy for his handling
of the missile crisis. He end-
ed the letter by saying, “…I
mean it quite sincerely when
I say that both the United
States and all the world must
feel a deep sense of gratitude
that you were our president at
this particular moment in his-
tory. I and countless millions
are deeply in your debt. Well
done.”
According to Sandford,
Kennedy kept this testimonial
from his friend in his desk for
the remainder of his life.
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