JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

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JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Bridie » Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:22 am

Is this true?
Any more info?
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby moonbeam » Wed Apr 17, 2013 11:13 am

JFK's dad was the US ambassador to Britain. In September 1939 the Athenia was sunk by a U boat and Kenndy's dad came
to Glasgow to the Central Station Hotel to meet the survivors. JFK was at Harvard and accompanied his dad on the trip.
The survivors were put up in the Beresford Hotel. The recent book on the Central Station Hotel refers to this.
So presumably this is what this is about.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Bridie » Wed Apr 17, 2013 8:06 pm

moonbeam wrote:JFK's dad was the US ambassador to Britain. In September 1939 the Athenia was sunk by a U boat and Kenndy's dad came
to Glasgow to the Central Station Hotel to meet the survivors. JFK was at Harvard and accompanied his dad on the trip.
The survivors were put up in the Beresford Hotel. The recent book on the Central Station Hotel refers to this.
So presumably this is what this is about.

Yes that's what I found,more or less here;
http://programmes.stv.tv/the-hour/holid ... l-station/

"When an American battleship was sunk off the west coast of Ireland, a 17-year-old American officer addressed the surviving crew members within the station. This was US President John F. Kennedy’s first ever public address."

I will try to search for details of Joseph P Kennedy's visit - that might throw up some more info.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby RDR » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:21 am

Bridie wrote:
moonbeam wrote:JFK's dad was the US ambassador to Britain. In September 1939 the Athenia was sunk by a U boat and Kenndy's dad came
to Glasgow to the Central Station Hotel to meet the survivors. JFK was at Harvard and accompanied his dad on the trip.
The survivors were put up in the Beresford Hotel. The recent book on the Central Station Hotel refers to this.
So presumably this is what this is about.

Yes that's what I found,more or less here;
http://programmes.stv.tv/the-hour/holid ... l-station/

"When an American battleship was sunk off the west coast of Ireland, a 17-year-old American officer addressed the surviving crew members within the station. This was US President John F. Kennedy’s first ever public address."

I will try to search for details of Joseph P Kennedy's visit - that might throw up some more info.


You'll find that Joe Kennedy was not a supporter of the UK during the 2nd world war and would have liked to run for President but promoted his son instead. In fact he would have prefered the oldest son to run (also called Joseph) but he was killed during the war.
He advocated for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich and labour against capital.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby moonbeam » Thu Apr 18, 2013 10:53 am

SS Athenia had 300 US citizens on board and was the first ship sunk by a submarine U-30- on 3rd September 1939. It was on the front pages of US papers. Joe Kennedy was against US involvement and had travelled to Glasgow to meet US survivors.
JFK was 17 and at harvard university -he may have been an officer in their ROTC. Presumable JFK addressed some of the survivors as they came in by train from Greenock. Joe was know to be anti-British and was replaced soon afterwards.
SS Athenia was a Glasgow built and operated ship. She set sail on 1st September.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby HelenD » Thu Apr 18, 2013 5:17 pm

When an American battleship was sunk off the west coast of Ireland...

I can't imagine the Americans suffering the loss of a capital ship and remaining neutral, viz. Pearl Harbour, 7th December 1941.

SS Athenia (not USS Athenia) was a passenger ship of 13,465 tons (according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Athenia)
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby RDR » Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:52 pm

moonbeam wrote:SS Athenia had 300 US citizens on board and was the first ship sunk by a submarine U-30- on 3rd September 1939. It was on the front pages of US papers. Joe Kennedy was against US involvement and had travelled to Glasgow to meet US survivors.
JFK was 17 and at harvard university -he may have been an officer in their ROTC. Presumable JFK addressed some of the survivors as they came in by train from Greenock. Joe was know to be anti-British and was replaced soon afterwards.
SS Athenia was a Glasgow built and operated ship. She set sail on 1st September.


Depending on what history account you read Joe Kennedy was a little more than just against US involvement in the war and being anti-British...
He advocated for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich and labour against capital.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby robertpool » Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:40 pm

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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Bridie » Fri Apr 19, 2013 6:26 pm

Lovely card and envelope Robert.

I haven't been able to find a pic of JFK at Central Stn probably doesn't exist as I'm sure it would have been used by the Stn or the media. There are a couple of links on British newspapers online but I'm too mean to sign up. :D

Did however find a pic of JFK at that age and the reason why he was in the UK

Image

"In September 1935, he made his first trip abroad, with his parents and sister Kathleen, to London, with the intent of studying at the London School of Economics (LSE) as his older brother Joe had done. There is uncertainty about what he did at LSE before returning to America in October 1935, when he enrolled late and spent six weeks at Princeton University."

and then

found a link right back here to a thread that started in 2004 under SS Athenia ::):

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1307
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Lucky Poet » Fri Apr 19, 2013 7:51 pm

Nice one Bridie, and you others of course. What a fascinating photo of yon JFK.

As far as the Joseph Kennedy thing goes, well... That's past politics for you, I suppose. The opposition to what became the prevailing side after such massive turning points in history can come across as (to put it kindly) a bit quaint, in our position of luxurious hindsight.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Bridie » Sat Apr 20, 2013 5:42 pm

Thanks LP
I'm intrigued enought even to sign up to British Newspapers Online. :wink:
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby RDR » Sat Apr 20, 2013 7:54 pm

Lucky Poet wrote:Nice one Bridie, and you others of course. What a fascinating photo of yon JFK.

As far as the Joseph Kennedy thing goes, well... That's past politics for you, I suppose. The opposition to what became the prevailing side after such massive turning points in history can come across as (to put it kindly) a bit quaint, in our position of luxurious hindsight.


That's an interesting way of suggesting that his position looks worse due to hindsight?
Joe Kennedy was well aware of what was going on in Germany before the war.
He advocated for the weak against the strong, the poor against the rich and labour against capital.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Josef » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:13 pm

RDR wrote:
Lucky Poet wrote:Nice one Bridie, and you others of course. What a fascinating photo of yon JFK.

As far as the Joseph Kennedy thing goes, well... That's past politics for you, I suppose. The opposition to what became the prevailing side after such massive turning points in history can come across as (to put it kindly) a bit quaint, in our position of luxurious hindsight.


That's an interesting way of suggesting that his position looks worse due to hindsight?
Joe Kennedy was well aware of what was going on in Germany before the war.


I'd agree with RDR.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby Lucky Poet » Tue Apr 23, 2013 10:26 pm

RDR & Josef: Well, I think his position does look worse in hindsight.

I'm certainly not saying his position was good to begin with, seeing as he is a fairly well-documented swine (so to speak), but I think it's a mistake to mix him up with the USA's isolationism at that time, and the anti-Jewish sentiment that only fully became verboten after what we all know happened. I guess my point is I'm scared that we might think ourselves more virtuous for being born in a different era from all that.
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Re: JFK's First Public Address at Central Station

Postby RDR » Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:24 pm

Lucky Poet wrote:RDR & Josef: Well, I think his position does look worse in hindsight.

I'm certainly not saying his position was good to begin with, seeing as he is a fairly well-documented swine (so to speak), but I think it's a mistake to mix him up with the USA's isolationism at that time, and the anti-Jewish sentiment that only fully became verboten after what we all know happened. I guess my point is I'm scared that we might think ourselves more virtuous for being born in a different era from all that.


LP good point but some historical figures don't become worse with time and hindsight, if they are sufficiently bad in the first place.
I'm not sure if you are suggesting in the context of his time his anti-semitisim was acceptable and only became a problem after what became known during the war. I would argue strongly he was well aware from 1933 onwards what was going on in the Reich and didn't bother to moderate his views one iota.
There was a reason why he didn't himself run for president, and his well known right wing views were suggested as at least one of those reasons. Hence he prefered a proxy, either Joe junior or because of the war JFK. Certainly at that stage his personal fortune to a certain extent 'bought' the presidency for JFK.
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