JFK35 - A podcast by the JFK Library Foundation

In our first episode, we'll look at the primary race that created the opportunity for John F. Kennedy's insurgent campaign to take the Democratic presidential nomination, and how it would blaze new trails for campaigns to come.

This special eight-part audio documentary, from the team who brings you the JFK35 podcast, will tell the story of the Kennedy campaign and how it has influenced American campaigns since. The series features historians, political operatives, journalists, and more as it covers the campaign from the primaries through Election Night, highlighting key moments and lesser-known stories in the race leadin...

When President Kennedy became his party's nominee in 1960, Eleanor Roosevelt would eventually endorse him from her role as the leading member of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. However, he wasn't her first or even second choice. We talk with historian  Barbara Perry , who's working on a book about the political pair, and how Kennedy was able to get the New Dealer's seal of approval.

While JFK was only a year old at the time of the 1918 Flu Pandemic, Ernest Hemingway, whose papers are housed at the JFK Library, was old enough to witness and record his thoughts throughout the pandemic. Hear from Hemingway scholar Susan Beegel to learn how the flu affected his family and loved ones while he was a young man overseas in World War I.

Live televised press conferences are a mainstay in politics today, but it was President John F. Kennedy who held the first one from the White House in 1961. On this episode, we'll take a look at how and why President Kennedy continues to be a role model for presidential press conferences almost sixty years later.

After President Kennedy announced his plan for a Peace Corps,  he had one man in mind to run it, his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver. Our guests include Dr. Jamie Price, executive director of the Sargent Shriver Peace Institute, and also Massachusetts Congressman Joe Kennedy III, President Kennedy's great-nephew and an alumni of the Peace Corps.

JFK Library and JFK Library Foundation Directors  Alan Price  and  Rachel Flor  discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the Library's and Foundation's ongoing work, including sharing more of the Library and its resources to those at home.

In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honorees Christina Fialho and Christina Mansfield , who co-founded the non-profit Freedom For Immigrants. The organization has influenced new laws in California to protect immigrant rights and stop the expansion of controversial private detention facilities for immigrants. 

In this bonus episode JFK35, we interview 2020 New Frontier Award honoree Washington Lt. Governor Cyrus Habib . Habib received the award for his work on important issues for his constituents including sponsoring bills that would guarantee paid sick leave for almost all workers and the Washington Voting Rights Act, which would prevent racially polarized voting systems.

For many, the holidays are a time to be with family and friends, decorate trees, and send out cards to loved ones. Things weren't much different in the early 1960s - though in the midst of the Cold War, there were concerns about Santa Claus's safety during nuclear testing. We sat down with archivists Stacey Chandler , Maryrose Grossman , and Laura Kintz who talked about President Kennedy's reassur...

The environment and climate change have become household issues in the 2020 Presidential Election, but in 1960, the issue did not have the same sense of urgency. Still, President John F. Kennedy had a strong affection for the environment and its protection. In this episode, we look at some of President Kennedy's environmental legacy and speak to his granddaughter,  Tatiana Schlossberg , about her...

If you picture President Kennedy, you might imagine him sailing confidently on the sea, or charming visiting heads of state, or tackling questions from the press. But below that cool exterior, JFK was actually kind of a nerd. We speak with JFK Library archivist Stacey Chandler to get a closer look at the man behind the cool sunglasses and clever remarks.

Meet the JFK Library's new curator Janice Hodson, as she discusses her background, how she found herself at the JFK Library, and a sneak peak at a new exhibit next spring. As a special treat (no tricks!), we will also revisit a Halloween story from the Kennedy White House.

40 years after the opening of the JFK Library, we speak with its first two directors, Dan Fenn and Chuck Daly , as they recall the events that led up to the Library's dedication and their work establishing its mission. We will also speak with current Library Director Alan Price about his vision for the future of the Library.

President Kennedy's legacy from public service to science and technology to the arts continues to resonate today almost 60 years later. In this episode, learn about the Library's revamped legacy gallery and hear from the Library's museum specialists who helped design it.

Space scientists Maria Zuber, MIT Vice President for Research, Laurie Leshin, President of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and Sara Seager, MIT Professor of Planetary Science and Physics, join us to discuss their experiments in space and vision for the next generation.

Astronauts Dr. Tracy Caldwell Dyson (US) and Koichi Wakata (Japan) discuss what it's like to live in space and the future of space exploration.

In the first episode of our Summer Space Special, we talk to Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins about his history-making trip to the Moon with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, along with his thoughts on the future of NASA's space program.

Senator Chris Dodd explains why Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the 2019 JFK Profile in Courage Award including her work passing healthcare reform and expanding access to healthcare for all Americans.

For the first time, a portion of the JFK Library's Edward M. Kennedy Collection featuring documents, recordings, and photos from his four decades in the Senate have been opened to the public. We speak with Chief Archivist Karen Abramson , Senator Alan Simpson , and longtime Kennedy aid Barbara Souliotis .

When President Kennedy took office in 1961, the United States appeared to be struggling to keep up with the Soviet Union on space exploration. President Kennedy made space a priority and promised to land a man on the Moon by the end of the decade. In this episode, we'll talk with historian Doug Brinkley on how President Kennedy helped turn things around and set up the country for a successful luna...

Alan Price, who joined the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum as its 6 th director in 2018, tells us why he took the job and what he hopes to do as the Library's latest steward. Plus, learn more about what the roles of Presidential Libraries are and why they're important.

Kirk Lemoyne "Lem" Billings is the man who's often referred to as JFK's best friend. We speak with Library reference archivist Stacey Chandler and audiovisual archivist Maryrose Grossman to understand how the two found each other became such close friends.

The JFK Library Foundation and Institute of Politics at Harvard University continue to honor those who heed JFK's call for a New Frontier with the New Frontier Awards. This week, we talk with this year's honorees including some of the organizers of the March for Our Lives movement and the youngest-elected Mayor of Stockton California.

The West Wing has been portrayed in popular culture from TV shows including "The West Wing" and "House of Cards" or on the big screen in films like "The American President." But what is working in the White House really like? Listen to this week's episode where we will learn more about the early days of President Kennedy's West Wing from a staffer who was there. We will also interview former Obama...