Description:

Kennedy John

Three outstanding telegrams directed to John F. Kennedy from longtime acquaintance E.N. Jones, leading up to and during his Presidency:

  1. October 22, 1960, on yellow paper, 8.5" x 5.75"
  2. May 30, 1961, on yellow paper,  8.5" x 5.75"
  3. April 30, 1962, on blue paper, 8.25" x 6"


A set of telegrams with an intriguing time line. The first telegram would have been on the day of the last televised Presidential debate with Nixon, making a reference of "Best of Luck tonight this issue is very important to the undecided therefore I suggest keep Nixon on defensive … " Occurring only weeks before the election, the telegram hints at "Don't let Nixon leave impression that Lodge Ike Rockefeller will set Foreign policy I think President must do that they will be available as public servants to the President…" just a few weeks before the Presidential election. The telegram makes references to Kennedy's with Richard Nixon.

In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon squared off in the first televised presidential debates in American history. The Kennedy-Nixon debates not only had a major impact on the election’s outcome, but ushered in a new era in which crafting a public image and taking advantage of media exposure became essential ingredients of a successful political campaign. They also heralded the central role television has continued to play in the democratic process.

The country was engaged in a heated Cold War with the Soviet Union, which had just taken the lead in the space race by launching the Sputnik satellite. The rise of Fidel Castro’s revolutionary regime in Cuba had heightened fears about the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere. On the domestic front, the struggle for civil rights and desegregation had deeply divided the nation, raising crucial questions about the state of democracy in the United States. With little more than a single unremarkable term in the U.S. senate under his belt, the 43-year-old Kennedy lacked Nixon’s extensive foreign policy experience and had the disadvantage of being one of the first Catholics to run for president on a major party ticket. Nixon, by contrast, had spent nearly eight years as the country’s second-in-command after an illustrious career in Congress during which he cast crucial votes on a variety of domestic issues, became one of global communism’s most outspoken critics and helped expose Alger Hiss’ alleged espionage attempt--all by the age of 39.

The rivals campaigned tirelessly throughout the summer of 1960, with Nixon inching ahead in the polls to gain a slim lead. When the season began to turn, however, so did the tables. Nixon took a major hit in August when a reporter asked President Dwight D. Eisenhower to name some of his vice president’s contributions. Exhausted and irritated after a long press conference, Eisenhower replied, “If you give me a week, I might think of one. I don’t remember.” (While the remark was intended as a self-deprecating reference to the president’s own mental fatigue, the Democrats promptly used it in a television commercial that ended with the statement: “President Eisenhower could not remember, but the voters will remember.”)

The second telegram of May 1961 was sent after Kennedy was elected and in his first 5 months of office. Sent once again by E.N Jones he championed Kennedy: "Dear Jack the people like your firmness of speech am convinced they want firmness of action any weakness shown now will increase pressures from other areas let me know if I can help".

The final telegram of April 1962 refers to Mitchell Field and military housing. Mitchell Field was the former military base in the heart of Nassau County, and was built by the Army Air Corps in 1929 to protect New York City. It remained an active base until it closed in 1961. The land was one of the largest and choicest pieces of undeveloped real estate in the New York area located on the Hempstead Plains of Long Island, New York. It ultimately became a multi-use complex that is home to the Mitchell Athletic Complex, Nassau Coliseum, Hofstra University, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, and Nassau Community College. This however was a far cry from the original proposal on the table during the JFK era, which had envisioned the site as a cultural haven, with four master plans including proposals for 10,000 luxury apartments, a John F. Kennedy Educational, Civic and Cultural Center, a coliseum, a central library, a concert hall and theater, a museum and a planetarium. The telegram to JFK from E.N Jones made note of this original plan "New York people interested in military housing are depending on your continued support of Mitchell Field Plans. Early favorable action will be appreciated".

In 2012, Avalon Bay built "Avalon Garden City" which officially opened on the site of the former Mitchel Field in E. Garden City. The new development offers three types of housing: apartments, townhouses and single-family homes, and 8 homes as part of the "Homes For The Veterans" program.

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