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July 30th, 2007 by Cliff Lyon Cliff Lyon

15 Responses to “The Most mis-used JFK Speech.”

1. Richard Warnick Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 8:51 am

   And the subject of JFK’s speech was…?

2. Cliff Lyon Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 9:00 am

   Full audio of JKF’s speech

3. Richard Warnick Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 10:58 am

   It was an April 27, 1961 speech titled “The President and the Press” at American Newspaper Publishers Association. Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY. There is a transcript available. But I have to agree it’s more fun to hear Kennedy speak than to read a transcript.

   Here is the essential part of the speech:

   The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. Even today, there is little value in opposing the threat of a closed society by imitating its arbitrary restrictions. Even today, there is little value in insuring the survival of our nation if our traditions do not survive with it. And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit to the extent that it is in my control. And no official of my Administration, whether his rank is high or low, civilian or military, should interpret my words here tonight as an excuse to censor the news, to stifle dissent, to cover up our mistakes or to withhold from the press and the public the facts they deserve to know.

   But I do ask every publisher, every editor, and every newsman in the nation to reexamine his own standards, and to recognize the nature of our country’s peril. In time of war, the government and the press have customarily joined in an effort, based largely on self-discipline, to prevent unauthorized disclosures to the enemy. In time of “clear and present danger,” the courts have held that even the privileged rights of the First Amendment must yield to the public’s need for national security.

   As you can see, President Kennedy is appealing to the media to help the government keep secrets during the Cold War. It reminds me of the Winston Churchill quote, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

   In the context of the Cold War, these remarks were hardly controversial. JFK was assassinated a little more than two years later, but it would be a stretch to say it was because of this speech. What he said was quite reasonable– especially compared to politicians today who are much more intent on muzzling journalists with the express purpose of stifling dissent.

4. Connor Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 2:01 pm

   There’s more to the JFK story than just his (powerful, bold) speech. The powers that be absolutely did not want the Fed to lose control of the currency, and when JFK thought otherwise, he was coincidentally removed from office soon thereafter (five months after singing the executive order). Hmm..

5. Richard Warnick Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 3:18 pm

   From Wikipedia:
   

   Executive Order 11110 was issued by president John Kennedy on June 4, 1963. …

   The order was needed due to the passage of Public Law 88-36 which repealed the Silver Purchase Act and other related monetary measures. One result was that after the repeals, only the president could issue new silver certificates. The Federal Reserve could replace them, but only in larger denominations. The thrust of the order returned the authority back to the US Treasury to issue new silver certificates and specify denominations. This allowed for the Federal Reserve to distribute and exchange currency at lower denominations that met the growing economic need. The order was taken off the books in 1987 with E.O. 12,608, 9/9/87.

   I remember silver certificates from when I was a kid. Unlike Federal Reserve notes, you could take a silver certificate dollar bill to the bank and get a shiny silver dollar in exchange. These were real silver dollars, minted in the late 1800s. I didn’t know there was a conspiracy theory about this until today!

6. Cliff Lyon Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 6:51 pm

   Richard,

   You said, “As you can see, President Kennedy is appealing to the media to help the government keep secrets during the Cold War”

   I think you got it wrong. How does your interpretation fit with, “And there is very grave danger that an announced need for increased security will be seized upon by those anxious to expand its meaning to the very limits of official censorship and concealment. That I do not intend to permit…”

   You haven’t watched Zeitgeist have you.

7. Richard Warnick Says:
   July 30th, 2007 at 7:41 pm

   Cliff, the JFK speech says what it says– the excerpt I posted above makes the same point the entire speech makes. Kennedy wants to rely on the patriotism of journalists in order to help keep secrets, as much as possible. He does not want the federal government to engage in censorship (as the British government does) because it’s un-American. But he also clearly states that national security trumps the First Amendment.

   I’m not going to see “Zeitgeist,” sorry. The opening few minutes look like a bad music video, and obviously I can’t watch a two-hour movie at the office. There’s no way I could watch it at home on a dial-up connection even if I wanted to. The synopsis I found indicates “Peter J.” seems to be going for some kind of Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory but the whole is even less than the sum of its parts.

8. glenn Says:
   July 31st, 2007 at 6:20 am

   Richard you should watch it. It will eventually be put on a disk if it isn’t already.
   Conspiracy is when public ignorance meets criminal opportunity, rarely does a conspiracy play out as it may have been planned, along the way if the opportunities for further benefit, and self interest amongst the conspirators is evident, it is simply added to the plan. A rolling ball of bullshit.

   The real conspiracy is that a group of elites want to end any concept or actual fact, that you are a self deterministic creature, and will replace that with flag waving, war, fear, humiliation, and intimidation. That they wish to own you, as the chattel we all once were, not so very long ago.

   The price of Freedom is vigilence. The fact that you can’t take a personal day to do whatever you want, and are slave to the office speaks volumes. Careful, a two hour lapse at work could get your job outsourced. How far can you really go Richard? It doesn’t have to be visible to be mind fence. Just has to keep you in the barn.

   Watch the movie, with as open a mind as a view from the milking floor can offer.

9. Cliff Lyon Says:
   July 31st, 2007 at 6:35 am

   Richard, you are right. I’ve been taken. I know realize People have been quoting parts of that speech out of context for a variety of purposes forever.

   Thanks for setting me straight.

10. schreinervideo Says:
    July 31st, 2007 at 7:34 pm

    Cliff: You should read the latest issue of Harper’s. In their article about Rudy Giuliani, they say Giuliani ill-advisedly approved the location of the city’s emergency operations center in 7 World Trade Center. In that facility was a 6,000 gal., unprotected tank of gasoline that exploded when the tower fell. Some believe this is what caused neighboring buildings to go down with it.

11. Cliff Lyon Says:
    July 31st, 2007 at 9:27 pm

    Ken,

    Youre supposed to leave a “[snark]” when you “make a funny.”

    Sweet piece.

12. schreinervideo Says:
    August 1st, 2007 at 8:33 am

    Sorry, Cliff. Actually, I’m not kidding about the Giuliani thing. The Harper’s article is great to jog the collective memory re: Rudy but as I write in my blog today, Americans are suffering from amnesia as well as terr-anoia. Per your request, I’ll try to be “more/less subtle and/or more/less definitive.”

13. Wiremu Te Kani Says:
    December 15th, 2007 at 6:24 pm

    With regard to its use in Zeitgeist, their website acknowledges the Kennedy Speech is taken out of its original context, and then it explains how.

    http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/clarifications.htm

14. Anonymous Says:
    April 16th, 2008 at 3:18 am

    While I agree that section from the president and the press is often taken out of context, this is not the same speech as what I heard in connection with Zeitgeist on you tube, although they start out almost identicaly they are not the same listen again
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4cqSXtj9ak

    I do not know from which speech this is taken. I would love to find out. If you hear anything please let me know at dracon_duir@yahoo.com. I would like to hear this speech in its entirety before I am certain that kennedy did not have a message for those with ears to hear.

15. Anonymous Says:
    June 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    I do believe those are two different speeches.

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