this is "through the decades," a unique hour-long time capsule. today we look back at the man who was our thirty fifth president we'll relive the campaign that introduced the world to the senator from massachusetts "let me say first that i accept the nomination of the democratic party!" we'll remember when the american people got a live look inside camelot "it just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house." and the speeches that ring through the years. "freedom is indivisible and when one man is enslaved, all are not free." those stories and more in the next hour, part of a different kind of television experience, where we relive, remember and relate to the events that are cemented in history i'm ellee pai hong. and i'm kerry sayers.

and i'm your host, bill kurtis. this is "through the decades." john fitzgerald kennedy. the thirty fifth president of the united states. the youngest man to hold the office and a tower figure in american history. his life, his death and the almost mythological shadow he left behind hold a unique place in our collective fascination. in the next hour, we are looking back at the moments, the celebrity and his lasting impact. but we begin with the arena of politics. history tends to cling most fervently to moments of change and despite the divisive politics in this country, it's hard to dismiss john f. kennedy as the faceof change in 1960's america. he was young, charismatic and intoxicatingly charming. all of which bled through on a

new campaign tool known as television. "let me say first that i accept the nomination of the democratic party." *cheers in 1960, the american people had two very different choices for their next president of the united states. either richard nixon, president eisenhower's vice president for the last eight years, a mark of 1950's conservatism. "we are proud to offer the best eight-year record of any administration in the history of this country." or there was john f. kennedy, 43, the youngest person ever nominated for thpresidency. a political greenhorn. but by the time kennedy took the podium inside the los angeles memorial coliseum on july 15, 1960 and accepted the democratic party's nomination, it was clear this was a new era.

"all over the world, particularly in the newer nations, young men are coming to power. men who are not bound by the traditions of the past. men who are not blinded by the old fears and hates and rivalries. young men who can cast off the old slogans and delusions." those words spoke to change that in 1960 americans could now see. kennedy's presence that night flickered across television screens. he flaunted a veteran command of the cameras that stood before him which broadcast his confidence and his poise. "here at home, the future is equally revolutionary. the new deal and the fair deal were bold measures for their generations but now this is a new generation." "for the harsh facts of the matter are that we stand at this frontier at a turning-point

of history." that turning point was the dawn of the modern age - of mass communication, of space exploration, rock and roll and for the first time, a campaign wasn't bound by the limits of distance. it could stretch into every corner of america. a capacity that kennedy embraced like no one before him. "it has been a long road from that first snowy day in new hampshire to this crowded convention city. now begins another long journey, taking me into your cities and homes across the united states. give me your help and your hand and your voice." the american people wouldgive john f. kennedy all three of those and most importantly they gave him their vote. four months after accepting the

democratic party's nomination for president of the united states, kennedy won the election but he didn't just win as a politician. between those four months of accepting the nomination and winning the election, kennedy transcended the perceptions of a political leader. he became a celebrity. "i run against a candidate who reminds me of the symbol of his party, the circus elephant. his head full of ivory. a long memory and no vision and you have seen elephants being led around the circus ring, they grab the tail of the elephant in front of them!" *crowd cheers kennedy yielded a sort of glamour once only associated with movie stars and it wasn't so much that he "played" to the cameras as it was a simple understanding of

television's potential to extend his name to familiarize america with his face to appeal to the culture of the time. "i want to make it very clear, harry, that on this question of equality of opportunity for all americans, whether it's in the field of civil rights, better minimum wages, better housing, better working conditions, jobs - i stand for these things." "vote for john f. kennedy for president." *music and singing "kennedy, kennedy, kennedy, kennedy, kennedy, kennedy ... ken-ne-dy, for me. kennedy, kennedy, kennedy. kennedy." "today our concern must be with that future. for the world is changing. the old era is ending. the old ways will not do." when our look at john f kennedy continues... we'll turn our attention to the queen of kennedy's camelot as well as the speeches that ring through the years. even the tribute to jfk's

legacy that he never got to see. even the tribute to jfk's legacy that he never got to see. we head back to september 2,

1963 when television history as made with walter cronkite anchoring the first ever half- hour news program. the first story - an interview with president kennedy.

"mr. president, the only hot war we've got running at the moment is of course, the one in vietnam and we've got our difficulties there quite obviously. the headline and the story in the new york times yesterday was rather an interesting one. it said that the administration will try diplomacy in vietnam which i'd assume we had been trying all along. what can we do in this situation which seems to parallel other famous debacles of dealing with unpopular governments in the past?" "well, in the first place, we ought to realize that vietnam has been at war for 25 years and the japanese i remember a good many people who said that two years ago that it wouldn't last six months. a good many newspapers said that. a good many local correspondents said it well the war is still going. in many ways, it's going better. that doesn't mean however that the events of the last two months are very onimous. i don't think that

unless a greater effort is made by the government to win popular support that the war can be won out there. in the final analysis, it's their war. they're the ones that have to win it or lose it. we can help them. we can give them equipment. we can send our men out there as advisors but they have to win it. the people of vietnam against the communists. we're prepared to continue to assist them but i don't think the war can be won unless the people support the effort and in my opinion in the last two months, the government has gotten out of touch with the people. the repressions against the buddhists we felt were very unwise. now, all we can do is to make it very clear that we don't think this is the way to win. it is my hope that this will become increasingly obvious to the government and that they will take steps to try to bring back popular support for this very essential struggle but these people who say that we ought to withdraw from vietnam are wholly wrong because if we withdrew from vietnam, the communists would control vietnam. pretty soon,

thailand, cambodia, laos, malaya would go and all of southeast asia would be under the control of the communists and the domination of the chinese. and india, burma would be the next target. so i think we should stay and we should make it clear as ambassador large is now making it clear that while we want to help, we don't see a successful ending to this war unless the people will support it and the people will not support the effort if the government continues to follow the policy of the past two months. i hope that'll be clear to the government. it should be. after all, they've been conducting this struggle for ten years and i admire what the president has done. he's been counted out a number of times. i'm hopeful that he will come to see that they have to reestablish their relationship. but we ought to remember that they're the ones that are dying by the thousands and they're the ones who have to win this war or they're the ones who will lose it. we can't do either. we can assist them to win it and we can warn them against losing it but the united states is not the ... we don't have troops en masse who are dying by the

thousands and we do the best we can to make it clear what policy they should follow but they have to decide." when our look at john f kennedy continues we'll relive another television first that gave the american people an extended look at jackie kennedy. "i think this house will always grow and should. it just seemed to me such a shame when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house." plus, in the moments after president kennedy's death, the first lady's decision that would give us a touching and now classic tribute to his memory "mrs. kennedy, jackie kennedy had seen the eternal flame in france in paris at the arch de triumph, the eternal flame for the unknown soldier."

dear fellow citizen, spending time hunting treasures with my daughter is wonderful. because before i'm even ready, she'll be off to college. and though i've planned for it, i may need a loan to help her pay her way there. just like i do for my son. citizens bank student loans call 1-866-999-0150 as a leader in student lending, we have student loan options that others don't. including better alternatives to federal loans. i can show you how to pay for your own child's way to college.

in case you don't find that treasure chest. if you have a question about student loans, ask me. sincerely, michele wright fellow mom and fellow citizen. citizens bank student loans call 1-866-999-0150 to apply now.

when 80-million americans got a look inside camelot as jackie kennedy lead cbs news correspondent charles collingwood on the first ever televised tour of the white house. "mrs. kennedy. i want to thank you for letting us visit your official home. this is obviously the room from which much of your work on it is directed?" "yes. it's attic and sellar all in one. since our work has started, we receive hundreds of letters every day. this is where we evaluate all the finds and see if we want to keep them if they will fit into our budget." "mrs. kennedy, every first lady and every administration since president madison's time has made changes greater or smaller in the white house. before we look at the changes that you've made, what's your basic plan?" "well, i really don't have one because i think this house will always grow and should. it just seemed to me such a shame

when we came here to find hardly anything of the past in the house, hardly anything since 1902. i know when we went to columbia, the presidential palace there has all the history of that country in it where simone bolliva was, every piece of furniture in it had some link with the past i thought the white house should be like that." "now, if you'll forgive me, this room looks a little bit like an antique dealer's dream. have you made any good finds lately?" "oh we have! this chest is rather interesting. as you know, the thing we care about most is something that belonged to a past president. this little chest was left by president van buren to his grandson. it has writing inside it which shows all that and this, as we like to have mainly american furniture and things, is rather like staff but it's american pottery which is very rare, early nineteenth century with an eeagle and a

shield on it. so, those are two rather nice finds." "they are indeed. well now, we've seen some of the ingriedients for some of the new furnishings in the white house. could we see a completed room?" "yes. the diplomatic reception room is right here if you'd like to see that?" "what is the diplomatic reception room used for besides receiving diplomats?" "well, it's the room that people see first when they come to the white house. everyone who comes to a steak dinner here comes through it and leaves buy it so i think it should be a pretty room." "well, it's the way i came in and it's a beautiful room. the wallpaper is magnificient." "yes, this is wallpaper that was pnted in france about 1834. it's all scenes of america - niagra falls, new york harbor." "well, mrs. kennedy this is the east room pretty much as americans have known it now for

60 years. obviously, you haven't felt that you had to make any great changes in it?" "no. i think it's lovely. i hate to make changes really so when you find a room like this, it's wonderful." "this piano brings to mind that this is the part of the white house where you have musical affairs." "that's right. this piano was designed by franklin roosevelt with the eagle supports and this is the end of the room where pablo passals played for us, where we had the portable stage built when we had the shakespeare plays." "mrs. kennedy. this administration has shown a particular affinity for artists, musicians, writers, poets - is this because you and your husband just feel this way or do you think there is a relationsship between the government and the arts?" "that's so complicated. i don't know. i just think that everything in the white house

should be the best - the entertainment that's given here and if it's an american company that you can help, i like to do that, if it's not, just as long as it's the best." "isn't that the famous gilbert stewart portrait of george washington?" "that's right. that's the oldest thing in the white house. the only thing that was here since the very beginning. the government set a rather interesting precedent when that picture was painted. they commissioned the finest living artist of the day to paint the president and then they gave it as a gift to the white house. i often wished they followed that because so many pictures of later presidents are by really inferior artists." "mr. president." "mr. collingwood." "mrs. kennedy has been showing us about the white house and all the changes that she's made therein, what do you think of the changes that she's made?" "well, i think the great effort

that she's made has been to bring us much more intimately in contact with all the men who've lived here and after all history is people and particularly in great moments of our history, presidents. so when we have as we do today - grant's table, lincoln's bed, monroe's gold set - all these make these men much more alive so i think it makes the white house a stronger panorama really of our great story." "do you mind living in a house that has as many visitors as this one has?" "well, last year, we had the largest in history which i think shows that the white house is becoming more and more important to american people. more than one million three hundred thousand people passed through our home. but i'd like to see that number double this year and what is particularly interesting is that at least two thirds of them were young boys and girls at school. i have

always felt that american history is sometimes an adult subject. there's so much emphasis on dates but i think if they can come here and see alive this building and in a sense touch the people who've been here then they'll go home more interested and i think they'll be better americans." "history can be helpful in understanding the present?" "yes. history isn't a guide to the present. in the archives building down pennsylvania avenue there is stone or plaque which says, 'what is passed is prologue.' while it doesn't give us a key to the future, i think it does give us a sense of confidence in the future. this country has passed through very difficult days but it has passed through them and it is rather interesting to realize that we're rather an old republic, probably the oldest republic in the world and when we were founded there was a king

in france, a czar in russia all that's been wiped away and yet, this country continues and it makes us feel that we will continue in the future and that we represent a long a long effort building on the lives of the men and the efforts of the men that were here and the american people of the past so i consider history to be a source ... our history to be a source of strength to us here in the white house and to all the american people and anything which dramatizes the great story of the united states, as i think the white house does, is wohy of the closest attention and respect by americans who li here and who visit here and who are part of our citzenry and that's why i'm glad that jackie is making the effort that she is making and i know other first ladies have done it and i know that those who come after us will continue to try to make this the center, really in a

sense of american historical life." "thank you mr. president and thank you mrs. kennedy for showing us this wonderful house in which you live and all of the wonderful things which you are bringing to it." when we continue, we'll look back at some of the unforgetable speeches president kennedy left to history and the tributes to his legacy including one of the arts grandest homes. even how the outpouring of grief for the slain president made a piece of money the nation's hottest collectible. made a piece of money the nation's hottest collectible. as we look at the legacy of

president kennedy, we turn the lens of time back on some of his most memorable speeches beginning with his inauguration on january 20. "in the long history of the world, only few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. i do not shrink from this responsibility. i welcome it. i do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. the energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from

that fire can truly light the world." "and so, my fellow americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." after taking the oath of office, kennedy's addressed congress and we were all challenged to think big. "i believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. no single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind or more important for the long-range exploration of space." june 26, 1963, the president stood in west berlin and declared which side of the wall america stood on "freedom is indivisible and when one man is enslaved, all

are not free. when all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great continent of europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. when that day finally comes, as it will, the people of west berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades." (crowd applauds) "all free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of berlin and, therefore, as a free man, i take pride in the words 'ich bin ein berliner!'"

as with any discussion of president kennedy, we turn now to his assassination and the deep shock that gripped the nation. and in the midst of universal mourning, john f. kennedy was laid to rest next to a flame whose burn would be eternal. tragedy invokes a special unity and in the days following president kennedy's assassination, a nation bonded by sadness was plain to see. "bearing the burden of their own sorrow, a quarter of a million people brave near- freezing weather to pass by the dead president in tribute. some waited for as long as 12 hours in a line that at times stretched for 10 miles. the old, the young, the aged, the children - they became one in their grief in a spontaneous outpouring that throws up an enduring memorial to the american spirit."

on november 25, 1963, a silent reverance shrouded the country as the man who once commanded the presidency with a youthful vigor was brought out of the capital rotunda in a flag-draped coffin. waiting at the bottom of the capital steps were his widow, two brothers and behind them, a sea of some one million mourners including reprentatives from all over the world lining the funeral procession for one final glimpse. "not since the funeral of britain's king edward vii in 1910 has there been such a gathering of kings and queens, presidents and premieres. two hundred and twenty dignitaries from 92 foreign lands honor the warrior who died while fighting for peace and liberty and the dignity of man." led by the united states marine band, the horse-drawn caisson carrying the body of the president proceeded to the white house

and then onto saint matthew's cathedral for the funeral mass. "a time to be born and a time to die. a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant. a time to kill and a time to heal. a time to tear down and a time to build." after the mass, kennedy's casket was carried out of the cathedral and placed back on the caisson receiving a poignant salute from his three year old son, john junior. an image that became an everlasting symbol of the loss felt on that cold november day. the last leg of the procession led to arlington national cemetery where the fallen president would meet his final resting place. but before being lowered into his gravesite on the hillside

just below the arlington house, jackie kennedy clutching the flag that had draped her husband's coffin marked the end of the ceremony by lighting an eternal flame. "mrs. kennedy, jackie kennedy had seen the eternal flame in france in paris at the arch de triumph, the eternal flame for the unknown soldier." "my understanding is that that was the inspiration for her to request an eternal flame at the gravesite of john f. kennedy." that request was made just one day before the funeral forcing a team of engineers to come up with something in a matter of hours. they pulled it off but the flame lit on november 25, 1963 was only temporary and as plans for a permanent

memorial got underway, it fell to doctor bob rosenberg and his team at the institute of gas technology to come up with a flame that was truly eternal. "they turned to us and said can you guys do something? can you come up with an eternal flame that meets the requirements of the family and what this original cardboard cut-out was supposed to look like." those requirements were specific and became an all encompassing challenge for rosenberg as he set about the task in late 1966. "and the flame was supposed to have a soft character a form, but yet kind of a morphous, kind of formless and yet was supposed to hold that shape in fairly strong winds and rains so it was a fairly difficult engineering project." "there was a lot of pressure we had the - i might be going a

little too far but the honor of the gas industry." "and if we couldn't come up with an eternal flame to meet the requirements of the aesthetic and the physical it would've been a something of a black eye." rosenberg made three trips to washington to test protoypes but each failed to match the concept until a moment of serendipity struck rosenberg at a near desperate time. "i was about to throw up my hands and i said wait, there's one other thing i can do and i picked up a rock from nearby and put it on top of the flame atop of the burner and i said we can put a spreader plate on here and it's - oh that's it! that's exactly what we wanted." when the permanent gravesite for john f. kennedy opened in march of 1967, it was rosenberg's design that lit the flame and would keep it lit for years and years. "to be involved and to have

that relatively personal contact was very emotional. it was quite a moving experience." "for half a century now, through wind and rain and hail and snow, it's flickered its solemn duty. grief and hope made tangible in the glow of a flame." the eternal flame has become that enduring memorial to the american spirit. the will to shine on even through the darkest tragedies. a symbol of the light that burns on through all our legacies long after we're gone. "the energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it and the glow from that fire can truly light the world."

the eternal flame burns in arlington . but it wouldn't be the only tribute to the fallen president. we'll head back for opening night of a venue that would pay homage to a president and host some of the world's most renowned performers for decades. "i think it's a great thing for washington because young people will come here and they will see not only the government but they will see this cultural center and they will carry some of these ideas back to their different communities." of these ideas back to their different communities." president kennedy was in the

white house for approximately 1000 days. it was a tenure cut tragically short but whose influence continues to resonate today. he was a huge proponent of the arts and his dream of "contributing to the human spirit" established a concrete foundation when the john f. kennedy center for the performing arts opened in 1971 sparking a national effort to bring his dream to life for generations to come. "most of us were too young or perhaps not even around when they were dedicating some of the other president memorials here in washington, say the washington memorial, the lincoln memorial, the jefferson memorial but tonight they're dedicating still another presidential memorial to president kennedy. the kennedy center for the performing arts and the list of v-i-p's seems to be nonstop."

the john. f. kennedy center for the performing arts opened with pomp and circumstance on september 8, 1971. the opening performance featured the world premiere of a requiem mass honoring president kennedy commissioned from the legendary composer and conductor leonard bernstein. "i think perhaps it's the most thrilling, total theatre experience in my life." "that's a big statement." "yes, i meant it to be." "oh i was overwhelmed. it's so wonderful in every respect but i think it's something you have to see again and again because as i said, just overwhelming. emotionally from the point of view of the mass. and i think it's a great thing for washington because the young people will come here and they will see not only the government but they will see this cultural center and they will carry some of these ideas

back to their different communities and that's what jack was interested in." "i felt i was sitting in the seat that if the gods had been kinder, should've been occupied by john f. kennedy." the kennedy center stands as a living memorial to president kennedy's dedication to the arts. but the roots of this grand complex located on the banks of the potomac river in washington d.c., date back to 1958 when president dwight d. eisenhower signed bipartisan legislation creating a national cultural center. two months after president kennedy's assassination, congress designated the cultural center a memorial to president kennedy. today, the center continues his vision by producing all genres of theatre, music and dance and is the nation's busiest arts facility. the kennedy center honors was

started in 1978 and recognizes a lifelong achievements and talents of artists. past honorees have included barbara streisand, oprah winfrey and aretha franklin. it has redefined the way the nation rewards its artists just as president kennedy envisioned decades ago. "i look forward to an america which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft. i look forward to an america which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens. and i look forward to an america which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well." in the months that followed

president kennedy's death, the united states mint issued a new coin featuring his profile. now we look back on the origins and the unexpected cultural impact of the john f. kennedy half-dollar. president kennedy's assassination prompted a national outpouring of grief. his dignified, meticulously orchestrated funeral helped the country begin healing as did the decision by eva adams, director of the bureau of the mint to

commemorate the fallen president on a coin. the half- dollar was chosen, as it was the only coin at the time that did not feature a former president. but there was a problem. "the half dollar at the time was the franklin half dollar. this coin was only in circulation 18 years." "the mint was not authorized to change the design of a coin unless the coin was in circulation for 25 years. so that's why congressional approval was needed." with support from president lyndon johnson, congress approved the coin on december 30. there was no time to come up with a new image of the late president, so the mint's chief engraver, gilroy roberts, adapted an existing design he'd used on an inaugural medallion. the first proofs were released in january and when the coin was made available in march, its entire run immediately sold out. the mint could not keep up with

demand. "there were two factors that led to the popularity of the coin. one is that the death of the president was fresh in everyone's mind at the time. it had only happened a few months before. so everyone wanted to hold on to a tangible asset - a coin, a commemorative of the president. the second reason that people were starting to collect these coins was the silver content. there were rising prices in silver. and as the prices rose, people started to hoard these coins." congress responded by lowering the percentage of silver from 90 to 40 percent. but by that time, the half-dollar had taken on a different kind of life from any other american coin. "and later in the runs of the kennedy halves, kennedy half dollars were not even released for circulation, you'd have to buy them from the mint. they were still being minted in many different ways but they were

being targeted toward collectors. so if you wanted to complete your collection, you couldn't just go to the bank and ask for kennedy half- dollars, you'd have to go and buy them from the u.s. mint or from a coin store." "just a couple years ago, they issued a gold version of the kennedy half dollar at the american numismatic association convention in rosemont. the first three days at the convention, people were lined up hundreds deep and they were only allowed to buy one coin and that coin cost 1200 dollars at the time." the popularity of the j-f-k half-dollar, the coin no one actually spends seems as great as it was that march 24 in 1964 and with good reason. "coins are really history in your hands and they are silver or copper-clad representations of events that happened decades ago."

in the last hour, we've remebered the events, the moments and the memories that make up the image of john f kennedy. but there was a real man behind the myth of camelot when we come back, we hear from one of the men who worked closest with kennedy. "working with this one man for 11 years merged our two styles. i knew what he wanted to say. i knew how he wanted to say it." this is "through the decades." knew how he wanted to say it." this is "through the decades." bacon supreme omelet breakfast sandwich,

loaded with peppers, onions, and potatoes and topped with two slices of cherrywood-smoked bacon and cheese all on a freshly baked croissant. america runs on dunkin'.

sip into summertime with dunkin's frozen coolatta. freeze up the flavors of summer with a blue raspberry or any other small frozen coolatta, for $1.99. america runs on dunkin'. now a "through the decades"

moment in time from august 3, 1978 as the cuban government presented their own theory on who killed president kennedy. "for the past two days the havana government has been presenting what it says is evidence that the cia conspired with the mafia by placing the blame for the assassination on president kennedy on cuba." "testifying before a tribunal accusing the cia, eusebio azcus, former cuban consul for cuba and mexico in 1963. said that a man claiming to be oswald appeared at his consulate, two months before the kennedy murder, applying for a visa to cuba." "the applicant was not the same man the world knows as lee harvey oswald the assassin." "answers seem to be required for the following questions raised by the cuban allegations.

if indeed oswald did go to the consulate, does the cia have a photo of him there? does the cia have an audiotape recording of oswald at the consulate of the man who allegedly posed as oswald. the cubans say their consulate was being monitored electronically and such tape probably exists." "if, as the cubans allege, someone did pose as oswald at the cuban consulate before kennedy's death in 1963, does that act imply a cia conspiracy to kill the president?" "a cia spokesman tonight answered some of those questions. he flatly denied that the mystery man who was supposed to have identified himself as oswald was an agent for the cia. part of an alleged plot to link oswald with cuba. according to spokesman herbert hetu, 'that is all rubbish.' hetu also said that the cia gave the warren commission 11 pictures of the mystery man but withheld one picture of the man for security reasons." "cia officials say the tribunal in havana appears to be part of

a well-orchestrated, worldwide, communist campaign against the cia. touched off in part, perhaps, by russian and cuban unhappiness about the administration human rights program. these officials seem somewhat embarassed by the cia role in the investigation of the kennedy assassination. as one official put it, 'the cubans are hitting us where were most vulnerable, but why they are doing it now, we really don't know.'" beyond camelot and the celebrity, there was a president. the speeches, the political wins and losses have all been well documented by history but in today's "through the decades" profile, we hear from one of the people who worked closest with the president. longtime kennedy speechwriter ted sorensen, sat down for the cbs show nightwatch in 1989.

"what was it like writing words like that for john f. kennedy. did he change them much? is that pretty much the way you wrote it? what was the interaction between the two of you?" "well, there are a few secrets that i will carry to the grave. bear in mind that working with this one man for 11 years merged our two styles. i knew what he wanted to say. i knew how he wanted to say it. i had the great advantage that in those days there was no speechwriting office in the white house." "now there are 5 or 6 people who do that." "i was a counsel to the president. i was his principle advisor on domestic policy and program. i participated in the national security council. i was sitting in every meeting where every major decision was made. i heard what the president had to say. i saw what evidence influenced him, what arguments he liked. i knew what he wanted to give back. so, i would present him with drafts depending on how much time we had. sometimes with an outline. sometimes there would be several drafts. there was no set

pattern but every speech was his speech because he knew what was in it and what he wanted to say." "now this clip that we say, the berlin speech and the inaugural speech, one of the things that has always struck me in going back and reading john f. kennedy's speeches were how muscular they were. i mean the democratic party, since vietnam has been accused of being weak on defense and national strength this could not have been said about john f. kennedy. is that one of the messages the party as to rediscover from kennedy and in terms of political appeal, you think?" "i don't think the democratic party is or can afford to be weak on defense or on an assertive foreign policy. after all, it is the democratic tradition of wilson and roosevelt and truman and kennedy that recognizes the united states has a responsibility in this world. a responsibility given to us because of our wealth and our strength. we have to stand up where other nations cannot stand up. that was the message of john

f. kennedy. it doesn't always mean using military force. in fact, he was very cautious about using military force but it does mean asserting our muscle in the councils of the world." the councils of the world." that'll do it for us today.

i'm bill kurtis. as we leave, one last look back at john fitzgerald kennedy.

>> champions of the world, denver broncos. >> it is caught for the win! >> danny willett has won the masters. jason day, major champion. >> derrick henry will win it! >> the "cbs sportsdesk" is presented by centurylink. jim: welcome to the "cbs sportsdesk" presented by centurylink. jim nantz with you in fort worth, texas, and coming up, third-round coverage to have dean & deluca invitational. but first, nba action last night. lebron james and the cavaliers up in toronto wrapping up the eastern conference title. 33 for lebron. kyrie irving added 30 and now they move on to the nba finals for the second straight year and wiac