Pierre Salinger (1925–2004)

This book is a first person account of Mr. Salinger’s experience on the personal staff of President John F. Kennedy serving as his Press Secretary from inauguration day through his assassination. He also served his successor, Lyndon B. Johnson until the early 1964 when he decided to run for the Senate in California.

Salinger makes no secret of his unabashed admiration, loyalty and devotion to the Kennedy family, particularly Robert and John. If you are looking for a tell-all type book or one that is critical of them, then this is not the book for you. He also expresses no disdain or disappointment with LBJ.

He does provide a first person account of the cold war events and diplomacy of the Kennedy presidency including the Bay of Pigs, Berlin Crisis and Cuban Missile Crisis, and his importance in the communication between the President and Soviet Premier Krushchev.

A primary concern of Salinger and a theme he comes back to repeatedly is finding the balance between the need for secrecy and covert activity on the part of an administration and the demands of the free press for full disclosure in less than a declared, hot war with an enemy that does not face the same problem. Having experience as both an investigative reporter and as Press Secretary, he is able to see both sides of the argument and stresses the need to develop a workable solution.

It is fascinating to read how he and his team responded to the new medium of television, the adjustments he made as Press Secretary and how it changed the relationship between the President and the news reporters, American citizens and the world.

I found it well worth the time spent reading it and would recommend it to anyone interested in this time in history, JFK or in the topic of national security vs. the right of the press to know .… (meer)