FOR DANYEL
This book has been a long time in the making, and I’ve accumulated more intellectual debts than I can possibly repay. The greatest of these debts is to the superb archivists and librarians and other staff of the JFK Library, one of the crown jewels in our presidential library system. I would like to thank Karen Abramson, Alan Price, Rachel Flor, Steven Rothstein, James Roth, Stephen Plotkin, Michael Desmond, Nancy McCoy, Liz Murphy, Maryrose Grossman, Jennifer Quan, Matt Porter, and, in particular, Stacey Chandler and Abbey Malangone, for their abundant and adroit assistance. My thanks also to the talented and dedicated staff at numerous other repositories, in particular Judy Donald and Stephanie Gold of the Choate Rosemary Hall archives, Tim Driscoll of Harvard University Archives, and Rosalba Varallo Recchia of Princeton University’s Seeley G. Mudd Library.
A tremendous group of research assistants have helped me on the book, in ways large and small. They include Nick Danby, Alice Han, Julie Leighton, Aroop Mukherjee, Usha Sahay, Ben Schafer, Jennifer See, Wright Smith, and Aliya Somani. Elizabeth Saunders and Luke Nichter kindly shared some of their research findings with me, as did Daniel Hart. Conversations over meals with David Nasaw and Nigel Hamilton were endlessly stimulating and instructive, and Sheldon Stern, whose knowledge of JFK’s life and career runs about as deep as anyone’s, provided steady guidance throughout. Ellen Fitzpatrick, with her vast knowledge of Kennedy and his times, was exceptionally helpful, as were Jill Abramson, David Starr, and Eddy Neyts. David Greenberg was a font of sagacious input at each step, and Geoff Ward, biographer extraordinaire, provided an important early boost. A leisurely stroll along Stockholm streets with Philip Bobbitt yielded conceptual and interpretive ideas that proved invaluable, while Rob Rakove, Chester Pach, and Zach Shore provided excellent aid at a late stage. To Stephen Kennedy Smith, always gracious and perceptive in discussing his uncle’s life, my deepest gratitude. And special thanks to Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, who kindly let me quote from a poem to her father written by her mother.
Then there are the colleagues, near and far, who gave me critical readings of portions of the draft manuscript or, in some cases, individual chapters: David Greenberg, Will Hitchcock, Jill Lepore, Jeff Frank, Jill Abramson, Usha Sahay, Sheldon Stern, Jonathan Kirshner, Chester Pach, Ken Mouré, Greg Robinson, and Steve Atlas. Two intrepid souls, Laura Kalman and Jim Hershberg, read the entire text and provided incisive comments that helped greatly in my final rewrite.
I’m grateful to others for their assistance and observations: Eric Alterman, Chet Atkins, Gary Bass, Paul Behringer, Dag Blanck, Jim Blight, Bill Brands, Doug Brinkley, Heather Campion, Chris Clark, Campbell Craig, Brian Cuddy, Andreas Daum, Elizabeth Deane, E. J. Dionne, Margot Dionne, Aaron Donaghy, Charlie Edel, Jack Farrell, Dan Fenn, Susan Ferber, Tom Fox, Eliza Gheorghe, Doris Kearns Goodwin, the late Richard Goodwin, Deirdre Henderson, Mary Herlihy-Gearan, Michael Ignatieff, Matthew Jones, Michael Kazin, Paul Kennedy, Steven Kotkin, janet Lang, the late Jack Langguth, Chris Lydon, Megan Marshall, Priscilla Johnson McMillan, Diane McWhorter, Jamie Miller, David Milne, Tim Naftali, Dorine Neyts, Chris Nichols, Leopoldo Nuti, Tom Oliphant, Ken Osgood, Jane Perlez, Barbara Perry, Andrew Preston, Tom Putnam, Susan Ronald, Steve Schlesinger, Marc Selverstone, Emma Sky, Larry Tye, Chris Vassallo, Arne Westad, Ted Widmer, James Wilson, Philip Zelikow, and Erik Åsard.
At Harvard I’m fortunate to be part of a marvelously inspiring and engaging intellectual community, in the Department of History and in the policy school named for the subject of this biography: the John F. Kennedy School of Government. Heartfelt thanks, in particular, to Graham Allison, Arthur Applbaum, David Armitage, Nick Burns, Ash Carter, Dara Cohen, Suzanne Cooper, Ashley Davis, Mark Elliott, Archon Fung, Mark Gearan, David Gergen, Doug Johnson, Alex Keyssar, Jim Kloppenberg, Jill Lepore, Charlie Maier, Erez Manela, Joe Nye, Richard Parker, Serhii Plokhy, Bob Putnam, Kathryn Sikkink, Moshik Temkin, Steve Walt, Calder Walton, Pete Zimmerman, and, most of all, the incomparable Karen McCabe. The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs provided a generous research grant. At Cornell University, my prior institutional home, big thanks to the gang at the Einaudi Center, especially Nishi Dhupa, Elizabeth Edmondson, and Heike Michelsen.
The team at Random House has demonstrated again that it’s in a class of its own. Andy Ward and Marie Pantojan were virtuoso editors—deeply discerning, endlessly patient, ever supportive. On the production side, Loren Noveck and Will Palmer were masterful, and I’m indebted to Michelle Jasmine and Ayelet Gruenspecht for their expert efforts in publicity and marketing. To David Ebershoff, who encouraged me to pursue the project and signed it, thank you! In Britain, Daniel Crewe, the publishing director of Viking, showed early and steadfast enthusiasm. At John Hawkins & Associates, Warren Frazier is simply the consummate agent, a pro who combines smart, savvy, and exuberant in the best possible way.
This book would not have happened had it not been for Susan Kamil, the late and legendary publisher and editor in chief of Random House. From the start Susan was an irrepressible champion of the project, and I treasured our leisurely lunches at Harvest in Harvard Square when she came for visits, our conversations ranging far and wide but always coming back to the book trade she loved. The lunches will be no more, but I will cherish the memory of them always.
Friends and family undergird writing projects like this in ways that are harder to measure but no less vital. For their love and encouragement I’m deeply grateful to Richard and Robin Parker, Jonathan Kirshner, Esty Schachter, Robin Wilkerson, Steve Atlas, Ken Mouré, David Starr, Bertil and Tracy Jean-Chronberg, Tanya Meyer, Rohn Meijer, Tom and Karen Gilovich, Alan Lynch, and Julie Simmons-Lynch. Apologies to Julie (who read the entire draft) that we didn’t go with her suggested title: You Don’t Know Jack. Special thanks to my dear friends Kristen Rupert and John Foote, whose charming summer home in aptly named Friendship, Maine, provided a tranquil setting for feverish writing.
My wonderful daughter and son, Emma and Joe, provided constant support and affection, and Emma showed her sharp editorial eye on the preface. Warm thanks also to my siblings, Maria and Robert, and to our parents, who did not live to see this project completed but who thrilled at the news that their son would write an in-depth biography of an American president who was and is a deeply inspirational figure to many Scandinavians. Danyel, my lovely and brilliant and witty wife, read every word and gave fabulous feedback, on the big picture as well as the intricate details, while also providing love, devotion, laughter, and a regular supply of her matchlessly delicious Swedish baked goods. I dedicate this book to her.