"The President and the Press" American Newspaper Publishers Association. Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, NY.


This audio is part of the collection: Presidential Recordings
It also belongs to collection: News & Public Affairs

Artist/Composer: John F. Kennedy
Date: 1961-04-27 00:00:00
Source: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Label / Recorded by: White House
Keywords: John F. Kennedy

Notes

A digital copy of this White House recording has been provided by the Miller Center of Public Affairs. For more information on this and other recordings, visit the Miller Center's Scripps Library.

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Reviewer: gslack - - September 17, 2012
Subject: Hearing what you want vs what is said.
First its a great speech, no matter what you take it to mean or what you think its about. One of the very best in the last 50 years at least, and one of my personal favorites.

That being said; The speech the speech serves multiple purposes.

1. To appeal to the newspaper publishers (media) to be careful where matters of national security are concerned.

2. To clarify the ways and means of the communist regimes they were fighting either openly (Vietnam), covertly (Cuba) or in cases such as the cold war (Russia).

3. To ensure to the powers behind the media, that his administration would be as forthcoming and open as national security will allow.

4. To make sure that they (the press) understand their true and most important task; to inform the people to best safeguard their present and future. Specifically any undue and unlawful secrecy in government specifically his administration.

Personally I think he may have made some implications where he spoke on the repugnance of secrets, secret societies, and secret oaths. I do not see any other reason he should have made such comments. They were not required to make his point, to me those words were "extra". Why he made the comments like that, only he knows, but the fact he made them they way he did, implies more than the rest of the speech states.

We can argue all day about it being about secret societies, or about communism, but in the end its about both. Too choose one aspect and claim that's it, belittles the speech and shows how little we as a people actually listen to what's said versus what we think or are told is said.

Read it, or listen to it again without your preconceived notions, without the Utube titles, and NOT from a conspiracy website or mindset. Do that with an open mind, hear whats said as it is and not what you wish or what somebody told you to hear in it, and hopefully it will start a chain reaction of careful thought, rather than blind acceptance. Then we won't have to worry about being led to our fate, but rather create our own.

5.

Reviewer: StuckMic - - November 2, 2011
Subject: This speech is NOT about secret societies
This speech was given 10 days after the bay of pigs. Kennedy is talking about communism and the cold war. He is discussing the balance between our freedoms of speech and the responsibility of newspapers to not publish information that might compromise national security (similar to the WWII "Loose ships sink ships" slogan). He is making an appeal (not a decree) to the newspapers to be more discreet with the information they publish.

This speech had NOTHING to do with any alleged secret societies.

Reviewer: obfuscation nathan - - October 20, 2010
Subject: In response to djlhdjfh
JFK was a great man to stand up to the Bilderberger group that has us in their hands as we speak. I am a hip hop artist in California. My group has exactly what you are looking for. You can contact me at nateskeet@gmail.com and i will email you the song.

Reviewer: djlhdjfh - - October 19, 2010
Subject: Last American President
Excellent speech. Even today I am amazed how evolved and correct Kennedy was, and how far the world is lagging behind today. What am I saying, we're in utter shambles. Doomed.

On a lighter note
Please PLEASE somebody make some music sampling this! What he says is very important, his words are so hard hitting and the phrasing is almost musical.

Reviewer: Secretariat73 - - December 9, 2007
Subject: Look at the date.
This was in the wake of the failed Bay of Pigs disaster, which Kennedy blamed, rightly so, on the CIA. He was talking to the press about their cooperation with the CIA, if you read between the lines. Had they helped expose the plot before it happened, it would likely not have been able to go forward, and many lives needlessly lost would have been saved.

Reviewer: XDelusion - - June 30, 2006
Subject: JFK ain't the only one!
You must also remember that this is not the only forefather talking of secret societies in America's past.


This was also talked about by Washington (pre-Communism), Jefferson (pre-Communism), Franklin (pre-Communism), Lincoln (pre-Communism), Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Nixon, and the list goes on.

Besides if JFK ment Communists, then I'm sure he'd just say, Secret Communist Societies!

Reviewer: PubliusNJ - - June 16, 2006
Subject: JFK Hints At Secret Societies Threatening America
Folks, it is just COMMUNISM that President Kennedy was ALSO talking about were the SECRET SOCIETIES that run America BEHIND the scenes. You have to listen to the speech at least TWICE before you get this -- ESPECIALLY the remarks about "SECRET OATHS," "SECRET SOCIETIES" and "SECRET PROCEEDINGS."

Get it folks? This guy is talking about the very people that ultimately killed him.

Reviewer: harrietmiers - - November 19, 2005
Subject: Tremendous speech!!

Reviewer: Spuzz - - April 20, 2005
Subject: Keep your mouth SHUT!
Great speech given by JFK. He appears to have one great sense of humour as he somewhat roasts the newspaper men he came to speak for. His main topic of the speech is how he believed in the freedom of the press, except in times of National Secuirity. In dealing with the threat of Communism, that he didn;t want to re-open the office of War Information, that he is trusting the newspapers to use their discretion. JFK makes a lot of interesting points, and is quite informative.
About the recording. This is one truly amazing recording as it truly sounds like it was made yesterday. Not a speck of hissing or anything. EXCELLENT job here. My only complaint that it ends prematurely, would have liked to have some fanfare after he finished, rather than the recording ending just right after the last word he says, But that's a minor squabble.