American Experience (1988)

Episode Overview

This two-part profile opens with John F. Kennedy’s early life, highlighting the persistent health struggles he endured. It covers his wartime heroism after a Japanese destroyer rammed his PT boat, his initial congressional campaign, and the groundbreaking 1960 presidential election, which introduced televised debates. Contributors offering perspective include his sister Jean Kennedy Smith, niece Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, biographers Robert A. Caro and Robert Dallek, and historian David Nasaw.