Reagan despised JFK?
“Many men are great, but few capture the imagination and the spirit of the times. The ones who do are unforgettable. Four administrations have passed since John Kennedy’s death, five presidents have occupied the Oval Office, and I feel sure that each of them thought of John Kennedy now and then, and his thousand days in the White House” ~ Ronald Reagan 1985
That was a Peggy Noonan (Obama voter) written speech, for President Reagan to give at a fund-raiser for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, in 1985.
In private, in a hand written letter, Reagan revealed what he thought about JFK, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to expose this to more freepers.
Reagan in a personal, hand written letter to the vice President, describing JFK after JFK's nomination speech.
"I heard a frightening call to arms. Unfortunately he is a powerful speaker with an appeal to the emotions. He leaves little doubt that his idea of the “challenging new world” is one in which the Federal Govt. will grow bigger & do more and of course spend more. I know there must be some short sighted people in the Republican Party who will advise that the Republicans should try to “out liberal” him. In my opinion this would be fatal."
"One last thought,— shouldn’t some one tag Mr. Kennedy’s bold new imaginative program with it’s proper age? Under the tousled boyish hair cut it is still old Karl Marx—first launched a century ago."