Lot 284
[Kennedy, John F.] (1917-1963) 35th President of the U.S. (1961-63). After enlisting in the U.S. Navy in World War II, he served with distinction as commander of a PT boat in the Pacific. A Democratic congressman from Massachusetts (1947-53) and in 1952 won a seat in the U.S. Senate. Kennedy narrowly lost the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1956 and in 1960 won the party's presidential nomination. He defeated Republican Richard Nixon, becoming at 43 the youngest man to be elected president. His domestic program, the New Frontier, called for tax reform, federal aid to education, medical care for the aged under Social Security, and the extension of civil rights. Many of his reforms, however, stalled in Congress, and foreign-affairs crises occupied much of his time. He was much criticized for his approval for the abortive Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961) of Cuba. In Oct. 1962 U.S. reconnaissance planes discovered Soviet missile bases there. In the ensuing Cuban Missile Crisis, Kennedy ordered a blockade of Cuba and demanded the removal of the missiles. After a brief and tense interval, the USSR complied with his demands. The next year the U.S. and the Soviet Union signed a limited treaty banning nuclear tests. Kennedy also increased the number of U.S. military advisers in South Vietnam to about 16,000. He established the Alliance for Progress to give economic aid to Latin America and created the Peace Corps. He also pressed hard to achieve racial integration in the South. On Nov. 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas, Tex. Vice Pres. Lyndon Johnson succeeded him as president. The Warren Commission, appointed to investigate the assassination, concluded that it was the work of a single gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald.
Presidential Pen used to sign H.R. 11970, The Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Accompanied by a black and white press photograph of Kennedy signing the bill. Fine condition.
The U.S. Trade Expansion Act authorized the president to negotiate mutual tariff reductions of up to 50 percent with other countries. It also established the post of special representative for trade negotiations in the Executive Office of the President to lead U.S. trade negotiation delegations as well as interagency trade policy committees. The significance of the Trade Expansion Act is obvious, given the fact that international trade today, including the WTO and the NAFTA agreement, owe quite a bit to Kennedy's efforts at getting HR 11970 passed.
Estimated Value $3,000 - 4,000.
Ex. Ruddy Collection.
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