Virtual JFK

Of all "what if" scenarios in the history of United States foreign policy, one is perhaps most debated: What would President John F. Kennedy have done in Vietnam if he had not been assassinated in 1963? The film focuses on a question of supreme importance in the contemporary world: "Does it matter who is President of the United States when it comes to issues of war and peace?" VIRTUAL JFK focuses heavily on John F. Kennedy's thinking and decision-making with regard to war and peace during the thousand days of his abbreviated presidency (although the film also deals with Lyndon Johnson for purposes of comparison). Drawing on unusual archival footage from presidential libraries and the National Archives, along with newly deciphered audio tapes and other documentary evidence, the film draws our attention to six highly charged crises Kennedy faced in which many, or most, of his advisers counseled war:

The Bay of Pigs Fiasco (April 1961): After letting the flawed U.S. invasion of Cuba go ahead, Kennedy watches it fail miserably. He vows that never again will he believe the rosy predictions of the outcome of military action from his so-called experts.

The Laos Crisis (1961): Having little knowledge of Laos on taking office, JFK is told he might need to order the use of nuclear weapons to stave off the Russians. Instead, he negotiates a neutral solution that avoids an escalation of the war.

The Berlin Crisis (August-November 1961): With advisers recommending that he destroy the new Wall in Berlin, which would risk war with the Russians, JFK backs off, as do the Russians, without a shot being fired.

The Showdown over Vietnam (November 1961): With all his senior advisers recommending an American take-over of the war in Vietnam from the South Vietnamese, JFK refuses to order any combat soldiers to deploy there. Instead, he provides advisers and equipment to the U.S. ally in Saigon, the South Vietnamese government.

The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962): Poised on the brink of a catastrophic war with the Russians over their Cuban missile emplacement, JFK refuses to authorize the air attack and invasion his advisers are recommending, and resolves the crisis short of war.

The Withdrawal (October 1963): JFK agrees to a plan devised by Defense Secretary Robert McNamara to withdraw most Americans in South Vietnam by late 1965, with the first 1,000 to be withdrawn within three months. JFK's plans are reversed by his successor, Lyndon Johnson, who decides to Americanize the war.

“Koji Masutani and Blight methodically examine how John F. Kennedy’s stalwart authority and nuanced judgment preserved an unambiguous, if fragile, peace at six different inflammatory moments during his presidency.” (Stephen Garrett, Time Out New York)

“Contrary to its title, VIRTUAL JFK is less a counter-history of the Vietnam years than a tribute to John F. Kennedy's stubborn resistance to a military that pressured him to go to war on six occasions during his short presidency.” (Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer)

“The question: Can an individual leader take a nation to, or keep it from, war? The conclusion: Individual temperament matters, and John F. Kennedy's example proves it.” (J. Hoberman, Village Voice)

“VIRTUAL JFK reps an extended glimpse into a bygone era of statesmanship.” (Ronnie Scheib, Variety)