Dark Side of Camelot, by

¶ … Dark Side of Camelot, by Semour Hersh, is a book that strips away the sanitized versions we have heard about the Kennedy administration and replacing it with some harsher truths. The book demonstrates that because of the Kennedy family's power, and because of his family's position of wealth and privilege, John F. Kennedy, Jr. did not have to live by the rules and restrictions most people have to live by. He was able to indulge in extensive behaviors such as womanizing without having these behaviors leaked to the public.

As a result, while President William Clinton was scoured by the press for an affair with one woman, John F. Kennedy never had to answer any hard questions. The book also describes how John F. Kennedy, Jr. benefited from his father's and grandfather's political connections. The book suggests that the president's father, Joe Kennedy, used his money and influence to essentially purchase a senate seat for the future senator. This was a pattern he repeated for the 1960 presidential election. By controlling Chicago's politics, Joseph P.

Kennedy was able to essentially buy Illinois' Electoral College votes, which tipped the scale for John F. Kennedy, Jr., giving him the presidency. The book gives specific, detailed information on the major events of the Kennedy administration, such as the botched "Bay of Pigs" invasion of Cuba. Hersh demonstrates how the Mafia was involved and how it happened that although some in the CIA realized the invasion could not possibly succeed, this information did not get to Kennedy.

Hersh's book is an expose' of Kennedy politics and actions that never sugar coats the truth. It shows that while the Kennedys acted in ways we would consider excessive, so did the presidents who preceded him, putting Kennedy's behavior into historical perspective. Twenty interesting facts from the book: 1. p. 35 -- John Kennedy's grandfather, "Honey Fitz," was mayor of Boston for two terms. His terms were marked by political paybacks and cronyism. 2. p. 36 -- as a congressman, Honey Fitz was investigated for voter fraud.

This is interesting because apparently it happened in Chicago in 1960 during the presidential election. 3. p. 48 -- Joseph Kennedy made a fortune bootlegging during prohibition. He worked with the same Mafia that his son Robert investigated while Attorney General. 4. p. 63 -- Joseph Kennedy became ambassador to Great Britain. Unfortunately he did not see the importance of stopping Hitler and was an anti-Semite. 5. p. 80 -- Joseph Kennedy and Franklin D. Roosevelt had a long-simmering feud that climaxed Roosevelt ordered Kennedy, who was visiting FDR's Hyde Park home, ordered Kennedy to leave.

The fact demonstrates that the elder Kennedy had great ambition but did not have the political skills to survive in politics. 6. p. 81 -- When Joseph Kennedy made an enemy of FDR, he made an enemy of J. Edgar Hoover. This is important because Hoover intensely disliked John F. Kennedy, and this may partly explain it. 7. p. 92 -- reporters noticed that Kennedy was spending a lot of money in state primaries but could not prove vote fraud. This was a recurring pattern in Kennedy's campaign to get elected. 8. p.

106 -- Kennedy apparently did have an affair with Marilyn Monroe. Although it was well-known among a number of people, only rumors made it into the media. 9. p. 142 -- the Chicago Mafia helped get Kennedy elected president. This shows that politics, including Kennedy politics, were still quite corrupt by this election. 10. p. 203 -- "Taking out" Castro was always a part of the "Bay of Pigs" invasion plan. This at least partly explains why Castro's Cuba was so intensely hostile to the United States. 11. p.

222 -- Kennedy's image as president was so popular that even after the failed "Bay of Pigs" operation, his approval rating was at 83%. This shows just how completely Kennedy's administration was able to deflect criticism and scrutiny. 12. p. 265 -- Kennedy had a chance to get the United States out of Viet Nam in 1961. Instead he chose to "indirectly go to war," starting the chain of events that led to the Viet Nam war. 13. p. 270 -- After the.