[FPSPACE] John F. Kennedy "We Choose To Go To The Moon" Speech At Rice University

[Dwayne Allen Day]

On Wed, 29 Nov 2000, Brett Harrison wrote:

> Yep, this is a great speech!  "We choose to go to the moon, and do the other
> things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."  Great stuff! 
> Who was Kennedy's main speechwriter in those days?  I read about him, but 
> forgot his name...

Theodore Sorenson, who also served as an advisor (most speechwriters these
days just write speeches).  Sorenson also had input from a number of
people on the Rice U speech, including his own brother, who worked for the
US Information Agency.

There is a new book out about the Kennedy era.  The title escapes me, but
the author notes that if you look at Kennedy's speeches as a senator,
before Sorenson came along, you will see that JFK himself was not an
inspiring orator.  Sorenson wrote many of Kennedy's best speeches.  
Although he was great at inspiring language, one of his real strengths was
his ability to write for Kennedy's unique cadence.  He knew how Kennedy
spoke--where he would pause for a breath or for emphasis--and wrote for
that.


DDAY