“Much has been said about the shock and grief that followed not only in our country but all over the world. Kennedy was the post-war symbol of a revitalized America, a leader determined to move forward at home and abroad on the issues of his day.

His style, wit and elegance, his wife and children, captivated the media who made him larger than life and ignored his foibles….When he died, so, once again, did American innocence and a large piece of our native optimism….As individuals, we seem to have shorter time for being young.”

–Brandon H. Grove, Jr., Former Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo

At the link, American FSOs remember the responses to the assassination of President Kennedy while overseas.