Noble Blood – “Very Special Episodes: JFK's Forgotten Summer as a Journalist (with Rob Reiner)”

Date: August 16, 2025
Host: Dana Schwartz, with Jason English, Zarin Burnett, and guest Rob Reiner

Overview

This episode of Very Special Episodes (produced by the Noble Blood team) explores a rarely discussed chapter in John F. Kennedy’s life: his brief career as a journalist in the summer of 1945, before launching his storied political trajectory. With the help of director and podcaster Rob Reiner, the hosts investigate how JFK's experiences reporting on major global events influenced his worldview, leadership, and ultimate path to the presidency.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: JFK’s Press Week Address and the Role of the Press

• The episode opens by revisiting JFK’s 1961 address to newspaper publishers in the tense, post–Bay of Pigs moment, where he appeals for journalistic self-restraint for reasons of national security.
  • Quote: “Some may suggest that this would be more naturally worded the President versus the Press. But those are not my sentiments tonight.” – JFK (03:47)
  • Quote: “...the privileged rights of the First Amendment must yield to the public's need for national security.” – JFK (04:22)
• Kennedy’s respect for the press’s role as watchdog is underscored despite his plea for discretion.
  • Quote: “...to the printing press, to the recorder of man's deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news, that we look for strength and assistance...” – JFK (06:45)
• Dana Schwartz reveals a rarely-remembered detail: Kennedy was speaking not just as President, but also as a former journalist (07:05).

2. Introducing the Theme: JFK the Journalist

• The episode’s main focus is set: JFK’s fleeting but impactful few months as a journalist immediately after WWII.
  • Rob Reiner admits that, despite his deep JFK interest, this journalism period was new to him (08:34).

3. JFK’s Formative Background and Motivation

• Insight into JFK's privileged but duty-focused upbringing: family values emphasized public service (11:04).
  • Quote (Fred Logevall, biographer): “They need to think beyond themselves ... commit themselves at least a little bit to public service. And I think that's something that Jack takes in.” (11:07)
• His war heroics: survival and leadership after PT-109 was sunk cemented his self-confidence and commitment to public life.
  • “He drags this injured member of his crew for these three and a half, four hours ... and they make it to this island...” (14:39)
  • War experience shaped Jack’s belief that the U.S. must play a leading world role (15:18).

4. The Shift After Tragedy

• With the death of his older brother Joe Jr. in a WWII mission, family political hopes shifted to Jack (16:01–17:29).
• While Jack could have pursued law or politics, journalism became his immediate postwar path, partly due to encouragement from his father and connections like Arthur Krock and William Randolph Hearst (19:23–21:00).
  • Family's elite network gave him a rare opportunity to enter journalism at a high level.

5. JFK’s Journalism Assignments: Major World Events (1945)

A. San Francisco – Founding of the United Nations

Timestamps: ~22:10 – 27:00

• Kennedy’s assignment: Cover the San Francisco conference (the founding of the UN) as a “serviceman’s perspective” columnist.
  • Immersed among legendary journalists, dignitaries, and global power brokers.
  • Quote (from JFK’s column): “There is an impression that this is the conference to end wars and introduce peace on earth ... Well, it's not going to do that.” (23:35)
• Kennedy’s writing emphasized realism, skepticism about postwar utopianism, and early detection of U.S.–Soviet tensions.
  • Quote: “There is talk of fighting the Russians in the next 10 or 15 years ... There is a fundamental distrust between Great Britain and the United States on the one hand, and Russia on the other.” (26:51)

B. London – Reporting Churchill’s Political Downfall

Timestamps: ~33:23 – 36:50

• Sent to London for the 1945 British general election.
  • Kennedy observed and predicted Churchill’s surprise electoral defeat, showing early political acumen.
  • Quote (JFK): “Churchill is fighting a tide that is surging through Europe, washing away monarchies and conservative governments everywhere ... England is moving towards some form of socialism.” (35:24)
  • Arthur Krock remarked Kennedy’s dispatches were the only hint he had of Churchill’s coming loss.
• The hosts note this work shows JFK’s “reporter’s nose” and realistic, globally aware worldview.

C. Europe & Potsdam – Witnessing Aftermath of War

Timestamps: ~37:10 – 39:43

• Kennedy travels across Europe, including devastated postwar Berlin and Hitler’s former locations, keeping a personal diary.
  • His diary reveals frank, sometimes chilling observations:
    • Quote (JFK Diary): “The devastation is complete ... stench Sweet and sickish from dead bodies is overwhelming.” (38:02)
    • Diary on Hitler: “Within a few years Hitler will emerge ... as one of the most significant figures who ever lived ... the stuff of which legends are made.” (39:13)
• Scholars emphasize that JFK’s observations were analytical, not sympathetic, and showed early grasp of global power shifts (39:53–41:00).

6. From Journalist to Politician: The Influence

• The journalism stint is portrayed by friends and biographers as a key political inflection point.
  • Quote (Ted Sorensen): “All this sharpened his interest in public affairs and public service.” (41:00)
  • The UN, Potsdam, and UK reporting season helped him realize that “reporting is reporting what happened ... but it isn’t participating.” (44:49)
• By early 1946, JFK had decided to run for Congress.

7. Counterfactual: What If JFK Had Stayed a Journalist?

• The hosts muse about alternate history—if Joe Jr. had lived, JFK might have become a major journalist rather than president.
  • Quote (Fred Logevall): “It’s not impossible to imagine that he stays ... that he becomes a kind of Walter Lippmann for a later generation.” (45:25)
  • JFK’s talents would have made him highly successful in the field.

8. Rob Reiner & Casting a JFK Journalist Movie (Lighthearted Segment)

• Inspired by Reiner’s cameo, the hosts fancast a hypothetical film about “JFK’s Journalist Summer.”
  • Finn Wolfhard as young JFK, Tim Blake Nelson as Joe Sr., Edward Norton as Hearst, Patton Oswalt as Churchill, Rob Reiner as a fictional mentor.
  • Quote (Jason English): “The secret to being a great leader is be a great storyteller..." (49:27)
• Modern advice: “If JFK the journalist was coming up today, what would be your advice? Start a substack...” (49:33)
• Dana Schwartz quips, “Oh, you have family, money. Great. You'll be just fine.” (49:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• JFK on Journalism vs. Politics:
  “A reporter is reporting what happens ... but it isn’t participating.” – JFK (44:49)
• Dana Schwartz’s analysis:
  “By all accounts, JFK would have made a fine journalist. And if fate hadn’t intervened, maybe that’s exactly what he would have ended up being.” (45:15)
• On JFK’s legacy:
  “All of our great American presidents, they're almost all great storytellers.” – Jason English (49:27)

Important Timestamps

• 02:10–06:45: JFK’s 1961 “President and the Press” speech, highlighting his complex expectations for the media.
• 07:49–08:34: Rob Reiner on his knowledge of JFK, introducing the focus on JFK’s journalism.
• 11:04–15:18: Kennedy’s upbringing, PT-109 heroics, and the deep impact of war.
• 22:14–27:17: San Francisco UN conference: Kennedy’s bylines and early Cold War analysis.
• 33:23–36:50: Kennedy’s prediction of Churchill’s loss and his “reporter’s nose.”
• 38:02–39:43: Kennedy’s European diary excerpts: Berlin’s devastation and Hitler’s legacy.
• 41:00–44:49: Reflections on the shift from journalism to active politics.
• 45:25–46:36: Alternate history musings—JFK as career journalist.
• 46:36–49:47: Movie casting game and modern reflections on journalism.

Conclusion

This episode sheds light on a formative, underappreciated season in JFK’s life: his summer as a foreign correspondent in a world on the brink of a new order. The hosts deftly weave biography, analysis, and original source material—plus some playful what-ifs—into a fascinating narrative about the skills, temperament, and family dynamics that shaped America’s 35th president. For those interested in leadership, media, and the complexities of public life, this episode is absorbing and original.