Kennedy, John F. [Fitzgerald]. Why England Slept. First UK Edition. London, Hutchinson & Co., ND [1940]. 18 x 12 cm. xxi, 256 pages, followed by 40 pages publishers list [for the fall, 1940]. Original red cloth. Black title on spine (see images). Very good condition. Minor shelf wear, rubbing and bumbing. Edges and end papers dust dulled. Internally clean.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the youngest person elected president. Kennedy served at the height of the Cold War, and the majority of his foreign policy concerned relations with the Soviet Union and Cuba. A Democrat, Kennedy represented Massachusetts in both houses of the United States Congress prior to his presidency.
Born into the prominent Kennedy family in Brookline, Massachusetts, Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1940, joining the U.S. Naval Reserve the following year.
While Kennedy was at Harvard, he developed an interest in political philosophy. He made the dean’s list in his junior year. In 1940, Kennedy completed his thesis, “Appeasement in Munich”, about British negotiations during the Munich Agreement. The thesis was released on July 24, under the title Why England Slept. The book was one of the first to offer information about the war and its origins, and quickly became a bestseller. In addition to addressing Britain’s unwillingness to strengthen its military in the lead-up to the war, the book called for an Anglo-American alliance against the rising totalitarian powers. Kennedy became increasingly supportive of U.S. intervention in World War II.
During World War II, he commanded PT boats in the Pacific theater. Kennedy’s survival following the sinking of PT-109 and his rescue of his fellow sailors made him a war hero and earned the Navy and Marine Corps Medal but left him with serious injuries. After a brief stint in journalism, Kennedy represented a working-class Boston district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953. He was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate, serving as the junior senator for Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. While in the Senate, Kennedy published his book, Profiles in Courage, which won a Pulitzer Prize. Kennedy ran in the 1960 presidential election. His campaign gained momentum after the first televised presidential debates in American history, and he was elected president, narrowly defeating Republican opponent Richard Nixon, the incumbent vice president.

• Keywords: Great Britain · History · History & Culture · Military · Naval & Military History · Politics
• Language: English
• First edition
• Inventory Number: 104154AB

Our price: EUR 120,--