About this Episode
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Seventy-five years ago, during World War II, Lieutenant John F. Kennedy and twelve crew members were on a late-night patrol of waters in the South Pacific when they had a devastating encounter with a Japanese destroyer. The future 35th president and his crew beat the odds and survived the crash deep in enemy territory. Hosts Matt Porter and Jamie Richardson take listeners inside the crash and rescue that would help shape President Kennedy's life on the premiere episode of the JFK Library Foundation's new podcast, JFK35.
Special thanks to this episode's guests, Museum Curator Stacey Bredhoff and Museum Docent Carolyn Clark.
What We Talked About
Lt. John F. Kennedy carved a message on this coconut husk, and gave it to two Solomon Island coastwatchers to deliver to the PT base at Rendova so he and his crew would be rescued. His father later had the coconut shell encased in plastic on a wood base and President Kennedy used it as a paperweight on his desk in the Oval Office.
The message carved reads:
NAURO ISL…COMMANDER…NATIVE KNOWS POS'IT…HE CAN PILOT…11 ALIVE…NEED SMALL BOAT…KENNEDY
MO63.4852
John F. Kennedy and crewmen of the PT-109. Back Row (L-R) Allan Webb, Leon Drawdy, Edgar Mauer, Edmund Drewitch, John Maguire, Lt. (jg) John F. Kennedy (standing, far right). Front Row (L-R) Charles Harris, Maurice Kowal, Andrew Kirksey, and Lenny Thom. Solomon Islands. PC100
To quell concerns during the 1960 campaign that JFK was too inexperienced to be president, tie clips and bracelets featuring the PT-109 were used to symbolize his experience and leadership in World War II.
The May 7, 1945 article by John F. Kennedy on the formation of the United Nations in San Francisco.
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Learn More
View the schedule for hands-on programs and tours, including Stranded at Sea, in our Museum.
Read about JFK and the PT-109.
If you have a story idea or want to let us know how we're doing, you can email us at JFK35Pod@jfklfoundation.org.
