Camelot's Court : Inside the Kennedy White House

Fifty years after John F. Kennedys assassination, presidential historian Robert Dallek, whom The New York Times calls Kennedys leading biographer, delivers a riveting new portrait of this president and his inner circle of advisorstheir rivalries, personality clashes, and political battles. In Camelots Court, Dallek analyzes the brain trust whose contributions to the successes and failures of Kennedys administrationincluding the Bay of Pigs, civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Vietnamwere indelible.Kennedy purposefully put together a dynamic team of advisors noted for their brilliance and acumen, including Attorney General Robert Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, and trusted aides Ted Sorensen and Arthur Schlesinger. Yet the very traits these men shared also created sharp divisions. Far from being unified, this was an uneasy band of rivals whose ambitions and clashing beliefs ignited fiery internal debates.Robert Dallek illuminates a president deeply determined to surround himself with the best and the brightest, who often found himself disappointed with their recommendations. The result, Camelots Court: Inside the Kennedy White House, is a striking portrait of a leader whose wise resistance to pressure and adherence to principle offers a cautionary tale for our own time.