John F. Kennedy’’s 1957 Algeria Speech: The Politics of Anticolonialism in the Cold War Era

John F. Kennedy remains a compelling figure almost sixty years after his tragic assassination. Kennedy’s voice--with all of its characteristic eloquence--as well as the engaging complexity of the man himself, are brought to life in John F. Kennedy’s 1957 Algeria Speech. This book deals with one of Kennedy’s most important as a U.S. Senator--but least recognized--foreign policy speeches calling for Algerian independence after more than a century of French colonial rule. The reader will experience the debate surrounding Kennedy’s speech of July 2, 1957, particularly the resistance it encountered from the Eisenhower administration, French officials, and French citizens, senior members of America’s foreign policy community such as Dean Acheson and Adlai Stevenson, and editorial criticism in some of the most distinguished journals in the United States and France. The author offers new insights into Kennedy’s reasons for giving this speech, as well as his extensive preparation spanning fifteen months. Cleva uses in depth scholarship to analyze several years of classified U.S. Government documents dealing with the Algerian crisis in order to provide this comprehensive study of Kennedy’s Senate speech, how it shaped Kennedy’s own administration, as well its significance to American foreign policy.

Dr. Gregory Cleva is lecturer in American foreign policy at the George Mason University/Osher Life-long Learning Institute