Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — It's been 50 years to the date since President John F. Kennedy made a visit to Utah as part of a tour of the western United States.
President Kennedy visited Salt Lake City on September 26, 1963. His visit drew a large crowd in downtown Salt Lake City. He was in the middle of a week-long tour of 11 states and more than 100,000 people lined the streets to welcome the president to town.
One of those people was Oscar McConkie, Kennedy's contact in Utah who helped write the speech the president delivered to a packed Tabernacle on Temple Square.
"He had a speech writer by the name of Ted Sorensen, and I met with Ted and we worked together on the talk," McConkie said.
McConkie said the speech was delivered essentially as written out.
"Of course there was a lot of talk about Mormons," McConkie said.
Bobby, his little brother, told me that the President had said to him that he felt that this was one of his one or two best talks he had given.
–Oscar McConkie
The nation has changed in many ways during the past 50 years, but several of the topics Kennedy addressed back then, still apply today.
"There were lots of ‘Fortress' Americans who were opposed to internationalism and he was explaining why it's necessary," McConkie said.
Kennedy also addressed issues important to the West, such as water, as well as the spread of communism, continuing problems in Cuba and Vietnam and nuclear test ban treaties.
"Bobby, his little brother, told me that the President had said to him that he felt that this was one of his one or two best talks he had given," McConkie said.
The president left Utah the following morning. 55 days later, he was assassinated.
