When President John F. Kennedy visited the newly-commissioned USS Enterprise (CVN-65) on April 14, 1962,, he used the occasion to promote a strengthened U.S. Navy, one whose indomitable force would help preserve the peace. He then watched naval wargames that included some of the most cutting-edge weaponry of the day, including missiles, rockets, and supersonic aircraft. Sadly, Kennedy would be assassinated just a short time after this film record of the exercise was released, and it was withdrawn from circulation by the Navy out of respect for the fallen Commander in Chief. In addition to Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and the Shah of Iran can be seen in the film. Ships seen in the film include: Fletcher-class destroyer USS Rooks (DD-804), Gearing class destroyer USS Bordelon (DD/DDR-881), USS Francis Marion (APA-249), and the Polaris submarine Thomas A. Edison (SSBN-610). Planes featured include Kennedy’s Air Force One (a Boeing 707), Skyraiders, Tracker ASW aircraft, and more.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com