PT 109 and the Making of an American President

Event Details

JFK, John F. Kennedy, William Doyle, PT 109

Without PT 109, there never would have been a President John F. Kennedy."
-David Powers, White House official, Kennedy Administration

In the early morning darkness of August 2, 1943, during a chaotic nighttime skirmish amid the Solomon Islands, the Japanese destroyer Amagiri struck the U.S. Navy's motor torpedo boat PT 109, splitting the craft in two and killing two American sailors instantly.  The sea erupted in flames as the skipper, John F. Kennedy, and ten surviving crewmen clung to the sinking wreckage; 1,200 feet of ink-black, shark-infested water loomed beneath.  Their desperate ordeal was just beginning—so too was one of the most remarkable tales of World War II, one whose astonishing afterlife would culminate two decades later in the White House.
 

Author William Doyle, Bill DoyleWilliam Doyle is the author of PT 109: An American Epic of War, Survival, and the Destiny of John F. Kennedy (HarperCollins), a writer-in-residence in The New York Public Library's Allen Room and a 2015-2016 Fulbright Scholar.  In his latest book, Doyle reveals the extraordinary World War II story of shipwreck and survival that paved John F. Kennedy's path to power.  His other books include the New York Times bestseller American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms (with former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle) and Inside the Oval Office (a New York Times Notable Book).  During his seven years at HBO, Doyle served as director of original programming and executive producer.  He was co-producer of the PBS special Navy SEALs: Their Untold Story, for which he co-wrote the companion book.

Please join us Wednesday, February 24th at 6 pm for a Made at NYPL conversation with author William Doyle.

 

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