Theodore Chaikin "Ted" Sorensen (b. May 8, 1928) is a lawyer and writer, best known as President John F. Kennedy's legendary speechwriter and "alter-ego." President Kennedy once called him his "intellectual bloodbank." 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Born in Nebraska and educated at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, where he also attended law school, Sorensen joined John Kennedy shortly after JFK was sworn in as Senator in 1953. Over the next decade, he became Kennedy's closest advisor. Sorensen also had an important role in researching and drafting Kennedy's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography Profiles in Courage, prompting some controversy over the book's authorship. Drew Pearson, a prominent journalist, alleged that Sorensen ghostwrote the book, leading Kennedy to demand a retraction, which was provided after JFK presented handwritten notes and Sorensen signed an affadavit attesting to Kennedy's authorship. Listen to this article (help) Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from the revision dated 2005-04-13, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Profiles in Courage book cover Profiles in Courage is a book by John F. Kennedy, describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight American Senators from throughout the Senate’s history. ...

During the Kennedy Administration Sorensen was Special Counsel to president John F. Kennedy, with responsibility for the domestic agenda; after the Bay of Pigs debacle, President Kennedy asked Sorensen to take part in foreign policy discussions, as well. As a result, Sorensen played a critical role in resolving the Cuban Missile crisis, drafting Kennedy's correspondence with Khrushchev. Sorensen was also President Kennedy's primary speechwriter. The President of the United States (unofficially abbreviated “POTUS”) is the head of state of the United States. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... The Cuban Missile Crisis was a very tense confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States over the Soviet deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba. ... One might be looking for the academic discipline of communications. ...

After Kennedy was assassinated, he helped the new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, for several months. Sorensen left the White House to write a biography of President Kennedy, published in 1965. A fascinating insight into the Kennedy White House it became an international best-seller, and was translated into several languages. President Kennedy, with his wife, Jackie, and Texas Gov. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... The southern side of the White House The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States of America. ...

Sorensen later joined the law firm, Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton and Garrison, while still staying involved in politics. He played an important role in a number of campaigns, including the Robert Kennedy presidential campaign in 1968. Over the past four decades, Sorensen has led a prominent career as an international lawyer, advising governments around the world, as well as major international corporations.

In 1970, Sorensen ran for the U.S. Senate from New York, but lost in the primaries. In 1977 Jimmy Carter nominated him as Director of Central Intelligence, but the nomination was sunk by Senators bearing grudges from earlier years; and by senators who believed that Sorensen would reform the CIA, something not viewed favorably by many; that Sorensen was a pacifist and unequipped to handle the responsibilities of the position; that he did not have the necessary foreign policy experience; and that Sorensen had acted inappropriately in using some sensitive White House files in drafting his book, Kennedy. Despite the fact that these fears were unfounded or exaggerated, Sorensen's nomination was foiled, in part because President Carter refused to support his nominee, and Sorensen withdrew, knowing that his appointment would be rejected. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... James Earl Jimmy Carter, Jr. ...

In addition to his successful career as a lawyer, Sorensen has also been a frequent spokesman for liberal ideals and ideas, writing op-eds and delivering speeches on both domestic and international subjects. For several years in the 1960s, he was an editor at the Saturday Review.

He has been affiliated with a number of institutions, including the Council on Foreign Relations, the Century Institute, Princeton University, and the Institute of Politics at Harvard. He is married to Gillian Sorensen of the United Nations Foundation. He has three sons and a daughter. The Century Institute is a summer program for politically progressive college students. ...

Books

• Decision-making In The White House (1963)
• Kennedy (1965)
• The Kennedy Legacy (1969)
• Watchmen in the Night : Presidential Accountability after Watergate (1975)
• A different kind of presidency: A proposal for breaking the political deadlock (1984)
• Let the Word Go Forth : The Speeches, Statements and Writings of John F. Kennedy, 1947-1963 (1988).
• Why I'm a Democrat (1996)

External links

• John F. Kennedy Library and Museum: Inventory of personal papers
• PBS interview with Sorenson
• As a ghostwriter for Kennedy
• Webcast of speech at the 2005 Nuclear Non Proliferation Conference (RealPlayer)