Virtual president’s desk enlivens JFK’s 1800s desk

February 21, 2011 at 11:20 a.m.

by The Associated Press

This May 16, 1962, photograph released by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston shows President John F. Kennedy behind his desk while visited by his daughter Caroline in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. On Monday, Feb. 21, 2011, Caroline Kennedy unveiled a new feature at the museum where anyone can use the Internet to “sit” at the virtual desk to learn more about her father's life and administration.
This May 16, 1962, photograph released by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston shows President John F. Kennedy behind his desk while visited by his daughter Caroline in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington. On Monday, Feb. 21, 2011, Caroline Kennedy unveiled a new feature at the museum where anyone can use the Internet to “sit” at the virtual desk to learn more about her father's life and administration.

A new online feature called The President’s Desk is giving people a chance to learn more about John F. Kennedy’s life and administration.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library introduced its latest project on Monday at its museum in Boston.

The interactive virtual desktop has numerous objects visitors can click, including a telephone, a campaign button and a secret recording button. When they click, they get video, text and audio from JFK’s era, such as recorded conversations between Kennedy and his advisers during the Cuban missile crisis.

The online feature was introduced in front of a replica of the desk. The original was made in the 1800s from the timbers of the British ship the HMS Resolute and is used by President Barack Obama.

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