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unity and benefited from the Cold War tension and starred John Wayne, soon flagged atthe box office.69 When Hollywood looked to Washington for a lead it found ambiguity.Despite his massive endorsement by African American voters, Kennedy's main concernwas the Cold War, which was why he expressed deep annoyance at the Freedom Ridescampaign. He saw this as an attempt to create a crisis and obtain overseas sympathy andsupport at a very difficult time in Soviet-American relationships. 70 Although Kennedy hada majority in Congress he still had to rely on the white southerners, who controlled the keycommittees. 71 The administration was sensitive to being accused of limiting states' rights ifit intervened too often in the civil rights protests and Kennedy did not want to split theDemocratic Party by introducing major civil rights legislation. He preferred to rely onexecutive action, federal court decisions and litigation by the Justice Department. 72 UnlikePresident Wilson he did not attend centennial ceremonies. 73 He sent his brother to thepreliminary Emancipation Proclamation ceremony with a message that accepted that muchneeded to be done to 'make equal rights a reality for all of our people, to fulfil finally thepromises of the Declaration of Independence.' 74 Nevertheless, it was the events inBirmingham, Alabama, in 1963, that convinced him that legislation was needed. It was, hefinally admitted, 'a moral issue,' but it was dictated as much by America's image abroad asit was by internal events. 75 By that time even ordinary Americans had come to recognisethe harm race relations was doing to America as they watched their television news andread reports of violence against civil rights workers and demonstrators in their newspapers.In December 1962 only 4% believed that 'racial problems' were the country's biggestchallenge. 76 In June 1963, 78% agreed that race discrimination harmed the nation abroad. 77The linking of Cold War and civil rights continued in the handful of centennial films. InThe Deadly Companions (1961), the former Confederate, Turk, wants to create his ownslave republic with the proceeds of his robberies - a republic where he, and his friends,would be above the law. Once again the threat of secession is raised, and ridiculed. AllTurk has is gold. He is one of Alison Graham's unschooled 'redneck' characters and couldonly 'rule' by a dictatorship of violence and enslavement. Once again there is the impliedreference to the authoritarian Soviet Union posing a direct challenge to Americandemocracy. Turk is prevented from carrying out his plan by the democratic forces of lawand order.When the narrator introduces the Civil War section in How the West Was Won (1962), he104