John F. Kennedy was the first president to make clear he intended to make effective use of his area specialists. He told Secretary of State Dean Rusk that Arabic language specialists should be appointed to Middle East posts. When considering candidates to be ambassador to Libya, Kennedy voiced his concern that one candidate did not speak Arabic: “We should appoint ambassadors primarily who have a knowledge of Arabic”. JFK voiced concerned about the thin line of expertise: “Do we have a sufficient number of officers to maintain this practice?” Regarding appointments to Israel, Kennedy proposed that the deputy assistant secretary of Near East Affairs (NEA) Armin Meyer be nominated as ambassador to Israel because, as Meyer recalled, “What Kennedy had in mind was to send a professional diplomat well versed in Arab world affairs to emphasize regional realities to the Israelis”.

JFK wanted a particular type of area specialist, and he wanted more from them. In his January 1961 State of the Union address Kennedy announced his administration “recognizes the value of dissent and daring” in those who chose public service careers. In April 1961 the Foreign Service Journal featured an editorial “Daring and Dissent,” which reiterated JFK's message to American diplomats in the State Department's professional journal. Then, in May 1962 Kennedy gave a spirited address to the American Foreign Service Association, telling them that America's diplomats: “Should be the best, in language, in knowledge, in experience”. The second part of his message was even more direct. The president demanded to hear “evidence of dissent and controversy” in their political reporting. But these Foreign Service officers (FSOs) had survived the Orientalist purges at NEA and Senator Joseph McCarthy's attacks on the China Hands. They were committed to supporting policy but also to career survival. One adage echoing down the State Department hallways encapsulated their experience: “There are bold FSOs and there are old FSOs, but there are no old, bold FSOs”. Kennedy aide Arthur Schlesinger pointed out that area specialists had learned under Eisenhower to stop “telling Washington what they really thought and consecrated themselves to the clichés of the Cold War”.

But Kennedy thrived on debate and wanted to be surrounded by dynamic advisers, and he appointed a number of East Coast intellectuals as top White House aides, especially in the National Security Council (NSC).