what does "tackle Gaullian amour- propre "mean?
Charles de Gaulle was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, and the President had concluded that the most effective way to tackle Gaullian amour- propre would be to learn his language—really learn it—and then negotiate in it. It was pure Kennedy, a decision undertaken with zest and pursued with improvisation.what does "pursued with improvisation"mean?
oughtn't he make a decision with improvisation and pursue it with zest?

Question

what does "tackle Gaullian amour- propre "mean?
Charles de Gaulle was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with, and the President had concluded that the most effective way to tackle Gaullian amour- propre would be to learn his language—really learn it—and then negotiate in it. It was pure Kennedy, a decision undertaken with zest and pursued with improvisation.what does "pursued with improvisation"mean?
oughtn't he make a decision with improvisation and pursue it with zest?

Answer

Gaullian amour-propre = French self-love
He concluded that he would confront the problem of French conceit by learning the language.
The author is using ironic language. He is portraying Kennedy as one who makes impulsive decisions, and then does what he can to fulfill them.
To pursue with improvisation means to take disorganized and unplanned measures to meet an objective.
So yes, his approach is backwards, because he enjoyed being decisive more than thinking through the consequences of his decisions.