After Jackie Read online

State Dinner

  At 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday November 27, 1963 the night before Thanksgiving, President John Fitzgerald Kennedy addressed the nation for the first time since the shootings in Dallas five days before. With a portrait of Jackie prominently in the background a pale and drawn but determined President thanked the nation for the immense outpouring of sympathy since the death of the First Lady. "My own wounds -my physical wounds - I should say were minor, and for that I give thanks to God. My children, Caroline and John are handling their loss as well as can be expected, and for that I am also grateful. The man whom we believe to be responsible for this awful crime has been captured and he is being held awaiting due process. The Attorney General has assembled a task force to get to the bottom of this terrible event and to root out a conspiracy if one exists.

  "And so my fellow Americans, even though we have all suffered this past week, I hope that we'll be able to remember on this Thanksgiving Day that we all have so much for which to be thankful, even now. I, myself," the President paused for a second, looked down at his hands folded in front of him then back up at the camera, "I, myself will be giving thanks for all the love, concern and support you all have shown me and my family in these trying times. I'm thankful that we live in a country where we all have the right to display the compassion we feel in our hearts for our fellow man. And that I enjoy the freedoms that allow me to be speaking to you like this. And I know that Jackie, wherever she is right now, is smiling, too. God bless you and God bless the United States of America."

  Across the nation millions of Americans nodded and cried as they listened to the words of their young widowed President. Even the cameraman standing in the Oval Office shed tears.

  *

  The following afternoon, the entire Kennedy clan gathered at the family compound at Hyannisport for Thanksgiving dinner. Jack was determined that the children's lives remain as normal as possible in their mother's absence. Apparently the rest of the family agreed, because the table talk was about politics.

  "So, Jack," said his youngest brother, Ted, who was completing his first year in the U.S. Senate, "I heard you told Bobby that you thought we might have enough troops in Vietnam already."

  "Maybe," Jack said. "What do you think?"

  "I think we should start to bring them home," Ted said. "We really don't have any business there."

  "Sometimes, I'm amazed that either of you ever managed to get elected to anything," Bobby said.

  "At least," Ted responded, "I didn't have to be appointed by my own brother!"

  "Very funny," Bobby said, "But seriously, Jack, don't you know that a Democratic president who's trying to get re-elected can't afford to appear soft on Communism?"

  "I know, Bobby," Jack said. "But if I get re-elected and then in my second term I have to send thousands of American boys to die in a place most people can't find on a map, I don't think history will look very kindly on me." He paused and took a sip of wine. "Besides, and God help me for saying this, but since Dallas I have the feeling that the American public will support me no matter what I do. This may be the only chance I have to do the right thing."

  "I don't know, Jack," Bobby said.

  "I know you don't. But although you're Attorney General, I'm still the President. Ultimately, it's my name that's going to go on this period of history, not yours. In 1968 when I’m done and you become President, you can ignore my advice." Everyone at the table laughed, even Bobby, who chimed in: "But what about Lyndon?" They all laughed even harder.

  "These are all easy problems," Jack said, the smile retreating from his face. "The big land mine as far as I'm concerned is still civil rights. I've got white southerners on the one hand calling me all sorts of vile names because of what we did in Mississippi and Alabama. And I've got Martin Luther King on the other hand, mouthing off that we're not doing enough. He's getting louder and louder, too. I know he's basically right but he's putting me in a very bad position. If he'd just keep his mouth shut until after the election..."

  "You know he's not going to do that." Ted added.

  "Why should he?" Bobby asked. "After the election he won't have as much leverage."

  "I don't know what we're going to do about that," Jack said. "I still need the South."

  At that moment, Eunice and Rose Kennedy entered the room. The women had conspiratorial looks on their faces.

  "Welt, I'll tell you what I know," his sister Eunice said speaking up for the first time that evening. "I know that you’re having a state dinner for Prime Minister Macmillan in two weeks and that you need a hostess. But I'm not volunteering."

  "But, I am," said Rose, also joining in for the first time. "I know I'm only your mother but I was also the wife of the American Ambassador to the Court of St. James, you might remember. Twenty-five years ago, to be exact."

  "Yes mother, I remember," Jack said, laughing.

  "I was also the daughter of the most famous and popular mayor Boston ever had. And I doubt anyone could criticize you for having your mother play hostess at the first major event since..." Rose stopped in mid-sentence and cleared her throat.

  "That's an excellent idea, mother!" Ted said, breaking the silence, "I second the nomination!” Soon everyone in the room agreed that Rose would accompany her son in welcoming the British Prime Minister to the White House.

  *

  Several weeks later the music at the State Dinner was provided by one of Jackie's favorite musicians, the cellist Pablo Casals who played a concert of some of her favorite melodies. It was a somber occasion, the country was still in mourning for the fallen First Lady. Nevertheless, the President and his mother did everything they could to make the occasion pleasant and their guests comfortable. Because of Jack's fondness for the theater and motion pictures, the guest list was stacked with entertainers. There were Rock Hudson and Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier and Eartha Kitt. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Cronkite were there as well as his boss CBS president William S. Paley and his wife, Babe, and Life Magazine's Henry Luce and his wife Clare Booth Luce. Mr. and Mrs. Henry Ford II rounded out the guest list along with Rachel Carson, the environmentalist and author of the best selling and thought provoking book, Silent Spring. Each were greeted as they arrived by Jack whose leg wounds had already healed allowing him to stop using his cane and a beaming Rose who flitted around the party making continuous conversation.

  "Now mother," the President said at one point, "please make sure you don't say anything, er, inappropriate."

  "Don't be ridiculous," his mother answered. "I was just asking Mr. Hudson why a big, handsome man like him isn't married.”

  "Er, uh, mother. Oh, forget it. Just try to be careful, all right?"

  "Jack! You seem to forget that I was the wife of the Ambassa...."

  "Of course, Mother. You're right. Go on and circulate."

  *

  Rose walked over to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who were talking with Harry Belafonte and Eartha Kitt about Cleopatra, their new movie. As he watched them the President felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw that it belonged to Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. "Say, old chap" the Briton said to the American, "I haven't had the chance to tell you how dreadfully sorry we all were about..."

  "Thanks, Harold," Jack said. Then eager to change the subject he added: "And we're all terribly sorry about Minister Profumo."

  The Prime Minister flashed a wry smile. "Yes, rather," he said. "If there's one thing the English know how to do, it's how to have a sex scandal. But at least we're able to handle it. You boring Americans never really had a great one."

  Looking across the room, Jack spotted his brother talking with Sidney Poitier. From the way they were standing and the looks on their face, Jack knew they could only be talking about one thing - Civil Rights. He excused himself from the Prime Minister and made his way over to his brother's side.

  "Mr. Poitier," Jack said, "I'm so honored to have a man of your talents here tonight. I hope the Attorney General's not boring you."

  "Hardly, Mr. President," the actor replied. "We were just talking about voter registration in Mississippi."

  "Yes, an important and serious issue," the President said. "Of course the FBI and the Justice Department will continue to focus their efforts on ensuring equal voting rights for everyone both white and black."

  "Really? From what I hear, Mr. Hoover isn't too eager to help us out at all. Jack shot a look at Bobby. The Attorney General squirmed uncomfortably.

  "I'm not sure where you would have heard such a thing Mr. Poitier, but Mr. Hoover's not the President I am. And I assure you this administration is committed to protecting the Negro's rights throughout this country, North and South.

  "I appreciate your words, Mr. President, but I'm afraid that mere words, spoken between two men at a party won't make much of a difference to some poor soul getting lynched in Neshoba County because he merely tried to register to vote." And with this, Sidney Poitier bowed discreetly and turned to walk away.

  "Damn," Jack mumbled to his brother. "These actors think they know so much about politics. Maybe, we should start auditioning for parts in movies.

  As the brothers continued to talk, a loud voice was heard from across the room. "Jack!" Rose called from the far side of the East Room. "Could you come here for a moment?"

  "Did she just...?" Robert Kennedy said laughing.

  Jack scowled at his brother and made his way across the marble floor to the spot where his mother was standing. On his way JFK was met by Eartha Kitt who pulled him aside for a moment.

  "Mr. President, darling." Miss Kitt purred in her famous, sultry voice. "I can not tell you how dangerous the situation in Vietnam can become. Mr. President sir, this is not our battle! As a woman of color I
understand the plight of the repressed. But our fight is in this country not in far away lands. I beg you on behalf of all our sisters and brothers please stop this conflict before it escalates!"

  President John Kennedy was not often taken by surprise. But hearing such an impassioned plea from a woman he knew only as a cabaret singer registered deeply in his mind that evening. "Miss Kitt, thank you for your concerns. As you can imagine, I only want to do the right thing for our country."

  A thoughtful JFK continued across the floor of the East Room toward his mother. "Mother." he whispered in her ear as he stepped up behind her, "could you remember to call me "Mr. President tonight?"

  "Oh of course Mr. President." Rose said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Mr. President. I'd like to introduce you to Miss Julie Andrews." She stepped aside and gently placed her arm behind the back of a lissome young woman with closely-cropped blonde hair and large blue eyes, who did what Jack thought was a curtsey or perhaps just a bow. The President bowed in return, then took her hand and held it with both of his. "A pleasure Miss Andrews," he said, "My wife was a great fan of Camelot'.

  Julie Andrews smiled at this remark. "Thank you so much sir," she replied. "I'm only sorry I couldn't thank her myself."

  There was an awkward silence. "Well!" Rose said, breaking in. "I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about. Jack -I'm sorry, the President just adores the theater." And with that, Rose Kennedy disappeared into the crowd.

  "Lovely woman," Julie said, warmly.

  "Yes," Jack sighed. "Even the leader of the free world has a mother."

  "Thank you so much for honouring our Prime Minister, tonight."

  "The honor is mine” Jack said. "So tell me how has our country been treating you?"

  "Splendidly."

  "Well, I'm glad to hear that," Jack said, smiling with all the famous Kennedy

  charm. "If you ever have any problems -you know, a rude cabdriver, slow service at the grocery store, stuck in a traffic jam up there in New York -you be sure to let me know. Here in America, we aim to please."

  "Why, you are too kind Mr. President'" Julie said. She laughed a high, girlish, giggle - almost musical - and touched his arm.

  •

  "I tell you Bobby," Jack said after the dinner had ended, "she actually curtsied to me. Just like in those old movies. It was the most charming thing that happened all night."

  "Careful, Jack," cautioned the Attorney General. "She's still a married woman, at least technically. To that theater man Tony Walton."

  "Don't worry," Jack said, "It's all very friendly. Besides I hear she's getting divorced."

  "Divorced? Oh then mother definitely wouldn't approve."

  "Ah, yes," Jack sighed. "Mother. My gracious hostess. I won't be making that mistake again."

  "Now, come on. She did a fine job."

  "I know. But, she's not.. .she's not Jackie."

  "True," Bobby said. "But, at least she got a woman to curtsey to you!"

  CHAPTER 4

  New Year’s Eve

  On Christmas Eve the First Family joined the rest of the Kennedy clan at the family's compound in Palm Beach, Florida. Jack was committed to keeping family life as close to the way it was for his two children, and with all of their cousins around, Caroline and John Jr. almost seemed to forget that their mother was not with them. The house was decorated the way it had always been. The Kennedys, who had already proven themselves to be a very resilient lot, were clearly in the holiday spirit. Led by Rose, the entire family attended Midnight Mass together.

  The next morning, Jack donned a Santa Claus hat and presided as the children opened their presents beneath the elaborately decorated tree. A few hours later, at lunch Jack slipped back into the persona of President, almost immediately turning the table talk to politics as usual. "I'll tell you," he said in the direction of Bobby and Ted, "I was very impressed with what Sidney Poitier said to me at the state dinner. It's been almost ten years since the Brown decision and the South is still totally segregated. That idiot Wallace in Alabama is more popular than ever and he's becoming a real thorn in my side. I even hear that he's planning to run for President. Can you imagine that? We've got to start moving faster on civil rights."

  "Hear, hear," Ted said.

  "You know where my sympathies lay," Bobby said. "I've been your bulldog on that issue all along and I don't intend to stop now. But I think your getting more involved at this point would be a mistake. You still have to win re-election, and you can't afford to alienate the South that much. Let the Justice Department handle it.”

  "With all due respect younger brother, this thing is never going to move forward as long as the President stays silent. And if there were ever a time for me to act on this, I think it’s now. Have you seen my poll ratings? No President has ever been so popular!"

  Bobby sighed, he could tell his brother wasn't going to change his mind on this. "Well," he said, "maybe we should get Hoover's help on this."

  "Ha!" Ted said. "Hoover help you advance the cause of civil rights? There’s a better chance of him getting married first!"

  Everyone at the table laughed knowingly. "You know you can't push Hoover into anything," Ted added. "If you try, he'll threaten you with that 'little file' he's been keeping on you." The laughter stopped suddenly. No one said the name that was on everyone's mind -Judith Campbell.

  Jack thought for a second. "Maybe so," he said finally, "but two can play that game. We've got a few pictures of him in that lovely red dress with Mr. Tolson."

  ''That’s true," Bobby said. "That may be the way we have to go."

  "So be it," Jack said. "We'll leave that decision up to Edgar."

  "What I want to know," Ted chimed in, "is what you're going to do about Vietnam."

  "That does seem to be the big question of the day," added Sargent Shriver, the husband of their sister Eunice and the head of the Peace Corps. "I'm afraid that's going to become a pool of quicksand for you and your administration. If you don't get out soon it may just swallow you up for good." Jack nodded. He knew he was moving more and more in that direction himself. And again, he knew that he might not ever have a better time to do the right thing than right now.

  It was at this point that Jack became impatient. One month after her death, the committee designated to investigate Jackie's murder and the assassination attempt on the President was making almost no progress. "The Warren Commission", the name the press had given this group chaired by Chief Justice Earl Warren, had met weekly, but other than overseeing the interrogation of Lee Oswald, nothing had yet been uncovered.

  "Bobby," Jack said, his voice rising for the first time. "What the hell is happening at that Warren Commission? Jackie's dead and I was shot. Can't those vast resources at your Justice Department find any answers?"

  "I meet with them every day, Jack. You know that I share your loss and your outrage. I promise you that we'll get to the bottom of this and we'll do it soon!"

  Sometimes just speaking eases the mind. After his outburst, Jack somehow felt his burden lift, even if just a little. As the meal came to a close the men at the table got up and moved into the study. Over cigars, Peter Lawford the actor who was married to Jack's sister Patricia, sensing that Jack's tension was still too high, suggested that JFK might like to attend a New Year's Eve party he was planning to host at his estate in Palm Springs, California. The President, with a brief twinkle in his eye, told Peter that it might be just the thing he needed as this terrible year of 1963 drew to a close.

  *

  New Year's Eve in Palm Springs, California is unlike New Year's Eve throughout most of the rest of the country. Instead of sweaters and snowfalls there are palm trees, balmy evening breezes, short sleeved sport shirts and low cut cocktail dresses. It was a festive scene that President John F. Kennedy entered on that last day of 1963.

  Jack had been looking forward to this party since Peter Lawford had mentioned it in Palm Beach the week before. During the simpler days before he had been elected President, Jack had spent a good deal of time with Peter and his "Rat Pack" friends: Dean Martin; Joey Bishop; Sammy Davis, Jr., and Frank Sinatra. Jack always enjoyed their company and appreciated the fact that in this crowd, their celebrity was sometimes as greater than his own. With them he could turn the conversation away from politics and toward the world of Hollywood and show business, another interest that he rarely got to discuss with the family.