Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy [Hardcover]

Caroline Kennedy (Author), Michael Beschloss (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 14, 2011

In 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy recorded seven historic interviews about her life with John F. Kennedy. Now, for the first time, they can be heard and read in this deluxe, illustrated book and 8-CD set.

Shortly after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, with a nation deep in mourning and the world looking on in stunned disbelief, Jacqueline Kennedy found the strength to set aside her own personal grief for the sake of posterity and begin the task of documenting and preserving her husband’s legacy. In January of 1964, she and Robert F. Kennedy approved a planned oral-history project that would capture their first-hand accounts of the late President as well as the recollections of those closest to him throughout his extraordinary political career. For the rest of her life, the famously private Jacqueline Kennedy steadfastly refused to discuss her memories of those years, but beginning that March, she fulfilled her obligation to future generations of Americans by sitting down with historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., and recording an astonishingly detailed and unvarnished account of her experiences and impressions as the wife and confidante of John F. Kennedy. The tapes of those sessions were then sealed and later deposited in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum upon its completion, in accordance with Mrs. Kennedy’s wishes.

The resulting eight and a half hours of material comprises a unique and compelling record of a tumultuous era, providing fresh insights on the many significant people and events that shaped JFK’s presidency but also shedding new light on the man behind the momentous decisions. Here are JFK’s unscripted opinions on a host of revealing subjects, including his thoughts and feelings about his brothers Robert and Ted, and his take on world leaders past and present, giving us perhaps the most informed, genuine, and immediate portrait of John Fitzgerald Kennedy we shall ever have. Mrs. Kennedy’s urbane perspective, her candor, and her flashes of wit also give us our clearest glimpse into the active mind of a remarkable First Lady.

In conjunction with the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy’s Inauguration, Caroline Kennedy and the Kennedy family are now releasing these beautifully restored recordings on CDs with accompanying transcripts. Introduced and annotated by renowned presidential historian Michael Beschloss, these interviews will add an exciting new dimension to our understanding and appreciation of President Kennedy and his time and make the past come alive through the words and voice of an eloquent eyewitness to history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Caroline Kennedy is the editor of the New York Times bestselling A Patriot's Handbook, Profiles in Courage for Our Time, The Best-Loved Poems of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, A Family of Poems, A Family Christmas, and the coauthor of The Right to Privacy and In Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action. She serves as the Vice Chair of the Fund for Public Schools in New York City and President of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. She lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; Har/Com edition (September 14, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1401324258
• ISBN-13: 978-1401324254
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (220 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( O ) > Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy
  • #11 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > Kennedy, John F.
  • #93 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Presidents & Heads of State

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

441 of 458 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars MOVING BEYOND WORDS - 5 STARS !!!! September 14, 2011

By A Customer TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I simply cannot put into words the beauty of this book, audio, and project that was put together by Caroline Kennedy and historian Michael Beschloss, but of course you have to consider what they are building upon. It is January 1964; a 34 year old young widow who has captivated America with her personal courage was forced by her husband's death to leave what had become her home, the White House. She must endure the long winter. She is alone, without husband, and she has 2 young children who have been devastated as well by their father's death. She also has to be going through what any of us who have been divorced go through, the feeling of abandonment, and completely devoid of being rooted in reality because the reality is too harsh to contemplate.

At this moment less than 4 months into the grieving process, she agrees with Harvard historian Arthur Schlesinger to go through a series of interviews to be recorded for history. The historian had taken a leave from Harvard to become an assistant to JFK in the White House. He was considered the egghead of the entourage that had followed the President. There was one caveat to the agreement with Schlesinger and the President's widow. These recordings would not be released until 50 years after the audio sessions were held, and Jackie would have editorial control over any revisions she wanted to make.

Thus in January 2004, the widow and the historian began what became 7 ˝ hours of recordings. The sessions were held in the Georgetown home that Jackie, Caroline, and John Jr. moved into several weeks after the assassination. The tapes are extraordinary. They have been audio enhanced for quality. You can actually hear things in the background like Jackie lighting up a cigarette, or putting ice into a drink. The emotionality is all there.... For those of us who may have thought we understood the first lady, or her relationship to the 35th President, we need to rethink our ideas based on this fascinating new material.

Organization of the Material

What we are looking at her is really a project as opposed to a book or a cd recording. You will receive a slip case which will contain an audio package with cd's; each cd will represent one of the seven interviews conducted by the first lady. It is elegantly packaged, and even the choice of colors (Presidential blue) is exquisite. In the slipcase is a book which contains the transcripts of the audio cd recordings. It is 349 pages of narrative, and whatever you do; don't forget to look at the picture of the President and Jacqueline sitting in the backseat of the Lincoln in Dallas on page 350-351. I have never seen this picture before. She is absolutely radiant and in love with her prince.

Since nowhere in the review materials does anyone mention the contents of the recordings, I will give you a brief synopsis of them so you can judge if this is the type of material you would be interested in:

RECORDING I

The First Lady covers then Senator Kennedy's political aspirations. This entire session is devoted to the 1950's. The period preceding JFK's ascension to the White House is chronicled. She also discusses the future President's attempt to win the Vice Presidential nomination in 1956 during the Stevenson convention. Early married life and social life in Georgetown, Washington is also covered.

RECORDING II

We all know that the President was a prolific reader, some say he read at a 1200 word per minute reading speed. Jackie tells us what he liked to read, and then she goes into his opinions of other leaders past and present. These include Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and Charles DE Gaulle. She also has some interesting words to say about the President's father Joseph P. Kennedy, and she is surprisingly candid about the JFK - RFK relationship. This is the recording which also tells us the story of the 1960 election.

RECORDING III

It is here that the conversations go into the relationship between JFK and United States Senator Joseph McCarthy. You will be surprised at some of the things she has to say. She covers the primaries that took place during the 1960 campaign. How did the President pick LBJ as his running mate; what did she think of the debates between Kennedy and Nixon? Election Day is thoroughly chronicled.

RECORDING IV

JFK was the first President born in the 20th century, and the youngest elected President ever to serve, which is still true. His transition from Senator to President was crucial. How was it done? You will now understand her viewpoint. What were the youthful President's plans for the Presidency and what about the early White House daily life which included the social life and his back problems? The inaugural address is highlighted.

RECORDING V

Here we have the Cuban Revolution, and the Bay of Pigs which completely redefined his Presidency. What is uniquely talked about however are the Presidential visits to Canada and France where she charms De Gaulle?

RECORDING VI

Mrs. Kennedy with emotion describes the Cuban Missile Crisis from her vantage point. Perhaps the most amazing and insightful statement is made in the recordings right here. Jackie tells us that during the darkest moments of the crisis when the missiles were ready for launch, that she tells her husband, that she would rather stay in the White House with her children and die with you, then go on living without you.

The First Lady also tells us about the Berlin Crisis, disarmament, and Civil Rights, but everything pales in comparison to Cuba where we were all in jeopardy and so very close to perishing as a civilization.

RECORDING VII

The recordings are summed up with discussions of JFK's trip to India. We then understand what the President thought about Viet Nam which became the dominate domestic issue of the next ten years. It also threatened to rip apart the social fabric of our country. Mrs. Kennedy talks about her children and the plans for the second term, and the coming campaign.

The PROJECT Passes from MOTHER to DAUGHTER

The First Lady only granted 3 interviews after the young President died. One was to Theodore White, a fabulous writer who published his interview in Life Magazine shortly after JFK's death. It is here that the President and his Administration were compared to Camelot and King Arthur. Another series of interviews were given to author William Manchester who wrote the best seller "Death of a President", the official chronicle of the assassination, although there were disagreements with the Kennedy family. These tapes that we now have are the only other interviews granted.

Upon Jackie's death in 1994, the tapes of the interviews which were stored in a vault at the Kennedy Library were opened and revealed to Caroline. She made the decision that the tapes would eventually be made available to the public, and to history. Her biggest decision was whether or not to edit the tapes. How interesting that she chose to leave them alone - no revisions, which was her right to do.

The only revisions that were made were in the interest of clarification. You know how sometimes when you transcribe spoken language to written language; it can look very awkward, even unintelligible. Those are the only revisions that were made.

CONCLUSION

This is an elegant book, it is beautiful, and it is historically meaningful and important. The tapes and the voice will have meaning for all of us that were alive during this period of history. For those being exposed to the life of the slain President, you might get a little bit of the feeling of what the rest of us share. Historian Richard Beschloss in the first sentence of his Introduction to the book says, "It is her turn to speak". How appropriate. Jackie in the tapes says, "He is free and we must live". It says it all, doesn't it?

During this period that Caroline Kennedy shepherded the project, the President's sole surviving sibling asked herself, when does someone no longer belong to you, but history. With the publication of this book and the accompanying tapes we now have our answer, and we are all better off for it. Thank you for reading this review.

Richard Stoyeck

Post Script:

I have attempted to be objective in my understanding of both the book and the recordings, but you must understand the hold that this man had on those of us that lived through his administration regardless of our ages. I was once caught in a building in the late 1980's where the fire alarms went off and found myself on the elevator alone with Larry O'Brien, the President's campaign director during the run for the presidency. We began a conversation, and I asked what he was really like? O'Brien turned inward, thought for a moment, and then began. He said "You must understand, I left my family for him during the 1950's. I followed him everywhere. He had that kind of hold on people." This book and accompanying recordings will have an impact on the historical analysis of JFK's life and legacy. Get it today. Read more ›

234 of 249 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous, intimate portrait of a First Lady through her own words: a treasure! September 14, 2011

By Vince Palamara

Format:Hardcover

A preliminary review: this book is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of one of the greatest First Ladies in our nation's history (in my opinion, only Eleanor Roosevelt and Betty Ford are her rivals). Jacqueline Kennedy comes to life in these pages, brilliantly edited and commented by renowned presidential historian Michael Beschloss. After reading so many "tell all" Jackie books that claim to have the "inside word", it is refreshing to have Jackie herself provide the first person account, not some journalist with 'sources'. There are many treasures and insights to be found in these pages, told in an intimate, straightforward fashion. As someone who has read countless books pertaining to President and Mrs. Kennedy, I thought nothing could surprise me at this late juncture. I was wrong. Caroline Kennedy has done us all a great service in providing the actual audio recordings from her mother's conversations with JFK aide Arthur Schlesinger, nobly transcribed and commentated by Beschloss.

"Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy" is required reading for all Kennedy fanatics and students of the First Lady. Again, this is merely a humble preliminary review, but, from what I have read and seen so far, I am greatly impressed. Highly recommended.

91 of 101 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Day Well Spent September 15, 2011

By homeice

Format:Hardcover

After spending the day listening to the tapes, mesmerized and unable to do little else, I have come away stunned and in awe. We have always had a somewhat packaged view of the duties of First Lady. That Mrs. Kennedy was able to speak at all so soon after the tragedy, and so succinctly in regards to her grasp on history, is a testament to her strength of character. Having read many books written about those years, some brilliant and some terrible, they are all given to surmising what the President must have felt, or how he came to certain conclusions. We now have a much clearer picture of the man. He accepted challenges and expected those around him to respond in kind. He was not petty, or small, not self conscious, or self aggrandizing. He was given to tremendous curiosity, loved journalism, would have written great books and would have steered the ship of state to a safer harbor. Much is voiced about power, what it does to people, who is attracted by the trappings and neglects the work, who becomes better for it and who loses their way. Jacqueline Kennedy did not deserve to be maligned. She should be remembered for living by three simple tenets: courage, loyalty and duty. These tapes are a great gift to the world.

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating but not worth putting in a vault for decades September 18, 2011

By Susanna Hutcheson TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I heard rumors in the sixties that Mrs. Kennedy had made this recording, I assumed it would be full of fascinating material and I was sorry that I wouldn't live long enough to hear it. At that time, it was reported it would be vaulted until her last grandchild was dead for fifty years or something like that. I can't recall exactly.

So, fifty years later I got to hear it. It was delightful to hear her voice and I appreciated her candor. I remember she was always guarded and never at all candid during her public life. But, in these tapes, she gave little bits of gossip like what her husband really thought of this one and that one. How Lady Bird Johnson was like one of Lyndon's trained bird dogs and took out a notebook, wrote down little bits of information that Lyndon could later use.

Nothing said on the tapes needed to be vaulted. It was released at a good time, however. Everyone spoken of is dead so no one would likely to be offended but perhaps a few distant relatives or a son or daughter here and there. But even that's doubtful.

If you're under sixty, you'll very likely have no idea who she's talking about unless you know history. Since I knew the names and lived through the time, I had a special interest. Younger people might not respond to the tapes.

Are the recordings historically relevant? Probably not. They do provide the feelings the president had at certain times that might not otherwise be known.

Jackie said that Jack would send her away when she got weary of the White House. She thought that was because he was caring and thoughtful. Of course, we now know it was because he wanted to have one of his many trysts in the family quarters and needed her out of there. Did she address that on the tapes? No. Did she know it? Who knows.... She probably did.

I'm not sure what the purpose of the tapes were other than to write the words the president couldn't write because of his assassination. She loved history and I think she wanted this to be a historical record and to some extent, it is.

To be sure, this is a worthwhile project and it's a rich listening experience. To hear it in her own voice is a delight. She talks so much more smarter than we thought she was at the time. She's a joy to listen to. And, of course, all first ladies have marvelous stories to tell. Hers were, to be sure, fascinating.

While there are no real smoking guns and while much is left out, this is a great listening experience and I'm glad it was made public at this time.

-- Susanna K. Hutcheson Read more ›