Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir [Kindle Edition]

Clint Hill (Author), Lisa McCubbin (Author)

Book Description

HE CALLED HER MRS. KENNEDY. SHE CALLED HIM MR. HILL.

For four years, from the election of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in November 1960 until after the election of Lyndon Johnson in 1964, Clint Hill was the Secret Service agent assigned to guard the glamorous and intensely private Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. During those four years, he went from being a reluctant guardian to a fiercely loyal watchdog and, in many ways, her closest friend.

Now, looking back fifty years, Clint Hill tells his story for the first time, offering a tender, enthralling, and tragic portrayal of how a Secret Service agent who started life in a North Dakota orphanage became the most trusted man in the life of the First Lady who captivated first the nation and then the world.

When he was initially assigned to the new First Lady, Agent Hill envisioned tea parties and gray-haired matrons. But as soon as he met her, he was swept up in the whirlwind of her beauty, her grace, her intelligence, her coy humor, her magnificent composure, and her extraordinary spirit.

From the start, the job was like no other, and Clint was by her side through the early days of JFK's presidency; the birth of sons John and Patrick and Patrick's sudden death; Kennedy-family holidays in Hyannis Port and Palm Beach; Jackie's trips to Europe, Asia, and South America; Jackie's intriguing meetings with men like Aristotle Onassis, Gianni Agnelli, and André Malraux; the dark days of the year that followed the assassination to the farewell party she threw for Clint when he left her protective detail after four years. All she wanted was the one thing he could not give her: a private life for her and her children.

Filled with unforgettable details, startling revelations, and sparkling, intimate moments, this is the once-in-a-lifetime story of a man doing the most exciting job in the world, with a woman all the world loved, and the tragedy that ended it all too soon— a tragedy that haunted him for fifty years.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With clear and honest prose free of salaciousness and gossip, Hill (ably assisted by McCubbin) evokes not only a personality both beautiful and brilliant, but also a time when the White House was filled with youth and promise.

Of the many words written about Jacqueline Kennedy, these are among the best." --Kirkus starred review

"[Mrs. Kennedy and Me] conveys a sense of honesty and proves to be an insightful and lovingly penetrating portrait of the Jacqueline Kennedy that Hill came to know." --USA Today (3 1/2 stars)

"Talk about being unable to put a book down; I was enthralled with this memoir from start to finish." --Liz Smith

Review

"With clear and honest prose free of salaciousness and gossip, Hill (ably assisted by McCubbin) evokes not only a personality both beautiful and brilliant, but also a time when the White House was filled with youth and promise.

Of the many words written about Jacqueline Kennedy, these are among the best." --Kirkus starred review

"[Mrs. Kennedy and Me] conveys a sense of honesty and proves to be an insightful and lovingly penetrating portrait of the Jacqueline Kennedy that Hill came to know." --USA Today (3 1/2 stars)

"Talk about being unable to put a book down; I was enthralled with this memoir from start to finish." --Liz Smith

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 4002 KB
• Print Length: 354 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1451648464
• Publisher: Gallery Books (April 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005GG0M0G
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,244 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #1 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( O ) > Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy
  • #6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Political
  • #8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Presidents & Heads of State

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

453 of 460 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on presidential protection April 4, 2012

By Fmr. Agent Abraham Bolden

Format:Hardcover

I just finished reading Agent Clint Hill's book, Mrs. Kennedy and Me. As an ex-secret service agent and the first African American Agent to serve on the White House Detail under President Kennedy, I want to congratulate Agent Hill on a very well written and interesting memoir. I served on the detail with Agent Hill in 1961. When the terrible incident happened in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and the reports circulated that one agent had responded by trying to shield the occupants riding in the presidential limousine, I knew immediately that that agent was Clint Hill. The reader should know that, in my opinion, this book is the memoir of one of the most diligent, responsible, trustworthy, dutiful agents ever to serve on the White House Detail. This book is a must read for anyone endeavoring to obtain an insightful agent's view and understanding of the tragic occurrences of November 22, 1963.

Abraham W. Bolden, Sr.

114 of 120 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beguiled - A Secret Service Agent's Love Story April 4, 2012

By NJfromLA

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

To my surprise this book is a love story. Not a salacious inappropriate smut filled account, but rather one with stories of growth, fun times, laughter, dedication, respect! A story of sorrow and sadness that is uplifting because of caring and friendship. This book is a warm modern portrait the Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy and their children from someone who was close to them with no axe to grind. Even the sad events are presented with compassion. There's a lot of love in this book.

Secret Service Agent Clint Hill begins his association in late 1960 with the Kennedy administration in a fearful place. Fearful that after a couple of years of what he believed was success on President Eisenhower's detail, he's suddenly removed from the "main action" of protecting the president. Is this a demotion he bemoans? Like any macho Secret Service dude seeking to advance, Mr. Hill naturally dreads moving to the First Ladies detail with its potential daily doses of "fashion shows and the ballet." Yet, both loving his job and having a young family to support, Mr. Hill accepts his fate and reports to 3307 N Street, Georgetown, to meet (be approved by??!!) the young First Lady-elect (she's already rejected one perspective agent!!).

Disappoint quickly turns to beguilement, as Clint Hill is thoroughly charmed and enchanted by this beautiful, fun, witty, intelligent, adventurous, sporty, irreverent and yeah, a bit of a spoiled rich girl (who knows how to get her way). Heck, he even learns to not mind the occasional fashion show (so long as it features the First Lady!), ballet in New York and even personally shopping for ladies apparel in Ravello, Itally!!!! Who woulda thunk it.

No, I've not overdone it on the adjectives and yeah, this isn't your typical "Kennedy" bio. Mr. Hill doesn't criticize or attack, but showers his subject with affection. He and all the agents, because of the nature of their jobs, seemingly abandon their own lives and families in their service to the first family and all who they protect. One can see how the close private contact and the enormous amount of time spent away from the agent's loved ones can lead to feelings that are deeper and more personal towards the subject of their protection.

Mr. Hill (and she's "Mrs. Kennedy - she adheres to proper address at all times) not only loves the First Lady, but he also very much cares for her husband and their children too. He just plain loves the Kennedy first family period - and says that despite what's been written, they were a loving and playful family. He even is amused by the extended Kennedy clan and their friends!!

Mr. Hill doesn't portend to sell more books by detailing alleged unsavory dalliances and missteps. You will find no recollections or opinions about the first couple's sex life (apart from a remembrance about some suggestive art that the First Lady picks up in India...humorous not amorous). While Mr. Hill does mention a certain controversial birthday featuring a drunken female movie star and her singing, and he does hint at a certain rat pack crooners' rather inappropriate interest in Mrs. Kennedy's personal activities (this was new to me - and I've read at least 50 bios on the K's), Mr. Hill doesn't go further than what he truly knows to be true - which is that Mrs. Kennedy never shared her feelings about either.

I felt his writing in this way showed not only respect for his subjects, but a certain truth missing in most other biographies that serve rumor as fact, and seem to relish ripping their subjects apart. Well, there's no ripping here.

If one reads between the lines, here is a portrait of a woman who undoubtedly loves her place in life with her powerful, public servant, handsome husband (whatever his warts), and yet thrives on the one thing that is the antithesis of his job (and perhaps his entire being) - privacy. A lady who is tough and yet wears her vulnerabilities in "her espresso-colored eyes." A lady who claims to dislike the "fish bowl" existence inherent in the White House, yet secretly enjoys reading the gossip magazines featuring herself.

Topics that Mr. Hill offers an accounting:

Why Mrs. Kennedy spent so much time away from the White House (Mr. Hill says she spent about eight percent of her time AWAY from the White House during one time period in 1961).

Mrs. Kennedy's various vacations and partying amongst the creme de la creme of the European social set without her husband (according to Mr. Hill, usually with her SISTER - and nothing out of line - except for the time she jumps in the sports car of a very, very young Greek Count who engages Mr. Hill and his fellow agents on a high speed chase...but that was about fun - not illicit romance).

Onassis! I didn't know that President Kennedy felt so strongly about Mrs. Kennedy having nothing to do with Onassis as early as her visit to Greece in 1961!!! Mr. Hill felt very uneasy about the Greek tycoon.

Despite the fun and adventures, in the end, this is a story about great pain, loss and sorrow. Also, about one man's journey to learning to forgive himself. This book is a great success for no other reason than its finally allowed Mr. Hill peace of mind.

54 of 59 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A step back in time April 7, 2012

By Toyotasue

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was thirteen the year that President Kennedy died. I sobbed as I walked home from school that day. I sobbed as I read this book and there were moments that I felt like I was reliving all of this with Agent Hill. The killing, the motorcade, the funeral ,the warren commission, all of it.

The compassion these men feel for the "First Family" is obvious, the sacrifices they make are phenomenal. Thank you would never be enough to repay them for their service to our country .

This book is indescribable and a must read. There are no words to describe the emotions I felt reading it nor the insight to the personal life of Mrs. Kennedy.

Thank you Agent Hill for sharing your heartfelt memories.