Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis: The Untold Story (2014) by Barbara Leaming

Author:Barbara Leaming [Leaming, Barbara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Rich & Famous, Political, Psychology, Psychopathology, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
ISBN: 9781250017635
Google: _5xzAwAAQBAJ
Amazon: B00JI0RS12
Publisher: Macmillan
Published: 2014-10-27T11:00:00+00:00

Ten

“I just heard that you were probably going to go to the memorial to the president,” LBJ told Jackie on the phone.

When Johnson called her on March 25, 1965, she had only just arrived in Hobe Sound, Florida, a few hours previously. In the four months since the November 22 commemorations, Jackie had moved about a great deal; moved about almost compulsively. She had sojourned in Aspen, Colorado, and Lake Placid, New York. She had traveled to Mexico. Now she had taken a house for ten days at the Jupiter Club in Hobe Sound. After that, she was off to New Hampshire and Vermont. The question being not whether the mind’s floodgates might suddenly, spontaneously, reopen, but rather how best to keep those inevitable occasions to a minimum, she had persisted in shunning all public appearances since she canceled the two charity events in late November.

Finally, however, Jackie had nervously accepted one invitation, if only because it had come from David Harlech, who had recently resigned his post as ambassador in Washington and was back in England. On May 14, Queen Elizabeth was due to dedicate to JFK’s memory a parcel of land at Runnymede, where in 1215 King John had met with his rebellious barons to sign Magna Carta, the foundation of constitutional government. It was the dedication ceremony honoring President Kennedy that LBJ had called to discuss with Jackie in Florida.

“I wanted to suggest that if you cared to, that you and your party take one of the 707s. And I think that I might ask Bobby and Teddy if they wanted to go to represent me.… You just let me know and I’ll have it all set up for you.”

“Oh, that’s so nice, but that’s wasting taxpayers’ money!” said Jackie, whom Alsop had recently warned against allowing Johnson to put her in his debt.

LBJ, for his part, denied that flying the Kennedy party to England would be a waste of tax dollars. On the contrary: “It’s very important to us, and very important to the country.”

“Oh, listen, I just don’t know what to say,” Jackie returned.

“You don’t say anything.”

“That’s the nicest thing I ever heard of.”

“Just quit being so elusive. It’s been too long since I saw you,” said LBJ, suggesting by this rejoinder the character of his anxiety and calculations. “And whenever, wherever I can do anything,” the president went on, “you know I’m as close as the phone, dear.”

Perhaps he was, but three days later “Dear” chose to reply in writing to his offer. “I did not know if I could steel myself to go on one of those planes again,” Jackie told the president. On reflection she had decided to accept: “But please do not let it be Air Force One.” Lest the familiar ambience carry her back in memory to November 22, 1963, she preferred not to be confronted with the particular plane in which she had flown home with her husband’s remains. Nor would it be enough to keep clear of the plane itself.

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