America's Reluctant Prince
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Compounding this political problem, John’s burial happened while the military had cut back its participation in veterans’ funerals. The military claimed that it could no longer afford to provide a military detail, such as two soldiers present to fold the American flag and a third to play “Taps” on the bugle.
But for Clinton, who maintained a close relationship with the Kennedy family and had entertained John recently at the White House, the decision was easy. Clinton recalled in a 2019 interview that the coast guard would usually search for people missing at sea for twenty-four hours. They would then call off the search if no one was found. But Clinton remembered that when the coast guard asked him if they should call off the search, he said no. “I think that he’s a good man,” he recalled saying to the guard, “and he and his wife and sister-in-law deserve to be found and his family is important to this country. We have to keep going. Just stay out there, you’ll find them.” When the guard raised objections about continuing the search, Clinton responded, “You have to. We have to! We owe this to his family and to the country.”
At the time, however, Clinton struggled to justify his decision. Initially, the administration claimed there was nothing unusual about either the search or the burial. The US Coast Guard, the White House said, “places a high value on each and every human life,” describing the effort as “a fairly typical response.” In response to questions about using a navy ship for the burial, the White House issued a broad and unconvincing press release saying the navy could perform a burial of US citizens “who are determined eligible by the Chief of Naval Operations due to notable service or outstanding contributions to the United States.” The White House highlighted John’s work with Reaching Up and the Profile in Courage Award as his “notable service.” However, it remained hard to believe that someone who wasn’t a Kennedy would have received a burial at sea had their only claim to success been involvement in these programs. The White House did acknowledge that John was also the son of a president and World War II navy hero.
But not even the White House officials charged with explaining such decisions to the public found them credible. In a private White House conversation, Press Secretary Joe Lockhart confessed his reluctance to hold press conferences because he worried that “people might say, ‘Why do you have so many resources out there? Would you do this for the average Joe Smith?’” Lockhart admitted that he did not “know how to respond to that. This phase of the search is something the coast guard does not do normally.” Later Thurgood Marshall Jr., who served as the liaison between the White House and the coast guard and navy, added, “This is not the type of investigation that the NTSB has normally done. Everything, as far as we’re concerned, is extraordinary.”
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Why did the nation have such an emotional investment in John? What does his death tell us about our own hopes and longings? Most of all, we felt an emotional connection with him because we watched him grow up. Photographers documented the key milestones in his life, from his birth, to his graduation from Brown, to his struggles with the bar exam, and to his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. Even people who never met him knew who he was. Based on my own observations, I believe that attitudes toward John varied by generation. Older Americans, both men and women, who remembered his father and John’s tragic salute, viewed him with a degree of reverence. It was as if they were observing a living historical artifact and, if they approached him, they would immediately tell him how much they loved his father and mother. Meanwhile, a younger generation, especially women, treated John like a rock star. They likely knew him more as “the sexiest man alive” than as the son of a slain president. In the end, however, something about John appealed to everyone. He was rich, handsome, and charismatic. He displayed many of the personal qualities that parents hoped their children would come to possess. Even his struggles with the bar exam helped humanize him.
The older generation felt his loss the greatest. From the moment on his third birthday when he raised his right hand to salute JFK, John became a living memorial to his slain father’s legacy. Deep down, many older Americans dreamed of a resurrection, hoping that John would return to the White House and that Camelot would live again. When his plane crashed, both a literal and metaphorical death occurred: the tragic loss of a promising young man and two innocent bystanders, as well as the end of a fantasy that would remain forever unfulfilled.
John’s death occurred at a critical moment in his life, when he for the first time began openly discussing his plans to enter politics. Thus, many people were left with the same sense of unfulfilled expectations that followed his father’s assassination. What if John had lived? Could he have rekindled the sense of idealism that defined the sixties? It’s impossible to know what the future held for John. I prefer to remember him for the life that he lived and not for what might have been. He certainly would have been shocked by the state of contemporary politics. John treasured civility, and he admired leaders, whether Republican Ronald Reagan or Democrat Bill Clinton, who offered the nation a hopeful vision of the future. He disdained demagogues who tapped into the dark aspects of the American character.
What constituted John’s greatest achievement? George was certainly ahead of its time, but its fate remained uncertain when John took flight on July 16, 1999. Reaching Up trailblazed an innovative approach to improving health care by providing the opportunity for caregivers to earn a college degree and qualify for better jobs in the field. While John focused on helping workers who cared for the mentally disadvantaged, his approach has spread to many other fields. That influence alone represents a notable accomplishment.
But John’s greatest success was personal. His parents’ generation made its mark in the public arena: running for office, passing important legislation, fighting for civil rights, and standing firm against the spread of Communism. John’s greatest achievements unfolded in private, in his ability to carve out a healthy identity in the face of enormous public expectations. John lived his life burdened by a myth, but he never allowed that myth to define him or dictate the choices he made.
I am honored to have called him my friend. My heart ached the day he died. It aches still.
John’s nursery in the White House.
KN-C21447. Robert E. Knudsen. White House Photographs, JFK Library.
At the controls of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, during a weekend at Camp David.
KN-C27694. Robert E. Knudsen. White House Photographs, JFK Library.
Playing with the typewriter in the office of the president’s personal secretary, Evelyn Lincoln.
KN-C28848. Robert E. Knudsen. White House Photographs, JFK Library.
John and Caroline playing together in John’s nursery in the White House.
ST-A4-70-62. Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs, JFK Library.
Nanny to the Kennedy children, Maud Shaw, holds John in his nursery.
ST-A4-75-62. Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs, JFK Library.
In May 1965, John traveled with his family to London for the dedication of the JFK Memorial at Runnymede. Here he is clowning around with cousin Anthony Radziwill while photographers look on. Anthony’s sister, Tina, is in the background.
Getty Images / McCabe
John spent a great deal of time onstage while at Brown. This photo is from a Brown University production of The Playboy of the Western World.
Brown University
Here he is acting in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
Brown University
John and sister, Caroline, attend the dedication of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1978.
Getty Images / Bettmann
On the thirtieth anniversary of his father’s assassination, John agreed to let friend Barbara Vaughn shoot this portrait. Notice the date on
the calendar in the far left of the photo.
© Barbara Vaughn
Playing around with girlfriend and, later, close confidant Julie Baker.
© Barbara Vaughn
John with his trusted friend and executive assistant, RoseMarie Terenzio.
RoseMarie Terenzio
John announces the launch of George magazine at a packed New York City news conference in September 1995. Seated are business partner Michael Berman (left) and Hachette’s David Pecker (right).
Getty Images / Lawrence Schwartzwald
One of John’s greatest accomplishments was the creation of Reaching Up, which offered health care workers the opportunity to advance their careers by earning college credits. Here he is with the “Kennedy Fellows” selected for the program.
Andre Beckles / City University of New York
There was little John enjoyed more than playing Frisbee in Central Park. He divided teams into shirts and skins. John was always skins.
Getty Images / Lawrence Schwartzwald
At her wedding, a joyous Carolyn hugs John’s cousin and best friend, Anthony Radziwill, while Carole Radziwill looks on.
Hamilton South
John thought that he could reason with the paparazzi. Shortly after returning from their honeymoon, he escorted Carolyn out of their apartment building where he pleaded with about two dozen photographers to respect Carolyn’s privacy. The plea fell on deaf ears.
Getty Images / Lawrence Schwartzwald
John in his office at George.
Anne Marie Fox
President Clinton takes John and Carolyn for a White House tour where they stop to admire President Kennedy’s portrait.
Clinton Presidential Library, photographer Ralph Alswang
In May 1997, John offered to sit down with me for a History Channel special to talk about his father’s legacy on what would have been JFK’s eightieth birthday.
Provided courtesy of A&E Television Networks, LLC
One of the last photos of John, taken with businessman Keith Stein in Toronto four days before the crash. John, still on crutches, flew in with an instructor to discuss a possible investment in George.
Keith Stein
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book would not be possible were it not for the help and guidance of many colleagues, archivists, and research assistants. My thanks to archivists at the John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Libraries for identifying relevant materials in their collections, and to the staff of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library who processed my Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request in record time and opened nearly thirteen thousand pages of documents. Attorney Scott Hodes skillfully handled my lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, negotiating a settlement that produced thousands of documents. My agent, Steve Troha, skillfully guided the project from start to finish. Research assistant Eric England tracked down sources, while Scott Russell helped with research at the Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon Presidential Libraries. The Ryan brothers, Will and Sam, reviewed dozens of hours of audio and visual materials. My sister Karen Laverack adeptly transcribed the many hours of interviews. I owe a special debt to Andrina Tran (PhD, Yale University), who read every word of the draft manuscript, made extensive comments, and offered numerous suggestions for revisions. She made this a better book.
I have been fortunate to have mentors who have entered my life at key moments, offering their guidance, encouragement, and support. As an undergraduate at Widener College, Dr. Lawrence Buck saw potential in me that I did not know existed. In graduate school at Brown University, I was fortunate to study under James T. Patterson, who taught me—with limited success—how to think like a historian. No one has done more to enrich my life than Abbe Raven, who took me under her wing at History and offered opportunities that I never imagined would be available to me.
A number of people encouraged me to write this book. RoseMarie Terenzio has been a source of unfailing support. I still remember the evening over dinner when she implored me to take on this project. “If John knew he would be dead at the age of thirty-eight he would want someone to write a book about him,” she said. “And he would want you to write it.” Nick Davatzes, the CEO emeritus of A&E television networks, has supported my career for the past two decades, offering sound advice along the way. I value his friendship and his counsel. Rob Sharenow, president of programming at A&E Networks, commissioned a documentary based on the book. I am grateful to the production team at Left/Right, especially John Marks and Molly Raskin, for turning the words on these pages into a compelling documentary. They were also able to secure an interview with former president Bill Clinton. I am grateful to many of John’s friends, including those who have never spoken before, who trusted me to tell their stories.
At Dutton, my thanks to my talented editor, Jill Schwartzman, for providing me with the opportunity to write this book, and to all the members of Team Dutton: Christine Ball, John Parsley, Amanda Walker, Maria Whelan, Carrie Swetonic, Kayleigh George, Susan Schwartz, Linda Rosenberg, Alice Dalrymple, and Marya Pasciuto.
I could not have written this book without the love of my family and the support of my many friends. My siblings: Fran, Mike, and “little” sister, Karen, have always been supportive and caring. My dear friends, especially Jim and Kate Ryan, Robert and Debbie Raines, Ken Orkin and Sondra Baker, Gary Ginsberg and Susanna Aaron, Ross Baker, Sam Stoia, Maged Shenouda, David Courier and Charlie Mustachia, Bill Miller, and Bill Rindfuss—and so many others—have provided moral support and, on rare occasions, even laughed at my jokes. My spouse, Vantuir L. Borges, stood by my side for the entire process offering gentle encouragement and much-needed affection.
Nearly three decades ago, I dedicated my first book to my parents, Frank and June Gillon, and now I have the privilege to do the same today. My love for them has only grown over the years.
SOURCE NOTES
MANUSCRIPTS
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Rose F. Kennedy Personal Papers
David Powers
Jacqueline Kennedy
Walter Heller
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library
John F. Kennedy Jr.
Lyndon B. Johnson Papers
Richard M. Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Richard Nixon Presidential Materials
Daily Diary
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Speechwriting Office
William J. Clinton Presidential Library
John F. Kennedy Jr. (FOIA 2017-0713-f)
Brown University Archives
Howard Swearer
The Brown Daily Herald
Wesleyan University Special Collections and Archives
William Manchester
National Archives (JFK Assassination Records)
J. Lee Rankin
Bodleian Library, Oxford University
Harold Macmillan
Department of Homeland Security (Gillon v. Department of Homeland Security)
United States Secret Service
Federal Bureau of Investigation
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
Michael Berman
Sasha Chermayeff
Steve Gillon
Charlie King
Elizabeth “Biz” Mitchell
RoseMarie Terenzio
INTERVIEWS
Joe Armstrong
Julie Baker
Jim Barnhill
Paul Begala
Matt Berman
Michael Berman
Bruce Breimer
Linda Thomas Brooks
Michael Browner
Elinore Carmody
Phineas Chermayeff
Sasha Chermayeff
President William J. Clinton
Robert Curran
Patti Solis Doyle
Bill Ebenstein
John Emigh
Gary Ginsberg
Mary Gluck
Richard Gray Jr.
Nancy Haberman
Clint Hill
Stephen Hill
Sasha Issenberg
Kenneth Robert Jones II
Charlie King
Jack Kliger
Peter Leifer
Hugo Lindgren
Nina Link
Victor Malafronte
Pat Manocchia
Ned Martel
Elizabeth “Biz” Mitchell
Charles Neu
Gustavo Paredes
David Pecker
Carole Radziwill
Tina Radziwill
Dennis Rivera
James Rogers
Ben Ryan