Kennedy's Last Days: The Assassination That Defined a Generation Read online

  Night fell. Rain poured down. Kennedy and Ross slept under a bush. Their arms and legs were swollen from bug bites and reef scratches.

  As if in a mirage, Kennedy woke up to see four islanders standing over him. The sun was rising. Ross’s limbs were horribly disfigured from his coral wounds; one arm had puffed up to the size of a football. Kennedy’s own body was beginning to suffer from infection.

  “I have a letter for you, sir,” one of the men said in English.

  An amazed Kennedy sat up and read the note. The scouts had taken his coconut to a New Zealand infantry detachment hidden nearby. The note was from the officer in charge. It said Kennedy should allow the islanders to paddle him to safety.

  So it was that John F. Kennedy was placed in the bottom of a canoe, covered in palm fronds to hide him from Japanese aircraft, and paddled to a hidden location on New Georgia Island. When the canoe arrived at the water’s edge, a young New Zealander stepped from the jungle. Kennedy came out from his hiding place and climbed out of the canoe.

  “How do you do?” the New Zealander asked formally. “I’m Lieutenant Wincote.” He pronounced his rank the British way: LEFFtenant.

  “Hello. I’m Kennedy.” The two men shook hands.

  Wincote nodded toward the jungle. “Come up to my tent and have a cup of tea.”

  Kennedy and his men were soon rescued by the U.S. Navy and the six-day saga of PT-109 came to an end. Kennedy was sent home to recuperate. His back, which had been painful for many years, was worse after the long days at sea. And he had malaria, which caused him to lose weight. Less than a year later, still thin but much healthier, John Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a citation for “extremely heroic conduct.”

  Newspapers carried stories about the brave young man’s adventure. The story of PT-109 became a legend, and John Kennedy came to be known as a hero. Soon the story would help him become a politician and lead him to the presidency.

  A B-29 Liberator bomber. Joe Kennedy was flying a version of this aircraft on its first mission when it exploded. [Eugene Berman/Shutterstock.com]

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AUGUST 12, 1944

  Over the English Channel

  THERE IS ANOTHER EVENT that jump-starts John Kennedy’s journey to the Oval Office. Kennedy’s older brother, Joe, is not as lucky as John at cheating death. Joe is a U.S. Navy bomber pilot flying antisubmarine missions against the Nazis in Europe. His experimental Liberator bomber plane is carrying 21,000 pounds of the explosive TNT when it detonates over the English Channel on August 12, 1944. There is no body to bury and no memento of the tragedy to place on JFK’s desk.

  Joe was the firstborn son. His father expected him to be a politician. John is next in line. Because he is the second-born in a family where great things are expected from the oldest son, John has not had a very hard life. He was a sickly child, grew into a young man fond of books and parties, and, with the exception of commanding PT-109, has shown no interest in pursuing a leadership position. He thought he’d be a writer or a reporter.

  Joseph Kennedy Jr. in Switzerland in 1939. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  Growing up, John looked up to his charismatic older brother, but he took his orders from his father. Joseph P. Kennedy is one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in America and a former ambassador to Great Britain.

  Joseph Kennedy Sr.; his wife, Rose; and eight of their children at their summer home in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, in 1931. From left to right: Bobby, Jack, Eunice, Jean, Joseph Senior, Rose with Pat in front of her, Kathleen, Joe Junior, and Rosemary. Edward was not yet born. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  All nine Kennedy children obey the patriarch. John Kennedy will one day liken the relationship to that of puppets and their puppet master. Joseph P. Kennedy decides how his children will spend their lives and monitors their every action.

  Young Joe’s tragic death marks the moment when John F. Kennedy inherits the role of politician in the Kennedy family.

  Joseph Kennedy Sr. with his two oldest sons, Joe Jr. and John, in Florida in 1931. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  CHAPTER FIVE

  1945–1946

  Chicago, Illinois, and Boston, Massachusetts

  THE LONG WAR FINALLY ENDS. Nazi Germany surrenders on May 7, and Japan surrenders on August 14. Soldiers and sailors return home with high hopes. The American economy is strong, so men and women can find jobs and buy homes. John Kennedy is working in Chicago as a reporter writing about the founding of the United Nations and even traveling to Britain to report on elections there. But he hears from his father almost every day. And his father wants him to run for office.

  1946

  So, less than six months after the war ends, John Fitzgerald Kennedy is one of 10 candidates running in the Democratic primary of Boston’s Eleventh Congressional District. Veteran politicians in Boston don’t give him a chance of winning. But JFK doesn’t mind being the underdog. He recruits a well-connected fellow World War II veteran named Dave Powers to help run his campaign. Powers, a rising political star in his own right, is at first reluctant to help the skinny young man who introduces himself by saying, “My name is Jack Kennedy. I’m a candidate for Congress.”

  The day after the surrender of Germany was declared V-E day (Victory in Europe day). It is still celebrated in some countries. [© Bettmann/Corbis]

  Schoolchildren in Chicago celebrate V-E day. [© Corbis]

  But Powers watches in awe as Kennedy stands before a packed hall on a cold Saturday night in January 1946 and gives a dazzling campaign speech. The occasion is a meeting of Gold Star Mothers, women who have lost sons in World War II. Kennedy speaks for only 10 minutes, telling the assembled ladies why he is running for office. The audience cannot see that his hands shake anxiously. But they hear his well-chosen words as he reminds them of his own war record and explains why their sons’ sacrifices were so meaningful, speaking in an honest, sincere voice about their bravery.

  Dave Powers was with Kennedy during all his campaigns. He heard Kennedy’s first speech in Boston in 1946 and his last in Fort Worth in 1963. [© Bettmann/Corbis]

  Then Kennedy pauses before softly referring to his fallen brother, Joe: “I think I know how all you mothers feel. You see, my mother is a Gold Star Mother, too.”

  Kennedy’s campaign slogan was “More jobs, more housing, more industry.” [© Corbis]

  Women surge toward him when the speech concludes. Tears in their eyes, they reach out to touch this young man who reminds them of the sons they lost, telling him that he has their support. In that instant, Dave Powers is convinced; he goes to work for Kennedy right then and there. It is Dave Powers who seizes on PT-109 as a vital aspect of the campaign, mailing voters a reprint of a story about the August nights in 1943 that show the selfless bravery of a wealthy young man for whom some might otherwise not be inclined to vote.

  Thanks to Dave Powers’s insistence on making the most of the PT-109 story, John F. Kennedy is elected to Congress on November 5, 1946.

  The White House swimming pool was built for President Franklin Roosevelt. The press briefing room was constructed over it in 1970. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  CHAPTER SIX

  FEBRUARY 1961

  The White House 1:00 P.M.

  THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES is on schedule. Almost every afternoon, at precisely 1:00 P.M., he slips into the heated indoor pool located between the White House and the West Wing. John Kennedy does this to soothe his aching back. The pain is constant and so bad that he often uses crutches or a cane to get around, though rarely in public. He wears a back brace, sleeps on an extra-firm mattress, and receives regular injections of an anesthetic to ease his suffering. Aides know to look for a tightening of his jaw as a sign that the president’s back is acting up. The half hour of breaststroke and the heat of the pool are part of Kennedy’s physical therapy.

  The White House staff is getting used to the new president and his family. Very little that was unexpected happened in the White House during the eight years the previous president, Dwight Eisenhower, lived there.

  But now everything has changed. The Kennedys are much less formal than the Eisenhowers. Receiving lines are being abolished, giving formal functions a more casual feel. The first lady is readying the East Room for performances by some of America’s most notable musicians, such as cellist and composer Pablo Casals, opera singer Grace Bumbry, jazz artist Paul Winter, and even full symphony orchestras.

  Still, the White House is a serious place. The president’s daily schedule revolves around periods of intense work followed by breaks for swimming and family time. He wakes up each morning around seven and reads the newspapers in bed, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal. Kennedy is a speed-reader; he can read and understand 1,200 words per minute. He is done with the newspapers in just 15 minutes, and then moves on to a pile of briefing books, reports prepared by his staff that summarize information about events going on around the world.

  The president then has his usual breakfast in bed: orange juice, bacon, toast slathered in marmalade, two soft-boiled eggs, and coffee with cream.

  Kenny O’Donnell was Robert Kennedy’s roommate at Harvard College. The two were also on the football team. This portrait was taken in 1961. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  He is in the Oval Office at nine o’clock sharp. He sits back in his chair and listens as his appointments secretary, Kenny O’Donnell, maps out his schedule. Throughout the morning, as Kennedy takes calls and listens to advisers brief him on what is happening in the rest of the world, he is interrupted by his handpicked staff. In addition to Dave Powers, who is now special assistant to the president, and Kenny O’Donnell, there are also the fo
rmer Harvard history professor Arthur Schlesinger Jr.; Ted Sorensen, the Nebraska-born special counselor and adviser; and Pierre Salinger, the former child prodigy pianist who serves as press secretary.

  Evelyn Lincoln was Kennedy’s personal secretary from his days in the Senate until his death. Caroline visited her office in the White House almost daily. [© Bettmann/Corbis]

  After swimming, Kennedy eats a quick lunch upstairs in the first family’s private rooms, often referred to as “the residence.” He then naps for exactly 45 minutes. Other great figures in history such as Winston Churchill napped during the day. For Kennedy, it is a means of rejuvenation.

  Sometimes business turns into pleasure, as when Kennedy and prime minister of Ireland Sean Lemass (in front of the flag) try out golf clubs. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  Then it’s back to the Oval Office, most nights working as late as 8:00 P.M. After business hours, Kennedy often puts two feet up on his desk and casually tosses ideas back and forth with his staff. It is the president’s favorite time of the day.

  When everyone has cleared out, he makes his way back upstairs to the residence for his evening meal with his family or with friends Jackie invites.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  WINTER 1961

  United States, Cuba, and Soviet Union

  THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE is turbulent. The Cold War is raging. Americans are terrified of the Soviet Union and its arsenal of nuclear weapons. Towns stock bomb shelters, and in schools, children practice curling up under their desks to protect themselves in case of attack. J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI have created an atmosphere of suspicion by telling people that Communists are threatening America.

  These children are arranging cans in a bomb shelter. [© Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection; Museum of History and Industy/Corbis]

  Ninety miles south of Florida, Fidel Castro has recently taken over Cuba. Castro is also a young, vibrant leader, and he inspires Cubans much as John Kennedy inspires Americans. But Castro is a friend of the Soviets and communism, not of the United States and democracy.

  Fidel Castro toured the United States for eleven days in 1959, three months after his revolutionaries overthrew the Cuban dictator. Here he arrives in Washington, D.C., to meet with Vice President Nixon. [LOC, DIG-ppmsc-03256]

  In America’s Southern states, there is growing racial strife. Since 1957, Martin Luther King Jr. has been an inspirational leader in the civil rights movement. His commitment to nonviolent protest has inspired sit-ins and marches throughout the South. Protesters insist on equal treatment under the law for all people, regardless of the color of their skin. In the spring and summer of 1961, college students from around the country travel to the South by bus. White and black kids sit together to see if the police or security people will make them separate, because at the time, bus travel between states is segregated. These brave people are called “freedom riders.”

  Freedom riders on their way from New York City to Washington, D.C., to picket the White House in support of equal rights for all people. [© Bettmann/Corbis]

  On August 13, the border between communist East Berlin and democratic West Berlin is closed to keep people from deserting the East by running across the border to the West. The Communists build a massive concrete wall to encircle West Berlin and shoot anyone who tries to crawl over it.

  The Kennedy family arrives back from a vacation in Palm Beach, Florida, where JFK’s parents have a home. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  Inside the White House, Jackie Kennedy is getting used to her role as first lady. Like her husband, Jackie was raised with wealth. She attended expensive girls’ boarding schools and Vassar College, and spent her junior year in Paris. Upon Jackie’s return to the United States, she transferred to George Washington University, in Washington, D.C., receiving a diploma in 1951.

  JFK, Jackie, LBJ, and Lady Bird at a diplomatic reception in 1962. [JFK Presidential Library and Museum]

  Growing up, the first lady was taught to be extremely private and to hold thoughts deep within herself. She likes to maintain “a certain quality of mystery about her,” a friend will later say. The American people respond to her and to the little bit of mystery that surrounds her, as well as to her glamorous hairdos and clothes.

  Jackie Kennedy likes to think of herself as a traditional wife, focusing most of her attention on her husband and children. But she also has a major project—an extensive renovation of the White House. The current style of furniture, rugs, and curtains is from the early 1950s, when Harry Truman was president. Many pieces of furniture are copies instead of period originals. Jackie wants the White House to look like it did when it was first built. She has arranged for the White House to be declared a museum in order to preserve it for all Americans.

  John Jr. exploring under his father’s desk. [© Bettmann/Corbis]

  She thinks she has years to finish the renovation.

  At least four. Perhaps even eight if her husband is reelected.

  * * *

  March 17, 1961

  In the far-off city of Minsk in the Soviet Union, Lee Harvey Oswald has just met a woman at a dance for union workers. The 19-year-old beauty wears a red dress and white shoes and styles her hair in what he believes to be the French fashion. Marina Prusakova is reluctant to smile because of her bad teeth, but the two dance, and he walks her home. Later, he writes in his journal, “We like each other right away.”

  Between the nights of March 18 and March 30, they spend a great deal of time together. “We walk,” he writes. “I talk a little about myself, she talks a lot about herself.”

  Their relationship takes a sudden turn on March 30, when Oswald enters the hospital for an adenoid operation. Marina visits him constantly, and by the time Lee is discharged, he knows he “must have her.” On April 30, they are married. Marina almost immediately becomes pregnant.

  This photograph of Marina Oswald was in Lee Harvey Oswald’s wallet when he was arrested. [© Corbis]

  Very quickly, life is complicated for Lee Harvey Oswald. The former bachelor now has two people to provide for, and he has to figure out if he can take a Soviet citizen with him back to the United States.

  This marriage is important to Oswald. It makes him feel adult and in charge. But he doesn’t really know what a good marriage is. Oswald hasn’t seen one close up in his life. His father dies before he is born and his mother sends him to an orphanage when he is four years old. When she finally takes him back for good, he is twelve. They move from New Orleans to New York City, where Marguerite Oswald works all day in a dress shop. Lee drifts around the city, traveling by subway, when he should be in school.

  One day he picks up a flyer about two people who are about to be executed for spying for Russia. Oswald writes in his diary: “I was looking for a key to my environment, and then I discovered socialist literature. I had to dig for my books in the back dusty shelves of libraries.”

  Young Lee at a zoo in New York. [© Corbis]

  Oswald never finishes school. He joins the Marines when he is seventeen and is trained in marksmanship. But he can’t seem to fit in. He is court-martialed twice, once for having an illegal pistol and once for attacking a sergeant. Very soon, he is learning Russian and making plans to defect to the Soviet Union. He lasted three years in the Marines and has been in the Soviet Union for two. It seems that Lee Harvey Oswald hasn’t found a place to belong.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  APRIL 17, 1961

  Washington, D.C./Bay of Pigs, Cuba 9:40 A.M.

  JOHN F. KENNEDY ABSENTMINDEDLY buttons his suit coat. He is seated aboard Marine One, his presidential Marine Corps helicopter, as it lands on the South Lawn of the White House. He has just spent a most unrelaxing weekend at Glen Ora, the family’s rented country retreat in Virginia.