.png)
"Ladies' Man: The Careless Heart of John F. Kennedy" | Reviewed by Pat Sainz
Laurence Leamer has written extensively about the family of President John F. Kennedy with his publications of “The Kennedy Women” (1994); “The Kennedy Men” ((2001); and “Sons of Camelot” (2004). Now he has written a book that is sure to court controversy with the publication of “Ladies’ Man: the Careless Heart of John F. Kennedy.”
All biographies written about John F. Kennedy reference his adultery and assignations with other women. Lemur’s book focuses on the women who at any moment could have brought down the presidency. Had they spoken out or had the press publish what they knew, the fate of Kennedy’s presidency and that of his family would have changed drastically.
Kennedy’s proclivities stemmed from the example set by his own father, Joseph P. Kennedy, who treated women, especially his own wife, as if she had little value, other than providing him comfort and positively impacting his social status. Jack Kennedy cared about women if they were beautiful.
Jack Kennedy’s mantra seemed to be “seize the day” when it came to wooing women. He did not believe he would live long because of his serious health issues, which remained undiagnosed until adulthood. Finally, he was told he had Addison’s disease which was treated with daily injections of cortisol, administered by the president himself. He suffered debilitating back pain which was kept from the public. High doses of amphetamines kept him from feeling sluggish due to his illness.
Jack Kennedy also had diseases acquired from unprotected sex which plagued him his entire life. During college, he frequented brothels with friends. (Doctors attributed Jackie Kennedy’s miscarriage and possibly the deaths of two of her children to diseases she likely carried from her husband. One daughter was stillborn and a son died of respiratory issues days after his birth.)
Jack Kennedy also felt extremely entitled, which he was. He was raised with such wealth that he thought nothing could stop him from getting what he wanted, and he was right. That privilege extended to women who were happy to have any of his attention even after he was married and became president.
The late president made dubious choices when he found a woman too enchanting not to pursue. His 2-year affair with Ingrid Arvad ended only when it was rumored she was a German spy (she didn’t seem to be). But Joe Kennedy worried his son's relationship with her would jeopardize his son’s planned career to be president so Joe arranged for Jack, a Navy officer, to be stationed far away from her.
Judith Exner had ties to the mafia, but Jack couldn’t resist her charms and willingness to be on call for him. Marilyn Monroe was in love with Jack. The Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, forced Jack to end these relationships after presenting him with embarrassing surveillance material.
Many women are mentioned by name in Leamer’s book. None, while living, denied their relationship with the president. Several have written their own book about their experiences. The women simply felt honored to have been “chosen” by the president even though their time with him was only in the bedroom.
Often the girls, some in their late teens, were hired for secretarial duties even though most couldn’t type. They were available for Jack’s noon swims or after evening meetings in the White House.
Jackie was always aware of Jack’s infidelity although maybe not the entire extent of it. She and her children spent at least half of their time away from the White House. Jackie had a different life when she traveled abroad, but the only man who made the president jealous was Aristotle Onassis.
Jackie stayed with Jack because she truly loved him, and she was confident he would bring greatness to his office and to the country. When she did consider leaving him before the couple had children, Joe Kennedy paid her a million dollars to stay. A divorce, unheard of in the presidency at that time, would have likely kept Jack from being elected.
In spite of the subject matter, “Ladies’ Man” is not salacious. The chapters are credited with pages of annotations. Leamer conducted interviews with women who were with Kennedy (most now deceased), with some Kennedy family members with whom he remains close, with Kennedy’s staff members, and he studied books written about the Kennedy’s. Leamer first wrote about the Kennedy’s in 1994, so his research began then.
Jack Kennedy was president before the terms ADHD or sex addiction were in the public vocabulary. Jack’s character never came into play. It might have mattered had the public been made aware of what he was doing and what drugs he was on. The press protected Jack because they liked him. Most of his staff were friends who depended upon him for their jobs so no one betrayed him with leaks of any sort.
