A new book about late President John F. Kennedy details his affair with a flight attendant months after wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis gave birth to their stillborn daughter.
People published an excerpt on Wednesday, June 25, from the upcoming biography JFK: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli, which includes details from flight attendant Joan Lundberg’s unpublished memoir that were shared by her family.
JFK met Lundberg on August 19, 1956, at a Santa Monica bar. Nothing happened that first night, according to the book, but JFK promised to return in a few weeks. Days later, Jackie gave birth to their stillborn daughter Arabella. (JFK and Jackie were married from 1953 until his 1963 death. They shared four kids.)
By September 1956, JFK had returned to California where he allegedly invited Lundberg “to a dinner party.” They later checked into a motel and Lundberg’s account of the evening claimed she and JFK had “wild” sex.
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“According to what Joan later recalled, Jack admitted that he and Jackie were the product of ‘an arranged marriage’ and, as such marriages go, he said it was ‘fine. Not great, but OK,’” the book excerpt claimed, noting that JFK’s family was upset at him “for not being there” after the stillbirth.
Upon JFK’s return to his and Jackie’s Newport home, she apparently asked about Lundberg.
“He explained that Joan was someone he’d met in Los Angeles,” the excerpt reads. “Joan is vague in her unpublished memoir about how much Jack told Jackie, only that he told her pretty much everything.”
Jackie hired a divorce lawyer at the time, Taraborrelli wrote, but JFK’s father, Joe Kennedy, put a stop to their split.
“Joe told Jackie that if she agreed to stay in the marriage, he could give her the freedom to do whatever she liked,” the excerpt read. “He would offer her $100,000 upon the birth of her and Jack’s first child.”
Despite his marriage to Jackie, the late politician continued to have an affair with Lundberg. The flight attendant’s unpublished memoir claimed that she and JFK spoke about his sex life with Jackie whilst in bed.
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Lundberg wrote that she “noticed a change” with JFK following the birth of his and Jackie’s first daughter, Caroline, in November 1957. They continued the affair, and the book revealed that Lundberg got pregnant.
“Sounding edgy and not like himself, he told her he’d decided she couldn’t have the baby,” the excerpt claimed. “Joan tried to argue, but she didn’t know how. Jack said that he’d mail her $400.”
Lundberg had an abortion and, according to Taraborrelli’s research, Jackie did not know.
JFK was assassinated in November 1963 in Dallas at age 46. Jackie died in May 1994 at age 64 following a battle with cancer.
JFK: Public, Private, Secret will hit shelves on Tuesday, July 15.
