Tape recordings have recently been released of an intimate interview with former US First lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis. 'Jackie O' became a 1960s icon, and for a time was responsible for guiding the US nation as it mourned the assassination of her husband John F. Kennedy.
Her style and manner were iconic of 1960s America - always the superbly dressed hostess. But Jackie O was certainly more than this, and during her short time as the First Lady, she evolved the role beyond the President's wife. Although not a politician herself, she found herself at the heart of politics during a critical time and offered a level of compassion needed during the brewing Cold War.
During a visited from Nikita Krushchev, the Soviet leader was asked to shake President Kennedy's hand for a photo opportunity. Familiar with Jackie O's hospitality, he simply said 'I'd like to shake her hand first'. It seemed that although she wasn't a political figure - diplomacy was second nature to her and she elevated the job of the First Lady.
This has resonated well after her death, as the current First Lady Michelle Obama has been thrust into the public view and echoes the manner of Jackie Kennedy.
The recent tapes - recorded by her friend and historian Arthur Schlesinger - were only to be released after her death, and offer an insight into this fascinating woman and the era she lived in. some of the recordings have revealed shocking revelations, particularly her opinions of Martin Luther King Jr. and Franklin D. Roosevelt. But nevertheless, these are her own thoughts - the thoughts of a woman who many underestimated.
- Daily Mail (UK)
Although sometimes shocking, the last interview with Jackie Kennedy about her time in a heavy political atmosphere reaffirms the values she took to and from the Whitehouse.
'She was often underestimated' said historian Sally Bedall (talking to NPR's Neal Conan), 'she was a far more intelligent, original, creative person than many people gave her credit for'.
The tapes show the enduring love she had for John F. Kennedy. When the US was faced with the Cuban missile Crisis in 1962, Jackie was not evacuated like many other politicians wives. She stayed by the side of the President because that's where she felt she belonged.
Jackie O could play the perfect hostess to leaders across the world, but would not be tamed by the role. She called the world as she saw it, recognising and disagreeing with the hypocrisy of a fully politicised world. But, perhaps more importantly she knew the time and place to speak her mind - and dedicated herself not only to serving the US in a fragile time, but also to building a family, a legacy, that stills runs strong today.
[extract from the taped interview]
Jackie O could play the perfect hostess to leaders across the world, but would not be tamed by the role. She called the world as she saw it, recognising and disagreeing with the hypocrisy of a fully politicised world. But, perhaps more importantly she knew the time and place to speak her mind - and dedicated herself not only to serving the US in a fragile time, but also to building a family, a legacy, that stills runs strong today.
- John Kennedy Jr. speaking on the announcement of Jackie's death.
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