When John F. Kennedy became president in 1961, his wife, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, made a clever move. She wanted to know everything happening behind the scenes. A new book suggests she found a unique way to keep tabs on her husband’s office.
The book, JFK: Public, Private, Secret, written by J. Randy Taraborrelli, came out on Tuesday, July 15. It shares many new details about the Kennedy White House. One big revelation is how Jackie set up her own information network.
Taraborrelli claims Jackie "installed a spy" right in the office of JFK’s secretary, Evelyn Lincoln. The goal was simple: to keep Jackie updated on any strange phone calls.
The person who supposedly acted as the spy spoke to Taraborrelli in 2024. This person chose to stay anonymous. They confirmed Jackie suggested they be "hired by the White House." The spy recalled Jackie’s clear instructions. "Just keep me informed of anything that catches your eye," Jackie told them.
One name that kept coming up was Judith Campbell. JFK had met her through Frank Sinatra. The book says Campbell had a history with the famous singer even before meeting the president.
JFK reportedly knew Campbell before he took office. But the book says she visited him more than once after he became president. In 1976, Campbell was the first well-known woman to publicly say she had a romantic relationship with JFK.
The biography shares many details about the former president’s alleged outside relationships. It shows that Jackie was aware of these situations. Taraborrelli notes that JFK seemed drawn to Campbell because she reminded him of a flight attendant named Joan Lundberg.
Lundberg’s own private writings appear in Taraborrelli’s new book. These writings say she met JFK at a bar in August 1956. The next month, he came back, and they reportedly had a passionate night.
This alleged meeting happened in September 1956. This was right after Jackie gave birth to their stillborn daughter, Arabella. When JFK returned home, Jackie reportedly asked him about Lundberg.
The book says JFK told Jackie that Joan was someone he had met in Los Angeles. Lundberg’s private writings are not specific about how much Jack told Jackie. But she says he told his wife almost everything.
At one point in their relationship, Lundberg discovered she was pregnant. JFK sent her $400 for an abortion, which she underwent.
JFK and Jackie were married from 1953 until his death in 1963. The former president was killed at age 46 in November of that year in Dallas. Jackie passed away at 64 in May 1994, after a battle with cancer.
Besides their stillborn daughter, Arabella, JFK and Jackie had three other children. Their daughter, Caroline, is 67 years old. Their son, John Jr., sadly died in 1999. Another son, Patrick, passed away soon after he was born.