American Experience

Slate: The Second Son

Narrator: When the war was over, Jack was not sure what he wanted to do. He toyed with journalism, but his father, slowly stirring from his grief, began to urge a more ambitious course. Joe, Jr. had hoped to run for office in 1946. Now, Jack would take Joe’s place and run for his grandfather’s old seat in Congress.

Hon. Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., Massachusetts Legislature, 1936-52: This pasty-looking faced kid, he didn’t look any more like a Boston politician that was going to go to Congress than the man in the moon, to be perfectly truthful.

Dave Powers, campaign secretary: I would meet him at six o’clock and start off at the Boston Navy Yard and he would position himself at the main gate, shaking hands until they were all in there and I’d be passing out Kennedy campaign buttons.

Billy Sutton: He was like everybody’s son, you know. The women said they loved him, the girls all thought they might marry him — I don’t know — and he hooked on to a lot of people. When I think that he had the Kennedy charm, maybe that’s what it was, the ability to be liked instantly.

Narrator: The long campaign days left the frail candidate exhausted and in pain, but all the hard work was paying off.

Billy Sutton: Jack said, “Billy,” he said, “would you be kind enough to take Mother to the airport? She has to be there at 12 o’clock for New York.” So I said, “Sure,” you know.

Going down towards the North End, she said to the driver, she said, “I was wondering if you had any inkling as to who might be the next congressman from this district.” He said, “Well, I think I’d like to vote for that young fella from the North End, that young Kennedy fella,” he said. “He’s in Navy. I was in the Navy,” he said, “and his grandfather and his mother came from here.” She said to me, “That’s remarkable, isn’t it? They’re young, they know already.” So, he’s rather hip. He’s driving and he looks back and he said, “Are you some sort of a relative, Miss?” She said, “My name is Rose Kennedy. I’m Jack’s mother.” Bang went the brakes. We went bing-bang. He said, “Boy, am I glad to know you. You know, your son owes me $1.85 since Wednesday.”

Narrator: Rose basked in her son’s new celebrity, Honey Fitz returned to the campaign trail, but it was Joe Kennedy who ran the show.

Doris Kearns Goodwin, biographer: Joe understood that whatever Jack’s qualities — which he was beginning to respect more and more — were, that he had to be marketed. And I suppose he thought he had to be marketed the way any stock was marketed, the way anything in business was marketed. And he used that to make sure that the people understood he was a war hero, even more of a war hero than he actually was, and that he had these kinds of family qualities that people were going to want to see in their politicians.

Narrator: Jack Kennedy, only 29 years old, won an overwhelming victory, but as a congressman, he seemed unserious, easily bored, adrift.

Sen. George Smathers, U.S. Congress 1946-48: Well, he first impressed me as a fellow who ought to have been in the hospital. He was emaciated, he was weak looking and he was weak.

Narrator: Kennedy was diagnosed with Addison’s disease, an illness of the adrenal glands causing circulatory failure, even death. When his condition temporarily stabilized, he seemed more determined than ever to enjoy life.

Hon. Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., Massachusetts Legislature, 1936-52: To be perfectly truthful, he wasn’t much of a congressman. As a matter of fact, he was kind of resented by his colleagues. And there would be a very important debate on and his staff people and his speechwriters would give him a speech. Here were fellas on the committees that had worked for months on the bill and Jack Kennedy would get up and make a speech in Congress and the press would cover Jack Kennedy’s speech, who would know less about the subject than any member of the committee. And they resented it.

Narrator: In April 1948, at the Greenbriar Resort, the Kennedys gathered for a vacation. Kick came over from England to tell her family that she was in love again. He was a Protestant and married. Rose threatened to break with Kick forever, but Joe agreed to join his daughter in Europe and meet her lover, Lord Fitzwilliam. A month later, Fitzwilliam and Kick left England for a weekend in the South of France.

Pamela Churchill Harriman: I went and put them on the plane together. And he had chartered an aircraft — I think it was a Dove, I think it was called in those days — and, apparently, they got into turbulence over the Alps and the plane crashed.

Ella Logan (Singing): How are things in Glockamorra?

Narrator: Early that morning, Jack was at home in Washington, listening to a record he and his sister both loved.

Billy Sutton: It was “Finian’s Rainbow” and he had the records. And we had International News Service call up and he was — you know, he kept listening to the music and he said, “Ask them if this is confirmed and if it’s confirmed, will they call back?” So, they said, “Well, we have no confirmation right now, but we’ll call you back.” So, he continued to talk about Ella Logan, what a great voice. Then, when the news came that the fatal accident happened, he — you know, his eyes filled up with tears and I — you know, when they say that the Kennedys never cry, don’t believe that. They do. I saw them. He cried that morning for his sister, Kathleen.

Ella Logan (Singing): How are things in Glockamorra this fine day?