The Monroe-Kennedy connection. The dress Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang “Happy Birthday to You” to John F. Kennedy has been sold. Thank you for everything, Mr. President

During her lifetime, Marilyn Monroe had two names (her real name was Norma Jean Baker), a sea of ​​epithets and more more men. But she aimed at the most inaccessible target. And therefore the most attractive. Perhaps only one person in the entire United States could not belong to the predatory Marilyn. She longed to win the president. And she succeeded. A deal with fate was made, but life is always at stake in such bets.

Text: Natalya Turovskaya

“Don’t worry, but worry!”

When Jacqueline Kennedy once again discovered “accidentally” forgotten women’s stockings on her marital bed, she asked her husband as calmly as possible: “Do you know whose these are, John? It seems like they’re not mine”... And she received only a charming boyish smile in response. She is already accustomed to such “gifts”. The telephone rang in the next room. Jacqueline picked up the phone and immediately recognized HER voice. This woman has been harassing her with phone calls for a long time, but today she seems to have already crossed the last line: “Mrs. Kennedy? It seems like it’s high time for you to pack your things and get the hell out of this house. After all, we both know very well who the real first lady is.” Jacqueline threw the phone down in rage and resolutely returned to the bedroom. “That's it, John, I've had enough! Your Hollywood whore called again! I will give you a divorce and you can live openly. I’m fed up with this pretense, okay?!” - “What nonsense, Jackie, calm down. I promise you that I will break up with this woman. Believe me, I’ve been tired of her for a long time, I only need you.”

The president kept his promise. But not at once. His mistress’s motto was “Don’t worry, but excite!” And she knew how to do it. No other woman in the world could repeat this.

I never understood the expression “sex symbol.” A symbol is a thing... It’s unpleasant for me to be a thing. But if it is meant to be a symbol, then it is better to be a symbol of sex than anything else.

Gentlemen who prefer blondes

They met in 1954, when John Fitzgerald Kennedy was still a senator from Massachusetts. Actor Peter Lawford, who successfully married Kennedy's sister Patricia, tried very hard to become one of his powerful clan Kennedy. It was not difficult for him to please his promising relative in “amorous” matters, which he was very keen on. Peter was “the guy” in Hollywood and more than once took John out to have fun with young actresses. But this time Lawford had a big surprise in store. The most piquant thing was the fact that the “surprise” was supposed to appear during a party in honor of the newly minted senator in front of his wife Jacqueline. “Who will it be, Pete? I know her?" - the hero of the occasion was burning with curiosity. But Lawford just waved him off and didn’t take his eyes off the door. When Marilyn Monroe appeared on the doorstep with her second husband, baseball star Joe DiMaggio, Peter signaled to Kennedy. The blonde, who shone brightly in the film “Niagara,” has already managed to drive more than one man crazy. Kennedy responded to the guest's probing, indiscreet gaze with a response, an attack.

Jacqueline didn't get any attention that evening. All evening her flighty husband hovered around Monroe, constantly pouring her favorite Piper Heidsieck champagne into her glass. Marilyn laughed. DiMaggio was jealous and even caused a scandal. But... the angry baseball player went home alone, and his wife did not want to leave the party.

Everyone who was present that evening at Peter Lawford's country house witnessed the beginning of the most notorious romance of the twentieth century. But the two didn't seem to pay any attention to those around them. Marilyn later admitted to her close friend Amy Greene that she had dreamed of meeting a man like John Kennedy since she was 15 years old. Soon they could not live without each other a single day, meeting either in Lawford's house or in expensive hotels. Out of happiness, Marilyn wrote naive children's poems:

"Life, you push me
in different directions.
I come to life strong from the cold,
like a web in the wind.
I'm reaching down, but still
I’m still holding on..."

She was touched by a tree broken by a tornado. She took pity on stray dogs and hung out bird feeders. The sincerity and spontaneity of the woman, who was a sex symbol for millions, amused her lover. Evil tongues whispered to Kennedy that the actress’s past was far from perfect: a crazy mother, an orphanage, work at a military factory, work as a fashion model... And the road to Hollywood was, they say, paved through the bed of more than one producer. Charlie Chaplin Jr., millionaire Henry Rosenfeld, and rich man Johnny Hyde managed to be her lovers, but... What did it matter if now she was with him?

I have never betrayed those I loved.

Marilyn enjoyed the novel and made the brightest plans for the future. One of her successful films at that time was called "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." But in life she had to be convinced of another bitter truth: they marry brunettes. And since she was in no hurry to divorce Jacqueline Kennedy, Monroe decided to break up with her lover. She wanted with all her heart to get away from the image of a “sexy blonde” and start her own family. The family she never had and which she always missed so much.

"Candle in the Wind"

The third desperate attempt to “live like everyone else” for Marilyn Monroe was her marriage to the famous playwright Arthur Miller. For her sake, Arthur immediately divorced his wife. Journalists dubbed their relationship “a union of spirit and body.” And the actress herself later recalled it this way: “His mind is stronger than any of the men I knew. He understands my desire for self-improvement.” At that time, Monroe refused many film offers, where they wanted to once again exploit her baby-doll image. All free time she studied in the studio of Mikhail Chekhov and dreamed of playing no less than Grushenka in The Brothers Karamazov. But most importantly, she dreamed of becoming a mother, and Arthur Miller is the only man who also wanted a child together.

Children, especially girls, should always be told that they are beautiful and that everyone loves them. If I have a daughter, I will always tell her that she is beautiful, I will comb her hair until it shines and I will not leave her alone for a minute.

But, alas, both of Marilyn’s pregnancies ended in miscarriages.
To get his wife out of depression, her husband took her to the best psychotherapists. Maid Lena Pepitone told newspapers that in between psychotherapy sessions and filming in New York, “Mrs. Miller drank champagne to excess, constantly played Frank Sinatra records, refused to take a bath and ate in bed, wiping her hands directly on the sheets.”

“Life has passed like a candle in the wind,” Marilyn initially dedicated her masterpiece to Elton John. But after the death of Princess Diana, she will rewrite the dedication to Lady Di. The fact remains: Monroe, who was idolized all over the world, felt lonely and unhappy. The marriage to Arthur Miller was the longest of Marilyn’s marriages, but on January 20, 1961, they officially divorced with the wording “they didn’t get along.” Monroe tried to forget herself by having an affair with Yves Montand, then with Frank Sinatra, but no one could replace John Kennedy.

Marry the President

Passion flared up with renewed vigor when he announced his candidacy for the presidency. One day there was a sound in her apartment phone call: "Hi Babe! - a familiar male voice with a charming Boston accent sounded on the phone. “I’m here to become the president of America, but I can’t do it without you.” Will you support me in the election race?” Marilyn did not take long to beg. Just think, huge penalties for the film companies with which she is bound by contracts. After all, her participation in election campaign lover guaranteed him success! Every second man in the States dreamed of spending the night with Monroe, and every second woman wanted to be like her in everything. She followed Kennedy around with concerts, urging the “electorate” to vote for the Democratic candidate. And when Kennedy became the 35th President of the United States, Marilyn was sure that this victory rightfully belonged to her. All that remained was to take the place of the first lady. Now they met secretly at the Beverly Hills Hotel or on board the presidential plane. But soon Monroe bought a house in Los Angeles to be closer to her beloved. Often, after drinking an extra glass of champagne, Marilyn would talk too much at social events, sharing her impressions of the president and hinting that his behavior in bed was “very democratic.” She could call The White house at any time and demand an immediate meeting with Kennedy because she is “terribly lacking in love.” The desire to become the president's wife, in the end, acquired an almost manic character. When Monroe's personal therapist suspected something was fishy, state of mind his patient was scary. And the actress’s heredity was, to put it mildly, bad: her great-grandfather hanged himself, her grandmother died in an insane asylum, where her mother lived until the end of her days. Of course, Kennedy was not at all eager to be involved in a scandal and considered it prudent to keep Monroe at a distance. He even introduced her to his brother Robert, who was a huge success with women, in the hope that the frantic lover would turn her attention to him. In vain. In an interview with reporters, John Kennedy admitted that “love is not his word.” Poor Marilyn refused to believe it.

Until I left...

By the beginning of 1962, Monroe's psyche was broken by depression, alcohol and tranquilizers. She visited a psychotherapist six times a week and could no longer sleep without sleeping pills.

"Thoughts are spinning,
and they drill into my brain
A quiet and tireless stream.
Until I left
let them stir things up
Sheets of whiteness and lines of blackness.”

Her poems are no longer sad, they are ominous. Kennedy did not answer his mistress's calls and did not want to see her anymore. On the eve of John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday, Marilyn managed with great difficulty to bribe a White House employee to give the president her gift: a gold Rolex watch with the engraving “To John with love from Marilyn” and the desperate inscription on the box “Let me love or let me die.” Kennedy asked the employee to throw away the watch and destroy the box. And yet, on May 19, Marilyn arrived at Madison Square Garden, where a gala concert was being prepared to celebrate the birthday of the President of America. She ordered herself a luxurious dress from Jean Louis, who at one time created the famous toilet for Marlene Dietrich. The outfit was made of transparent material, strewn with sequins, and tightly fitted perfect figure Marilyn. There was no underwear under the dress. “Ladies and gentlemen, Marilyn Monroe is late!” - announced the compere, the same Peter Lawford. Throwing off her ermine jacket, Marilyn sang Happy Birthday, Mister President. And at that moment there was not a man in the room who did not envy John Kennedy. “After such congratulations, I can no longer engage in politics!” - said the shocked birthday boy. Jacqueline Kennedy was not in the audience. She was a wise woman and understood when to remain in the shadows so as not to be publicly humiliated. The defiant performance became the final point in the novel. That evening, in the apartments of the Carlyle Hotel, Kennedy announced to Marilyn Monroe that their relationship was over forever.

All my life I belonged only to the viewer. Not because I was great, but because no one else needed me.

On August 5, 1962, Marilyn Monroe was found dead in her bedroom. She was lying in bed naked, with a telephone receiver in her hand. Who she called before her death remained a mystery, since the recording of this conversation mysteriously disappeared from the telephone exchange. The official version of her death was suicide due to an overdose of sleeping pills. Among the unofficial ones - murder and accident due to the mistake of a psychotherapist who prescribed too strong drugs. None of them have been proven to this day.

Marilyn Monroe's funeral was organized by her second husband, Joe DiMaggio. IN last way the actress was seen off by several thousand of her fans. John Kennedy was not among them.

In November 1963, he followed Marilyn to the place of no return...

Ten days before John F. Kennedy's 45th birthday, on May 19, 1962, a gala concert in honor of the president's birthday took place on the stage of Madison Square Garden in New York. Among others, Marilyn Monroe was supposed to congratulate Kennedy.

All 15 thousand of those present were waiting for her speech with increased interest: the general public had long been discussing rumors about Monroe’s affair with the president. And the movie star's performance more than lived up to expectations.

Monroe, famous for her lateness, was true to herself this time too. The host of the concert, Peter Lawford, decided to play up this hiccup and jokingly announced Monroe's exit several times throughout the evening. When she finally appeared, Lawford announced: "Mr. President, Marilyn Monroe is late."

The actress appeared on stage in a translucent tight dress studded with rhinestones. There was no underwear underneath. Marilyn herself called her outfit, made by designer Jean Louis, “leather and beads.” Later, Adlai Stevenson, the US Ambassador to the UN, who was also present at the evening, wrote to Mary Lasker: “I did not see the beads!”

Monroe, who was visibly drunk, ran up to the microphone in small steps, causing many to compare her to a geisha. Her hair looked unnatural - there is speculation that she was wearing a wig. When Marilyn began to sing, the audience froze for a moment. The manner in which the innocent song “Happy Birthday” was performed was very erotic - it was hard to believe that this was happening in a huge hall filled with people. Journalist Dorothy Kilgallen later described it as "It was like she was making love to the President in front of forty million Americans."

To turn on subtitles, press this button in the player while watching.

John F. Kennedy
and U.S. Steel
en.wikipedia.org

Bill Ray and his wife pose in the background of the photo
2012

The most famous photo of the evening was taken by photographer Bill Ray, who was 26 years old at the time. He was looking for a better shooting angle that would allow him to capture both Monroe and Kennedy in one frame. In addition, Ray was afraid that security would begin to kick journalists out of the hall long before the end of the concert, as usually happens at such events, so he separated from the other photographers and found a place upstairs, behind the stage.

“It was a noisy night, a very pretentious atmosphere. Then, boom, this spotlight appears. There was no sound. No sound at all. It was as if we were in outer space,” the journalist recalls. - There was this long, long pause... and finally she starts with this incredible breath - 'Happy biiiiirthday to youuuu' - and everyone just falls into ecstasy. I prayed that everything would work out for me<…>I had a long lens and no tripod, so I put the lens on the railing and tried really, really hard not to breathe.”

Marilyn Monroe's 1999 dress sold at auction in New York for more than $1.26 million

The photo Ray took has become one of the most famous celebrity portraits. A lonely figure in the spotlight, and around a black void - the photographer not only captured Monroe’s appearance on stage, but seemed to reflect the essence of her unhappy life. The performance was seductive and at the same time pitiful, everyone knew the actress’s desire to become the first lady, and her act looked like a desperate attempt to get closer to her dream.

“Happy birthday, Mr. President,” Monroe sang, and then continued to the tune of the popular song “Thanks for the Memory”: “Thank you, Mr. President, for everything you’ve done, for all the battles you’ve won,” etc. .d. - words she wrote herself.

John Kennedy, who appeared on stage, tried to smooth out the awkward situation with a joke: “Now that they sang “Happy Birthday” to me so sweetly and purely, I can leave politics.” After the ceremony, photographers filmed the president and his brother Robert talking to Monroe, still wearing her revealing dress.

A cinema icon and recognized sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe suffered from depression and anxiety, and also abused alcohol and strong sleeping pills. Her personal life was unsuccessful, and when Marilyn was found dead on August 5, 1962, in a room full of empty medicine bottles, no one was surprised at her suicide. However, to this day there are a lot of hypotheses and conspiracy theories that otherwise explain the untimely death of the actress.

By official version, Monroe's death was caused by an overdose of sleeping pills and it was suicide. However, researchers of her life claim that just at that moment the actress had no reason to take such a step. She was about to reunite with her first husband, baseball player Joe DiMaggio (he proposed to her on August 1). Moreover, she had just renewed her contract with 20th Century Fox, gave interviews to magazines such as Cosmopolitan and Life, and posed in a photo shoot for Vogue. Monroe was also going to star in a biographical film about the fate of 1930s movie star Jean Harlow. And against this background, she suddenly commits suicide... Somehow one does not fit with the other.

During the investigation, death due to negligence was immediately ruled out due to the huge concentration of sleeping pills in Monroe’s blood - it was twice as high as lethal dose. Interestingly, no traces of pills were found in the stomach. This fact was later explained by the fact that Monroe took sleeping pills regularly and in large quantities, and her stomach adapted to their faster dissolution and absorption. Of course, some researchers claim that there were no pills in the stomach for another reason: because the actress was deliberately killed by someone. Moreover, the doctor who performed the autopsy stated that the samples taken had accidentally deteriorated and it was impossible to double-check the conclusion.

Those who believe in the deliberate murder of the actress say that the suicide was clearly staged. Even police officer Sergeant Jack Clemmons, who was called to Monroe's villa that day, said that he had never seen a more obviously orchestrated suicide scene. The actress's body lay very neatly on the bed, and bottles of pills were placed on the bedside table nearby. It is also known that Monroe's diaries disappeared and even - for some reason - her bed linen was washed by her housekeeper.

Over the past years, attempts have been made to reconstruct the last day of Monroe's life in every detail many times. According to some rumors, right before her death, the actress called her friend, Hollywood stylist Sidney Gilarov, twice. She screamed hysterically that Bobby Kennedy ( younger brother John F. Kennedy, who replaced him as Monroe's lover) and Peter Lawford (JFK's son-in-law) recently came to her home and threatened her in every possible way. The reason was: Monroe threatened to tell the whole world about her relationship with Robert. It is unlikely that he was delighted with this prospect... Also, presumably, last call, made that night by Monroe, was a call to the White House. But who did she call and why? Maybe she tried to get through to John Kennedy and ask him for protection “for old friendship"? They even say that she managed to get through, but she spoke with Kennedy’s wife.

It is known that it was John F. Kennedy who was the first to succumb to Monroe’s charms. Their romance lasted for several years, but John did not attach the same importance to this connection as Marilyn did. He was loving and had affairs with many women, so Monroe was only one of them. But she fell madly in love with him and became literally obsessed with him. Monroe believed and waited for a very long time that Kennedy would leave his wife and marry her, but he had absolutely no intention of doing this. On the contrary, when the actress began to tire him, he gradually distanced himself from her. Marilyn did not give up, continuing to call the White House. Then John sent his brother Robert to her to convince Monroe to abandon these fruitless attempts to become the first lady. It ended with Robert falling under the charm of the actress and falling in love with her.

Yes, it's a fact - Monroe replaced one Kennedy brother with another. When she began a whirlwind romance with Robert, they saw each other almost every day. But nothing lasts forever - and just like his older brother, Robert at some point got tired of this connection. But the matter was complicated by the fact that Monroe did not give up just like that: she began to blackmail Robert Kennedy, declaring that she was keeping a diary. And it’s as if this diary contains all the political secrets that both Kennedy brothers blurted out to her in a love frenzy. Proponents of the hypothesis blaming Robert Kennedy for Monroe's murder say that this diary was the main reason.

According to Lawford, Bobby Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe spent their first night in his guest bedroom. Lawford was aware of what was happening from the very beginning and served as a cover for the lovers. He said that Bobby and Marilyn quickly rushed into the abyss of passion, but then Kennedy quickly cooled down - and she began to become hysterical and threaten him with publicity. They even had an argument during which she threw a knife at him - after which Kennedy returned to her house with his bodyguard and Lawford. They were looking for a small red notebook known as the "diary of secrets." Whether they found it or not is unknown, but the actress had to be killed, and Peter Lawford was present. This is what one of the hypotheses states.

But enough about romance novels. Here is an equally interesting hypothesis: the actress was killed because she was a secret communist. And not even very secretly, but very publicly, she admired what was happening, for example, in China. And she expressed disapproval of McCarthy’s policies and the “witch hunt” against Hollywood figures who sympathized with communists. The FBI had a file on everyone, including Monroe, and the federal bureau was indeed unhappy with her political statements. In addition, she supported Cornelius Vanderbilt, a man with extremely leftist views, and tried to get a visa to the USSR. That's why some believe there is a political motive behind the actress's death.

Some believe that her housekeeper Eunice Murray had something to do with Monroe's death. She definitely knew more than she told the police. Police Sergeant Jack Clemmons, who arrived at the scene, said that Murray behaved strangely and answered his questions very evasively. Moreover, when the police officer arrived, Murray was already washing the bedding from Monroe's bed. Detective Robert Byron, who arrived a little later, also noted the woman’s suspicious behavior. He stated that Murray's words could not be relied upon, which he wrote in his report. Sergeants Clemmons and Byron were soon removed from this case: other police officers of a higher rank took over the matter.

Dr. Ralph Greenson, Monroe's psychiatrist, is also often blamed for her death. Apparently, Greenson believed that traditional psychoanalysis was not helping his patient, so he began experimenting with new approaches: he replaced conventional therapy with attending dinner parties and public events. Greenson recommended that the actress cut ties with old friends and convinced her to buy a villa not far from him. Even Monroe's new home was decorated to resemble Greenson's. That's not all! Greenson asked a relative to take care of Monroe's financial and legal affairs, and it was he who brought in his friend Eunice Murray as a housekeeper. Some Monroe biographers call Greenson a "control freak with possessive tendencies." They say that he only worsened the actress’s condition by prescribing her too large doses of medication. Some believe that Greenson accidentally made a mistake in the dosage, and others believe that Robert Kennedy persistently asked him to do this.

This is a relatively new hypothesis and it is quite strange, of course. The idea was announced in documentary film about UFOs "Unacknowledged". Like, based on the fact that Monroe had affairs with the Kennedy brothers, she knew too much - including secrets about aliens! It was as if John Kennedy was telling her that he had visited a secret air base to inspect the objects of extraterrestrial origin that had been found. And when the Kennedy brothers broke the actress's heart, she could tell the public all this. According to ufologist Stephen Greer, "It's a tragedy: she was an actress and did not understand anything about national security issues and the determination of those who want to keep their secrets to themselves."

It was a fake suicide attempt, but something went wrong

Another rather strange theory says that Monroe wanted to fake suicide in order to attract everyone's attention to herself and so that the Kennedy brothers would realize their guilt and want her back (well, at least some of them). Peter Lawford learned from one of his mutual acquaintances that she had already made such an attempt once, and told Bobby Kennedy about it. And they came up with a plan! The essence of sophisticated conspiracy theory that Lawford had persuaded psychiatrist Monroe Greenson and her housekeeper Murray to take part in a murder plot. Greenson prescribed overdoses of medication to Monroe, and she, unaware of it, followed his instructions exactly. After the actress took the pills, the housekeeper called Greenson and they waited until Monroe died before calling the police.

According to another hypothesis, Monroe was ordered to be killed by the boss of the Chicago syndicate, mafioso Sam Giancana. Monroe is said to have had an affair with one of Giancana's men, Johnny Roselli. Giancana used his influence to get the actress her first Hollywood contract. To repay the debt, Monroe allegedly seduced influential men whom the mafia wanted to blackmail. And when unsuccessful romances with the Kennedy brothers broke the actress’s heart and she promised to tell everything to the public, one must understand that much more would have been revealed - which the mafia could not allow. There is also speculation that Bobby Kennedy hired mafia hitmen to eliminate Monroe. The killers entered her home, drugged her with chloform, and then injected her with copious amounts of sleeping pills through an enema.

In 2015, the World News Daily Report published an article claiming that before his death, a former CIA agent named Norman Hodges confessed to the murder of Marilyn Monroe. Hodges stated that during his career in this institution he committed 37 murders of people who posed a threat national security USA. Hodges said literally the following: “We had evidence that Marilyn Monroe slept not only with Kennedy, but also with Fidel Castro. My boss Jimmy Hayworth told me she had to die and it had to look like suicide or an overdose." However, it later turned out that this whole story was a fiction.

Around midnight on August 5, 1962, housekeeper Eunice Murray saw a light in Monroe's room. Murray knocked on the door, but there was no answer. A few hours later, a concerned Murray called Monroe's psychiatrist, Dr. Greenson. He arrived and knocked down the door to the actress’s bedroom. They saw Monroe lying on the bed with no signs of life. Greenson then allegedly called Monroe's family physician, who pronounced her dead at 3:50 a.m. But, for some strange reason, the police were not called until 4.25 am. They even say that at the same time the doctor was called, the ambulance arrived, and that at that time Monroe was still alive. And when the police arrived, they immediately felt that something was wrong in this whole matter. For example, there was no glass for water in the room. How did Monroe swallow all these pills without drinking water? In addition, the body was definitely moved from its place. Perhaps the police were not called for so long for a reason.

The connection with the Kennedy family is one of the most important touches in the biography and legend of Marilyn Monroe. She is credited love relationship with both brothers at once: with Jack, who became president, and with Robert, who was attorney general. Moreover, it is believed that this particular relationship could have become tragically fateful for Marilyn...

To understand what Jack and Robert were like politicians, but as real living people, it is necessary to tell a little about the Kennedy family.

There were nine of them: four Kennedy brothers and five sisters. Children of banker Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald, daughter of Boston Mayor Jack Fitzgerald. Their father raised them with the idea that Kennedys should be friends only with Kennedys and trust only Kennedys, and that if there was friction between any two of them, any boy or girl would still find a brother or sister who was close in spirit.

“We decided many years ago that children would become our closest friends, and we would never tire of them,” Rose told a reporter in the late 1930s. - Kennedy is an autonomous unit. If one of us wants to go sailing, play golf, walk or just chat, there will always be another who is willing to join him.”

Joseph Kennedy was obsessed with political ambitions. He himself only achieved the post of US Ambassador to Great Britain: prestigious, honorable, but far from real power. However, he was confident that his sons would achieve more.

Joseph demanded of his sons that they be the best in everything. Any failure was perceived as a real disaster. Any weakness was considered a shame. His father's favorite was his first-born son, Joseph Patrick, who was called Joe Jr. The most beautiful, healthy, strong, brave of his children! All the family's hopes were pinned on him. He was seen as a future politician and, perhaps, the first Catholic president...

The second son, Jack Fitzgerald, who was called Jack, was smarter than his older brother, but he was sickly and fragile from childhood, read a lot, and of all sports he excelled only in swimming. His spine was damaged at birth. However, the family tried not to notice his weakness. Illness was something shameful for Kennedy. And Jack tried to be just like everyone else. Healthy and active. He suffered an additional spinal injury while playing football. He had to leave his first year of college to get treatment. He had Addison's disease, which was considered fatal. If cortisone had not been invented in his youth, he would have died before he was twenty, but still he was told that he was unlikely to live to forty-five. He was also allergic and contracted malaria. He joked with friends: “If they ever write a book about me, it will be called: “Jack Kennedy. Case History.”

Robert Francis Kennedy, Bobby, the third of Kennedy's sons and seventh of nine children, was not at all a problem for his parents. All the families they knew considered Bobby to be a model child and set him up as an example for their children. True, his father was not happy with him. Bobby grew up overly religious and dreamed of becoming a priest. He studied well, was an excellent athlete - but he observed all fasts, read only religious literature, prayed earnestly, and did not part with his rosary. In fact, in a Catholic family it’s not bad to have your own priest... However, the excessive zeal for virtue confused and saddened Joseph. He was afraid that with such idealistic views on life, Bobby would not be able in the future to be a worthy assistant to his brothers, whom Joseph had groomed as children for a political career.

When did the second one begin? World War. Joseph, who served as ambassador to Great Britain, actively opposed the US entry into hostilities. But when his own son Jack was awarded a Purple Heart after a battle with a Japanese destroyer, Joseph was proudest of all: he loved being the father of a hero! True, in this fight Jack injured his back a second time. From now on, pain became his constant companion.

Joe decided to prove that he could fight no worse than Jack. He asked to be transferred to England, where there were more opportunities to truly show heroism. He died in a battle over the English Channel and was burned to death on the plane. It was a terrible blow for the family - all Kennedy's hopes were pinned on Joe! But Joseph, reluctantly, told Jack: “Now it’s your turn. You will take Joe's place." What was meant was that you would make a political career.

Bobby turned nineteen that year. He attended law school at the University of Virginia and still hoped to become a priest. During his student years, Bobby Kennedy led a frighteningly virtuous lifestyle and did not participate in traditional youth entertainment. He was seriously preparing for a spiritual career. But after Joe’s death, his father had a serious talk with Bobby, explaining that now he certainly shouldn’t leave the world: the family needs him, he must become Jack’s first assistant. And Bobby agreed to give up his dream of serving God.

Bobby dreamed of a real family, where he would feel comfortable, calm and warm. Now he wanted more than anything to find good girl who will tip for him cozy nest. True, Bobby imagined his future wife to be a modest and meek girl, and in his youth he paid attention mainly to ugly girls whom no one else noticed. It seemed to him that such girls make the best wives.

His chosen one was Ethel Skakel. The Skakel family resembled the Kennedy family: very rich Catholics with many children, descendants of Irish emigrants. Ethel attended Dominican primary school, where classes were taught by nuns, her mother later transferred her to the very prestigious Greenwich Academy, and there she became friends with Jean Kennedy. In 1945, Jean introduced Ethel to her brothers: the charming Jack, who was presented as a war hero and everyone's favorite, and the quiet, shy Bobby.

Both Bobby and Ethel adhered to Puritan morals, and passionate embraces before marriage were not for them. In the end, he almost became a priest, and Ethel almost took monastic vows. It was only thanks to the persuasion of her parents that Ethel finally decided to connect her life with Robert Kennedy, and not with God. However, everyone who knew Ethel and Bobby throughout their life together noted that she literally idolized him, considering him an absolute ideal - an ideal man, an ideal person. His classmate Barrett Prettyman said: “She looked at Bobby as if he were God. God did inexplicable things, but he was always right.”

Usually mothers-in-law are not too fond of their daughters-in-law, but Rose Kennedy immediately fell in love with Ethel: she saw that this girl was perfect wife for Bobby. Rose was also pleased by Ethel's promise to give birth to even more children than her mother-in-law. This is a real Catholic, a real Kennedy!

Every morning, the couple walked hand in hand to the local church for mass and prayed. And while Bobby worked, Ethel did charity work and prepared parties that helped him strengthen his political connections. After all, nothing is more conducive to conversation than a glass of good wine and delicious dinner. And soon she had to take part in her husband’s political campaigns and travel with him around the country, and in most cases pregnant... Because she was almost always pregnant. Petite Ethel Kennedy gave birth to 11 children during the 18 years she lived with Robert.

It should be noted that friends and even relatives did not know how to relate to her endless pregnancies. Her ill-wishers called her a “cow” and a “peasant woman,” some gossiped that with the help of constant pregnancies she avoided sex with her husband, who was not very experienced in the science of love. The couple really avoided passionate hugs, at least in public, but they often teased each other and generally behaved like loving brother and sister. However, Ethel told her loved ones that she set out to make as many copies of her beloved Bobby as possible. Such a wonderful person should have a lot of children!

One family friend recalled: “They enjoyed each other's company. Even if they dined at home, Ethel came down to the table dressed and perfumed, as if on a first date.”

In 1953, Jack Fitzgerald Kennedy married Jacqueline Bouvier. It was largely his father’s choice: Joseph believed that just such a girl - from the cream of American society, elegant, able to carry on small talk, but not too bright an individual - would be an ideal match for a talented young politician.

The relationship between the two Mrs. Kennedys did not work out. Jacqueline allowed herself quite rude jokes about Ethel, in particular, she called her “a machine for producing children - as soon as you start her, she will immediately make them.” Ethel also did not hold back her hostility: she mocked Jacqueline’s claims to aristocracy.

Right after honeymoon, Jack was actively involved in political life: he foresaw the imminent overthrow of Senator McCarthy, and he needed to remove Bobby from the “Commission on Un-American Activities” before it was too late. This was not easy to do: Bobby, whom his friends called a “crusader,” was devoted to McCarthy’s ideas and fought the communists not out of fear, but out of conscience. Even with age, he did not grow out of idealism; he sincerely believed in the sacred principles of American democracy, saw a tyrannical regime in communism and believed that all communists wanted to impose the same regime in America. After his visit to the USSR, Robert Kennedy strengthened his opinion that communism is an absolute evil... However, more and more dissenters appeared among the American intelligentsia, and McCarthyism became increasingly unfashionable. And the prudent Jack nevertheless persuaded his ardent brother to switch to a more noble struggle. Although with more dangerous enemy: with the mafia. Having familiarized himself with the documents provided to him, Bobby clung to the new case tightly - like a fox terrier. And he did not stop this struggle until his death.

In 1957, the Kennedys began a political campaign to nominate Jack for the Democratic nomination. Robert led the election campaign. Ethel, despite another pregnancy, tried to help as much as she could, meeting with voters and organizing endless tea parties for the wives of Kennedy's most important supporters. While Jacqueline was bored, she did not try to hide her indifference to all this fuss. In addition, she had a difficult time with pregnancy. Her first daughter was stillborn. When Jacqueline managed to get pregnant again, she tried to protect herself as much as possible from any worries. The pregnancy ended successfully and she gave birth to a daughter, Caroline.

In 1960, Jack Fitzgerald Kennedy became the first Catholic president in US history. Jack also became the youngest president in history: he was forty-three years old when he won the election. His elegant wife was pregnant when they moved into the White House with their baby daughter, and it was there that their son Jack Jr. was born. The family looked exemplary, like something out of a poster. The public adored them only because they were so handsome, young, cheerful, and both embodied two types of the American elite: Jack - “new money” and hot Irish blood, Jacqueline - “white bone” and “ blue blood", naturally, in American meaning these phenomena, that is, without true aristocracy in origin.

Jack convened a new cabinet of ministers, and appointed his brother Robert as attorney general. This was exactly what Bobby wanted to do and what he was perfect for. Many condemned Jack: for the first time in American history the president and his adviser were so closely related. However, Bobby proved the correctness of this choice: when problems with Cuba resulted in Caribbean crisis, his determination, combined with unexpectedly manifested political prudence, helped avoid a third world war. And then those around Kennedy started talking about the fact that the educated, well-read, strong-willed and purposeful Robert would have made a much better politician and even a president than the charming and frivolous Jack. However, there has already been a case in American history when the Adams father and son occupied the presidency one after another. So why, after Kennedy’s older brother, couldn’t his younger brother take the same post?

Kennedy's "reign" in Washington was short, bright, but by no means easy. The Vietnam War, in which President Kennedy actively opposed intervention. Fighting segregation in southern states. The fight against the omnipotence and arbitrariness of the FBI. With corruption in the highest echelons of power. Fight against the mafia. Lots and lots of struggle.

Of course, the problems in the president’s family were diligently hidden from the public.

First of all, Jack's illness. His injured back caused him terrible pain. He underwent two operations, almost became paralyzed, and each day began with painkilling injections on both sides of his spine.

There was also Addison's disease and hormonal treatment, due to which he began to gain weight. To overcome his obesity, Jack swam obsessively: the only form of active physical activity available to him. True, he could only swim in a warm pool: cold water caused an exacerbation of pain.

The second problem was the debauchery of the young president. Jack Kennedy loved women very much. He seduced all the pretty people who came his way life path and agreed to a quick, unburdensome connection. They said that in Hollywood he practically had a harem. Exaggeration: a harem is something a man maintains constantly, but consistency was not one of Jack's virtues. He liked both slender flight attendants in their strict uniforms and elegant ladies from high society equally. Jack treated all victims of his temperament equally kindly. And I was never offended by refusals. There's still so much in the world beautiful women, and sex is something that should happen according to mutual desire... However, unlike the kings of the past, who spent substantial funds from the treasury on their favorites, Jack Kennedy had no positive influence He did not influence the fate of his mistresses. Sex was his favorite pastime, but nothing more.

His father, Joseph Kennedy, was delighted with his son’s adventures, and laughed at the FBI agents who had to track each of the young congressman’s mistresses, then the senator, then the president... He said: “If the FBI decided to trace each of the girls Jack's file, we should buy shares in that company that sells them filing cabinets!"

Because of his daring adventures, Jack Kennedy was listed in the FBI archives under the pseudonym “Ulan.” Robert was called "The Crusader". Marilyn Monroe went by the pseudonym "Straw Head," a derisive nickname that referred to both the color of her hair and the perceived stupidity of the blonde actress.

The romance between Marilyn Monroe and Jack Kennedy in the public perception is something romantic, almost like a fairy tale. Hollywood's golden goddess in the arms of America's modern young king, the romantic lord of New Camelot (Jack Kennedy loved the musical Camelot and the Arthurian legends, and liked it when his reign was called the New Camelot). There are an incredible number of books on the topic of their love affair, both novels and studies, and lyrical songs, and even the perfume “John & Marylin” by Parfumerie Generale, tender and sensual... The legend is too beautiful to refuse.

However, facts are a harsh and cold thing. The president and the actress met four times between October 1961 and August 1962. Four proven encounters. You can speculate on anything, which is what people do. And if at first they said that the movie star gave herself to the president after celebrating his birthday, then that Marilyn first found herself in Jack’s bed after the inauguration party, then that their relationship began when he was still running for president... And now some the authors claim that they knew each other in their youth, when Marilyn was taking her first steps in the acting field and once attended a party of the “golden youth”. The most skeptical biographers of Marilyn laugh at the dreamers: they will soon declare that the president lost his virginity in the arms of the actress! Perhaps they will say...

The first proven meeting took place at the home of Patricia and Peter Lawford in Santa Monica, in October 1961. Marilyn came to dinner with friends and met Patricia's famous brother there. But one of the Lawford servants took her home.

The second meeting took place in February 1962. Marilyn was invited to Fifi Fell's house in Manhattan. A wealthy widow and socialite, Mrs. Fell was hosting a reception in honor of the President. Marilyn came and went, accompanied by Milton Ebbins.

Third meeting - Saturday, March 24, 1962. The President and the actress were guests in the house popular singer Bing Crosby in Palm Springs. And then they spent the night in the same bedroom. Where Marilyn called Ralph Roberts from.

“She asked me about a muscle that she recognized from Mabel Ellsworth Todd’s book The Thinking Body, and it was clear that she was talking about this topic with the President, who was known for experiencing all sorts of ailments and problems with the muscles and spine "- said Ralph. Moreover, the president did not even think of hiding the fact that he was in the middle of the night in the company of an actress who was going to give him a massage. He took the phone from Marilyn and personally thanked Roberts for the consultation.

“Then, when everything was shaking from gossip, Marilyn told me that her “romance” with JFK was only those minutes that she spent with him that March night. Of course, everything that happened tickled her ambition very pleasantly: after all, the President, through Lawford, had been seeking a meeting with her for a whole year. Many people believed that the matter was not limited to that Saturday. But from talking with Marilyn, I got the impression that it was not something special for either her or him. important event: we met, and that was the end of it,” Roberts argued.

That night, Jack invited Marilyn to his birthday party at Madison Square Garden. And she promised to sing “Happy birthday to you” to him.

Their fourth meeting took place on May 19, 1962. To wish the President a happy birthday, Marilyn arrived (late) to a concert attended by more than fifteen thousand people, each of whom paid between one hundred and a thousand dollars per ticket (the proceeds from the concert went to the Democratic National Committee).

And, although there was nothing intimate between Marilyn and the president that evening, many of those present noted that her performance of congratulations was more sensual than a declaration of love, and resembled some kind of sophisticated sexual act at a distance, between a woman standing on stage and a man , sitting in the presidential box.

This evening was generally special for Marilyn. It was an evening of her absolute feminine triumph. Precisely female, not acting. She carefully prepared to literally seduce the entire audience.

Marilyn turned to the very popular fashion designer Jean Louis and asked him to create for her “a truly historic, extraordinary dress, the likes of which no one has ever had before.” “In a word, it should be something that only I can wear,” the actress told the fashion designer.

For inspiration, Jean Louis watched several of the most famous films with Monroe's participation... And he understood what was needed to create a unique dress: “Marilyn knew how to amazingly control her charming body, it was in constant motion, but it was done naturally, elegantly. And it dawned on me - I grabbed it, realized what I had to do - play up this gift of her to provoke... In general, I drew a sketch of a dress that creates the full effect that she is naked.”

He made a dress from thin, almost gossamer-like, flesh-colored Lyon silk, cutting it exactly to Marilyn's figure. It was impossible to wear underwear under this dress. And in general: putting on this dress was a difficult task. The dress was fastened with microscopic hooks, it was difficult to move in it and considerable caution was required. Six thousand sparkles, sparkling like diamonds, covered the dress, not allowing Marilyn's body to be seen, hiding everything and distracting with its sparkle... But at the same time, the sparkles did not hide the fact that under the transparent fabric the body was completely naked!

When she slowly, in small steps, walked across the stage to the microphone, the audience held its breath. Most of those who left memories of her performance compared her to Aphrodite emerging from the foam of the sea, a naked goddess splashed with sparkling drops of water. She sang in a thin, half-childish, languid voice, at first as if hesitantly, but then more and more passionately, “Happy birthday to you,” somewhat modified:

Thank you Mr President
For everything you've done
For all the battles you've won
For how you handle the US
And with our problems...

During his twenty-minute speech, John Kennedy thanked everyone who congratulated him, and in particular said: “Miss Monroe interrupted the filming of the film to fly here from the West Coast, and therefore I can now safely retire - after she is so "Wonted me a wonderful happy birthday."

After the concert, Marilyn attended a banquet at the home of Arthur Cream and his wife Matilda, who enthusiastically recalled: “Marilyn arrived in a tight dress trimmed with sequins, which looked as if they had been attached directly to the skin, since the mesh was flesh-colored... Well, say here? She just looked incredibly beautiful."

George Masters, the actress’s hairdresser who helped her maintain her famous platinum hair color, recalled: “Marilyn walked in a dress designed by fashion designer Jean Louis. It shone with all sorts of decorations, but at the same time it was elegant and subtle, even refined, in this nakedness - as if the absence of underwear was the most common thing under the sun.”

“In some ways, this evening was extraordinarily significant for Marilyn Monroe,” writes Donald Spoto. - Lost girl not only did she find, at least for a short time, her place in the king’s castle located in Camelot - after all, a dream that had returned to her more than once in childhood had come true. Just now Marilyn stood almost naked in front of her fans, feeling absolutely no shame and for some reason being as innocent as a dove.”

During this entire evening, only once did Marilyn find herself in the company of the president and his brother, which was captured by the photographer.

And, in fact, that's all...

Later she was credited with wanting to marry the president. Allegedly, Marilyn wanted to force Jack to break up with Jacqueline and marry her, not considering such a union impossible. After all, she could become the wife of a great athlete and a great writer, so why shouldn't she become the wife of a great politician? But there is no evidence of this. But there is evidence to the contrary. Susan Strasberg said: “Even in her worst dreams, she didn't want to be with JFK all the time. Once she could sleep with the charismatic president, she enjoyed this tension-filled situation that required her to be discreet and keep a secret. But the president was probably not the person she wanted to spend her life with, and she openly told us about it.”

Marilyn's romance with Robert Kennedy in the imagination of tabloid journalists and the American public is painted in less romantic tones. If with Jack there was sublime love, then with Bobby there was lust, lust and nothing but lust.

Robert was known for his chastity and devotion to his wife. They even laughed at his severity and seriousness. In addition, Robert was a devout Catholic, and many of those who knew him believed that there was only one woman in his life with whom he entered into an intimate relationship - his wife Ethel. But if popular gossip is to be believed, Marilyn Monroe seduced Bobby Kennedy and dragged her into a series of orgies, inducing her to all sorts of sins, including group sex and nighttime skinny dipping on the beach. These juicy details were invented by a former actress who published under the pseudonym Jeanne Carmen and claimed that she rented an apartment with Marilyn on Dawheny Drive at the time the actress was having an affair with Bobby. A real neighbor who lived opposite Marilyn at the time and knew her, pop singer Betsy Duncan Hammes, stated: “I have never heard of any Jeanne Carmen. I think she never lived there, because otherwise we would probably know about her, just as we would know that Marilyn has a subtenant.”

Donald Spoto writes: “Gossip about an affair with Robert Kennedy rests on the simple fact that he actually met Marilyn Monroe, four times; this appears from their calendar of meetings for 1961 and 1962, as well as from the testimony of one of Robert Kennedy's closest associates during that period, Edwin Gutman. However, we can say for sure that Robert Kennedy never shared a bed with Marilyn Monroe. Gutman, a Pulitzer Prize-winning and inquisitive reporter and journalist, was Robert Kennedy's special assistant for public information and the Justice Department's top press officer. The attorney general's travel itinerary, covering 1961-1962 (and preserved in the Jack F. Kennedy Library as well as in the state archives), confirms the details outlined by Gutman. All this together proves only one thing: Robert Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe maintained only social and social contacts, which for almost ten months were reduced to four meetings and several phone conversations. Even if they both had a desire to flirt - which is a purely theoretical assumption - then nothing could come of this readiness, taking into account the places of their stay during the specified period.

Bobby Kennedy was not the type of man that Marilyn would have liked, this was recognized by everyone who knew the actress. And she was completely not Bobby’s type, who adored his petite, energetic wife. But the main thing is that if you rely on the facts, it turns out that they did not even have the opportunity to spend the night together. It is enough to study and compare the travel schedules of the prosecutor and the actress.

However, when discussing the topic of “Marilyn and Kennedy,” most authors still prefer to rely not on facts, but on fiction. Romantic or pornographic - whichever you prefer.

May 19, 1962, 10 days before the 45th anniversary John Kennedy, a grand celebration was organized in New York's Madison Square Garden in honor of the president's birthday. All 15,000 spectators were looking forward to appearing on stage Marilyn Monroe.

PokerStars gives beginners a head start!

Rumors about a romance between the most popular president and the sexiest actress have been circulating for a long time. People wondered what song Monroe would sing, what words he would choose to congratulate, what he would wear, and whether he would be sober on such a day! Marilyn lived up to the expectations of the curious a hundred times over - her appearance at Madison Square Garden went down in history. Even with all their ardent desire, this effect cannot be achieved by the most outrageous modern pop stars.

Dress made of diamond tears

But without the unique Jean Louis dress, Monroe's appearance would not have been so shocking. Unless she went on stage completely naked!

Marilyn ordered the fashion designer “historical, unusual dress so that this has never happened to anyone before.” Marilyn emphasized: “It should be an outfit that only I can wear and no one else.”

Jean Louis focused on the model herself - he looked through all the tapes with Monroe and concluded: “Marilyn has amazing control over her amazing body. She managed to make vulgar movements elegantly. I had to play up this constant provocation of hers. I tried to achieve the effect of Marilyn appearing in radiance and... without a dress!”

The problem was that there were no such thin and silky fabrics then. The fabric was woven specifically for this dress in France in a tiny silk weaving workshop. It was painstaking and long manual labor, but it was worth it. After delivering the canvas to America, Jean Louis brought the precious piece of fabric home to Monroe.

The dress was sewn directly onto Marilyn, who stood completely naked on a chair with a glass of champagne in her hand. The outfit was a complete copy of Monroe's body shape, her "snake skin" with 6,000 diamond rhinestones. There was no provision for underwear! The dress was fastened with the thinnest zipper and small flesh-colored hooks.

It was absolutely forbidden to present such an outfit to the concert organizers. Marilyn showed them a “decent” black evening dress.

Thank you for everything, Mr. President!

Monroe was deliberately late to go on stage. She couldn’t have come in advance, no way...

The entertainer, Peter Lawford, was already beginning to worry - he had already announced the actress's appearance several times. The audience began to whisper. But then a dazzling spotlight caught the touching figure of Marilyn Monroe, small on the huge stage, who was in a hurry to congratulate her President.

With one movement of her shoulder, the actress threw her snow-white fluffy fur coat into the arms of Peter Lawford, and the audience gasped. The electric light did not encounter resistance from the web fabric, but was reflected many times from the diamond edges of small rhinestones. Marilyn moved naked and in a rainbow, unearthly glow!

The actress later said: “I suddenly found myself in front of the ramp. I was supposed to sing, but I felt the audience take their breath away - everyone probably thought I was naked...” One of the guests of the evening, US Ambassador to the UN, Adlai Stevenson, said: “I didn’t see the beads!”

And here’s how a journalist described Monroe’s appearance: “It was a restless evening, a pretentious atmosphere, famous guests...: Then suddenly this spotlight came on. All sounds disappeared at once. At all. It was as if we were all in outer space. It was a long, long pause... and Marilyn breaks it with an incredible breath: “Happy biiiiirthday to youuuu.” Everyone is instantly immersed in ecstasy.”

Monroe, as many noticed, was very tipsy. However, she was very worried, who could judge her? When Marilyn began to sing, the hall froze. The manner of performance was extremely provocative - matching the actress’s dress.

Dorothy Kilgallen wrote in the chronicle: “It felt like Marilyn was making love to Kennedy in front of 40 million Americans!”

“Happy Birthday, Mr. President! Thank you for everything you have done, for all the battles you have won...:” - words of Marilyn Monroe. Everyone understood everything about the battle, there were no questions left... Kennedy went on stage and tried to laugh it off, but it didn’t work.

Jacqueline Kennedy expected something similar, so her husband was not at the evening. But Jacqueline still watched the recording of the concert and lost her temper with indignation. John also felt out of place.

Many believe that Kennedy made the decision to part with the now annoying Marilyn after this speech. Monroe plunged headlong into black depression. And she didn’t come out of it, dying 3 months after performing a concert number in a dress made of diamond tears. The President outlived the Actress by a year.

Heads-up between Marilyn Monroe and John Kennedy, or naked poker

Marilyn Monroe loved poker. She played with all her men in bed between sex and sleep and vice versa. She was not wearing a dress made of diamond tears, she was wearing nothing at all at such moments - only, as she herself admitted, “two drops of Chanel No. 5.”

Marilyn could play poker indefinitely. But the actress was not particularly skilled, but she did not want to lose. If a man beat her, Monroe would pout, get offended, and kick the scoundrel out. Marilyn's savvy lovers succumbed and quickly bored her. She also kicked them out after some time.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy never gave in to Marilyn. He was an excellent poker player, did not lose his cool and ignored Monroe's offended protruding lips. He also won against much more serious opponents, but poker with them was not as enjoyable as with a naked Marilyn!

And she, poor thing, fell in love. I wanted to become his wife. She put on a dress made of diamond tears and told the whole world in a song about how she felt. But the reputation of the first person of the state turned out to be more important for John than the love of the most beautiful woman in the world!

In this political heads-up, everyone lost - Marilyn, John, America, the whole world. And they could have won. But Kennedy went all-in with the wrong cards.