Not the general public, not at that time.
He was Protected (with a capital P) by the MM, even though the media generally knew him for a knave.
But we out in flyover country were only shown a charming couple with the cutest kids. The mom was beautiful and the dad had this mahvelous accent (e.g., Cuber) and sense of humor.
Maybe where I lived it was different.
I was in junior high and high school when Kennedy was president, myself and friends laughed about it.
We knew because our parents talked about it.
We laughed because of how he was presented.
Washington Post executive editor Ben Bradlee practically lived at the White House. He was originally from MA, another horn dog 'Rat that fit right in with the Kennedy crowd, a fellow traveler if you will.