Author says JFK had affair with 19-year-old intern

Associated Press ^ | May 12, 2003 | AP

[Hal1950]

Author says JFK had affair with 19-year-old intern
Claim comes from ex-White House aide

NEW YORK (AP) -- President John F. Kennedy had an affair with a 19-year-old intern who traveled with him on official trips, according to a new biography of Kennedy.

"She had no skills. She could answer the phone," Robert Dallek, author of "An Unfinished Life," told "Dateline NBC" in an interview that aired Sunday. "Apparently, her only skill was to provide sexual release for JFK on those trips and maybe in the White House."

Dallek learned of the affair from a White House aide, Barbara Gamarekian, whose oral history was recently unsealed.

Gamarekian told the Daily News that she remembers only the young intern's first name, which she refused to reveal.

"It amazes me there continues to be such fascination with all things Kennedy," Gamarekian, 77, told the newspaper.

Kennedy is known to have had numerous extramarital liaisons, but this is the first report of an affair with an intern.

"There were lots of women," Dallek, whose book comes out Tuesday, told the newspaper. "The real question is: Did it distract him from his job as president? I think it really didn't."

Gamarekian had asked that the 17 pages in her oral history dealing with the intern be kept secret for a decade, then later asked the Kennedy Library in Boston, where her account is archived, to keep it sealed.

Dallek discovered the blacked-out pages while researching his book and persuaded her to disclose the information.

[My2Cents]

"She had no skills."

I wouldn't say that.

[freedomson]

Gosh, I guess beelzabubba wasn't so bad after all.

[freedomlover]

Oral history?

[b4its2late]

How convenient.

[My2Cents]

the 17 pages in her oral history

HAHAHAHAHAA!! Great pun.

[MEG33]

Nothing surprising except that it's another hidden character in the Camelot myth.

[BOBTHENAILER]

Gosh, I guess beelzabubba wasn't so bad after all.

That's why it was released now....legacy repair for Billy.

[Labyrinthos]

Who cares; and this was already posted on breaking news at 7:00 a.m. (edt) this morning.

[Revenge Of Daffy-Duck]

Is it Dallek who claims JFK was a big pot-head? Anyone know where I could get documentation on that?

[zarf]

OK that's it. Clintoon wasn't so bad after all.

Look real hard and you may see Sid Blumenthat dabbing a bit more Clinton seed off his lips.

[The Old Hoosier]

They're just trying to tear down Kennedy because he gave away tax cuts to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.

[uncitizen]

How hard could it be to track down this girl? Doesn't the White House have records of who the interns are? Don't they document who goes on trips with the prez? I say its all a load of crap by (per Rush): The Clinton Legacy Rebuilders.

[COUNTrecount]

Where was Helen Thomas ?

[cherry]

yes...agree....

didn't affect his job?

well, that depends.... bay of pigs....Vietnam....racial tensions...

I may be in the minority but I believe that personal morality and ethics or the lack thereof are the foundation of a person's character....

they can make excuses for Kennedy all they want...no way do I respect a man who commits adultery ....

[Emily RN]

Well! I guess Clinton lived up to his idol's ideals after all.

[TomB]

"She had no skills."

I wouldn't say that.

A golf ball through 20 feet of garden hose?

[uncitizen]

It's much easier for the Clinton Legacy Rebuilders to tear down JFK, than to make Clinton respectable.

[yonif]

Dallek learned of the affair from a White House aide, Barbara Gamarekian, whose oral history was recently unsealed.

LOL