Jackie, Janet & Lee

by J. Randy Taraborrelli

  Jackie’s marriage to Aristotle Onassis on October 20, 1968, changed everything for her and her sister, Lee. The sisters would have to work hard to rebuild their relationship. (PHOTOFEST)

  Though she would choose Aristotle Onassis over Jack Warnecke, Jackie would remain friends with Jack for the rest of her life. Here they are during the 7th Annual RFK Pro-Celebrity Tennis Tournament at Forest Hills in New York City, August 26, 1978. (RON GALELLA COLLECTION/WIREIMAGE)

  By the 1980s, Mannie Faria had been a trusted employee at Hammersmith Farm for decades. Here he is with Jackie in 1987… (JOYCE FARIA BRENNAN/FARIA FAMILY COLLECTION)

  … and with Lee. (JOYCE FARIA BRENNAN/FARIA FAMILY COLLECTION)

  Jamie sees his parents, Janet and Hugh, off on a cruise that will take them from New York City to Capetown. (JAMIE AUCHINCLOSS COLLECTION)

  Linda and Joyce Faria grew up at Hammersmith Farm and became very close to Janet Auchincloss. (JOYCE FARIA BRENNAN/FARIA FAMILY COLLECTION)

  Jamie and Janet in the spring of 1983 on their cruise to Hong Kong to visit Janet Jr. (JAMIE AUCHINCLOSS COLLECTION)

  Though Lee seemed to distance herself as Janet became older and more frail, here they are in a happy moment in 1986. (ROBIN PLATZER/TWIN IMAGES/THE LIFE IMAGES COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES)

  When Jackie feared that her mother, Janet, had become the victim of elder abuse, she became extremely protective of her. (JAMIE AUCHINCLOSS COLLECTION)

  A deeply grieving Jackie is escorted by her stepbrother, Yusha Auchincloss, as she leaves Trinity Church in Newport, Rhode Island, after attending the funeral of her mother, Janet, on July 27, 1989. (JIM GERBERICH/AP/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

  Left to cope with the deaths of Janet and Jackie, Lee went on with her life, happy for a while in her marriage to the noted film producer Herbert Ross. (RICHARD YOUNG/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

  Still just as stunning as ever, today Lee Radziwill is eighty-four. (NEIL RASMUS/BFA/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK)

  Notes

  An Unconventional Pregnancy

  1.  Jamie’s christening would fall on the same day as his half sister Jackie’s “coming out,” with engraved invitations sent to all announcing the party for “Miss Jacqueline Lee Bouvier” and, in smaller type, “Master James Lee Auchincloss” at Hammersmith Farm on “Friday, the first of August [1947].”

  Rushing into Marriage?

  1.  Nine years later, in 1977, Jamie Auchincloss would be applying for a passport in Washington when a government employee would approach and tell him, “The director would like to see you.” A shiver went down his spine. “Why in the world would the head of the U.S. passport agency want to see me?” he asked. When he was ushered into her office, there was Frances Knight. “You know, I gave your mother her passport so that she could go to Greece to see your sister marry Onassis,” she said with a smile and a handshake.

  Changing Winds and Shifting Tides

  1.  Peter Beard would continue his work as a renowned wildlife photographer. In years to come, he and Lee would mend their relationship. Today they remain the best of friends.

  Source Notes

  A NOTE ABOUT MY SOURCES

  When a historian spends years writing about a specialized interest, as I have the Kennedys, he and his team of researchers will inevitably contact and interview a wide range of sources. Very often, these sources will provide information that will not be used in the book for which they were been interviewed but will, instead, be utilized later in another work along the same lines. For instance, some who were interviewed for my first book about the Kennedys, Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot (2000) did not see their stories come to light until my next Kennedy book, After Camelot (2012). For Jackie, Janet & Lee, as well as having conducted scores of new interviews, I and my team drew from the research of both of my previous Kennedy books. Therefore, stories not utilized for those books (usually for space reasons and sometimes for storytelling purposes) have found their way into this one.

  It’s also worth noting that the stories of many people interviewed for Janet, Jackie & Lee did not make it into this book but, if history is any indication of things to come, they will probably appear in another Kennedy book down the line. In that regard, I want to especially thank Gustavo Paredes, the son of Jackie’s trusted assistant, Provi, for the many hours he spent being interviewed. His insight will, no doubt, find its way into a Kennedy book I have planned for the future, as will the stories of, for instance, Katia Bede, the widow of Settimio Garritano, who took the famous nude photos of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in the 1970s. The stories of another invaluable source, Herbert Ross’s attorney Stanford Lotwin, also did not make this edition, not because they weren’t riveting but simply because of space concerns. There are many others who were interviewed for this work whose stories also do not appear in it. I am sure their memories will be included in books of mine in the future, however. I want to thank them; they know who they are. In particular, I want to acknowledge Vince Palamara, one of the world’s leading experts on the Kennedy Secret Service detail, who has written several books about the subject, was interviewed a number of times for this work, and who assisted me in many ways. I urge you to visit his fascinating blog at vincepalamara.blogspot.com.

  In writing about families as beloved and as controversial as the Auchinclosses, the Bouviers, the Kennedys, and the Radziwills, a historian always encounters sources who would like to speak but not for attribution. As I have often stated over the years, it is sometimes not easy for a source to come forward. Many times, that person has nothing to gain other than just the opportunity to tell his or her story for the sake of history and to, hopefully, illuminate the character of the subjects of the book. Cooperating with a biographer such as myself can often put a person at odds with someone he or she has known for many years. Sometimes, it makes more sense to ask for anonymity, and when a source of mine does so, I always grant it—but only after carefully reviewing that person’s history with my subjects and the memories that are being shared to make certain they are aboveboard and not in any way compromised. I appreciate and value all of the people from so many walks of life who spoke to me and to my team of researchers for Janet, Jackie & Lee, whether specifically named in these notes or not.

  I would like to especially thank the family of John Carl Warnecke—Jack—for sharing their memories of their dad and of his romance with Jackie Kennedy, augmenting what Jack told me back in 1998 and 2007. This includes his daughter, Margo Warnecke Merck, and his son, Fred. I so appreciate their trust and hope they agree that their father, a truly great man and historical architect, is accurately portrayed in these pages.

  Special thanks to Joyce Faria Brennan for all of her assistance, her memories of her family as she grew up at Hammersmith Farm, the wonderful photographs she shared with me, the videos she lent me, and all of the many other ways she helped bring her story and that of her family’s—Mannie, Louise, and Linda—to life in this book. I hope she is happy with the portrayal of Janet Auchincloss, one of the most influential people in the lives of her and her family.

  More than five hundred friends, relatives, politicians, journalists, socialites, lawyers, celebrities, business executives as well as foes, classmates, teachers, neighbors, newspeople, and archivists were contacted in preparation for Jackie, Janet & Lee. It should be obvious to most people that in my research, I and my team also carefully reviewed, as secondary sources, the many books that have been published over the last fifty years about assorted Kennedy, Bouvier, and Auchincloss family members, as well as thousands of newspaper and magazine articles written about them. I’m not going to list all of them in the Source Notes that follow, though I will acknowledge the ones I think are most necessary in understanding my research.

  The following notes and source acknowledgments are by no means comprehensive. Rather, they are intended to give you, the reader, a general overview of my research. Also, I’ve provided a little more information here and there that did not make it into the book but may still be of interest.r />
  GENERAL RESEARCH

  Jackie, Janet & Lee would not have been possible without the assistance of many organizations that provided me with articles, documents, audio and video interviews, transcripts, and other material that was either utilized directly in this book or just for purposes of background, especially the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

  Thanks to Maryrose Grossman, Nadia Dixson, and Kyoko Yamamoto at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Much of the source material used in this book is now on-line, so please do avail yourself of the opportunity to read for yourself, for instance, the oral histories of Janet Auchincloss, which I utilized—go to jfklibrary.org. What the hardworking staff at the JFK Library has done in making their extensive archives available to the public is an outstanding service. Take advantage of it, especially if you are a Kennedy enthusiast.

  I would also like to express my gratitude to the following institutions: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; American Film Institute Library; Ancestry.com; AP Images; Associated Press Office (New York); Association for the Preservation of Historic Natchitoches; BeenVerified.com; Beverly Hills Library; Boston Herald Archives; Corbis Gamma Liaison; Corbis Getty Images; East Hampton Star; Fairfield (Connecticut) Museum and History Center; Globe Photos; Hedda Hopper Collection in the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Beverly Hills; Heritage Auctions, Hong Kong; Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, Kent, England; Kobal Collection; League of Women Voters; Lincoln Center Library of the Performing Arts, Lincoln Center, New York; Los Angeles Public Library; Los Angeles Times; Margaret Herrick Library; MPTV Images; Museum of Broadcasting, New York; MyRoots.com; Natchitoches Parish Tourist Commission; Natchitoches Tourism Bureau; New York Daily News; New York Post; New York Times; New York University Library; Newport Chamber of Commerce; Newport Country Club; Newport Daily News; Newport Garden Club; Newport Historical Society; Newport Mercury; Occidental College, Eagle Rock, California; Philadelphia Daily News; Philadelphia Inquirer; Philadelphia Public Library; Polish Institute and Sikorski Museum, London; Preservation Society of Newport County; Rex Features; Shreveport Times; Southampton Historical Museum; Southampton Press; St. Clare–Newport Senior Center; Time-Life Archives and Library, New York; Tour Natchitoches; University of California, Los Angeles.

  Special thanks to the following people, who assisted me in tangible and intangible ways: Alan Shayne, Alexandra Lee Rutherfurd, Barbara Doyle, Benno Graziana, Beth Hall, Brian Quigley, Carter Faria Savastano (Mannie’s grandchild, Linda’s son), Cecil Auchincloss, David Nash, Don Johnston, Douglas Cramer, Ed Pisoni, Edgar Ammaguer, Elios Petrionakis, Ella Auchincloss (Tommy’s daughter-in-law), Harold Adams, Isabel Fritz-Cope, Jackie Rogers, James Kalafatis, Jerica Michaud (Oatsie Charles’s assistant), Jill Blumer (Peter Beard’s assistant), Jocelyn Brennan (Mannie’s grandchild, Joyce’s daughter), Joe T. Mullen, John Cope, John Llewellyn Moxey, John Radziwill, Jonathan Tapper, Katia Bede, Linda Faria Savastino, Lisa Gunning, Louise Jaffe (Herb Ross’s niece), Mandolyna Theodoracopulos (Taki’s daughter), Marguerite Joy Savastano (Mannie’s grandchild, Linda’s daughter), Marta Sgubin, Mary Barelli Gallagher, Mary Leventhal, Maude S. Davis, Maya Auchincloss, and Michael Okowita.

  ORAL HISTORIES

  I utilized many oral histories in the writing of this book, again most provided by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. Without exaggeration, hundreds of thousands of pages of material have been archived by the library, which is so invaluable to researchers and historians such as myself. When I wrote Jackie, Ethel, Joan back in 1998, I actually had to go to the library and sit there for weeks looking for nuggets of information. Today much of the material is online—not the special collections, though (maybe one day!)—and available at jfklibrary.org.

  I want to thank the following staff members of the JFK Library who assisted me and my researchers with oral histories: William Johnson, Ron Whealon, June Payne, Maura Porter, Susan D’Entrement, Kyoko Yamamoto, Allen Goodrich, and James Hill.

  As I do with all of my Kennedy-related books, I must also acknowledge David Powers, former special assistant to President John F. Kennedy, the first curator of the JFK Library. I was lucky enough to interview him back on January 11, 1996, and a lot of that material is used in this book, if only for background. Certainly, no mention of the JFK Library is complete without a nod to Mr. Powers, who died in March 1998 at the age of eighty-five.

  I am also grateful to Marianne Masterson and Delores DeMann for assisting me in the reading and analyzing of these many transcripts.

  See the specific “Sources and Other Notes” section below for how the oral histories were utilized.

  A WORD ABOUT JAMIE AUCHINCLOSS

  James Lee Auchincloss is the only son of Janet Auchincloss and Hugh D. Auchincloss, half brother of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill. Given his firsthand proximity to the story, there is simply no way to write a book about Jackie, Janet, and Lee—his mother and his sisters (and he never refers to Jackie and Lee as “halfs,” by the way)—without his assistance and cooperation.

  In 2009, twenty years after the death of his mother, Jamie got in trouble with the law after admitting to possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to thirty days in jail and three years’ probation.

  It’s my view that this unfortunate turn in Jamie’s life in no way impacts his standing in history or his memories of growing up with his parents, Janet and Hugh, and siblings—Jackie, Lee, Janet Jr., Nini, Tommy, and Yusha—or his brothers-in-law, Jack, Bobby, and Ted Kennedy. The times I spent with Jamie were memorable; I appreciate him so much. He also provided many photographs for this book.

  Jamie paid his debt to society. Today he spends much of his time researching his family as well as the families of other presidents of the United States at presidential libraries across the nation. He also gives lectures on American history.

  James Lee Auchincloss was interviewed more than forty times for this book. Since he has never written his own memoir, I feel honored that he saw fit to share so many details of his life and times with me for this work. Rather than list the dates of his interviews in these source notes, it’s more expedient to clarify here the dates of the ones that provided the most information: May 18, 2016; May 19, 2016; May 22, 2016; May 26, 2016; May 27, 2016; June 12, 2016; June 14, 2016; June 19, 2016; September 7, 2016; September 9, 2016; and December 2, 2016.

  CATHY GRIFFIN

  I am extremely fortunate to have been associated with the same private investigator and chief researcher for the last twenty-eight years, Cathy Griffin. As always, for this book, Cathy managed to locate people who had never before talked about the Auchinclosses, Bouviers, and Kennedys and then conducted many interviews with each of them, going back to them repeatedly for the sake of detail and accuracy. Since Cathy was also the primary researcher on Jackie, Ethel, Joan and After Camelot, she has a great grasp of the subject matter and was able to hit the ground running with Jackie, Janet & Lee. Though I have expressed as much to her many times over the years, I just want to once again go on record as saying that not only is Cathy the ultimate professional in every way, but she is also a close and valuable friend. Long after we are gone from this earth, the work she has done on all of my books will stand as testimony to how much she cares not only about me and my work, but also about the very people who trust us to tell their stories. In all of the years I have been publishing books, I have never had a disgruntled source, and that’s largely due to the respect Cathy shows each and every one of them. So, again, I thank her.

  SOURCES AND OTHER NOTES

  Prologue

  Jackie’s dinner for Lee at the White House and Janet, Jackie, and Lee in the Oval Office:

  Interviews: Adora Rule, August 1, 2016; Oatsie Charles, May 5, 1998, October 18, 2016; Ben Bradlee, October 1, 1995; Philip Geyelin, March 1, 1998; Oleg Cassini, June 5, 1998, March 5, 2004.

  Documents: File: “March 15, 1961 Private Dinner,” JFK Library, including photographs, menu
s, planned and finalized guest lists, correspondence (from Janet Auchincloss) and other research material.

  Volumes: Designing Camelot by James A. Abbott and Elaine M. Rice; In the Kennedy Style by Letitia Baldrige; The Kennedy White House by Carl Sferrazza Anthony; Life in Camelot—The Kennedy Years by Life magazine.

  Oral Histories: Janet Auchincloss/JFK Library (September 5, 1964, September 6, 1964); Letitia Baldrige/JFK Library.

  Note: For years, it’s been said that on this night in question, March 15, 1961, Stas was not able to be at Lee’s side, as planned. Oleg Cassini told me in an interview that he was a stand-in for the prince, whose transatlantic flight was delayed by bad weather. Cassini’s presence at Lee’s side was a little ironic because he and the prince looked so much alike they could have been brothers. In fact, later in the evening, a large poster of the two posing side by side would be produced by the President and displayed to the guests as a joke. “Here’s to Stas,” Jack said, raising his glass to the poster, “wherever you are. And to Oleg, who stands here in your place.” Oleg repeated this story in his book, A Thousand Days of Magic. In fact, though, the JFK Library, in our research into the evening of March 15, helped us determine that the night Oleg refers to in which he stood in for Stas was actually February 9, 1962, at a dinner given in the State Dining Room in honor of Jack’s sister Jean and her husband, Stephen Smith. (In Oleg’s defense, there are certainly worse things than getting your White House state dinners mixed up because you’ve attended so many of them!)

  Part One: The Beginning