A Secret or a Fantasy?
It's been over 48 years since the death of President John F. Kennedy, but according to New York Post reporter Cynthia Fagen, the reports of JFK's dalliances haven't stopped. In a story that was printed in the February 5th edition of her paper, Ms. Fagen alleges that Kennedy had an 18 month affair with 19 year old White House intern Mimi Alford.
Ms. Fagen writes "She always called him Mr. President — not Jack. He refused to kiss her on the lips when they made love." Mimi Alford has written what Ms. Fagen calles an "explosive new tell-all" called Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath.
Mimi Alford is now a 69-year-old grandmother and retired New York City church administrator. According to the allegations, in the summer of 1962, Alford was a slender, golden-haired 19-year-old debutante who had landed a job in the White House press office. She alleges that four days into her internship, she was invited by an aide to go for a midday swim in the White House pool, where the president swam daily to ease his chronic back pain. After a brief conversation in the pool, she was invited by Dave Powers to an after-work party. When she arrived at the White House residence, Powers and two other young female staffers were waiting. At the party Kennedy invited her for a personal private tour. It was then that she alleges the two had their first sexual encounter.
According to the author “I was in shock,” she writes. “He, on the other hand, was matter-of-fact, and acted as if what had just occurred was the most natural thing in the world.” He called a car to come pick her up and take her home. “The fact that I was being desired by the most famous and powerful man in America only amplified my feelings to the point where resistance was out of the question. That’s why I didn’t say no to the president. It’s the best answer I can give.” She would swim with the president at noon or at the end of the workday, race back to her desk and wait for a call to visit him upstairs.“The governing factor behind these calls, of course, was the presence — or, more accurately, the absence — of Mrs. Kennedy.”
The book is full of more anecdotes of the couple's escapades, some of which are described in the full article by Ms. Fagen which can be found here. When Ms. Alford returned to school in the fall, she says that Kennedy promised that he would call under the pseudonym “Michael Carter.” Within a week of her return to college, she claims that she got a call from Michael Carter. A car service would pick her up and drive her to the airport, where a paid ticket to DC would be waiting for her. Upon arrival, a chauffeur holding up a sign for Michael Carter would take her to the White House.
She says that she met Kennedy for the last time at The Carlyle hotel in Manhattan on Nov. 15, 1963, just seven days before his assassination in Dallas. The allegations in the book seem incredible, and certainly difficult if not impossible to corroborate given the amount of time that has passed since the events are supposed to have occurred. I'll be interested to see if the assertions are challenged or ignored. I don't think I'll bother to buy the book or even read it for that matter. Kiss and tell books don't much interest me, but I felt obliged to make mention of this book.
Ms. Fagen writes "She always called him Mr. President — not Jack. He refused to kiss her on the lips when they made love." Mimi Alford has written what Ms. Fagen calles an "explosive new tell-all" called Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy and Its Aftermath.
Mimi Alford is now a 69-year-old grandmother and retired New York City church administrator. According to the allegations, in the summer of 1962, Alford was a slender, golden-haired 19-year-old debutante who had landed a job in the White House press office. She alleges that four days into her internship, she was invited by an aide to go for a midday swim in the White House pool, where the president swam daily to ease his chronic back pain. After a brief conversation in the pool, she was invited by Dave Powers to an after-work party. When she arrived at the White House residence, Powers and two other young female staffers were waiting. At the party Kennedy invited her for a personal private tour. It was then that she alleges the two had their first sexual encounter.
According to the author “I was in shock,” she writes. “He, on the other hand, was matter-of-fact, and acted as if what had just occurred was the most natural thing in the world.” He called a car to come pick her up and take her home. “The fact that I was being desired by the most famous and powerful man in America only amplified my feelings to the point where resistance was out of the question. That’s why I didn’t say no to the president. It’s the best answer I can give.” She would swim with the president at noon or at the end of the workday, race back to her desk and wait for a call to visit him upstairs.“The governing factor behind these calls, of course, was the presence — or, more accurately, the absence — of Mrs. Kennedy.”
The book is full of more anecdotes of the couple's escapades, some of which are described in the full article by Ms. Fagen which can be found here. When Ms. Alford returned to school in the fall, she says that Kennedy promised that he would call under the pseudonym “Michael Carter.” Within a week of her return to college, she claims that she got a call from Michael Carter. A car service would pick her up and drive her to the airport, where a paid ticket to DC would be waiting for her. Upon arrival, a chauffeur holding up a sign for Michael Carter would take her to the White House.
She says that she met Kennedy for the last time at The Carlyle hotel in Manhattan on Nov. 15, 1963, just seven days before his assassination in Dallas. The allegations in the book seem incredible, and certainly difficult if not impossible to corroborate given the amount of time that has passed since the events are supposed to have occurred. I'll be interested to see if the assertions are challenged or ignored. I don't think I'll bother to buy the book or even read it for that matter. Kiss and tell books don't much interest me, but I felt obliged to make mention of this book.