It's not only John F. Kennedy's assassination that holds so much mystery but the details of his life in and out of the Oval Office were shrouded in mystery and filled with speculation. Of course, who else would shed light on the matter but Kennedy himself courtesy of the secret tape recordings he documented himself.
On Oct. 6, historian Timothy Naftali uncovered in a meeting at the New York University that much of Kennedy's life and legacy were heavily amended by his wife, Jackie Kennedy, and brother, Robert Kennedy. The purpose of their actions was to present the late president as more charismatic than how he truly was.
Kennedy "wanted to be liked," Naftali explained. The president was against the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in 1961 but believed he needed to prove himself and his opposition of Fidel Castro, hence the order was given. Likewise, Kennedy's enthusiasm about going to the moon is said to be an act. One of his personal recordings revealed that, when he met with NASA administrator James Webb, he bluntly told him that his interest lay on beating the Russians and not in space itself.
After his death in 1963, Kennedy's family set to work covering up the unpleasant parts of his career such as the president's flaws, affairs and tendency to be too cautious. However, according to the records Naftali examined, the alleged affair with 19-year-old intern Mimi Beardsley is verified, especially when linked with Beardsley's memoir.
Naftali also touched on the president's problematic relationship with his vice president who had been dragged into a corruption scandal at the time. "I think Kennedy wanted LBJ to retire off the ticket," Naftali speculated.
Naftali said he went over conspiracies surrounding the 35th President and, while some aligned, others could still not be determined.
The National Archives plans to release more of the JFK declassified files by 2017.
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