Jackie Kennedy Diefenbaker
Jackie Kennedy Diefenbaker. U.S. President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jacqueline Kennedy were treated like royalty when they visited Canada in the spring of 1961 to help form a stronger alliance with their northern neighbour during the Cold War era, but audiotapes released this week reveal “painful” moments with Prime Minister John Diefenbaker.The eight hours of recordings created in 1964, when the fashion icon of the times sat down with historian and former White House aide Arthur Schlesinger Jr. just four months after the Nov. 22, 1963, assassination of the 35th U.S. president, were released this week as part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of John Kennedy’s first year in office.
The audio recordings released with the book Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy reveal a Jackie Kennedy that few outside her circle of friends and family knew.
During the Kennedys’ two-day visit to Canada, the president addressed Parliament, saying “Nothing is more vital than the unity of the United States and Canada,” and encouraging Canada to increase military co-operation in the Cold War era.
“Geography has made us neighbours; history has made us friends,” he said as Jackie Kennedy watched from the gallery, smiling and wearing her trademark pillbox hat.
But during a lunch with Diefenbaker, Jackie Kennedy suggests in the tapes that she was bored to tears listening to him.
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/14/jackie-kennedy-canada.html?cmp=rss“Geography has made us neighbours; history has made us friends,” he said as Jackie Kennedy watched from the gallery, smiling and wearing her trademark pillbox hat.
But during a lunch with Diefenbaker, Jackie Kennedy suggests in the tapes that she was bored to tears listening to him.
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