The Kennedy Men_ 1901-1963 - Laurence Leamer [477]
Jackie’s European sojourn had created headlines that might please a king, but not a democratic leader—” Mrs. Kennedy Aegean Island-Hopping,” “Jackie Follows Script as Hollywood Wrote It,” “Jackie Sails in Splendor.” Betty Beale, a Washington social columnist, reported that Jackie’s European trip had caused “complaints … to pour in from all quarters and it may hurt politically.” Marianne Means, a Hearst columnist and reporter, wrote: “During her nearly three years in the White House, she has consistently refused all invitations to appear with the president at political functions and most public events, outside the realm of the arts. She did not once accompany him last fall as he campaigned for Democratic congressmen up for reelection. And she has never traveled with him on any of his trips around the country.”
Jackie had a radiant popularity all her own that would help create the almost frenetic excitement that would translate into votes next November. In 1960 Kennedy’s advisers had thought Jackie might be a liability; in 1964, in a close campaign, she might prove a crucial asset.
Joe Kennedy had long ago taught his sons that time was the most precious of commodities, and the president filled every cranny of his life as richly as he could, even the short helicopter ride from the White House lawn to Andrews Air Force Base as he left for Texas. “Where’s John?” the president asked his wife’s maid, Provi, as he moved through the second floor looking for his son.
“Well, I don’t know,” Provi replied defensively. “It’s raining, and Miss Shaw does not want him to go.”
“Go down the hall and make sure he’s dressed,” the president ordered. “I want to take him with me.”
John Jr. trudged toward his father wearing a raincoat and a sou’wester rain hat. The president hated hats, but he donned one for a moment as he and little John ran out in the rain to the helipad where three helicopters sat waiting. John Jr. would not be going on the long trip west, but spending time with his son was one of the president’s pure delights, even on the short hop to Andrews Air Force Base. The president could bid an especially happy good-bye to his son since, upon his return, on November 25, they would be celebrating his namesake’s third birthday.
Kennedy was relieved that Jackie was going with him, but as he sat in the helicopter waiting for her to arrive, he was once again reminded of a woman’s prerogative to be late even if her husband was the president of the United States. His son was with him but he beat out a tattoo with his fingers on his leg, while his aides scurried back into the White House to attempt to hurry his wife. As he sat waiting on her, he apparently knew that on his return he had the most onerous and difficult of duties: to deal with the question of O’Donnell and O’Brien’s possible corruption. There were rumors in the White House that he was going to fire the two when he returned from Texas. That may not have been true, and while some former staff members are convinced that the men were fully culpable, others are not so sure. Still others who knew them outside the White House say that it was impossible that they would have sought financial benefits for themselves. Whether their still-loyal friends are correct, the matter had finally to be faced by a president who abhorred such confrontations and personal dealings.
Jackie finally arrived, and the craft rose up off the manicured lawn to fly southeast to Andrews Air Force Base. Below, the city appeared an exquisite rendering of geometric shapes. From the obelisk-shaped tower of the Washington Monument