First published 2002
Barbara Leaming draws on newly available American archives and British sources to reveal Jackie Kennedy's transformation from political unknown to influential figure. When John F. Kennedy won the presidency, few Americans knew his wife. By Dallas in November 1963, she had become a power in her own right. Leaming uncovers how Jackie's personal friendship with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan strengthened Anglo-American relations during the Cold War. The author publishes correspondence between Jackie and Macmillan for the first time, showing her diplomatic role behind the scenes. Leaming also examines the Kennedy marriage itself. She explores what Jackie knew about her husband's affairs and how their relationship actually functioned. The book offers readers both a fresh perspective on the President and an intimate portrait of the woman who shaped his public image and foreign policy in ways previously unknown.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, political-science, politics, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, power-dynamics, untold-story
Setting: America, Britain, Dallas, United States
Period: 1960s, Cold War
416 pages · Paperback · Orion Paperbacks