What Happened When Jackie Kennedy Answered the Phone After Marilyn Monroe Rang To Speak to JFK

Jackie Kennedy allegedly once intercepted a phone call from Marilyn Monroe that was intended for her husband, John F. Kennedy. According to a new biography — Jackie: Public, Private, Secret by J. Randy Taraborrelli available on July 18 — the then-First Lady was at the Kennedy’s vacation compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, when a breathy voice appeared on the other end of the house phone.

JFK’s much-talked-about affairs have been the subject of scrutiny for decades. Taraborrelli quotes Senator George Smathers who, in 1999, said Presidents Truman and Nixon were the only two of the 11 presidents he knew who were “totally one hundred percent faithful to their wives.” He continued: “Jackie knew that too. She dealt with it.” However, Taraborrelli claims the Marilyn rumors impacted Jackie in a way her husband’s other dalliances had not.

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Taraborrelli writes that, in spite of the many rumors, JFK never had a full-blown affair with the Some Like It Hot actress. He claims they were only together sexually for one weekend on March 24, 1962 at Bing Crosby’s Palm Springs home. Taraborrelli quotes Smathers who claimed JFK “thought [Marilyn] was beautiful, but maybe not the smartest girl in the world. He liked her sense of humor and her playfulness.”

According to the book, it was a telegram from Jackie — who demanded JFK arrange a New York veterinarian examine a horse presented to her by the president of Pakistan on a recent trip — that brought his weekend with Marilyn to a sudden close. However, a month later, the actress allegedly tried to reach out to the President once again. The book recounts the phone call: “‘Is Jack home?'” Jackie said he wasn’t home and asked who was calling. ‘Marilyn Monroe,’ came back the answer. ‘Is this Jackie?’ she asked.” According to the book, Jackie confirmed and Marilyn asked her to tell JFK she had called. When Jackie asked about the purpose of the call, Marilyn allegedly said she just wanted to say hello. Taraborrelli says that, according to family members, this was the only time Jackie and Marilyn ever spoke.

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Taraborrelli says Jackie found the call “off-putting” and noted that the voice was “haunting and sad and had an ethereal, little-girl-lost quality.” Prior to the phone call, Jackie had only heard whisperings of her husband’s fling with Marilyn but wasn’t sure if she believed it, according to the book. Jackie’s sister, Lee, allegedly reported that she had heard the actress was actually having a romance with Bobby Kennedy, JFK’s brother. Either way, Jackie reportedly told her husband to cease contact with Marilyn after hearing a rumor that she was addicted to certain medications and was seeking mental health help. “Jack’s response was that he and the actress were just friends but, still, he agreed,” Taraborrelli writes.

After the call, Jackie was allegedly unsure if it was a prank or the real deal. It had been made directly to the bedroom she shared with JFK, the only phone that wasn’t monitored by Secret Service agents. Jackie’s parents and a few members of the Kennedy family were the only people with the number but Jackie felt it seemed unlikely Jack would give it to Marilyn. According to the book, she even asked her mother to quiz her teenage brother, Jamie, about the call in case it was one of his pranks. Jamie Auchincloss is quoted in the book as saying: “I can assure you, never did I imitate Marilyn Monroe to play a joke on my sister, though that does sound like something my fourteen-year-old self might’ve done.”

Still, Jackie relayed the message to Jack who insisted it had been a crank call, according to the book, but she remained skeptical and wondered if she had indeed talked to the woman whose supposed link to her husband would go on to be debated for decades.

“Jackie: Public, Private, Secret” by J. Randy Taraborrelli

Price: $31.50

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This latest biography of the iconic First Lady contradicts claims made in a previous one, These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack with Jackie by Christopher Andersen. Andersen seconds Taraborrelli’s claim that JFK’s fling with Marilyn impacted Jackie more than the others but he has a different account of the supposed phone call. According to Andersen, Marilyn called Jackie to confess her affair and relayed JFK’s alleged plan to leave Jackie for her. Jackie allegedly quipped back: “Marilyn, you’ll marry Jack, that’s great… And you’ll move into the White House and you’ll assume the responsibilities of First Lady, and I’ll move out and you’ll have all the problems.”

Before you go, click here to see photos of JFK and Jackie O.’s grown-up grandkids.

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