BBC Learning English
Words in the News
16
th
September 2011
Interview reveals Jackie's inner thoughts
Words in the News
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
An interview given by the late Jacqueline Kennedy shortly after her husband President
Kennedy was assassinated has been made public. The audio tapes reveal some of the dislikes
of America's most famous First Lady. The BBC's Rajesh Mirchandani reports:
In the eight hours of relaxed chat between Jacqueline Kennedy and an historian some candid
moments reveal strong opinions of world figures.
Churchill in the fifties she says was already quite ga-ga, civil rights leader Martin Luther
King was ''a tricky person'', Indira Gandhi, before she became India's first prime minister,
was to Mrs Kennedy ''a bitter, horrible woman''.
The tapes include plenty of tender family moments, at one point three-year-old John Kennedy
Junior interrupts, the interviewer asks if he knows what happened to his father. He's gone to
heaven the young child answers.
What's most remarkable is that these recordings were made just four months after JFK was
assassinated. Until her death in 1994 Jacqueline Kennedy stayed silent about her celebrated
life. Now we have a rare glimpse in her own words.
Rajesh Mirchandani, BBC News
