A sensational revelation in journalist and biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli’s new book JFK: Public, Private, Secret claims that former U.S. President John F. Kennedy pressured a woman he had an affair with to terminate her pregnancy. The book offers an in-depth look into the public and private life of America’s 35th president, reports Page Six.
The Affair and the Unequal Choice
The woman in question is Joan Lundberg, a flight attendant who began a relationship with Kennedy in 1956, when he was a Massachusetts senator already married to Jacqueline Kennedy.

Lundberg met Kennedy in California at age 23 while raising two children alone; Kennedy was 39. They quickly grew close. During this period, while Kennedy was in Italy, Jacqueline suffered the tragic stillbirth of their daughter Arabella. Despite this, Kennedy did not immediately return to his wife, reportedly prompting Jacqueline to consider divorce. However, she was persuaded to stay by Kennedy’s father, Joseph, who offered her a substantial sum.
“Mr. and Mrs. Thompson” and Secret Meetings

Upon returning to the U.S., Kennedy invited Lundberg to dinner at his sister Pat’s home with her husband, actor Peter Lawford. Joan recalled how Kennedy “lit up the room” and instantly drew everyone’s attention.

That same night, the couple stayed at a motel under the aliases “Mr. and Mrs. Robert Thompson.” Joan described their first night as “wild,” and over breakfast Kennedy confided his doubts, calling his marriage to Jacqueline a “contract marriage”: “It’s normal. Not great, but acceptable.”
Pregnancy and Pressure
Their relationship continued even as Kennedy’s presidential prospects grew. He met Joan secretly, sometimes flying to see her, and she reportedly pretended to be his sister Pat to avoid suspicion.

Everything changed in June 1958, when Lundberg told Kennedy she was pregnant. His reaction was harsh: “You can’t keep the baby. Politics is all I have. If they take this away from me...”

He sent her money — initially in an envelope that arrived empty, then via a wire transfer. According to Joan, she had an abortion the very next day. In her diary, she described Kennedy’s reaction as “furious”: “You’ve never heard so many swear words in Washington’s history.”
End of the Affair and Lasting Legacy

After the abortion, their relationship ended. Taraborrelli’s book highlights that despite Kennedy’s polished public image, he carried on numerous extramarital affairs, ranging from movie stars to ordinary women, including the well-known relationship with Marilyn Monroe.

Kennedy and Jacqueline later had two sons: John F. Kennedy Jr. and Patrick, who died two days after birth. President Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 at age 46. Jacqueline passed away in 1994.
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