One of the books I am reading for my story about JFK and Inga Arvad is, seemingly aptly, titled “JFK: Reckless Youth.” The following is an excerpt not from that book but from another, “The Kennedy Men 1901-1963″ by Laurence Leamer.
At times Jack [Kennedy] treated the law like a petty hindrance that should not bother someone who carried the name Kennedy. Jack wrote Lem [his life-long friend] that he had “‘a rather unpleasant contact with a woman in a car who was such a shit that I gave her a lot of shit.” Euphemism is often a liar’s cloak, and Jack admitted to his friend that the woman had written the Registry of Motor Vehicles complaining that “I had leered at her after bumping her four or five times, which story has some truth although I didn’t know I was leering….Anyways they got me in and are sore at me.”
Jack had apparently become so angry that he had rammed into this woman’s car a number of times. When he was called to account for his deplorable act, he lied, telling the officers that he’d ”loaned my car out that night to some students.” Jack had given the police the name of one of these students – none other than his friend Lem. Now Lem was supposed to take the blame, saying “you’re sorry and realize you should not have done it.” Confession was good for the soul, even if it was a lie masquerading as honesty, as long as Jack did not have to take responsibility.
Fortunately he didn’t have to drive that damaged old car much longer. He bought a new one in 1940, a sweet-looking cactus green 1940 Buick Convertible, with red interior, in-dash AM radio and rear seat heaters, and a 107 HP engine to fly down those Long Island by-ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment