JACQUELINE KENNEDY, HISTORIC CONVERSATIONS: SEVENTH CONVERSATION I
Knoxville, Tennessee (JFK+50) Today JFK+50 begins our report on the seventh conversation from "Jacqueline Kennedy, Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy," published by Hyperion.
The seventh conversation was recorded on June 3, 1964.
Jacqueline Kennedy talks about the meeting between JFK & British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in December 1962.
Mrs. Kennedy says:
"First, they met in Nassau because Jack....wouldn't meet in Bermuda again because there was no hot water for the bath (in the governor's house)."
In reference to the SKYBOLT* issue, Mrs. Kennedy says:
"(Jack) was just crushed because (the meeting) had gone so beautifully. They were both just sick about it.
I remember Jack being really mad (but) they had a good time....(Jack & Macmillan) always managed to have their jokes, even though they were tinged with despair a bit."
*In the Nassau Agreement (December 22, 1962) JFK & Macmillan announced the formation of a multilateral NATO nuclear force.
The Skybolt missile system, to be fired from large bombers & originally offered to the British by President Eisenhower in 1960, would be replaced by U.S. produced 2 stage Polaris solid rockets designed to be fired from British-built submarines.
While the Polaris missiles were less powerful, they were also less vulnerable than Skybolt. In addition, early launch tests of Skybolt were failures.
Polaris SLBM
Cape Canaveral, Florida
