Jackie O hated Luther King and his orgies

It has been revealed that former first lady Jackie Kennedy hated Martin Luther King and called the leader a ‘terrible man” and “phoney”.

An interview taped between Mrs Kennedy and Arthur Schlesinger, a historian and Kennedy aide in 1964, has revealed that she was disgusted over the black civil leader’s claims of having been drunk during the assassinated President’s funeral.

“I just can’t see a picture of Martin Luther King without thinking, you know, that man’s terrible,” the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

The late wife of former US President also said that her brother-in-law Robert told her that King made disparaging remarks about JFK at the funeral and Cardinal Richard Cushing, who delivered the eulogy.

“He made fun of Cardinal Cushing and said that he was drunk at it [the funeral] – and things about they almost dropped the coffin. I mean Martin Luther King is really a tricky person,” she stated.

Mrs Kennedy said that her view of King was formed after being told of secret FBI wiretaps which showed him trying to organise a sex party before he attended the March on Washington in August 1963, at which he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

Caroline Kennedy, their daughter has allowed the tapes to be released to ABC in return for their cancelling the mini series about the family and the release is timed to mark the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy-era administration, where the White House came to be known as “Camelot”.

Seven conversation between Mrs Kennedy and the historian also revealed that JFK was worried about the then vice-president Lyndon Johnson succeeding him that he schemed with his brother Robert to stop it from happening.

First Published: Sep 10, 2011 17:10 IST