The Secret Letters of Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy (21 page)

M
ARILYN
M
ONROE

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 14, 1962

Dear
J,

Thank you so much for your lovely letter and great advice. Knowing that you will he watching and applauding will make it so much easier for me to sing to the President in front of so many millions of people. I was
so
nervous, but now that you have told me how to handle everything and are rooting for me, I think I will be fine. M
ore
than fine, I hope. I want to be wonderful.

I’ve already arranged a fitting with Jean-Louis, telling him I want flesh with diamonds. Thank you for a wonderful idea. Like I said before, I really want JC to be pea green with envy. Mr. G, though, won’t mind, because by now he knows how much I love him and that I would never ever be interested in any other man.

I want to be wonderful for all the people, for the President, and for you. Now that you’ve told me to “act sexy”
—
and I don’t mind you quoting Sir Olivier, because I know you mean the best for me—I
will feel right being that way in front of the President of the United States. And if anyone asks me why I was so sexy, I can say, “Because the First Lady told me to be!”

Thank you again for being so very kind to me and helping me to do the right thing for the ‘President and for the country.

See you on May 19!

Love,

M

Marilyn Monroe

Madison Square Garden

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 19, 1962

Dear Jackie,

I’ve just got off the stage and I can’t believe you weren’t in the audience, with Jack.

I did everything you said, was everything you said, but you weren’t there to see me. Peter said you were away riding, but I don’t believe him.
*
I don’t know what to believe. Now he is banging on the door, ready to take me to the party, but I don’t want to go. I just want to know the truth.

M

__________________________

*
Jackie was, indeed, spending the day of the birthday party riding. She and Caroline attended the Loudon County Horse Show in Glen Ora, Virginia.

Marilyn sang “Happy Birthday” before 17,000 Democrats and a huge assortment of stars who had gathered to fund JFK’s upcoming presidential campaign. Marilyn also paid the $1,000 admission price. The evening’s entertainment included Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Henry Fonda, Maria Callas, Harry Belafonte, and Jack Benny.

Marilyn was sheathed in a sheer flesh-colored gown shimmering with hand-sewn rhinestones, designed by Jean-Louis. Marilyn worked very closely with the designer, whose brief was to “make this a dress that only Marilyn Monroe would dare to wear.” The $12,000 dress did precisely
that. When the spotlights hit Marilyn, the silk became almost transparent and she looked as though she were glistening and nude.

Marilyn sang the first verse of “Happy Birthday” and then waved her arms to encourage the audience to sing along for a reprise as a six-foot cake with forty-five oversize candles was carried onstage by two chefs.

M
ARILYN
M
ONROE

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 20, 1962

Dear Jackie,

The President hated every single second of my performance, I just know it. In public, he thanked me for singing in “such a sweet and wholesome way,” but I know I wasn’t sweet or wholesome. You told me not to be. The President was just acting. He
was acting at the party afterwards, when he thanked me, acting, acting, acting. Acting all the time, nothing but acting. Acting and lies. Lies and acting. Only I’m the actress and he’s the President. A cat may look at a king and an actress can sing to a President. Especially if the President’s wife says so.

The President was acting onstage, acting at the party, acting all the time. He didn’t think I was wonderful. He said I was sweet and wholesome, but I wasn’t. He said that to make a fool out of me. He didn’t think I was sweet and wholesome, he thought I was a tramp, a nothing. Perhaps I was. Perhaps I am.

Dorothy Kilgallen wrote that “it seemed like Marilyn Monroe was making love to the President in direct view of 40
million Americans.” That isn’t true. Marilyn Monroe doesn’t need to make love to the President in direct view of 40
million Americans,
or
any other way, for that matter. I
wasn’t making love to him. I was doing what you told me to. I was singing the way you said, the way you wanted. I was singing to him for the people.

I called Jack this morning to explain that none of it was my idea, none of it was me, but he wouldn’t take my call. I just don’t understand.

M

J
ACQUELINE
K
ENNEDY

THE WHITE HOUSE

Marilyn Monroe

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

May 23, 1962

Dear Marilyn,

I am sorry you were so traumatized by Jack’s reaction to your appearance at his birthday party. I think he was just unprepared for the sexually charged nature of your performance, but afterwards probably realized that your performance was motivated by your open-hearted desire to please him and that you did it out of love and that your intentions were both honorable and patriotic.

It goes without saying that I am sorry that I unwittingly led you astray. My advice to you was based on what I believed to be my knowledge of Jack, his tastes, and what I thought would entertain him on his birthday. I now realize my mistake and hope you will accept my profound apologies.

You and I share so many very happy years of corresponding together and life is far too short—as they rightly say. So let’s just put the birthday party behind us and continue our warm and happy friendship.

Love, as ever,

Jackie

M
ARILYN
M
ONROE

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 20, 1962

Dear Jackie,

Your letter made me so happy. Very little does right now, so I am glad. I am having a rough time with
Something’s Got to Give
. Some of it isn’t that terrible, though. Today I did a nude scene, and didn’t look bad for thirty-six either. Also had to do a scene with a Swedish accent, and imitated our friend Greta!

But back to the birthday party
—lots
of people have been very kind and friendly to me about my song
—
but I still feel kind of strange that the President hasn’t said anything nice to me about it. It would be lovely if you could ask him to call me, just for a second, so he could tell me what he really thought, now that he has had the time to think about it. Perhaps if you are there when he calls, we can talk afterwards.

I guess another thing you could do, if you want, is to tell him that you advised me to act so sexy onstage. But if you did, you would have to tell him all about our letters, then maybe he would want to read them, and I don’t remember everything I wrote, so perhaps that isn’t a good idea.

But
when he calls me, everything will work out anyway.

Love,

Marilyn

WESTERN UNION TELEGRAM

M
ARILYN
M
ONROE

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 29, 1962

Dear
Jackie,

He still didn’t call. You must have told him to call, but he hasn’t. Will he ever forgive me? Please
try and explain to him that I did what I did because you told me to. Please don’t let him put me in prison for a crime I didn’t commit. Please tell, him that I love and honor my President and my country more than ever.

Love,

Marilyn

M
ARILYN
M
ONROE

12305 Fifth Helena Drive

Brentwood, California

Jackie Kennedy

The White House

May 31, 1962

Dear Jackie,

Please call the moment you get my letter, and get Jack to as well. I must know that things are OK between us all or I’ll go crazy. I love you both.

Marilyn