>> HE HAS THE NAME, HE HAS THE CHARISMA, AND HE HAS THE MYSTIQUE. >> OVER A QUARTER CENTURY AGO, MY FATHER STOOD BEFORE YOU... >> THE GALLANT LITTLE BOY SALUTING HIS FATHER IN A FAREWELL-- IT WAS VERY MOVING. >> HE WAS OUR BEST-SELLING "SEXIEST MAN ALIVE" EVER. >> OUR GENERATION'S MOST SHINING LIGHT HAS BEEN EXTINGUISHED TOO SOON. >> THE KENNEDY CURSE IS TO BLAME FOR THIS TRAGEDY. >> JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., NOW ON <i> BIOGRAPHY.</i> <font color="#FFFF00"> Captioning sponsored by</font> <font color="#FFFF00"> A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS</font> Captioned by <font color="#00FFFF"> Media Access Group at WGBH</font> access.wgbh.org >> Narrator: IN HIS 38 YEARS, THERE WAS NEVER A TIME THAT JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., WASN'T FAMOUS. THE WHOLE WORLD, IT WAS SAID, KNEW HIS NAME BEFORE HE DID. >> WHO CAN EVEN BEGIN TO IDENTIFY WITH THAT? FROM EVERY WAKING MOMENT FROM THE DAY HE WAS BORN, HE HAS BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT. >> Narrator: HE WAS ONLY THREE WHEN HE GAVE THE WORLD ITS MOST VIVID MEMORY OF HIM. >> THAT LITTLE PICTURE OF THAT LITTLE KID SALUTING, IT'S IN THE AMERICAN GENETIC CODE AT THIS POINT. >> Narrator: BUT THE THOUSAND DAYS OF JOHN AND HIS FAMILY IN THE WHITE HOUSE JUST WEREN'T ENOUGH. EVERYONE WANTED MORE MEMORIES OF HIM, AND SO HE GREW UP BEFORE OUR EYES, WHETHER HE LIKED IT OR NOT. >> MOST PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO GO THROUGH LIFE WITH THE FRAILTIES OF THEIR LIFE NOT BEING DISPLAYED, AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR HIM, IT SOMETIMES MAKES FRONT COVERS OF THE PAPER, AND THAT'S... YOU KNOW, THAT'S TOUGH. MUCH TO HIS CREDIT, HE HASN'T REALLY ALTERED HIS LIFE AS A RESULT OF WHAT HE THINKS THE MEDIA ATTENTION WILL BE. >> Narrator: IF ANYTHING, JOHN BECAME MORE FAMOUS, ESPECIALLY AFTER<i> PEOPLE</i> MAGAZINE DECLARED HIM THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE. >> AND HE WAS OUR BEST-SELLING "SEXIEST MAN ALIVE" EVER. HE'S KIND OF AN AMERICAN PRINCE. HE'S SORT OF THE CLOSEST THING WE HAVE TO ROYALTY. >> Narrator: HE CRINGED AT HEARING THINGS LIKE THAT BUT LEARNED TO LIVE WITH THEM. >> ARE WE GOING TO SEE YOU GO INTO POLITICS? >> WELL, IT'S SOMETHING THAT... NOT TODAY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER SAY NEVER. >> WHENEVER WE ASKED HIM THAT QUESTIONS, WHAT WILL YOU BE, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE, HE USED TO SAY, "OH, SHUT UP, YOU KNOW. I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT KIND OF STUFF." >> Narrator: IT TOOK HIM TO HIS MID 30s TO FINALLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION TO HIS SATISFACTION... >> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MEET <i> GEORGE.</i> >> Narrator: ...EDITING AND PUBLISHING A MAGAZINE ABOUT POLITICS. HE ALSO FELL IN LOVE AND GOT MARRIED. CAROLYN BESSETTE BECAME THE ENVY OF WOMEN EVERYWHERE. >> I THINK SOME WOMEN DID FEEL THAT, "OH, NO, HE'S TAKEN." AND IT IS A BIT LIKE A CINDERELLA STORY, THAT SHE WAS DISCOVERED AND SWEPT OFF HER FEET BY THIS WONDERFUL MAN. >> Narrator: AND AS KENNEDY HISTORIAN LAWRENCE LEAMER REVEALS IN HIS MOST RECENT BOOK, JOHN WAS FINALLY THINKING OF TAKING THE PLUNGE INTO NATIONAL POLITICS. >> HE WANTED TO RUN FOR THE SENATE IN 2000. HE WAS VERY UPSET THAT HILARY CLINTON DECIDED TO COME TO NEW YORK, AND HE WAS TOO MUCH OF A GENTLEMAN TO GO AGAINST HER. >> Narrator: BUT IN THE END, IT SEEMED JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., COULDN'T ESCAPE A TRAGIC FATE THAT SOME CALLED A FAMILY CURSE. >> WE ALL FELT THAT SOMEHOW JOHN WAS EXEMPT FROM THE KENNEDY CURSE BECAUSE THE IMAGE WE HAD OF JOHN WAS OF A DOWN-TO-EARTH, REGULAR GUY. WHAT WE FOUND OUT AFTERWARD WAS THAT HE HAD A LOT OF THE KENNEDY RECKLESSNESS. >> Narrator: YET ACCORDING TO HIS FRIENDS, ALL THE TALK OF A KENNEDY CURSE OR THE KENNEDY MYSTIQUE WAS SOMETHING JOHN HIMSELF NEVER SPOKE ABOUT. >> HIS ANSWER IS THAT "TO YOU THIS MAY SEEM LIKE HISTORY OR MYSTIQUE OR WHATEVER, BUT THIS IS MY FATHER, MY MOTHER, MY SISTER; THIS IS MY FAMILY." >> Narrator: FROM THE MOMENT THEY WERE MARRIED IN 1953, JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR.'S, PARENTS WERE THE MOST STUNNING-LOOKING COUPLE IN POLITICS. >> FOR THE SPECTATORS OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, IT'S A REAL STORYBOOK WEDDING-- A RADIANT BRIDE, THE FORMER JACQUELINE BOUVIER, AND A HANDSOME GROOM. WITH A PRETTY WIFE AND A POLITICALLY RISING STAR, THE FUTURE SEEMS BRIGHT FOR THE JUNIOR SENATOR FROM MASSACHUSETTS. >> Narrator: WHILE POLITICS CAME EASY FOR JACK KENNEDY, PARENTHOOD DID NOT. JACQUELINE KENNEDY SUFFERED A MISCARRIAGE AND A STILLBIRTH BEFORE THEIR DAUGHTER CAROLINE WAS BORN IN 1957. EARLY IN THE 1960 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, JACKIE BECAME PREGNANT AGAIN, BUT THAT DIDN'T KEEP HER OFF THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL. (<i> Jackie speaking Italian</i> ) (<i> cheering and applause</i> ) >> Narrator: JOHN F. KENNEDY WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. >> SO NOW MY WIFE AND I PREPARE FOR A NEW ADMINISTRATION AND FOR A NEW BABY. THANK YOU. >> Narrator: JUST TWO AND A HALF WEEKS LATER, ON NOVEMBER 25, 1960, JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., WAS BORN AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL. HIS FATHER GOT THE NEWS WHILE ON A PLANE TO WASHINGTON WITH CAROLINE, AND HE IMMEDIATELY RUSHED TO JACKIE'S BEDSIDE. >> HOW IS YOUR WIFE, SIR? >> SHE'S VERY WELL. SHE'S FINE. >> AND THE BABY? >> VERY GOOD INDEED. WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL FOR THEM BOTH BEING SO WELL. >> THE CARDS POURED IN, THE FLOWERS AND SO FORTH, AND MRS. KENNEDY STAYED IN THE HOSPITAL A LITTLE LONGER THAN USUAL. >> Narrator: THE REASON WAS THAT JOHN HAD BEEN BORN WITH A MINOR LUNG DISEASE THAT KEPT HIM IN AN INCUBATOR FOR SEVERAL DAYS. HE WAS BAPTIZED IN THE HOSPITAL CHAPEL ON DECEMBER 8 IN THE SAME CHRISTENING GOWN HIS FATHER HAD WORN AT HIS BAPTISM IN 1917. >> I, JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR... >> THAT YOU WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. >> ...THAT I WILL FAITHFULLY EXECUTE THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. >> Narrator: WHEN PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S INAUGURATION TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 20, 1961, BABY JOHN AND CAROLINE WERE LEFT BEHIND AT THE KENNEDY COMPOUND IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, BUT THEY WERE NOT OUT OF SIGHT FOR LONG. JOHN WAS THE FIRST BABY IN THE WHITE HOUSE SINCE GROVER CLEVELAND'S DAUGHTER IN 1893, AND ALL AMERICA FELL IN LOVE WITH THE NEW FIRST FAMILY. THE COUNTRY COULD NOT GET ENOUGH OF YOUNG JOHN AND HIS SISTER, AND THE PRESIDENT WAS DELIGHTED TO PLAY THE PROUD FATHER. DUE TO HIS FATHER'S FREQUENT TRIPS ON STATE BUSINESS, JOHN DEVELOPED A FASCINATION WITH ALL KINDS OF AIRPLANES, IN PARTICULAR HELICOPTERS. >> HE'D ALWAYS LOVED TO BE ON A HELICOPTER. HE ALWAYS CALLED THEM HEB-A- CHOPPERS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT BECAUSE HE COULDN'T SAY THINGS VERY WELL AS A TWO-YEAR-OLD. >> Narrator: OF COURSE, NOT EVERY TWO-YEAR-OLD GETS TO RIDE IN A HELICOPTER, AND JOHN'S MOTHER TRIED TO MAKE LIFE AS NORMAL AS POSSIBLE FOR HIM AND CAROLINE. JACKIE LIMITED OFFICIAL PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES, BUT THE PERSONAL SNAPSHOTS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE YEARS WERE NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER FAMILY'S-- CHRISTMAS EVE WITH STOCKINGS ON THE CHIMNEY, EASTER-EGG COLORING IN THE KITCHEN. EVEN AS PRESIDENT KENNEDY DEALT WITH THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS IN OCTOBER 1962, HE INTERRUPTED MEETINGS TO HELP CARVE A HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN WITH JOHN AND CAROLINE. LIKE ANY KID WHOSE DAD WORKS AT HOME, YOUNG JOHN LOVED TO POP INTO HIS FATHER'S OFFICE, AND THE VISITS WEREN'T ALWAYS WELCOME, LIKE THE TIME DADDY WAS GIVING A RADIO SPEECH. >><i> AND ITS COMPLEX PROBLEMS NEED</i> <i> THE KIND OF ATTENTION...</i> <i> WAIT A MINUTE, JOHN.</i> <i> WAIT A SEC.</i> <i> DON'T SAY ANYTHING, BECAUSE I</i> <i> GOT TO GIVE THIS SPEECH.</i> <i> CAN YOU SIT DOWN OVER THERE</i> <i> NOW, BE A GOOD BOY?</i> >><i> JOHN.</i> >><i> COME ON NOW, BE A GOOD BOY.</i> <i> JOHN.</i> >> Narrator: ON AUGUST 7, 1963, JACKIE GAVE BIRTH TO A THIRD CHILD, PATRICK BOUVIER KENNEDY. SADLY, PATRICK WAS BORN WITH A MORE SEVERE FORM OF THE SAME LUNG DISEASE THAT HAD AFFLICTED JOHN AT BIRTH. HE DIED TWO DAYS LATER. WITH HIS DEATH, JACKIE WITHDREW FROM PUBLIC LIFE FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. WHEN SHE WENT ON VACATION IN EUROPE, THE PRESIDENT TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER ABSENCE TO INDULGE HIS PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CHILDREN. >> PRESIDENT KENNEDY CALLED ME IN. HE SAYS, "THIS IS A GREAT CHANCE FOR US TO GET PICTURES OF THE KIDS BECAUSE SHE'S NOT GOING TO BE HERE." >> Narrator: EVEN JACKIE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE RESULTING PICTURES WERE PRICELESS. IN FACT, AS MUCH AS SHE DEMANDED WHAT PRIVACY SHE COULD FOR JOHN AND CAROLINE, SHE ALSO WANTED A THOROUGH RECORD OF THEIR CHILDHOOD YEARS. >> THE WHITE HOUSE PHONE WOULD RING, AND THE OPERATOR WOULD SAY, "PLEASE HOLD FOR MRS. KENNEDY." AND THEN SHE COMES ON THE PHONE, SAYS, "CAPTAIN..." >> Narrator: IT WAS ARMY SIGNAL CORPS CAPTAIN CECIL STOUGHTON, ASSIGNED AS THE PRESIDENT'S PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHER, WHOM JACKIE SUMMONED TO TAKE THESE HOME MOVIES OF A FAMILY WEEKEND IN VIRGINIA IN MID NOVEMBER 1963. JOHN PLAYED WITH THE DOGS AND WALKED WITH HIS SISTER IN THE WOODS THAT SUNDAY. THE PRESIDENT TRIED TO GIVE HIS LEFT-HANDED SON A GOLF LESSON. LIKE SO MANY BOYS THEN, JOHN LOVED PLAYING SOLDIER AND MARCHING AROUND WITH HIS TOY GUN AND TINY ARMY HELMET. IT WAS A WONDERFUL WEEKEND. OF COURSE, JOHN AND CAROLINE COULDN'T ALWAYS GO ON TRIPS WITH THEIR PARENTS, ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS FOR BUSINESS, LIKE THAT TRIP ON NOVEMBER 21. WHILE JOHN AND HIS SISTER STAYED BEHIND WITH THEIR NANNY AT THE WHITE HOUSE, THEIR FATHER AND MOTHER WERE OFF TO SAN ANTONIO, FORT WORTH, AND DALLAS, TEXAS. (<i> gunfire</i> ) >> FROM DALLAS, TEXAS, THE FLASH APPARENTLY OFFICIAL, PRESIDENT KENNEDY DIED AT 1:00 P.M. CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, 2:00 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, SOME 38 MINUTES AGO. >> Narrator: AS THE NATION REELED WITH SHOCK AND DISBELIEF AT THE NEWS THAT THEIR VIBRANT YOUNG PRESIDENT HAD BEEN SHOT BY AN ASSASSIN, IT WAS NAP TIME IN THE WHITE HOUSE FOR HIS YOUNG SON AND DAUGHTER. A SHORT TIME LATER, WHILE JACKIE STOOD BY FOR LYNDON JOHNSON'S SWEARING IN ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, JOHN AND CAROLINE WERE BUNDLED OFF ACROSS TOWN TO THE HOME OF JACKIE'S MOTHER, JANET AUCHINCLOSS. IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING, AND WHEN JACKIE LEARNED OF THEIR WHEREABOUTS, SHE SENT WORD FROM THE PLANE THAT THEY WERE TO RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE. THERE, CAROLINE, JUST A WEEK SHY OF HER SIXTH BIRTHDAY, WAS TOLD BY THE NANNY THAT HER FATHER HAD GONE TO JOIN BABY PATRICK IN HEAVEN. THE PRESIDENT'S BROTHER BOBBY KENNEDY MET JACKIE WHEN AIR FORCE ONE LANDED IN WASHINGTON. LATER THAT EVENING, IT FELL TO HIM TO TELL YOUNG JOHN HIS FATHER HAD DIED. PRESIDENT KENNEDY WAS BURIED ON JOHN'S THIRD BIRTHDAY, NOVEMBER 25. JOHN WAS TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND THE TRAGEDY BEFORE HIM AS HE STOOD OUTSIDE ST. MATTHEW'S CATHEDRAL WITH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER. WHEN HIS SLAIN FATHER'S CASKET WAS CARRIED BY, JOHN RAISED HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE LITTLE SALUTE HE HAD PRACTICED SO RECENTLY AT PLAY. >> THAT IS THE MOST POIGNANT MEMORY THAT WE ALL HAVE. THAT, IN A SENSE, IS THE BEGINNING OF CAMELOT. IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE ROMANTIC MYTHS OF CAMELOT. >> THE GALLANT LITTLE BOY SALUTING HIS FATHER IN A FAREWELL, IT WAS VERY MOVING, VERY TOUCHING, VERY, VERY PAINFUL FOR EVERYBODY BECAUSE THEY KNEW WHAT A LOSS IT WAS. AND I THINK THAT DEFINITELY, WITH KENNEDY'S DEATH, WE LOST A LOT OF HOPE IN THIS COUNTRY. >> Narrator: FOR JOHN, THERE WAS ONE MORE EVENT THAT DAY ARRANGED BY HIS MOTHER, ONE NOT SEEN BY THE TELEVISION CAMERAS, HIS THIRD BIRTHDAY PARTY. >> IT WENT ON AS SCHEDULED. SHE WAS SUCH A MOTHER, AND SHE KNEW THAT LITTLE BOY WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO HIS BIRTHDAY. HE NOW KNEW WHAT A BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS. >> THE CHILDREN WERE ALL THERE, ALL OF THE CLASSMATES THAT WERE INVITED. THE SERIES OF PICTURES OF THAT ARE JUST LIKE ANY OTHER TIME. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IS ALL THE LADIES ARE DRESSED IN BLACK SHEATH-TYPE DRESSES. >> Narrator: JACKIE THOUGHT LONG AND HARD ABOUT WHAT THE TRAGEDY MIGHT DO TO JOHN AND CAROLINE, AND SHE EXPRESSED HER FEELINGS TO LONGTIME FAMILY FRIEND AND PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SECRETARY PIERRE SALINGER. >> JACKIE SAW THAT HER HUSBAND HAD BEEN ASSASSINATED. SHE HAD MADE A JUDGMENT, SHE HAD MADE A DECISION THAT SHE WAS GOING TO SPEND HER TIME WITH THE KIDS. SHE SAID, "YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONLY ONE THING I CAN DO IN LIFE NOW, ONLY ONE THING I CAN DO IN LIFE, AND THAT IS I'VE GOT TO TAKE CARE OF THESE KIDS. I'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THEY LIVE WELL. I'VE GOT TO MAKE SURE THEY GO FORWARD IN LIFE." >> Narrator: TWO WEEKS AFTER THE ASSASSINATION, JOHN LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE WITH HIS MOTHER AND SISTER FOR THE LAST TIME. HE WAS CARRYING A SMALL AMERICAN FLAG. SOON AFTER, A FAMILY VISIT TO BILL HADDAD, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE PEACE CORPS, REVEALED SOME OF JOHN'S FEELINGS AFTER ALL THAT HAD HAPPENED. >> THE CHILDREN WERE PLAYING CARS, AND THE EXECUTIVE'S DAUGHTER CRIED, "DADDY," WHEREUPON LITTLE JOHN LOOKED UP AT THE EXECUTIVE AND SAID, "ARE YOU A DADDY?" AND HE SAID, "WELL, YES, I AM." AND JOHN SAID, "WILL YOU LIFT ME IN THE AIR THEN?" BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE THOUGHT DADDIES DID, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HIS DADDY DID FOR HIM. AND HIS DADDY WASN'T THERE ANYMORE, SO HE WAS LOOKING FOR ANOTHER DADDY. >> Narrator: FOR A WHILE, BOBBY KENNEDY TRIED HARD TO BECOME A SURROGATE FATHER FOR YOUNG JOHN AND CAROLINE, BUT FRICTION DEVELOPED BETWEEN JACKIE AND BOBBY'S WIFE, ETHEL. THE VISITS ENDED, AND EXCEPT FOR A FEW KENNEDY FAMILY EVENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES OF THE ASSASSINATION, JACKIE DISTANCED HERSELF AND HER CHILDREN FROM THE KENNEDYS. JACKIE SETTLED WITH THE CHILDREN IN NEW YORK CITY. SHE BOUGHT A 15-ROOM APARTMENT ACROSS THE STREET FROM CENTRAL PARK, WHICH HAD PLENTY OF ROOM FOR YOUNG JOHN TO PLAY. JOHN ENTERED NURSERY SCHOOL AT SAINT DAVID'S, CAREFULLY CHOSEN BY JACKIE BECAUSE THE SCHOOL MADE A POINT OF ACCEPTING SCHOLARSHIP STUDENTS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. >> SHE WANTED THE SCHOOLS TO BE VERY MIXED, TO HAVE A LOT OF CHILDREN OF DIFFERENT RACES, DIFFERENT RELIGIONS. SHE DID NOT WANT JOHN TO BE AN ISOLATED, PRIVILEGED CHILD. >> Narrator: MANHATTAN HAD EVERYTHING ANY MOTHER COULD WANT TO ENTERTAIN AND EDUCATE HER YOUNG SON, INCLUDING A FAVORITE UNCLE. JOHN'S UNCLE BOBBY HAD BEEN ELECTED TO THE SENATE FROM THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THEY SAW EACH OTHER FROM TIME TO TIME. BY 1968, IT EVEN LOOKED LIKE UNCLE BOBBY MIGHT GET HIS OWN CHANCE TO LIVE IN THE WHITE HOUSE. >> MY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, AND NOW IT'S ON TO CHICAGO, AND LET'S WIN THERE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. (<i> gunshot</i> ) >> OH, NO! GOD, NO! >> Narrator: JOHN WAS JUST SEVEN YEARS OLD WHEN ANOTHER ASSASSIN'S BULLET STRUCK DOWN HIS UNCLE. FOR THE SECOND TIME IN HIS SHORT LIFE, JOHN LOST A BELOVED COMPANION. >> JOHN WAS VERY CLOSE TO BOBBY, AND HE WAS SHOCKED BY THE DEATH OF HIS UNCLE, BECAUSE HE LOVED BOBBY. BOBBY HAD BEEN SO NICE TO HIM AFTER HIS FATHER HAD BEEN KILLED. >> Narrator: "I HATE THIS COUNTRY," CRIED JACKIE KENNEDY WHEN BOBBY WAS ASSASSINATED. "IF THEY'RE KILLING KENNEDYS," SHE SAID, "MY KIDS ARE NUMBER- ONE TARGETS." >> Narrator: IN 1968, JUST FOUR MONTHS AFTER JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., LOST HIS BELOVED UNCLE BOBBY, HE GAINED A NEW FATHER FIGURE IN HIS LIFE. HIS MOTHER MARRIED GREEK SHIPPING MAGNATE ARISTOTLE ONASSIS, THEN SAID TO BE THE RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD. >> WHEN SHE MARRIED ARI ONASSIS, SHE MADE A DEAL WITH HIM THAT SHE WOULD SPEND NINE MONTHS A YEAR IN NEW YORK BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH THE KIDS. >> Narrator: ONASSIS WAS DIVORCED, THE FATHER OF TWO GROWN CHILDREN, BUT THEY HAD BEEN RAISED MAINLY BY SERVANTS, AND HE HAD LITTLE EXPERIENCE WITH KIDS. STILL, ON JOHN'S SUMMER VACATIONS IN GREECE AND WHEN ONASSIS OCCASIONALLY VISITED NEW YORK, HE MADE AN EFFORT TO FULFILL THE ROLE OF STEPFATHER. >> ONASSIS TRIED TO BE, YOU KNOW, AN ELDERLY UNCLE FIGURE TO HIM, TOOK HIM TO THE BALL GAMES TO SEE THE WORLD SERIES, BUT ONASSIS KNEW NOTHING ABOUT SPORTS. HE WAS AN OLD GUY. >> Narrator: BUT JOHN'S MOTHER KEPT THE SPIRIT OF HIS REAL FATHER ALIVE FOR HIM AND CAROLINE. IN FACT, JACKIE ARRANGED A ONE- OF-A-KIND CLASS FOR THEM WITH AN OLD FRIEND SHE HAD INVITED TO GREECE. >> JACKIE SAID TO ME, "WOULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR? WOULD YOU SPEND ABOUT AN HOUR A DAY WITH THE KIDS, JOHN AND CAROLINE, AND BRIEF THEM ON WHAT THEIR FATHER DID IN THE WHITE HOUSE?" THEY BOTH HAD A LOT OF THINGS IN THEIR BRAINS, AND THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS THEY WERE ASKING I THOUGHT WERE RATHER SIGNIFICANT. THEY UNDERSTOOD EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEEDED TO KNOW. >> Narrator: REAL SCHOOL, HOWEVER, WAS A PROBLEM FOR JOHN. BACK THEN THEY CALLED IT BEING SLOW. TODAY THERE'S A MORE ACCURATE DIAGNOSIS. >> HE HAD LEARNING DISABILITIES, DYSLEXIA. HE HAD THIS ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER, WHICH MAKES IT VERY HARD, OBVIOUSLY, TO CONCENTRATE. >> Narrator: IT DIDN'T STOP JOHN FROM TAKING DRUM LESSONS OR FROM TRYING TO LEARN TENNIS WITH HIS SISTER IN CENTRAL PARK. >> THEY WERE NEVER GOING TO BECOME PROFESSIONALS. CAROLINE WAS MUCH MORE SERIOUS. JOHN JUST HAD A GOOD TIME. >> Narrator: UNLIKE OTHER TEENAGERS, JOHN ALSO FACED THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BEING THE SON OF A MUCH-LOVED FORMER PRESIDENT. AT 16, HE MADE ONE OF HIS FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCES AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KENNEDY FAMILY AT THE GROUNDBREAKING FOR THE JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY. >> WELL, I'M REALLY GLAD IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED. I MEAN, IT'S BEEN A WHILE IN THE MAKING. ALL I CAN SAY IS I'M GLAD IT'S FINALLY COME AROUND. >> Narrator: IN 1979, JOHN HAD TO CHOOSE A COLLEGE. THE KENNEDY FAMILY WAS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH HARVARD, BUT JOHN BROKE WITH TRADITION TO ATTEND BROWN UNIVERSITY IN PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND. >> WHY HE CHOSE BROWN ULTIMATELY OVER HARVARD MAY HAVE BEEN THE FACT THAT A LOT OF HIS FRIENDS WERE GOING THERE. MAYBE HE FELT THE CURRICULUM WAS A LOT LOOSER THAN HARVARD. >> I KNOW HE WAS TAKING, FROM THE FRESHMAN YEAR, COURSES IN GOVERNANCE AND HISTORY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE, AND HAD A GENUINE INTEREST ABOUT HOW THINGS WORKED AND HOW THINGS HAD WORKED. >> Narrator: AND THE KENNEDY WHITE HOUSE WAS AMONG THEM. >> HE WAS OBSESSED WITH HIS FATHER, BUT VERY FEW PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT IT. AT BROWN, HE HAD ONE OF HIS DAD'S ROCKING CHAIRS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. HE LOVED TO SIT THERE AND READ HIS FATHER'S SPEECHES. BUT IT WAS A VERY PRIVATE, SACRED PART OF HIS LIFE, AND HIS FRIENDS LEARNS IN NO WAY COULD THEY CRITICIZE PRESIDENT KENNEDY OR MAKE JOKES ABOUT PRESIDENT KENNEDY. >> Narrator: ONE OF JOHN'S CLOSEST FRIENDS WAS FUTURE JOURNALIST CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR. SHE SHARED A HOUSE OFF CAMPUS WITH HIM, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER PALS. >> JOHN USED TO LAUGH AT ME, AND STILL DOES, YOU KNOW, AND HE SAYS, "YOU TAUGHT ME HOW TO CLEAN TOILETS; I NEVER HAD BEFORE, AND I PROBABLY NEVER WILL AGAIN." >> Narrator: SOMETHING JOHN DID WANT TO DO AGAIN AND AGAIN WAS ACTING. HE HAD BECOME INTERESTED IN IT IN HIGH SCHOOL AND BECAME EVEN MORE SERIOUS ABOUT IT AT BROWN. >> I REMEMBER HIS PERFORMANCE IN DAVID RABE'S<i> IN THE BOOM BOOM</i> <i> ROOM,</i> AND THERE HE PLAYED A LOW-LIFE CHARACTER, AN ABUSIVE CHARACTER, SOMEONE NOT AT ALL OF JOHN'S OWN DISPOSITION. I THINK HE TOOK PLEASURE IN BEING ABLE TO EXTEND HIMSELF INTO MODES OF BEHAVIOR THAT ARE NOT HIS. >> Narrator: THROUGH HIS ACTING, HE MET CHRISTINA HAAG, A GIRLFRIEND WHO BECAME A LONG- TIME FRIEND, AND HE ALSO DATED SALLY MONROE. YET DESPITE HIS OBVIOUS APPEAL, JOHN WAS NOT A LADIES' MAN. >> HE WAS NEVER AS MUCH AS A WOMANIZER AS PEOPLE WOULD THINK. HE GENERALLY HAD A STEADY GIRLFRIEND AT DIFFERENT PERIODS OF COLLEGE. >> Narrator: JOHN GRADUATED FROM BROWN IN JUNE OF 1983 WITH A BACHELOR'S DEGREE IN HISTORY. HE SETTLED BACK IN NEW YORK AND TOOK HIS FIRST JOB AS AN ASSISTANT TO THE NEW YORK COMMISSIONER OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. BUT IT WAS HIS AFTER HOURS AS A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN AROUND MANHATTAN THAT GOT MOST OF THE ATTENTION, ESPECIALLY WHEN '80s SEX SYMBOL MADONNA SET HER SIGHTS ON HIM. >> MADONNA REALLY WENT AFTER JOHN IN A TREMENDOUS WAY. SHE WAS SO INCREDIBLY DETERMINED TO CAPTURE JOHN, TO ADD HIM TO HER LIST OF TROPHIES. >> Narrator: THE MADONNA FLING FIZZLED, BUT JOHN WAS SOON SQUIRING OTHER BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMEN AROUND TOWN. IN JULY 1986, IT WAS HIS SISTER CAROLINE'S TURN TO TAKE CENTER STAGE WHEN SHE MARRIED EDWIN SCHLOSSBERG. WHILE CAROLINE'S FUTURE SEEMED ASSURED, JOHN'S WAS FAR FROM CERTAIN. MANY BELIEVED HE WANTED TO PURSUE ACTING. >> JOHN COULD HAVE BEEN A PROFESSIONAL ACTOR ON THE BASIS OF HIS SKILLS. HE HAD A KNACK FOR IT. HE HAD A LOVE OF IT. >> Narrator: HIS MOTHER, THOUGH, WAS ADAMANT THAT JOHN FIND A MORE SUITABLE CAREER. SOME SAID THAT SHE THREATENED TO DISINHERIT HIM UNLESS HE GAVE UP THE IDEA OF BECOMING AN ACTOR. >> IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT FOR HIM BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN THOUGHT AS A KIND OF DILETTANTISH WAY TO CONDUCT HIS LIFE GIVEN ALL OF THE EXPECTATIONS THAT ARE PART OF BEING A KENNEDY, AND HE WOULD HAVE HAD TO HAVE FACED THAT IN PURSUING ACTING. >> Narrator: SO JOHN SETTLED ON THE LAW. HE ENROLLED AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL IN 1986. BUT HE HAD A GREATER GOAL IN MIND BEYOND THAT. >> AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, WITH MY FAME AND WITH MY NAME, I COULD BE GREAT. I COULD BE CONSIDERED A GREAT MAN, BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME. WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME IS TO BE A GOOD MAN. I WANT TO BE A GOOD MAN." >> JOIN ME NOW, AS I BRING TO THIS PODIUM A YOUNG MAN WHOM WE ALL CLASP TO OUR HEARTS, JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, JR. (<i> cheers and applause</i> ) >> Narrator: IT WAS A MOMENT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD BEEN HOPING FOR: JOHN F. KENNEDY'S FIRST POLITICAL SPEECH. THE OCCASION: THE 1988 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. JOHN HAD BEEN ASKED TO INTRODUCE HIS UNCLE TED. >> OVER A QUARTER CENTURY AGO, MY FATHER STOOD BEFORE YOU TO ACCEPT THE NOMINATION FOR THE PRESIDENCY OF THE UNITED STATES. (<i> cheers and applause</i> ) >> I HEARD THAT SPEECH, AND I SUDDENLY SAID TO MYSELF, "MY GOD, THIS IS ONE OF THE KENNEDY CHILDREN WHO'S GOING TO RUN FOR OFFICE SOMEDAY, BECAUSE HE'S GOT THE RIGHT STYLE." >> AMERICA IS BETTER BECAUSE OF THE LEADERSHIP OF EDWARD KENNEDY. (<i> applause</i> ) HE HAS SHOWN THAT AN UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE POOR, TO THE ELDERLY, TO THOSE WITHOUT HOPE, REGARDLESS OF FASHION OR CONVENTION, IS THE GREATEST REWARD OF PUBLIC SERVICE. >> HE REALLY ELECTRIFIED THAT CONVENTION. I THINK PEOPLE THOUGHT, "AH, HERE IT GOES, HIS HAT'S IN THE RING." >> Narrator: JOHN SIDESTEPPED THE QUESTION, WHILE NOT RULING OUT A RUN FOR POLITICAL OFFICE. >> I WOULDN'T WANT TO THINK TOO FAR IN THE FUTURE. I'VE JUST TRIED TO DO THE THINGS THAT INTEREST ME AND DO IT IN MY OWN WAY AND HAVE MANAGED TO CONSUME MYSELF WITH THINGS OTHER THAN POLITICS AT THE MOMENT. >> Narrator: THE CONVENTION WAS JOHN'S POLITICAL COMING-OUT PARTY AND THE BEGINNING OF THE KIND OF INTENSE MEDIA SCRUTINY JOHN FOUND UNCOMFORTABLE. JUST TWO MONTHS LATER,<i> PEOPLE</i> MAGAZINE MADE JOHN THEIR COVER BOY, CALLING HIM "THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE" FOR 1988. >> ON ONE LEVEL, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY IS FLATTERED, BUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL, HE WAS TOTALLY MORTIFIED, BECAUSE THAT'S ALL EVERYBODY USED TO SAY TO HIM. >> HE WAS JUST UNDER SUCH SCRUTINY BY THE MEDIA THAT HE DIDN'T LIKE THAT VERY MUCH AND OFTEN TRIED TO FIND WAYS THAT HE COULD JUST DISAPPEAR. >> Narrator: THE MEDIA, HOWEVER, WOULDN'T LET UP-- NOT WHEN JOHN WAS NOW GOING OUT WITH ACTRESS DARYL HANNAH. >> JOHN MET DARYL HANNAH, IN FACT, WHEN THEY WERE IN THEIR LATE TEENS ON THE ISLAND OF ST. MAARTEN, AND THEY ONLY FINALLY MET AGAIN IN 1988 AT THE WEDDING OF JOHN'S AUNT, AND SPARKS FLEW. >> SHE WAS, FIRST OF ALL, A STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS WOMAN, AN OUTDOORSY WOMAN WHO COULD SHARE JOHN'S INTERESTS WITH HIM. SHE WAS A PATRICIAN, LIKE HIS MOTHER. SHE WAS ALSO A HOLLYWOOD STAR JUST LIKE MARILYN MONROE. SO THERE WAS AN ASPECT OF WHAT DAD WOULD HAVE LOOKED FOR IN A WOMAN THERE TOO. >> Narrator: WHILE HIS ROMANCE WITH DARYL HANNAH GREW, JOHN GRADUATED FROM LAW SCHOOL IN 1989 AND SIGNED ON AS AN ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY IN MANHATTAN. >> TYPICAL JOHN-- HE WANTED TO DO, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE DOMAIN. INSTEAD OF BECOMING, YOU KNOW, A HIGH-PRICED DEFENSE, YOU KNOW, ATTORNEY OR A TRIAL ATTORNEY, HE DECIDED TO DO PUBLIC SERVICE ESSENTIALLY. >> Narrator: BUT WHEN HE FAILED THE NEW YORK STATE BAR EXAMINATION NOT ONCE BUT TWICE, THE TABLOIDS HAD A FIELD DAY. >> I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED AGAIN. BUT YOU KNOW, GOD WILLING, I'LL BE BACK THERE IN JULY, AND I'LL PASS IT THEN, OR I'LL PASS IT THE NEXT TIME, OR I'LL PASS IT WHEN I'M 95. >> Narrator: JOHN DID PASS THE BAR, AND ALTHOUGH HE HANDLED ONLY A FEW CASES IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS, HE MADE SUCCESSES OF THEM ALL. >> HE TOOK CASES THAT WERE LOSERS, AND THROUGH HIS ABILITY TO GET INFORMATION OUT OF PEOPLE, HE MADE THESE CASES INTO WINNERS. >> Narrator: WHEN HIS COUSIN, WILLIE SMITH, STOOD TRIAL ON A RAPE CHARGE IN PALM BEACH, FLORIDA, IN 1991, JOHN TOOK LEAVE FROM THE D.A.'S OFFICE TO LEND SUPPORT TO HIS CHILDHOOD CHUM. >> AND THE TABLOIDS REPORTED IT THAT HIS MOTHER MADE HIM DO THAT, AND THAT'S NOT TRUE, BECAUSE JOHN AND WILLIE WERE VERY, VERY CLOSE. THEY WENT TO SCHOOL TOGETHER. AND OF ALL HIS KENNEDY COUSINS, IT'S WILLIE THAT JOHN IS CLOSEST TO. >> Narrator: OTHER KENNEDY COUSINS BESIDES WILLIE HAD GOTTEN INTO TROUBLE WITH THE LAW AND WITH DRUGS, BUT JOHN AND HIS SISTER CAROLINE AVOIDED THOSE PROBLEMS. MOST PEOPLE ATTRIBUTED THEIR STABILITY TO THEIR MOTHER. >> SHE MADE SURE "A," THAT THE CHILDREN WEREN'T SPOILED, AND "B," THAT THEY DIDN'T FALL TOO MUCH UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE KENNEDY CLAN. >> Narrator: YET WHEN IT CAME TO KENNEDY FAMILY EVENTS, LIKE THE PROFILES IN COURAGE AWARD, JOHN WAS THERE, WILLING EVEN TO GIVE INTERVIEWS. >> WELL, THE AWARD THIS YEAR IS BEING GIVEN SPECIFICALLY FOR GOVERNOR FLORIO'S WORK ON BEHALF OF THE ASSAULT RIFLE BAN. >> Narrator: THE TELEVISION INTERVIEW WAS A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO QUESTION JOHN ABOUT HIS POLITICAL FUTURE. >> ARE WE GOING TO SEE YOU GO INTO POLITICS? >> WELL, IT'S SOMETHING THAT... NOT TODAY, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU NEVER SAY NEVER. AND IT'S OBVIOUSLY A SOURCE OF INTEREST. BUT I'LL JUST SEE. I DON'T REALLY KNOW. >> Narrator: JOHN RESIGNED FROM THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IN JULY OF 1993. >> WELCOME TO<i> HEART OF THE CITY.</i> I'M JOHN KENNEDY. >> Narrator: A FEW MONTHS LATER, HE MADE AN UNEXPECTED FORAY INTO TELEVISION, USING HIS CHARM AND CHARISMA TO PROMOTE NEW YORK CITY IN A PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM FOR THE CITY-OWNED STATION WNYC. >> CLEAN AIR, LESS TRAFFIC, ADEQUATE HOUSING-- THOSE ARE THE THINGS A LOT OF NEW YORKERS ONLY DREAM ABOUT. >> Narrator: JOHN BOWED OUT OF TELEVISION AFTER THAT. AT 33 HE WAS STILL FLOUNDERING. THE LAW HAD NOT WORKED FOR HIM, AND HE WAS AMBIVALENT ABOUT RUNNING FOR POLITICS. EARLY IN 1994, JAQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NON- HODGKIN'S LYMPHOMA. AFTER A HOSPITAL STAY IN MAY, JACKIE RETURNED HOME TO SPEND HER LAST DAYS IN THE FAMILY'S 5th AVENUE APARTMENT. WHILE THE MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC JAMMED THE SIDEWALKS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS GATHERED-- HER COMPANION, MAUREECE TEMPLESMAN, CAROLINE'S FAMILY, AND JOHN'S GIRLFRIEND, DARYL HANNAH. ON MAY 20, SOME 30 YEARS AFTER JOHN HAD SALUTED HIS FATHER'S CASKET, HE FACED THE WORLD AGAIN, THIS TIME WITH SAD NEWS ABOUT HIS MOTHER. >> LAST NIGHT AT AROUND 10:15, MY MOTHER PASSED ON. SHE WAS SURROUNDED BY HER FRIENDS AND HER FAMILY AND HER BOOKS AND THE PEOPLE AND THE THINGS THAT SHE LOVED. AND SHE DID IT IN HER OWN WAY AND ON HER OWN TERMS, AND WE ALL FEEL LUCKY FOR THAT. AND NOW SHE'S IN GOD'S HANDS. >> WE WHICH ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM IN THE CLOUDS TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR, AND SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD. >> Narrator: THE NATION MOURNED WITH JOHN AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY AS HIS MOTHER, JACQULINE, WAS LAID TO REST IN ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY, NEXT TO BABY PATRICK AND HIS FATHER. >> HIS MOTHER'S DEATH IS BOTH, YOU KNOW, A DARK TRAGEDY IN HIS LIFE, HAVING TO DEAL WITHOUT THE MOTHER HE LOVES SO MUCH, BUT IT ALSO FREES HIM. I MEAN, HE DOESN'T HAVE HIS MOTHER LOOKING AT HIM AND PRESSURING TO BE A SERIOUS MAN. IT'S TIME FOR HIM TO MAKE HIS OWN CHOICES IN HIS OWN WAY. >> Narrator: AFTER JACKIE'S DEATH, JOHN ENDED HIS FIVE-AND- A-HALF-YEAR RELATIONSHIP WITH DARYL HANNAH. BEFORE LONG, HE WAS SEEN AROUND NEW YORK DATING CAROLYN BESSETTE, A FRIEND WHO WORKED AS A PUBLICITY DIRECTOR FOR CALVIN KLEIN. >> SHE WAS AS CHIC AS HIS MOTHER HAD BEEN, A REAL FASHION PLATE, AND HE LOVED THAT PART OF HER BECAUSE IT WAS SOMETHING HE HAD GROWN UP WITH WITH HIS MOTHER. >> Narrator: FOR THE FIRST TIME, JOHN'S PROFESSIONAL LIFE GAINED FOCUS. HE WENT INTO BUSINESS WITH A FRIEND, MICHAEL BERMAN. >> THEY DECIDED TO FORM A COMPANY, AND THEY CALLED IT RANDOM VENTURES, AND SUDDENLY JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR.'S, LIFE WASN'T RANDOM ANYMORE. >> Narrator: ONE OF THEIR FIRST PROJECTS WAS A NEW POLITICAL MAGAZINE. <i> GEORGE,</i> AS IT WAS CALLED, WAS UNVEILED TO THE PRESS ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1995. >> LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MEET <i> GEORGE.</i> (<i> applause</i> ) >> Narrator: IT WAS A JOHN KENNEDY LIKE NO ONE HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE-- CONFIDENT, WELL- SPOKEN, AND CONVINCING. >> I REALIZE THAT WHEN YOU START A NEW ENTERPRISE, THAT YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND SELL IT. THAT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FOR ME. BUT I THINK THAT THAT WILL CHANGE AS THE MAGAZINE GROWS AND IT'S NOT THE NOVELTY THAT IT IS, AND PEOPLE WILL FOCUS ON IT AND NOT ME. >> WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IS JOHN FINDING A WAY TO FIT HIS OWN DESIRES IN WITH THE DYNASTIC DESIRES OF BEING A KENNEDY AND WITH THE PERSONAL DESIRE OF BEING HIS MOTHER'S SON. >> THE ANSWERS TO THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED PERSONAL QUESTIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: "YES," "NO," "WE'RE MERELY GOOD FRIENDS," "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS," "HONEST, SHE'S MY COUSIN FROM RHODE ISLAND," "I'VE WORN BOTH," "MAYBE SOMEDAY, BUT NOT IN NEW JERSEY." >> Narrator: JOHN'S NEW HIGH-PROFILE CAREER KEPT HIM IN THE PUBLIC'S EYE. DURING THE 1996 PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING CONVENTIONS, INVITATIONS TO THE<i> GEORGE</i> MAGAZINE PARTIES WERE IN GREAT DEMAND. JOHN ATTRACTED CELEBRITIES. >> WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TONIGHT? >> I DON'T KNOW. YOU TELL ME. YOU'RE ON THE OUTSIDE. I THINK GOOD THINGS THOUGH. >> Narrator: AS A CELEBRITY HIMSELF, JOHN CONTINUED TO BE HOUNDED BY PHOTOGRAPHERS. THE SCRUTINY WAS ESPECIALLY RELENTLESS WHEN IT CAME TO JOHN'S LOVE LIFE. CAMERAS DOGGED THE WORLD'S MOST SOUGHT-AFTER BACHELOR AND NOW STEADY GIRLFRIEND CAROLYN BESSETTE. SOME REPORTS SAID THEY WERE ENGAGED. ONE VERY PUBLIC ARGUMENT IN 1996, A SCREAMING MATCH, KEPT THE TABLOIDS BUSY. >> THEY FOUGHT LIKE CATS AND DOGS. MANY PEOPLE WITNESSED THEIR FIGHTS. >> WHEN THEY WERE ON, WHEN THINGS WERE RIGHT, THEY WERE THE MOST FANTASTIC COUPLE IMAGINABLE. THEY WERE FUN, THEY WERE DYNAMIC, THEY WERE ENERGETIC. BELIEVE ME, YOU WANTED TO BE NEXT TO THEM. WHEN THEY WERE HAVING TROUBLES, YOU WANTED TO BE MILES AWAY, BECAUSE THEIR FIGHTS WERE AS LEGENDARY AS THEIR GOOD TIMES. >> Narrator: TO AVOID THE SPOTLIGHT THEY TRIED TO KEEP THEIR ROMANCE UNDER WRAPS. JOHN BEGAN TO APPEAR ALONE AT PUBLIC EVENTS, AND GOSSIP COLUMNISTS REPORTED THEY HAD BROKEN UP. IT WAS ALL AN ELABORATE COVER. ON SEPTEMBER 21, 1996, JOHN SECRETLY MARRIED CAROLYN IN A SMALL, VERY PRIVATE CEREMONY ON CUMBERLAND ISLAND OFF THE GEORGIA COAST. >> IT WAS JUST PERFECT. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE BIG, GRAND, SPECTACULAR WEDDINGS, AND THEN THERE ARE BEAUTIFUL, SMALL, INTIMATE WEDDINGS, AND THIS IS WHAT THIS WAS. >> Narrator: THE NEWLYWEDS HAD FINALLY OUTFOXED THE MEDIA AND ESCAPED ON A HONEYMOON TO TURKEY. AND IT APPEARED AS IF THE MARRIAGE GAVE JOHN NEW CONFIDENCE. HIS MAGAZINE,<i> GEORGE,</i> BEGAN TO THRIVE AMID SOME STAFFING SHAKEUPS, AND JOHN ASSUMED MORE RESPONSIBILITY EDITING, AS WELL AS WRITING FOR IT. BUT 1997 WAS A DIFFICULT YEAR FOR THE KENNEDYS. TWO OF JOHN'S COUSINS, JOE AND MICHAEL KENNEDY, WERE MAKING HEADLINES OVER THEIR PERSONAL PROBLEMS. IN A STUNNING MOVE, JOHN JUMPED INTO THE FRAY WITH A TOUGH EDITORIAL IN<i> GEORGE</i> IN WHICH HE CALLED HIS COUSINS "POSTER BOYS FOR BAD BEHAVIOR." JOE KENNEDY RESPONDED WITH HIS OWN BARB. >> ASK NOT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOUR COUSIN, BUT WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR HIS MAGAZINE. >> Narrator: THE FAMILY RIFT WOULD SOON BE FORGOTTEN AS TRAGEDY HIT THE KENNEDYS ONCE MORE. ON NEW YEAR'S EVE 1997, MICHAEL KENNEDY SLAMMED INTO A TREE WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL ON THE SKI SLOPES OF ASPEN. HE WAS KILLED INSTANTLY. JOHN AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY GATHERED IN HYANNIS TO BURY ONE OF THEIR OWN AGAIN. LIKE TOO MANY TIMES BEFORE, GRIEF HAD UNITED THEM. AND SADLY, IT WOULD UNITE THEM AGAIN, SOONER THAN ANYONE COULD DARE TO IMAGINE. >> Narrator: IN APRIL OF 1997, JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., FULFILLED A CHILDHOOD DREAM: EARNING HIS PRIVATE PILOT'S LICENSE. THE LITTLE BOY WHO LOVED TO FLY IN HELICOPTERS WITH HIS DAD COULD NOW ESCAPE INTO THE SKY ALONE. >> I THINK IT GAVE HIM FREEDOM-- FREEDOM FROM PRESS, FREEDOM FROM PICTURES, FREEDOM FROM PEOPLE WANTING AUTOGRAPHS, FREEDOM FROM BEING PRESSED BY THE THINGS AROUND HIM. >> Narrator: AND BY SOME ACCOUNTS, JOHN HAD PLENTY OF REASONS TO SEEK AN ESCAPE. AFTER A PROMISING START, HIS MAGAZINE,<i> GEORGE,</i> WAS FALTERING. AND REPORTEDLY, JOHN AND CAROLINE'S MARRIAGE WAS IN TROUBLE. >> IT'S INEXPLICABLE WHY CAROLINE BESSETTE COULDN'T DEAL BETTER WITH CELEBRITY. I MEAN, HERE SHE WAS A PUBLICIST FOR CALVIN KLEIN. SHE WAS OUT AT NIGHT. SHE KNEW WHAT IT WAS ABOUT. I MEAN, SHE WAS A MINOR CELEBRITY IN HER OWN RIGHT. >> Narrator: THERE WERE ALSO STORIES THAT CAROLINE WAS BECOMING INCREASINGLY DEPENDENT ON RECREATIONAL AND PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. >> IT'S FAIR TO SAY FROM EVERYONE I SPOKE TO THAT JOHN WAS AWARE OF THE FACT THAT CAROLYN DEPENDED ON DRUGS TO GET HER THROUGH CIRCUMSTANCES, SITUATIONS, EVENTS THAT HIS LIFE REQUIRED HER TO DO. >> Narrator: BY THE SUMMER OF 1999, JOHN HAD ACCUMULATED MORE THAN 300 HOURS AS A PILOT. HE HAD ALSO PURCHASED AN AIRPLANE OF HIS OWN, A SINGLE- ENGINE, SIX-SEAT PIPER SARATOGA. LATE IN THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 16, JOHN AND HIS SISTER-IN-LAW, LAUREN BESSETTE, LEFT NEW YORK CITY TO MEET CAROLYN AT THE SMALL NEW JERSEY AIRFIELD WHERE JOHN KEPT HIS PLANE. THEIR DESTINATION: A FAMILY WEDDING THE NEXT DAY IN HYANNIS. JOHN PLANNED TO DROP LAUREN OFF AT MARTHA'S VINEYARD FIRST. AT 8:38 P.M., THE PLANE TOOK OFF AND TURNED TO THE EAST. AHEAD, A HEAVY HAZE WAS GATHERING IN THE SKIES OFF MARTHA'S VINEYARD. >> I DON'T THINK JOHN REALIZED... IF HE HAD REALIZED THERE WAS GOING TO... THE FOG WAS GOING TO CLOSE IN AND IT WAS GOING TO GET DARK ON HIM, I DON'T THINK JOHN WOULD HAVE DONE IT. I THINK HE WAS TOO CONSCIENTIOUS OF A PILOT TO HAVE DONE THAT. >> Narrator: BUT JOHN MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THINKING CLEARLY THAT NIGHT. >><i> GEORGE</i> MAGAZINE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BEING FOLDED. HE AND HIS WIFE WERE LIVING SEPARATELY, HARDLY TALKING TO EACH OTHER. SO EMOTIONALLY, JOHN WAS A WRECK. PHYSICALLY, JOHN HAD JUST HAD HIS SOFT CAST REMOVED FROM HIS ANKLE AFTER THAT HANG GLIDING ACCIDENT THAT HE SUFFERED AND WAS IN PAIN AND HAD BEEN WARNED BY HIS ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON NOT TO FLY FOR TEN TO 14 DAYS. >> Narrator: WHATEVER JOHN WAS FEELING THAT NIGHT, NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW FOR SURE. SOMEWHERE OVER THE OCEAN, HIS PLANE VANISHED. HOURS WENT BY WITHOUT ANY CONTACT FROM JOHN. FINALLY AT DAWN, A MASSIVE SEARCH-AND-RESCUE MISSION BEGAN. MEANWHILE, INSIDE THE KENNEDY COMPOUND IN HYANNIS, JOHN'S FAMILY TRIED TO STAY OPTIMISTIC. >> THE MOOD INSIDE IS UPBEAT AND HOPEFUL. PEOPLE ARE HOPING FOR THE BEST. >> IF HE WERE OUT THERE FLOATING... HANGING ONTO A SINKING PLANE, HE'D FIND A WAY TO GET OUT OF IT. >> Narrator: THE WORLD HELD ITS BREATH. >> MAYBE HE'S STILL ALIVE. MAYBE THERE WILL BE A MIRACLE. WE DON'T KNOW RIGHT NOW. >> Narrator: BUT WITH EACH PASSING DAY, HOPE FADED THAT THE THREE YOUNG PEOPLE WERE STILL ALIVE. ON JULY 21, DIVERS FINALLY LOCATED THE WRECKAGE OF JOHN'S PLANE. NEAR THE BROKEN FUSELAGE THEY FOUND THE BODIES OF CAROLYN BESSETTE KENNEDY AND HER SISTER, LAUREN. INSIDE, STILL IN HIS PILOT'S SEAT, WAS JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., DEAD AT THE AGE OF 38. >> I THINK THE KENNEDY CURSE IS TO BLAME FOR THIS TRAGEDY-- THE KENNEDY CURSE IN THE SENSE THAT JOHN WAS IMPELLED TO TAKE A RECKLESS AND UNNECESSARY RISK BY FLYING THAT PLANE ON THE NIGHT HE FLEW IT. >> Narrator: BUT MANY OF THOSE WHO KNEW JOHN DISAGREE. >> I DON'T REALLY BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS A RECKLESS BONE IN JOHN. I THINK HE WAS VERY CAREFUL WHAT HE DID. >> HE'S NOT A RECKLESS PERSON OR A CARELESS PERSON OR A RISK TAKER. >> ONE OF THE INSTRUCTORS OFFERED TO GO WITH HIM THAT EVENING, AND FOR WHATEVER REASON JOHN DIDN'T WANT HIM. IF THAT PILOT HAD GONE WITH HIM IN THE OTHER SEAT, JOHN WOULD BE ALIVE TODAY. >> Narrator: AS NEWS THAT THE BODIES HAD BEEN RECOVERED BEGAN TO SPREAD, AN OUTPOURING OF GRIEF AND SORROW OVERTOOK THE NATION. ON JULY 22, 1999, JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., AND HIS WIFE WERE BURIED AT SEA. THE SON OF A SLAIN PRESIDENT, JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR., LIVED HIS LIFE IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT, AND HE CARRIED HIMSELF WITH THE HUMILITY, CHARM, AND HUMOR THAT EARNED HIM A SPECIAL PLACE IN AMERICA'S HEART. >> HE FIGURED IT OUT. IT TOOK HIM A LONG TIME TO FIGURE OUT A WAY THAT HE COULD BOTH BE A KENNEDY, LIVE UP TO WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF HIM, BUT ALSO TAKE HIMSELF OUT OF THE SORT OF DESTINY THAT WE AS A SOCIETY HAVE LAID ON THE KENNEDYS. >> WHICH IS NOT TO SAY THAT HE REJECTED HIS HERITAGE, WHICH IS NOT TO SAY HE REJECTED HIS NAME OR HIS FAME OR HIS RICHES, BUT THAT HE KNEW HOW TO LIVE WITH ALL THAT AND DESPITE ALL OF THAT. >> HE TOOK A BIG BITE OUT OF LIFE. HE DID THE KIND OF THINGS THAT A LOT OF US WOULD LOVE TO DO. TO THIS DAY, I STILL HAVE NOT COMPLETELY ACCEPTED THAT HE'S GONE. >> IT'S TERRIBLY TRAGIC BECAUSE ALL OF US WERE ROOTING FOR JOHN F. KENNEDY, JR. HE WAS A VERY ADMIRED FIGURE. WE ALL WANTED TO SEE HIM ACHIEVE WHAT WE THOUGHT HE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO ACHIEVE, WHICH WAS GREATNESS.
