John F. Kennedy, Jr: The Death Of An American Prince | Full Documentary | Biography

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Harry Smith:<i> "He had amazing grace.</i> <i> He accepted who he was,</i> <i> but he cared more about what he could</i> <i> and should become."</i> <i> The words of Senator Edward Kennedy,</i> <i> loving words spoken about his late nephew.</i> <i> ( music playing )</i> Welcome to a special presentation of "Biography." This has been a most extraordinary week, <i> a week that began last Saturday morning</i> <i> when the news broke John Kennedy, Jr.'s plane was missing.</i> <i> There were gallant efforts to locate the plane,</i> <i> but any hope of finding him alive quickly diminished.</i> <i> Americans soon realized he was dead,</i> <i> along with his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy</i> <i> and her sister Lauren.</i> Each of these three young people, Lauren Bessette, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy, Jr., was the embodiment of love, accomplishment, and passion for life. Smith:<i> Impromptu shrines sprang up</i> <i> outside John and Carolyn's apartment,</i> <i> at the airport from where they took off,</i> <i> even at the site where his father was killed in Dallas.</i> Man:<i> John-John's a national tragedy for everyone.</i> There isn't any doubt about that. We watched him grow up. Everyone here watched him grow up. Smith:<i> On Thursday, the three young victims were buried at sea</i> <i> in a service attended by just a few family members.</i> <i> Others said goodbye at memorial services,</i> <i> including the official ceremony Friday morning</i> <i> in New York City.</i> <i> Throughout this week, there were eloquent expressions</i> <i> of grief and sympathy.</i> <i> But in the end, words did little to console</i> <i> two families whose hearts were broken</i> <i> and many others who shared their deep sorrow.</i> <i> Millions of Americans spoke about losing a friend</i> <i> they had never met.</i> I felt so sorry. I am really very, very sorry deep in my heart. Smith:<i> In a sense, we all knew John Kennedy, Jr.</i> <i> since he was a little boy.</i> <i> And we watched him grow into an adult,</i> <i> who was, by all accounts,</i> <i> a good and decent man.</i> On this special presentation, we'll look at the lives of JFK, Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. He was born into the most public of families. She was a private woman who became an instant celebrity when they became husband and wife. We'll also look at how the Kennedys erected a political dynasty and family fortune and why they have held such a powerful grip on the American imagination. I'll be joined later by one of Kennedy's good friends and by some observers who will help put this extraordinary week into some perspective. First, our biography of John F. Kennedy, Jr. Helen Thomas:<i> ...The gallant little boy</i> <i> saluting his father in a farewell.</i> It was very moving. Very touching. He has the name, he has the charisma, <i> he has a handsome face, and he has the mystique.</i> Over a quarter century ago, my father stood before you to accept the nomination for the presidency of the United States. <i> ( cheering )</i> Pierre Salinger:<i> I heard that speech and I suddenly said to myself,</i> "My God, this is one of the Kennedy children who's going to run for office someday." Louise Lague:<i> He was our best-selling "Sexiest Man Alive" ever.</i> Nobody has sold more copies of that issue than JFK, Jr. Man:<i> John F. Kennedy, his wife Carolyn Bessette,</i> <i> and his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette</i> were late in arriving at Martha's Vineyard. If he were out there floating-- hanging onto a sinking plane, he'd find a way to get out of it. Man:<i> Our generation's most shining light</i> <i> has been extinguished too soon.</i> John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. Narrator:<i> He was the shining star</i> <i> of America's most legendary political dynasty,</i> <i> a man who embodied the hopes and dreams of a nation,</i> <i> but in the end, America's royal son</i> <i> could not escape a tragic fate</i> <i> that some called a "family curse."</i> Narrator:<i> The story of John F. Kennedy, Jr.,</i> <i> heir to America's most famous</i> <i> and star-crossed political family,</i> <i> begins with the marriage of his parents in 1953.</i> <i> Jack Kennedy was the junior senator from Massachusetts,</i> <i> a handsome young man who had inherited</i> <i> the Kennedy family's political ambitions</i> <i> when his older brother Joe</i> <i> was killed in World War II.</i> <i> Kennedy's bride, Jacqueline Bouvier,</i> <i> was one of America's most beautiful debutantes.</i> <i> She had worked as an "inquiring photographer"</i> <i> for the "Washington Times-Herald"</i> <i> and had met Jack the year before at a Washington dinner party.</i> <i> Their wedding was the social event of the year.</i> <i> Jacqueline Kennedy suffered a miscarriage</i> <i> and a stillbirth before John's older sister</i> <i> Caroline was born in 1957.</i> <i> Early in the 1960 presidential campaign,</i> <i> Jackie became pregnant again,</i> <i> but that did not keep her off the campaign trail.</i> ( speaking Italian ) ( cheering ) Narrator:<i> John F. Kennedy was elected</i> <i> President of the United States.</i> So now my wife and I prepare for a new administration and for a new baby. Thank you. Narrator:<i> Just two and a half weeks later,</i> <i> November 25th, 1960,</i> <i> John F. Kennedy, Jr. was born at Georgetown University Hospital.</i> <i> His father got the news</i> <i> while on a plane to Washington with Caroline</i> <i> and he immediately rushed to Jackie's bedside.</i> 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. <i> And Mrs. Kennedy</i> <i> stayed in the hospital a little longer than usual.</i> Narrator:<i> The reason was that John had been born</i> <i> with a minor lung disease</i> <i> that kept him in an incubator for several days.</i> <i> He was baptized</i> <i> in the hospital chapel on December 8th</i> <i> in the same christening gown his father had worn</i> <i> at his baptism in 1917</i> <i> and the bonnet Jackie had worn at her baptism.</i> do solemnly swear... <i>Fit,</i> 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:<i> When President Kennedy's inauguration took place</i> <i> on January 20th, 1961,</i> <i> baby John and Caroline were left behind</i> <i> at the Kennedy compound in Palm Beach, Florida,</i> <i> but they were not out of sight for long.</i> <i> John was the first baby in the White House</i> <i> since Grover Cleveland's daughter in 1893.</i> <i> And all America fell in love</i> <i> with the new first family.</i> Wendy Leigh:<i> It was a wonderful image, really, for the American public</i> <i> to have this young, vibrant, beautiful couple in the White House,</i> this sweet little girl Caroline, and this new baby boy John. It was a wonderful moment for the country and for the Kennedys. Narrator:<i> He was the son of a glamorous, charismatic president</i> <i> and a charming, elegant first lady.</i> <i> And America could not get enough of young John Kennedy.</i> <i> The president was delighted to play the proud father.</i> I think that both children-- both Caroline and John <i> were the absolute joy of the president's life.</i> <i> They broke the monotony in the White House.</i> Narrator:<i> The press dubbed the president's son "John-John,"</i> <i> but he was never called that by the family.</i> <i> He was simply "John" at home.</i> <i> By the time he could walk at 13 months,</i> <i> John had become a part of the president's official daily routine.</i> Salinger:<i> He loved bringing them all the way to the Oval Office</i> <i> practically every morning.</i> <i> And I would sometimes very early walk in</i> and there would be John, there would be Caroline in the Oval Office with him. Narrator:<i> Due to his father's frequent trips on state business,</i> <i> John developed a fascination</i> <i> with all kinds of airplanes--</i> <i> in particular, helicopters.</i> Cecil Stoughton:<i> He'd always love to be on the helicopter.</i> He always called them "hebbi-choppers" or something like that because he couldn't say things very well as a two-year-old. Narrator:<i> Jackie made great efforts</i> <i> to give her two children as normal an upbringing as possible</i> <i> within the confines</i> <i> of overwhelming public interest in her family.</i> Leigh:<i> Mrs. Kennedy was always very protective of the children.</i> <i> Did really not want them to be used as living photo opportunities.</i> She guarded them as much as possible. The president, on the other hand, <i> was very keen for his children</i> <i> really to be part of his image.</i> <i> He adored them.</i> Narrator:<i> Jackie limited official photo opportunities,</i> <i> but the personal snapshots from the White House years</i> <i> were no different from any other family's.</i> <i> Christmas Eve with stockings on the chimney,</i> <i> Easter egg coloring in the kitchen.</i> <i> Even as President Kennedy</i> <i> dealt with potential atomic war</i> <i> during the Cuban Missile Crisis</i> <i> in October 1962,</i> <i> he interrupted meetings to help carve a pumpkin</i> <i> and celebrate Halloween with John and Caroline.</i> <i> It was not unknown for young John</i> <i> to pop into the Oval Office</i> <i> when his father was conducting affairs of state.</i> <i> Once, while the president was giving a radio speech,</i> <i> John could not contain</i> <i> his youthful exuberance.</i> Kennedy on recording:<i> And its complex problems</i> -<i> ( Kennedy, Jr. yelling )</i> -<i> need the kind of attention-- wait a minute, John.</i> <i> Wait a sec. Don't say anything 'cause I gotta give this speech.</i> -<i> Can you sit down over there now and be a good boy?</i> - Caroline:<i> John.</i> Kennedy:<i> Come on now, be a good boy. John.</i> Narrator:<i> On August 7th, 1963,</i> <i> Jackie gave birth to a third child,</i> <i> Patrick Bouvier Kennedy,</i> <i> who was born with a more severe form</i> <i> of the same lung disease that had afflicted John at birth.</i> <i> Patrick died two days later</i> <i> and Jackie withdrew from public life</i> <i> for the next several months.</i> <i> When she went on vacation in Europe,</i> <i> the president took advantage of her absence</i> <i> to indulge his passion</i> <i> for photographs of the children.</i> President Kennedy called me in and says, "This is a great chance for us to get pictures of the kids <i> because she's not gonna be here."</i> Leigh:<i> Mr. Kennedy, the president,</i> <i> smuggled a leading photographer into the White House,</i> <i> whereupon he took those wonderful pictures of John</i> <i> hiding under his father's desk.</i> <i> And Mrs. Kennedy said to the photographer afterwards,</i> "I'm really glad that we have these because it's a wonderful record of the president and his closeness to his son." Narrator:<i> In fact, as much as Jackie demanded</i> <i> what privacy she could for John and Caroline,</i> <i> she was ambivalent, also wanting a thorough record</i> <i> of their childhood years.</i> Stoughton:<i> The White House phone would ring and the operator</i> would say, "Please hold for Mrs. Kennedy." And then she comes on the phone and says, "Captain, I wonder if you..." Narrator:<i> It was Army Signal Corps Captain Cecil Stoughton,</i> <i> assigned as the president's personal photographer,</i> <i> whom Jackie summoned to take these home movies</i> <i> of a family weekend in Virginia</i> <i> in mid-November 1963.</i> <i> John played with the dogs and walked with his sister</i> <i> in the woods that Sunday.</i> <i> The president tried to give his left-handed son</i> <i> a golf lesson.</i> <i> John was going through a typical</i> <i> childhood military phase</i> <i> and he loved marching around</i> <i> with his toy gun and tiny Army helmet.</i> <i> John and Caroline were left in the care of their nanny</i> <i> in the White House on November 21st, 1963,</i> <i> when the president and Mrs. Kennedy left on a political trip.</i> <i> Stops were planned</i> <i> in San Antonio, Fort Worth,</i> <i> and Dallas, Texas.</i> <i> ( gunshots crackle )</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:<i> As the nation reeled with shock and disbelief</i> <i> at the news that their vibrant, young president</i> <i> had been shot by an assassin,</i> <i> John and Caroline were put to bed</i> <i> for their naps by their nanny.</i> <i> A short time later, while Jackie stood by</i> <i> for Lyndon Johnson's swearing-in aboard Air Force One,</i> <i> the children were bundled off across town</i> <i> to the home of Jackie's mother, Janet Auchincloss.</i> <i> It was a misunderstanding</i> <i> and when Jackie learned of their whereabouts,</i> <i> she sent word from the plane</i> <i> that the children were to return to the White House.</i> <i> There, Caroline, just a week shy of her sixth birthday,</i> <i> was told of her father's death by the nanny.</i> <i> The president's brother, Bobby Kennedy,</i> <i> met Jackie when Air Force One landed in Washington.</i> <i> Later that evening,</i> <i> it fell to him to tell young John</i> <i> his father had died.</i> <i> President Kennedy was buried</i> <i> on John's third birthday, November 25th.</i> <i> John was too young to understand the tragedy before him</i> <i> as he stood outside St. Matthew's Cathedral</i> <i> with his mother and sister.</i> <i> When his slain father's casket was carried by,</i> <i> John raised his right hand</i> <i> in a little salute he had practiced</i> <i> so recently in play.</i> Thomas:<i> The gallant little boy saluting his father in a farewell.</i> <i> It was very moving, very touching,</i> <i> very, very painful for everybody</i> <i> because they knew what a loss it was.</i> And I think that, definitely, with Kennedy's death, we lost a lot of hope in this country. Narrator:<i> That evening, John's third birthday party</i> <i> went on as planned</i> <i> with all his aunts and uncles in attendance.</i> The children were all there. All of the classmates that were invited. <i> And the series of pictures of that</i> <i> are just like any other time.</i> <i> The only difference is all the ladies are dressed</i> <i> in black, sheath-type dresses.</i> Narrator:<i> A few days after her husband's death,</i> <i> Jackie paid a personal visit</i> <i> to longtime family friend</i> <i> and presidential Press Secretary</i> <i> Pierre Salinger.</i> When Jackie saw that her husband had been assassinated, she had made a judgment, she had made a decision that she was gonna spend her time with the kids. <i> She said, "You know, there's only one thing I can do in life now,</i> <i> only one thing I can do in life,</i> <i> and that is I've got to take care of these kids.</i> <i> I've got to make sure they live well.</i> <i> I've got to make sure they go forward in life."</i> Narrator:<i> Two weeks after the assassination,</i> <i> John left the White House</i> <i> with his mother and sister for the last time.</i> <i> He was carrying a small American flag.</i> <i> Soon thereafter,</i> <i> Jackie took John and Caroline to visit Bill Haddad,</i> <i> Deputy Director of the Peace Corps.</i> And at one point, they were playing-- 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." <i> And John said, "Will you lift me in the air, then?"</i> <i> Because that's what he thought daddies did</i> <i> 'cause that's what his daddy did for him.</i> <i> And his daddy wasn't there anymore, so he was looking for another daddy.</i> Narrator:<i> Bobby Kennedy tried hard to become a surrogate father</i> <i> for young John and Caroline,</i> <i> but friction developed between Jackie</i> <i> and Bobby's wife, Ethel.</i> Leigh:<i> Bobby was spending so much time</i> <i> with Mrs. Jackie Kennedy and the children,</i> <i> there was resentment from Ethel's side,</i> <i> and the visits were curtailed as a result.</i> Narrator:<i> To escape the glare of Washington sightseers,</i> <i> Jackie had settled with the children in New York City.</i> <i> She bought a 15-room apartment</i> <i> across the street from Central Park,</i> <i> which had plenty of room</i> <i> for young John to play.</i> <i> Except for a few Kennedy family events</i> <i> and anniversaries of the assassination,</i> <i> Jackie distanced herself</i> <i> and her children from the Kennedys.</i> Michael Gross:<i> What Jacqueline Kennedy did</i> <i> was she made a very definite decision</i> <i> somewhere along the line,</i> <i> that she was going to raise her children not to be Kennedys,</i> <i> but to rather be normal people.</i> <i> And she kept them out of the limelight,</i> she kept them out of danger, she kept them out of temptation, she kept them out of Hyannis Port. Narrator:<i> John entered nursery school, St. David's,</i> <i> carefully chosen by Jackie because the school made a point</i> <i> of accepting scholarship students</i> <i> from a variety of social backgrounds.</i> Leigh:<i> She wanted the schools to be very mixed.</i> <i> To have a lot of children of different races, different religions.</i> She did not want John to be an isolated, privileged child. Narrator:<i> Manhattan had everything any mother could want</i> <i> to entertain and educate her young son.</i> <i> John occasionally saw Bobby Kennedy,</i> <i> who had been elected to the Senate from the state of New York.</i> <i> He was a major contender</i> <i> in the 1968 presidential campaign,</i> <i> having won the crucial California primary.</i> My thanks to all of you and now it's on to Chicago and let's win there. - Thank you very much. -<i> ( cheering )</i> Narrator:<i> John was just seven years old</i> <i> when another assassin's bullet struck down his Uncle Bobby.</i> ( voices crying, shouting ) <i> The Kennedy family lost their third son,</i> <i> they lost their dream of a restored</i> <i> Kennedy White House,</i> <i> and for the second time in his short life,</i> <i> John lost a beloved companion.</i> Salinger:<i> John was very close to Bobby.</i> <i> He was shocked by the death of his uncle</i> <i> because he loved Bobby.</i> Bobby had been so nice to him after his father had been killed. Narrator:<i> "I hate this country," cried Jackie Kennedy</i> <i> when Bobby was assassinated.</i> <i> "If they're killing Kennedys, my kids are number one targets."</i> <i> Four months later in October,</i> <i> Jackie married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis,</i> <i> then said to be the richest man in the world.</i> Salinger:<i> When she married Ari Onassis, she made a deal with him</i> that she would spend nine months a year in New York because she wanted to spend time with the kids in their local base where they were going to school. Narrator:<i> Onassis was divorced,</i> <i> the father of two grown children,</i> <i> but they had been raised mainly by servants</i> <i> and he had little experience with kids.</i> <i> Still, on John's summer vacations in Greece</i> <i> and when Onassis occasionally visited New York during the school year,</i> <i> he made an effort to fulfill</i> <i> the role of stepfather.</i> Leigh:<i> Mr. Onassis was very, very kind to John and to Caroline.</i> <i> And he used to take John</i> <i> on board the yacht "Christina."</i> <i> He went to baseball games with John,</i> <i> he went to his school play, he trudged through the mud at horse shows,</i> and he did his best for a number of years to be an involved, good stepfather to John. Narrator:<i> The same fall that Jackie married Mr. Onassis,</i> <i> John transferred to Collegiate,</i> <i> America's oldest independent private school,</i> <i> founded in 1628.</i> <i> He had lagged behind academically at St. David's.</i> <i> Some said that Jackie moved John</i> <i> to prevent him from having to repeat second grade.</i> <i> After school, John took drum lessons</i> <i> and for several years he took a stab at learning tennis</i> <i> with his sister in Central Park.</i> They were never going to become professionals... ( laughs ) ...but Caroline was much more serious. Caroline studied tennis. <i> John just had a good time.</i> <i> He used to roll around the courts.</i> <i> He hit balls every which way.</i> <i> Usually they spent a little bit of time afterwards</i> <i> coming out to the grass to collect the balls</i> <i> that John hit over the fence.</i> Narrator:<i> Secret Service protection had been extended</i> <i> until John's 16th birthday.</i> <i> He had always despised the constant scrutiny</i> <i> and made a game of trying to elude his protectors--</i> <i> a game that led to a mugging</i> <i> on his way to a tennis lesson</i> <i> when John was 13 years old.</i> John was riding his bike and the Secret Servicemen, who were usually fairly close to him, had cut up the hill coming in here and they were a little ahead of John, apparently. <i> John was stopped, somebody told him</i> <i> get off his bike, "Give me your bike,"</i> <i> and John gave up his bike.</i> Narrator:<i> John was not hurt,</i> <i> and the mugger, a 20-year-old cocaine addict,</i> <i> was caught a short time later.</i> <i> John testified at the grand jury hearing,</i> <i> but to avoid any more publicity,</i> <i> Jackie did not press charges.</i> <i> In 1977</i> <i> when he was 16 years old,</i> <i> John made one of his first public appearances</i> <i> as a representative of the Kennedy family.</i> <i> It was the ground breaking in Boston</i> <i> for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.</i> Well, I'm really glad it 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:<i> John was becoming a young man</i> <i> with a young man's interests,</i> <i> and he started dating during his final two years of high school</i> <i> at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts.</i> The reasons why we, I believe, never see revelations <i> about "my night with John F. Kennedy, Jr."</i> <i> is because John is very careful</i> <i> about the ladies with whom he gets involved.</i> Narrator:<i> In 1979, when John entered college,</i> <i> he still had a few more carefree years.</i> <i> But before long,</i> <i> he would feel the weight of the Kennedy legacy.</i> Leigh:<i> John led a life of going to the ballet with his mother,</i> <i> going to the theater, going to concerts.</i> <i> A lot of horse riding for his sister.</i> <i> John was actually allergic to horses,</i> <i> and to his mother's pain--</i> <i> because she, of course, was a great horsewoman--</i> John didn't like to ride much, but he liked to play football in the park and led a very cultured, interesting, rich life. Narrator:<i> Jackie believed there were obligations</i> <i> to being a Kennedy</i> <i> and she made sure the children understood what they were.</i> <i> In the summer of 1976,</i> <i> John was sent to Guatemala</i> <i> to work for the Peace Corps,</i> <i> which his father had founded when he was president.</i> <i> And he learned a lot about resourcefulness</i> <i> at an Outward Bound course</i> <i> where he survived alone for three days</i> <i> in the wilderness.</i> <i> Afterward, he said with a smile,</i> <i> that he would never allow himself</i> <i> to be that hungry again.</i> I think Mrs. Kennedy did a tremendous job of keeping them on the straight and narrow path, as it were. Narrator:<i> John was close to his mother,</i> <i> but the time had come to spend more time on his own.</i> <i> He had already spent</i> <i> two years away from home at prep school</i> <i> when in 1979 he had to choose a college.</i> <i> The Kennedy family was closely associated with Harvard,</i> <i> but John broke with tradition</i> <i> to attend Brown University</i> <i> in Providence, Rhode Island.</i> Why he chose Brown ultimately over Harvard may have been the fact that a lot of his friends were going there. <i> Maybe he felt the curriculum was a lot looser than Harvard.</i> John Emigh:<i> I know he was taking-- from the freshman year--</i> courses in governance and history and political science and had a genuine interest about how things worked and how things had worked. Narrator:<i> John had become interested in acting at Collegiate</i> <i> and he began to take acting seriously at Brown</i> <i> as an extracurricular activity.</i> Emigh:<i> I remember his performance in David Rabe's</i> <i> "In the Boom Boom Room."</i> And there he played a lowlife character, an abusive character, <i> someone not at all of John's own disposition.</i> <i> I think he took pleasure in being able to extend himself</i> <i> into modes of behavior that are not his.</i> Narrator:<i> Through his acting, he met Christina Haag,</i> <i> a girlfriend who became a longtime friend.</i> <i> And he also dated Sally Munro.</i> <i> Despite his obvious appeal,</i> <i> John was not a ladies' man.</i> <i> John graduated from Brown</i> <i> in June of 1983</i> <i> with a bachelor's degree in history.</i> <i> He settled back in New York</i> <i> and took his first job as an assistant</i> <i> to the New York Commissioner of Business Development.</i> <i> In addition to his new job,</i> <i> John became active in charity work.</i> <i> ( applause )</i> <i> In 1985,</i> <i> he appeared at the 20th annual Christmas party</i> <i> for the Bedford-Stuyvesant restoration project</i> <i> founded by Robert Kennedy.</i> <i> John Kennedy had grown into a handsome, young man-about-New York,</i> <i> drawing the attention of America's most notorious femme fatale.</i> <i> Madonna had reached international stardom by then,</i> <i> and much of the world</i> <i> hung on her every outrageous utterance.</i> Leigh:<i> Madonna really went after John in a tremendous way.</i> <i> She was incredibly determined to capture John</i> <i> to add him to her list of trophies.</i> <i> And one of the things that was very interesting</i> was that Mrs. Onassis, at that point, knew about Madonna and very much wanted to meet her and wanted to know what Madonna was like. Narrator:<i> The Madonna fling fizzled,</i> <i> but John was soon squiring</i> <i> other beautiful young women around town.</i> <i> ( cheering )</i> <i> In July 1986,</i> <i> it was Caroline's turn to take center stage</i> <i> when she married Edwin Schlossberg.</i> <i> While Caroline's future seemed assured,</i> <i> John's was far from certain.</i> <i> Many believed he wanted to pursue acting.</i> Emigh:<i> John could have been a professional actor</i> <i> on the basis of his skills.</i> He had a knack for it. He had a love of it. Narrator:<i> Jackie was adamant</i> <i> that John find a more suitable career.</i> <i> Some said that she threatened to disinherit him</i> <i> unless he gave up the idea of becoming an actor.</i> <i> So John settled on the law.</i> <i> He enrolled at New York University Law School in 1986.</i> Obviously, he was incredibly close to his mom. His mom was the most important influence in his life. He went to law school because that's what his mom wanted him to do. He became a D.A. because that's what his mom wanted him to do. Narrator:<i> If the law was not really what he wanted,</i> <i> he kept those feelings to himself.</i> <i> But it was the traditional precursor to a political career</i> <i> and in the next few years,</i> <i> John Kennedy would take a few tentative steps</i> <i> onto the political stage.</i> James Wright:<i> Join me now</i> <i> as I bring to this podium</i> <i> a young man whom we all</i> <i> clasped to our hearts,</i> John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr. <i> ( cheering, applause )</i> Narrator:<i> John Kennedy made his first</i> <i> important political speech in 1988</i> <i> when he introduced Ted Kennedy</i> <i> at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta.</i> Over a quarter century ago, my father stood before you to accept the nomination for the presidency of the United States... <i> ( cheering, applause )</i> Salinger:<i> I heard that speech and I suddenly said to myself,</i> "My God, this is one of the Kennedy children who's gonna run for office someday because he's got the right style." America is better because of the leadership of Edward Kennedy. - ( cheering, applause ) -<i> Thank you.</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. Gross:<i> He really electrified that convention.</i> I think people thought, "Oh, here it goes. His hat's in the ring." Narrator:<i> John, as became his habit,</i> <i> sidestepped the question</i> <i> while not ruling out a run for political office.</i> I wouldn't want to think too far in the future. I've, ah, just tried to do the things that interest me and do it in my own way and, um, I've managed to consume myself with things other than politics at the moment. Narrator:<i> The convention was John's political coming-out party</i> <i> and the beginning of the kind of intense media scrutiny</i> <i> John found uncomfortable.</i> <i> Just two months later, "People" magazine made John their cover boy.</i> <i> He was called</i> <i> the "Sexiest Man Alive" for 1988.</i> And he was our best-selling "Sexiest Man Alive" ever. Nobody has sold more copies of that issue than JFK, Jr. <i> He's sort of the closest thing we have to royalty,</i> <i> but he's also the kind of royalty that we like to have.</i> 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. Leigh:<i> Like his mother, he allows himself to be photographed,</i> but like Greta Garbo and his mother, he doesn't speak much. And so he retains this incredible mystery. Narrator:<i> The mystery the media most wanted to uncover</i> <i> was John's love life.</i> <i> One woman with whom John's name</i> <i> was linked longer than most</i> <i> was actress Daryl Hannah.</i> Leigh:<i> John met Daryl Hannah, in fact,</i> <i> when they were in their late teens on the Island of St. Martin.</i> <i> And Daryl Hannah was very noticeable</i> <i> because she was carrying a teddy bear even though she was 17 years old.</i> They only finally met again in 1988 at the wedding of John's aunt, Princess Lee Radziwill, to Herbert Ross and they met at the wedding dinner <i> and sparks flew.</i> Gross:<i> She was, first of all, a stunningly gorgeous woman.</i> An outdoorsy woman who could share John's interests with him. <i> She was a patrician like his mother.</i> <i> She was also a Hollywood star just like Marilyn Monroe.</i> <i> So there was an aspect of what Dad</i> <i> would have looked for in a woman there, too.</i> Narrator:<i> While his romance with Daryl Hannah grew,</i> <i> John graduated from law school in 1989</i> <i> and signed on as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.</i> <i> When he failed the New York State bar examination</i> <i> for the second time,</i> <i> the tabloids could not resist.</i> Obviously, I'm very disappointed again, but, you know, God willing, uh, 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:<i> John eventually did pass the bar</i> <i> and although he handled</i> <i> only a few cases in the next three years,</i> <i> he made successes of them all.</i> He took cases that were losers and through his ability to get information out of people, he made these cases into winners. Narrator:<i> When his cousin Willie Smith</i> <i> stood trial on a rape charge</i> <i> in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1991,</i> <i> John took leave from his job</i> <i> with the district attorney's office</i> <i> to lend support to his childhood chum.</i> Leigh:<i> The tabloids reported that his mother had made him do that</i> 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:<i> Other Kennedy cousins besides Willie</i> <i> had gotten into trouble with the law and with drugs,</i> <i> but John and his sister Caroline avoided those problems.</i> <i> Most people attributed their stability</i> <i> to their mother.</i> <i> Some Kennedy family events,</i> <i> like the Profiles in Courage Award,</i> <i> were important enough to merit interviews.</i> Well, the award this year is being given specifically for Governor Florio's work on behalf of the assault rifle ban... Narrator:<i> The television interview was a rare opportunity</i> <i> to question John about his political future.</i> Are we gonna see you go into politics? Well, it's something that-- not today. 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:<i> John resigned from the district attorney's office</i> <i> in July 1993.</i> <i> A few months later,</i> <i> it seemed that he might make a career move into television</i> <i> when he hosted a six-part local New York series,</i> <i> "The Heart of the City."</i> <i> John bowed out of television after that series.</i> <i> The law had not worked for him</i> <i> and he was ambivalent about elective office.</i> <i> At 32, John F. Kennedy, Jr.</i> <i> was still floundering.</i> <i> But the Kennedy responsibility loomed</i> <i> and he still had not answered the question</i> <i> of what he was going to do with his life.</i> <i> What no one knew</i> <i> was that John would soon lose the person</i> <i> whose guidance he most counted on.</i> Narrator:<i> At 34, John F. Kennedy, Jr.</i> <i> was searching for a new challenge.</i> <i> His short-lived law career was over.</i> <i> He had dabbled in acting and television.</i> <i> John still wasn't ready for politics.</i> <i> He was at loose ends,</i> <i> struggling with what to do with his life.</i> <i> Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had been John's anchor</i> <i> and his protector for as long as he could remember.</i> <i> They were as close as a mother and son could be.</i> Leigh:<i> John's relationship with his mother</i> <i> was one of tremendous deference.</i> He adored her. And, of course, having lost his father so young, he felt very protective of his mother. In fact, at one point he said, <i> "All my life there's really only been the three of us--</i> <i> Caroline, my mother, and me."</i> Narrator:<i> Early in 1994,</i> <i> reports emerged that Jackie was extremely ill.</i> <i> In January, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.</i> <i> After a hospital stay in May,</i> <i> Jackie returned home to spend her last days</i> <i> in the family's Fifth Avenue apartment.</i> <i> While the media and the public jammed the sidewalks,</i> <i> family and friends gathered.</i> <i> Her companion Maurice Tempelsman,</i> <i> Caroline's family,</i> <i> and John's girlfriend Daryl Hannah.</i> <i> Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis</i> <i> died on May 19th.</i> 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. She did it in her own way and on her own terms and we all feel lucky for that. <i> And now she's in God's hands.</i> <i> "We which are alive and remain</i> <i> shall be caught up together with them in the clouds</i> to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord." Narrator:<i> The nation mourned with John and the rest of the family</i> <i> as Jackie was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery</i> <i> next to baby Patrick and President Kennedy.</i> <i> All of the heartbreaking memories of the Kennedy tragedies</i> <i> engulfed the world once again.</i> <i> John was stoic and graceful in his grief.</i> The morning after the funeral, he was back at his desk at 8:30. <i> And as his closest friend said to me, "That's just what his mother would have done."</i> Narrator:<i> With Jackie's death,</i> <i> the weight of the Kennedy legend descended on John's shoulders.</i> <i> He ended his five-and-a-half-year relationship with Daryl Hannah.</i> <i> Before long, he was seen around New York</i> <i> dating Carolyn Bessette,</i> <i> a friend who worked as a publicity director for Calvin Klein.</i> <i> Kennedy's professional life also gained focus.</i> <i> He went into business with a friend, Michael Berman.</i> Gross:<i> They decided to form a company</i> <i> and they called it Random Ventures.</i> And suddenly, John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s life wasn't random anymore. Narrator:<i> One of their first projects</i> <i> was a new political magazine.</i> <i> "George," as it was called, was unveiled to the press</i> <i> on September 7th, 1995.</i> Ladies and gentlemen, meet "George." <i> ( applause )</i> Narrator:<i> It was a John Kennedy like no one had ever seen before.</i> <i> Confident, well spoken, and convincing.</i> Gross:<i> What you're seeing is John finding a way</i> <i> to fit his own desires in</i> with the dynastic desires of being a Kennedy. And with the personal desire of being his mother's son. Man:<i> Would you share your home phone number with us?</i> - I can't hear-- share what? -<i> ( crowd laughing )</i> Share my what? Narrator:<i> But John's new high-profile career</i> <i> kept him in the public eye.</i> <i> During the 1996 presidential nominating conventions,</i> <i> invitations to the "George" magazine parties were in great demand.</i> <i> John attracted celebrities.</i> Man:<i> What's gonna happen tonight?</i> I don't know, you tell me, you're on the outside. I think good things, though. Narrator:<i> As a celebrity himself,</i> <i> John continued to be hounded by photographers.</i> <i> The scrutiny was especially relentless</i> <i> when it came to John's love life.</i> <i> Cameras dogged the world's most sought-after bachelor</i> <i> and now steady girlfriend Carolyn Bessette.</i> <i> Some reports said they were engaged.</i> <i> One very public argument in 1996,</i> <i> a screaming match, kept the tabloids busy.</i> - Woman:<i> John.</i> - Man:<i> Mr. Kennedy.</i> Narrator:<i> The couple then attempted</i> <i> to keep their romance under wraps.</i> <i> John began to appear alone at public events</i> <i> and gossip columnists reported they had broken up.</i> <i> But it had all been an elaborate cover.</i> <i> On September 21st, 1996,</i> <i> John secretly married Carolyn</i> <i> in a very small, very private ceremony</i> <i> on Cumberland Island off the Georgia coast.</i> <i> The news was a clever surprise</i> <i> to most of their family and closest friends.</i> <i> The newlyweds had finally outfoxed the media</i> <i> and escaped on a honeymoon to Turkey.</i> <i> John's marriage</i> <i> appeared to give him new confidence.</i> <i> "George" began to thrive amid some staffing shake-ups.</i> <i> Kennedy assumed more responsibility at the magazine.</i> Kerry McCarthy:<i> I think John is emerging more</i> <i> as his own person.</i> I think when he no longer depends on advisors and trusts himself, <i> I think that John's finding that life is fun.</i> Narrator:<i> 1997 was a difficult year for the Kennedys.</i> <i> On New Year's Eve, Michael Kennedy</i> <i> slammed into a tree</i> <i> while playing football on the ski slopes of Aspen.</i> <i> He was killed instantly.</i> <i> John and the rest of the family</i> <i> gathered in Hyannis to bury one of their own.</i> <i> Like too many times before,</i> <i> grief had united them.</i> <i> John returned to his successful life in New York.</i> <i> By 1998, he had rebuffed several attempts</i> <i> to interest him in elected office.</i> <i> In April of that year,</i> <i> John fulfilled a childhood dream,</i> <i> earning his private pilot's license.</i> <i> The little boy who loved to fly in helicopters with his dad</i> <i> could now escape into the sky... alone.</i> Lloyd Howard:<i> I think it gave him freedom.</i> <i> Freedom from press, freedom from pictures,</i> freedom from people wanting autographs, freedom from being pressed by the things around him. Narrator:<i> By the following summer, John had accumulated</i> <i> more than 100 hours as a pilot.</i> <i> He had also purchased an airplane of his own.</i> <i> A single-engine, six-seat Piper Saratoga.</i> <i> Late in the afternoon of July 16th, 1999,</i> <i> John and his sister-in-law Lauren Bessette</i> <i> left New York City to meet Carolyn</i> <i> at the small New Jersey airfield</i> <i> where John kept his plane.</i> <i> Their destination--</i> <i> a family wedding the next day in Hyannis.</i> <i> John planned to drop Lauren off</i> <i> on Martha's Vineyard first.</i> <i> At 8:38 p.m.,</i> <i> the Piper Saratoga took off and turned to the east.</i> <i> Ahead, a heavy haze was gathering</i> <i> in the skies off Martha's Vineyard.</i> I don't think John realized-- if he had realized it was going-- 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> I think he was too conscientious of a pilot to have done that.</i> Narrator:<i> John never made it to the Vineyard.</i> <i> His plane had vanished somewhere over the ocean.</i> Man:<i> They're looking at airfields...</i> Narrator:<i> At dawn, a massive search and rescue mission began.</i> <i> From inside the Kennedy compound in Hyannis,</i> <i> the family issued positive statements.</i> 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:<i> The world held its breath.</i> Maybe he's still alive. Maybe there will be a miracle. We don't know right now. Narrator:<i> But with each passing day,</i> <i> hope faded that the three young people were still alive.</i> <i> On July 21st,</i> <i> divers finally located the wreckage of John's plane.</i> <i> Near the broken fuselage, they found the bodies of</i> <i> Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren.</i> <i> Inside, still in his pilot's seat,</i> <i> was John F. Kennedy, Jr.,</i> <i> dead at the age of 38.</i> ( siren blurts ) <i> As news that the bodies had been recovered began to spread,</i> <i> an outpouring of grief and sorrow overtook the nation.</i> <i> On July 22nd, 1999,</i> <i> John F. Kennedy, Jr. and his wife</i> <i> were buried at sea.</i> <i> The son of a slain president,</i> <i> he had lived his life in the national spotlight.</i> <i> John F. Kennedy, Jr. bore it with a brand of humility,</i> <i> charm, and humor</i> <i> that earned him a special place in America's heart.</i> Gross:<i> He figured it out. It took him a long time to figure out a way</i> that he could both be a Kennedy, live up to what was expected of him, but also take himself out <i> of the sort of destiny</i> <i> that we as a society</i> <i> have laid on the Kennedys.</i> Leigh:<i> To some degree, America will never know John Kennedy.</i> I think in our consciousness, we vacillate between the image <i> of the little boy saluting his father's coffin</i> <i> on that tragic day, and the hunk.</i> Lague:<i> He's kind of an American prince.</i> He's sort of the closest thing we have to royalty, but he kind of belongs to everybody. <i> I think that's part of the charm.</i> He had a will to complete, or to survive, if you will. It was enough for three people. <i> He would inspire all of us.</i> <i> To this day, I still have not</i> <i> completely accepted that he's gone.</i> Harry Smith:<i> People knew about Carolyn Bessette</i> <i> because she was John Kennedy's wife.</i> <i> But even before her marriage,</i> <i> she was nothing short of a standout.</i> <i> Born in 1966,</i> <i> she was raised in the affluent New York suburb</i> <i> of Greenwich, Connecticut,</i> <i> the youngest of three girls.</i> <i> Her father William, an architectural engineer,</i> <i> and her mother Ann, a public school administrator,</i> <i> divorced when she was eight.</i> <i> And she grew up with her mother and stepfather,</i> <i> a successful orthopedic surgeon.</i> <i> Carolyn attended Connecticut public schools</i> <i> until her parents pulled her out</i> <i> and enrolled her in St. Mary's, a Catholic school,</i> <i> because, as she once explained,</i> <i> she was having "too much fun."</i> <i> Although no academic wiz,</i> <i> she made her mark there nonetheless.</i> Carolyn was a very popular lady with both the guys and the girls. She was just a very nice person. Everybody liked her. She had a great spirit. <i> Very friendly, very outgoing.</i> She was always smiling and joking around. There was never a day that you can remember Carolyn Bessette being down. Smith:<i> What already impressed her classmates</i> <i> was her sense of style.</i> <i> Even in a drab school uniform,</i> <i> she managed to look stunning.</i> <i> Her senior year, Carolyn's classmates voted her</i> <i> the "Ultimate Beautiful Person."</i> <i> Following her mother's footsteps,</i> <i> Carolyn went to college at Boston University,</i> <i> where she majored in elementary education.</i> <i> But after spending some time with children in a classroom,</i> <i> she decided that teaching wasn't for her.</i> I think after her first year when school was over, I remember her telling me that all the little kids in her class started crying and being upset that she was leaving and it was the end of the school year. She was just so upset. She knew she couldn't deal with that every year. Smith:<i> At Boston University,</i> <i> she was decidedly high-profile.</i> <i> She dated the captain of the hockey team</i> <i> as well as the Italian heir to the Benetton fashion fortune.</i> <i> She even worked briefly as a model as a favor to a friend.</i> DiMarzo:<i> She was great.</i> <i> She was really good in front of a camera.</i> I knew she was destined for something just great. She was just a really great girl. Smith:<i> Following graduation,</i> <i> Carolyn took a job in marketing</i> <i> for a company that owned a string of nightclubs in New England.</i> <i> True to form, she did not go unnoticed.</i> Mindy d'Arbeloff:<i> Carolyn was the kind of woman who</i> walked into a room and between her looks and her electricity and her-- just overall presence, the rest of the women in the room might as well have been wallpaper. There was just no question, we dissolved into the background. Smith:<i> But Carolyn was not to remain</i> <i> in the nightclub business for long.</i> I absolutely remember the day that she came breathlessly into the office with this business card that somebody had handed her on Newberry Street and said, "It's Calvin Klein and they want me to come and work for them." Smith:<i> Sure enough, someone from Calvin Klein</i> <i> had spotted her walking down the street.</i> <i> Soon after, she was working as a salesclerk</i> <i> in their Boston store.</i> <i> Within a year, yet another Klein executive took notice of her</i> <i> and she was on her way to New York.</i> Smith:<i> In 1989, Carolyn Bessette came to New York</i> <i> to interview for a job.</i> Paul Wilmot:<i> The first time I met Carolyn,</i> <i> the initial impression</i> <i> was those beautiful eyes.</i> <i> And then you talked to her.</i> And you realize here's someone who is well-educated, she was a wordsmith, she had a wonderful command of the English language, she was obviously from a nice family and had lovely manners and a great diplomatic presence for a young person. And remember, when I first met her, she was 23 years old. And I'm a senior vice president of a big fashion company and she was totally at ease talking to me in the interview. And I knew that we had to hire her within a minute of her being in the office. Smith:<i> Carolyn moved to Manhattan</i> <i> and was put in charge of selling to celebrity clients</i> <i> such as Faye Dunaway and Diane Sawyer.</i> <i> She sold millions of dollars' worth of clothes.</i> Mark Ganem:<i> Carolyn, from what I understand,</i> was very down-to-earth with Calvin Klein's VIP clients, which she handled when they would come into the showroom. Smith:<i> Carolyn quickly graduated to publicist</i> <i> for Klein's high-end collection line,</i> <i> where she developed a reputation for shouting matches</i> <i> with models and underlings.</i> <i> Insiders say she was very demanding and opinionated.</i> <i> They also say she was a huge asset to the company.</i> Ganem:<i> Carolyn had a real knack for picking up on trends</i> <i> even before they happened at Calvin Klein,</i> <i> which is really important for a designer.</i> She was also an incredible advertisement for Calvin Klein itself because she had this wonderful, <i> American fresh-faced look.</i> <i> And she looked fantastic in his clothes.</i> Smith:<i> During this period, Carolyn frequented</i> <i> trendy downtown night spots and dated models and actors.</i> <i> She also came up with a completely new look</i> <i> to reflect her new life.</i> Ann Gerhart:<i> She had made herself over.</i> If you look at photographs of her from high school and from college, she has luxuriant, bountiful <i> manes of brunette hair.</i> <i> She's a little bit more curvy.</i> Somewhere along the way, she got a lot thinner, more angular. <i> Her hair became really blonde.</i> Smith:<i> Carolyn became part of Calvin Klein's inner circle.</i> <i> She also became close to Klein's wife, Kelly.</i> <i> And friends say that it was Kelly who introduced Carolyn</i> <i> to John Kennedy in the fall of 1993.</i> <i> The man who "People" magazine called the "Sexiest Man Alive"</i> <i> was dating actress Daryl Hannah</i> <i> when he first started seeing Carolyn.</i> <i> By the spring, his relationship with Hannah was over</i> <i> and he was dating Carolyn exclusively.</i> She always had such great respect for John, for how John was able to handle the onus and the responsibilities of his birthright. And I think that was maybe the greatest thing that Carolyn felt about John was that he had always handled himself so impeccably. Smith:<i> People were immediately struck by her resemblance</i> <i> to his late mother Jackie Onassis.</i> They were cut out of the same cloth in many respects. They were terribly cultured women who had made names for themselves before they met Kennedy men. They were fairly shy. They were certainly upper class and had a sort of upper-class distance from the media culture that their husbands were steeped in. And they had similar artistic interests as well. Smith:<i> John and Carolyn dated for a year and a half</i> <i> before she moved into his loft in downtown Manhattan.</i> <i> By this time, the press was on their trail,</i> <i> turning even the slightest spat into front-page news.</i> Since their whole courtship was chronicled so heavily in the New York media... perhaps the passion of that relationship was misinterpreted as negative turbulence. In fact, I think her friends suggested at the time, that he was attracted to her because she was not docile and accepting that he was this crowned prince and the "Sexiest Man Alive" and therefore she needed to do everything he said. He pushed, she pushed back. He liked that. Smith:<i> In the summer of 1996,</i> <i> Carolyn and John were rarely seen together.</i> <i> And it was assumed by many that the two had broken up.</i> <i> It came as a huge surprise to even close friends</i> <i> when news of their top secret wedding was announced.</i> <i> They were married on a remote island off the coast of Georgia.</i> <i> The ceremony was held in a tiny wooden chapel</i> <i> decorated with wildflowers and vines.</i> <i> Only 40 people were invited</i> <i> and all were sworn to secrecy.</i> <i> When the pictures were released,</i> <i> one thing was certain,</i> <i> the new Queen of Camelot had been crowned</i> <i> and a new fashion icon had been born.</i> <i> Suddenly, everyone was talking about her wedding dress</i> <i> and the man who designed it, Narciso Rodriguez.</i> He created a dress that, I think, sort of spoke volumes about her own understanding of how a single image could really define who you are to the public. I mean, she said very little, but people looked at those pictures of her in that dress and they immediately thought, you know, this was a sexy, elegant-- you know, unusual woman. Smith:<i> From that moment on,</i> <i> Carolyn became the fashion world's darling.</i> <i> Magazine editors begged her to be on their covers.</i> <i> Designers craved her patronage</i> <i> and the world watched</i> <i> to see what Carolyn was wearing.</i> There are a few women that the fashion world really follows because they have the ability to create fashion. It's not just because they're beautiful and striking, it's really a combination. It's really kind of their spirit that people can see even in photographs. Jacqueline Onassis was a prime example of this. <i> Whatever she wore,</i> <i> how she wore it, became fashion.</i> And Carolyn Bessette was one of these people. Not just because she was married to John Kennedy, Jr., but because of her own personal style, which is very ephemeral, difficult to describe. Smith:<i> Carolyn was known to favor</i> <i> cutting-edge designers.</i> Givhan:<i> Here was a woman who was becoming part of</i> a very sort of old-line socialite world. And yet she was wearing clothes that were not lunching ladies' clothes at all. I mean, these were very avant-garde styles. They were the kinds of clothes that sort of fashion insiders adored because they were kind of edgy and they sort of gave you a sense of where fashion was going in the future. Smith:<i> But all this attention came at a huge price.</i> <i> From the day that Carolyn and John</i> <i> returned from their honeymoon in Turkey,</i> <i> the paparazzi siege had begun.</i> <i> Even her husband's pleas were to no avail.</i> <i> Carolyn hated being hounded by the press.</i> <i> An intensely private person,</i> <i> she granted no interviews</i> <i> and refused to pose for photographers.</i> Please, don't get so close to me. Ganem:<i> She's told friends about instances</i> <i> where people will just grab her on the street</i> <i> and talk to her or try to photograph her.</i> And she had a feeling, too, that photographers were trying to catch her in a bad light. In many respects, she was quite like Jacqueline Kennedy in the sense that she wanted to live an important life, but live it in the sidelight. Not live it directly in the limelight and she was uncomfortable being in the limelight. I think it's sort of fabulous. I hope they're all sitting with me. Smith:<i> In recent months, though,</i> <i> Carolyn appeared to be more relaxed around the press.</i> <i> Sometimes she was even playful.</i> <i> Finally, she seemed to have made her peace</i> <i> with the public role her marriage</i> <i> into American royalty demanded.</i> Wilmot:<i> What she was was someone who was</i> very comfortable in her own skin, very comfortable in the relationship that they had together, and very happy to be his full partner. Not, you know, majority partner, <i> not minority partner,</i> <i> she was his full partner and very, very warm to their friends.</i> <i> And the loss, you have--</i> <i> we will be speaking about this loss</i> <i> for many, many years to come.</i> When you talk about a tragedy like this in a family that's borne so much tragedy, you're almost tempted to resort to Greek myths and the notion of "the Hand of God" and the "fateful family" and all that. Smith:<i> It's a family that realized the ultimate American dream.</i> <i> A family in which greatness was expected.</i> <i> The patriarch was a modern buccaneer</i> <i> who ranks among the century's most ambitious men.</i> <i> Ambitious for himself and for his children.</i> <i> Joe Kennedy, born to a saloon owner,</i> <i> was a born politician.</i> <i> Admired by men, adored by women.</i> <i> He attended the right schools and married the right woman,</i> <i> Rose Fitzgerald, the daughter of Boston's mayor.</i> <i> The first and favorite son was Joe, Jr.,</i> <i> born 84 years ago today</i> <i> on July 25th, 1915.</i> <i> Eight children followed, including future politicians</i> <i> Robert, John, and Ted.</i> <i> Joseph Kennedy, Sr. made millions</i> <i> on Wall Street and in Hollywood,</i> <i> where his amorous conquests</i> <i> included Gloria Swanson.</i> <i> But he craved the power and respect that came from politics.</i> <i> His political contributions helped elect Franklin Roosevelt,</i> <i> who later appointed Kennedy ambassador to England.</i> <i> The patriarch demanded even bigger things from his children.</i> <i> He groomed Joe, Jr. for nothing less than the presidency,</i> <i> but his hopes were shattered when Joe died during World War II.</i> <i> He then turned to his second son, John.</i> <i> Like his father, he was dashing, bright,</i> <i> overflowing with confidence and sex appeal.</i> <i> Joe Kennedy used his money and influence</i> <i> to help his son win votes</i> <i> and election to the House and Senate,</i> <i> not that charismatic JFK</i> <i> needed that much help.</i> <i> Before a stroke left him an invalid,</i> <i> Joe Kennedy realized his greatest dream</i> <i> when JFK won the presidency.</i> 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. Smith:<i> Then an assassin turned the Kennedy torch</i> <i> into an eternal flame.</i> <i> It was number three son Bobby's turn.</i> <i> He was the likely Democratic presidential nominee</i> <i> when he was shot down in 1968.</i> Be remembered simply as a good and decent man... who saw wrong and tried to right it... saw suffering and tried to heal it... saw war and tried to stop it. Smith:<i> The next year, Ted drove off the bridge at Chappaquiddick,</i> <i> killing a young woman and his own chances for the presidency.</i> <i> Some of the next generation of Kennedys chose politics.</i> <i> Others concentrated on making money</i> <i> or cleaning up the environment.</i> <i> But the shining star of the third generation</i> <i> was always John, Jr.</i> <i> He won the genetic lottery</i> <i> inheriting the looks and charm of his father and mother.</i> <i> Many who knew him had no doubt</i> <i> he would someday follow the family path.</i> John was a guy who really, I think, eventually would've gone into politics. He talked about it some. He said he wanted to go into administrative office, not run for Senate or not run for Congress if he ever did so. <i> He loved the notion of someday--</i> <i> and he knew he wasn't ready for it yet--</i> <i> being mayor, maybe being governor, maybe being president.</i> There are some members of my family that have gone directly into public life. For me, that's a very loaded situation. It's not a situation that one should step into casually. I think you, you know, better be ready for it. So I'm enjoying accumulating the experiences that I am. And I've never really been a sort of a long horizon type of person. Harry Smith:<i> John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Jr.</i> <i> had a fascination with flight</i> <i> that began almost as soon as he learned to talk.</i> Kennedy:<i> Do you know we're going by helicopter to the airport tomorrow morning?</i> -<i> Do you wanna do that?</i> - Kennedy, Jr.:<i> I'm gonna go in the helicopter tomorrow.</i> Arthur Marx:<i> It was a passion.</i> <i> He loved to fly.</i> <i> When he wasn't in an airplane, he was probably thinking about it.</i> <i> Thinking about what plane he might buy when he got his license.</i> Smith:<i> John did get his license in 1998</i> <i> and bought his own plane almost immediately.</i> <i> Soon, though,</i> <i> he bought a bigger Piper Saratoga.</i> <i> A cast had just been removed from John's ankle.</i> <i> He'd broken it in a recent paragliding accident.</i> <i> He'd even piloted his plane in the cast</i> <i> with an instructor helping.</i> <i> This would be his first flight since the accident</i> <i> without the cast or the instructor.</i> <i> John was not required</i> <i> to file a flight plan and did not.</i> <i> It was well-known that he was heading to Hyannis Port</i> <i> for the joyous occasion of the wedding of his cousin Rory.</i> <i> First, he planned to stop in Martha's Vineyard</i> <i> to drop off his sister-in-law Lauren.</i> Arthur Marx:<i> I've probably seen him every weekend</i> <i> for the last month or two.</i> He's made the trip a lot. He knows the route. Smith:<i> At 8:38 p.m.</i> <i> on the evening of July 16th, 1999,</i> John Kennedy, Jr., his wife Carolyn, <i> and her sister Lauren</i> <i> take flight into the hazy evening skies.</i> Marx:<i> The visibility wasn't that good.</i> I know there wasn't a moon out, so it was probably a pretty dark night. Smith:<i> John has been licensed to fly</i> <i> under "visual flight rules,"</i> <i> which means he can legally fly</i> <i> only when there is a visual frame of reference.</i> <i> He is not licensed to fly under "instrument flight rules,"</i> <i> which require 40 hours of special training</i> <i> for conditions that make visual navigation impossible--</i> <i> clouds, haze, and bad weather.</i> <i> After takeoff,</i> <i> Kennedy's plane is tracked on radar</i> <i> as it climbs to 5,600 feet,</i> <i> passing north of the airport in New Jersey,</i> <i> then heading east towards Martha's Vineyard.</i> <i> He could have flown in a straight line over water,</i> <i> but chooses a conservative course</i> <i> following the lights of the southern Connecticut coastline.</i> <i> The plane is next tracked on radar</i> <i> at Westerly, Rhode Island.</i> <i> At 9:26 p.m.,</i> <i> radar tracks Kennedy</i> <i> steering towards Martha's Vineyard,</i> <i> traveling at an altitude of 5,600 feet.</i> <i> At about 34 miles out from Martha's Vineyard,</i> <i> the plane begins a descent.</i> <i> Shortly after, the airplane begins to turn to the right,</i> <i> but rises back up again</i> <i> to 2,600 feet.</i> 30 seconds into the maneuver, the airplane started a turn to the right and descended at a rapid rate of decent. The rate of descent may have been greater than 5,000 feet per minute. Smith:<i> At the final radar contact,</i> <i> the plane is at 1,100 feet.</i> <i> Just 16 miles from the airport.</i> <i> At 2:15 a.m.,</i> <i> a worried friend of the Kennedys</i> <i> calls the Coast Guard station in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.</i> <i> In the early hours before dawn,</i> <i> the Coast Guard and the Civil Air Patrol</i> <i> search the ocean to no avail.</i> <i> At first light, the skies fill with aircraft.</i> <i> The Air Force provides 15 single-engine planes</i> <i> and the Coast Guard deploys two H-60 Jayhawk helicopters.</i> <i> The National Guard sends the same C-130</i> <i> that was used in the TWA Flight 800 search.</i> <i> At 7:00 Saturday morning,</i> <i> President Clinton is informed of the plane's disappearance.</i> <i> He calls several members of the Kennedy family.</i> Reporter:<i> We are interrupting your program this morning</i> for some information involving John F. Kennedy, Jr., the son of the slain president. "ABC News" has reports that his plane is missing this morning... Smith:<i> Americans awake</i> <i> on a summery Saturday morning to the chilling news</i> <i> that John F. Kennedy, Jr.'s plane is missing.</i> <i> The news has a surreal feeling</i> <i> as if it will soon be retracted--</i> <i> an impossible mistake.</i> <i> The Kennedy family is in seclusion</i> <i> and has issued no statement.</i> <i> Rory Kennedy's wedding is indefinitely postponed.</i> <i> The search on land and sea widens</i> <i> and by mid-afternoon Saturday,</i> <i> the first traces of wreckage have been found.</i> Lt. Gary Jones:<i> We have found debris, we have found luggage,</i> and we're still pursuing an active search-and-rescue mission. <i> There is always hope.</i> Smith:<i> John and Carolyn's New York apartment building</i> <i> in the neighborhood of Tribeca</i> <i> becomes a street-side shrine as word is awaited.</i> <i> The search resumes at dawn on Sunday.</i> <i> A flotilla of Coast Guard cutters is joined by the Rude,</i> <i> a research vessel also deployed in the TWA search.</i> <i> It scours the ocean floor</i> <i> with ultrasensitive sonar equipment.</i> Robert Byrd:<i> We found a number of pieces of foam insulation.</i> This insulation would be consistent with what would surround the cabin of an aircraft. Smith:<i> The National Transportation Safety Board</i> <i> warns the investigation could take more than six months.</i> James Hall:<i> At this point, we do not know.</i> We will not know for some time. There is even a possibility we will never know. Smith:<i> The sad news that the chances of survival</i> <i> are next to nothing</i> <i> comes from Coast Guard Admiral Larrabee</i> <i> late Sunday evening.</i> We know that this case is now 48 hours old. We know that the water temperature is about 68 degrees. <i> Survivability is probably not gonna be</i> <i> much greater than 12 hours</i> <i> and certainly no more than 18 hours in the water.</i> <i> We know that the aircraft was not equipped</i> <i> with any survival equipment,</i> <i> life rafts, life jackets, anything of that nature.</i> I have... spent some very painful moments with the families tonight. <i> They have been very understanding all along</i> <i> and very appreciative of what we have been trying to do.</i> <i> And it was very difficult for me to share this information with them.</i> Smith:<i> On Sunday night,</i> <i> the authorities officially change their mission</i> <i> from rescue to recovery.</i> <i> The Kennedy family</i> <i> lowers the American flag in Hyannis Port</i> <i> to half-staff.</i> <i> By Monday morning,</i> <i> the sight of state police divers</i> <i> makes the new focus of the investigation clear.</i> <i> They are searching for remains.</i> <i> The family of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren</i> <i> has a family friend read a short statement.</i> John and Carolyn were true soul mates and we hope to honor them in death in the simple manner in which they chose to live their lives. Smith:<i> Later Tuesday evening,</i> <i> Senator Ted Kennedy releases a statement that says,</i> <i> "The family is filled with unspeakable grief and sadness</i> <i> by the loss of John and Carolyn and of Lauren Bessette."</i> <i> The public sees only brief glimpses of the Kennedy family.</i> <i> John's sister Caroline</i> <i> is photographed on a short bicycle ride with her husband.</i> <i> Funeral plans on are on hold</i> <i> while the search for the bodies continues.</i> <i> The public expression of grief swells.</i> <i> In the dark of night on Tuesday,</i> <i> the naval ship USS Grasp</i> <i> deploys a robotic camera underwater</i> <i> at the site targeted by the Coast Guard.</i> <i> At long last,</i> <i> the fuselage of the plane is sighted.</i> <i> The camera can read the tail number</i> <i> and positively identifies the lost Piper Saratoga.</i> <i> At 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday,</i> <i> the camera locates the body of John Kennedy</i> <i> still strapped into his seat.</i> <i> The bodies of his wife Carolyn and her sister Lauren</i> <i> are found within hours.</i> <i> The victims have been discovered</i> <i> about seven miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard</i> <i> near a beach John's mother Jacqueline</i> <i> had left to her children.</i> <i> Once more in his life</i> <i> as the patriarch of a family marked by tragedy,</i> <i> Senator Ted Kennedy is called</i> <i> to identify the bodies of those he loves.</i> <i> He is accompanied on the naval ship by his sons</i> <i> Patrick and Edward, Jr., John's first cousins.</i> <i> The vast resources invested in the search</i> <i> have produced the desired results,</i> <i> but there is criticism amid public awareness</i> <i> of special efforts for a favorite son.</i> If anyone believes that was wrong, the Coast Guard is not at fault, I am. It was because I thought it was the right thing to do under the circumstances. Smith:<i> The bodies of the victims are identified</i> <i> and then brought to shore for autopsy and cremation.</i> <i> Late Wednesday evening,</i> <i> the public learns that John had expressed wishes</i> <i> for a burial at sea,</i> <i> where the Bessette sisters will be put to rest as well.</i> <i> Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg</i> <i> has ensured that the final rite,</i> <i> the committing of the ashes to the sea,</i> <i> will be handled with dignity and privacy.</i> <i> The press must maintain a distance of five miles.</i> <i> Only those closest to John, Carolyn, and Lauren</i> <i> are invited to make the journey for the private farewell.</i> <i> A funeral is held in New York the next day,</i> <i> closed to cameras and the public.</i> <i> But it is on the open sea,</i> <i> beneath the heavens he loved so well,</i> <i> that John F. Kennedy, Jr.</i> <i> finds his final rest.</i> How is it we feel so deeply about someone we hardly knew? As it became clear there were no survivors in the plane crash off Martha's Vineyard, our shock turned to a weary grief. "When will all these horrible things stop happening to the Kennedys?" we wondered. Even the substantial number of people who detest the Kennedys wondered that. In John, Jr., Kennedy lovers got the best of his famous lineage. He had looks and charm and brilliantly used his fame for the good of others and to build his magazine. John and his sister were models of the ideals born generations ago in the brutal slums of Boston's North End. A place where to be Catholic, to be Irish, to be poor, to be an immigrant meant to be discriminated against. It meant death and despair kept you close company. It also meant to fight the injustice of those things was a noble, even righteous calling. John, Jr. was known as a champion of the underdog. He was a populist who despite his tier in life, empathized deeply with those who struggled many rungs lower. We all know that now a lot better than a week ago. A week ago, it was a celebrity Kennedy who was missing-- a celebrity Kennedy along with his wife and her sister. We in the media help make him that-- a celebrity. When he and Carolyn granted the rare interview, they always wanted to talk about issues of substance, we always wanted to talk about other things. Now he's gone. Already mythologized. Already part of a family legend people centuries from now will not believe. They won't be able to because it's so sad. For "Biography," I'm Harry Smith.
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Channel: Biography
Views: 709,197
Rating: 4.8245502 out of 5
Keywords: history, bio, biography, life story, John F. Kennedy, Jr, biography of John F. Kennedy, bio of John F. Kennedy, JFK, American Prince, Full Documentary, Death Of American Prince, john f. kennedy jr, tragic death, john f. kennedy biography, john f kennedy, john f kennedy biography, full documentary movie, documentary history channel, jfk documentary biography, biography channel, biography series on tv, biography full documentary, full documentary biography, Biography highlights
Id: pGphPWJJf2Q
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Length: 74min 45sec (4485 seconds)
Published: Sat Sep 26 2020
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