While previous First Ladies confined themselves to overseeing the running of the White House household staff, Jack enlisted Jackie to share her opinion about political issues, although he never admitted this to the public out of fear it would generate controversy if it were widely known that a First Lady was involving herself in issues of national policy or security. Jackie regaled Jack with her usually astute opinion of political and military leaders, both domestic and foreign.

The Bay of Pigs

In 1961, a group of Cuban exiles, funded and trained by the United States, attempted to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro. The invasion, which took place at the Bay of Pigs, failed. More than 60 exiles were killed in the fighting, and 1,200 were captured and many were executed. Thousands of Cubans died. In December 1962, the surviving exiles were released in exchange for $53 million in medical necessities. They were greeted in Miami by the president and First Lady, and Jackie addressed them in perfect Spanish. “I feel proud that my son has known the officers. It is my wish and my hope that some day he may be a man at least half as brave as the members of Brigade 2506,” she told them.

The President and First Lady greet members of the 2506 Cuban Invasion Brigade, 1962

Photo Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

Charming Foreign Leaders

The charisma that made Jackie so photogenic also dazzled many of the dignitaries she met while accompanying the president on official business. On June 3, 1961, the Kennedys were at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna for a dinner hosted by the Austrian president. Also in attendance was the Soviet premier, Nikita Khrushchev. Jackie was dressed in a shell-pink, silk-georgette chiffon evening dress embroidered with sequins. Photos from the evening show a dazzled Khrushchev. When photographers requested he pose with President Kennedy, the Soviet premier commented that he'd rather shake Jackie's hand first.

For his part, President Kennedy understood what a valuable asset his wife was, especially in international settings. While attending a dinner at the Palace of Versailles with French President Charles de Gaulle, Jackie wore a ravishing Givenchy silk gown and charmed de Gaulle with her flawless French. President Kennedy jokingly referred to himself as “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.”

Jack trusted his wife to be much more than just a goodwill ambassador, however. Unknown to the public, Jackie played an active role in administration diplomacy. Her interest in other cultures and her ability to speak several foreign languages made her the president's secret weapon. She acted as his translator at the Versailles dinner and gave speeches in Spanish promoting the Peace Corps during her visit to South America.

The First Lady addresses an audience at La Morita, Venezuela, 1961

Photo Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

Jackie at the Taj Mahal in India, 1962

Photo Credit: Cecil Stoughton, White House/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

In a highly unprecedented exhibition of First Lady diplomacy, Jackie wrote handwritten letters to leaders she met, including de Gaulle and India's prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Her desire to protect what she felt was Kennedy's most important presidential accomplishment, the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, led Jackie to write Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev just days after Kennedy's assassination. She asked him to remain committed to nuclear arms reduction and to encourage smaller nations to do likewise.

Like the president, Jackie used the power of television to promote his presidency. Prior to their trip to France, Jackie did an interview for French television that included a tour of the White House. Speaking in French, she pointed out the items and antiques in the White House that had been created by French artisans or been given as gifts by the French government.