JFK: Tales From The "Darkside"

In case you missed the avalanche of publicity, a new book called "The Dark Side of Camelot" has just been published, and author Seymour Hersh crucifies Camelot. The book portrays John F. Kennedy as a Mafia-connected sex fiend who helped plot assassinations while frolicking naked in the White House pool with a succession of hookers and nubile concubines. And that's just the positive part! 

Here at The Smoking Gun, we've heard much of this before. In fact, some of the Kennedy allegations can be found in a variety of FBI memos released via Freedom of Information requests. Here's a sampling of those documents,records that touch on JFK's supposed first marriage, sex parties, extramarital flings, and other tawdry behavior.

As an added bonus, we've included selections from a curious collection of documents that almost found their way into Hersh's tome. Known as the "Cusack Papers," the records (many of them seemingly written in JFK's own hand) purport to document a relationship between JFK and, among others, Marilyn Monroe and Chicago gangster Sam Giancana. According to Lawrence "Lex" Cusack, he found the documents following the 1985 death of his father, New York lawyer Lawrence X. Cusack. The younger Cusack, who claims that his dad served as a secret counselor to Kennedy, gave the documents to Hersh, who planned to use them as the stunning centerpiece of "Dark Side." That was until it became clear that the Cusack papers were phony. Hersh was not the only one taken for a ride, however. Cusack and his associates have, according to news accounts, sold in excess of $6 million worth of the letters to a variety of collectors. A federal grand jury in New York is now nvestigating this apparent fraud, so it won't be long before someone is wearing handcuffs.

Our offering is divided into two sections. First, you'll find the FBI memos. The phony Cusack papers take up the rear.

THE REAL STUFF

The Tale of Jack's First Wife (11 pages)

Hookers at the 1960 Democratic Convention (3 pages)

JFK's Fear of Bugs (1 page)

Buying Votes in West Virginia? (1 page)

President Branded a Debaucher (1 page)

Illicit Relations by Government Officials (1 page)

JFK's Assorted "Immoral Activities" (2 pages)

Naked Picture of Senator Kennedy (1 page)

FBI Eyes Presidential Paramour (1 page)

Hotel Sex Orgies? (1 page)

RFK Denies Marilyn Monroe Affair (1 page)

THE FAKE STUFF

Tripped by a Zip (Code) (1 page)

Buying Marilyn's Silence (3 pages)

Keeping Mum on the Mafia (1 page)

JFK & MM: Friends Forever (1 page)