Jackie Kennedy’s agent reveals the former first lady was willing to die in the event of a nuclear attack
Jackie Kennedy’s Secret Service agent revealed the former First Lady was willing to die with her children during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Clint Hill, 90, who has served under five presidents, said when the nation panicked in 1962 over fears of nuclear war with the Soviet Union, the first lady remained calm and patriotic.
During the 60th anniversary of the Cold War confrontation, Hill tweeted that he had been accused of keeping the first family safe, but Jackie refused to go into hiding.
“When I told Mrs. Kennedy we would take her and the children to the shelter if missiles came in, she said she would take John and Caroline and go out on the lawn like brave soldiers and suffer the same fate as all other Americans. Hill wrote.
It is among the many stories Hill has told about his time with Jackie, and his latest forthcoming memoir, My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, revealed that the Secret Service agent attempted suicide after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated take to excerpts given to People Magazine.
Clint Hill recalled his days on the Secret Service with Jackie Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis and after the assassination of JFK. Pictured: Hill (left) and Jackie (right) shopping for souvenirs in Rome, 1964
Hill famously jumped on JFK’s car (above) when the President was shot dead during a motorcade in Dallas, Texas in 1963
This is the first time Hill, 90, (above) has spoken about his own personal struggles in the wake of the shocking murder of the president and his grieving family, who protected Hill
Discussing his memories of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Hill said Jackie (left) remained calm in the face of fears of nuclear war and refused to hide in a shelter with her two children, opting instead to face “the same fate.” to face like any other American”.
Pictured: Jackie plays with her son John Jr. on the White House lawn, where she was ready to step in should nuclear war break out
Hill shared the story on Twitter during the 60th anniversary of the Cold War incident
Hill’s most recent memoir also details his personal turmoil and attempted suicide following Kennedy’s assassination. He said he was haunted from the moment he jumped in the president’s car and saw Jackie’s horrified face (above).
Hill’s latest memoir about his days with Jackie Kennedy is out October 25
In his book, Hill said he was consumed by guilt and failure when the president was shot dead in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
“It was the time when everything changed,” Hill wrote. ‘Woman. Kennedy had lost everything connected with the presidency and the children no longer had a father.’
Hill said he continues to watch over Jackie and her family and accompany them on their regular trip to Palm Beach, Fla., the following month.
On the night of December 29, 1963, Hill couldn’t stop thinking about the President’s assassination and went into the sea.
“Guilt and fear have consumed me,” he wrote. “All I could think about was Dallas.
“I ran as fast as I could, my arm grabbing the grab handles on the trunk, but it was like my legs were in quicksand,” he said of the moment Kennedy was shot. ‘Woman. Kennedy climbs out of the back seat, her frightened eyes looking at me but not seeing me like I’m not there.
Of his attempted suicide, Hill wrote: “Tears rolled down my cheeks and as the cold water enveloped my legs and then my chest and up to my shoulders, the tears turned to sobs. I wanted the water to swallow me.”
Hill said he was eventually rescued by a Palm Beach police officer who pulled him out of the water.
It’s the first time Hill has spoken publicly about his suicide attempt and says he’s glad to finally be open about it.
“Somehow there is a sense of freedom in no longer keeping this darkness to myself,” he wrote. “People will judge me, I’m sure. But nobody – nobody – has ever walked in my shoes.”
Hill (above with Jackie on a trip to Italy in 1962) said that he was wracked with guilt and failure after the President’s assassination. He tried going into the sea after escorting her grieving family to their Florida home in 1963
‘Woman. Kennedy had lost everything connected with the presidency and the children no longer had a father,” Hill wrote of the aftermath of the assassination
The latest memo marks the first time Hill (above) has revealed his suicide attempt
The memoir, which is due out October 25, mainly chronicles the journeys of Hill and Kennedy and serves as a sort of sequel to his 2012 bestseller, Mrs. Kennedy and Me.
It includes anecdotes from Kennedy’s lunch with Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 1962 and her trip to Morocco in 1963 to visit King Hassan.
During the Africa trip, Hill joked about the moment the first lady and her sister Lee Radziwill had dinner with the king’s brother and unknowingly ate desserts containing cannabis known as mahjoun.
“Mahjoun turned out to be the Moroccan version of hash brownies,” Hill wrote.
Hill remained in contact with Jackie Kennedy for several years after he left working for her and was reassigned to serve at Lyndon B. Johnson.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11343491/Jackie-Kennedys-agent-reveals-former-lady-ready-die-case-nuclear-attack.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 Jackie Kennedy’s agent reveals the former first lady was willing to die in the event of a nuclear attack
