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Now, I think that I should have known that he [JFK] was magic all along. But you see, things like that, when they happen to you, you never think they are true.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

From *Life* magazine interview reflecting on JFK’s legacy, **1964** · Gecheckt op 2 maart 2026
Now, I think that I should have known that he [JFK] was magic all along. But you see, things like that, when they happen to you, you never think they are true.

Analyse

The statement appears verbatim in the **March 6, 1964**, issue of *Life* magazine, part of a post-assassination interview conducted by Theodore H. White. The quote reflects her personal grief and retrospective awe of JFK’s public impact, consistent with her known reflections during that period. No credible sources dispute its authenticity, and it has been widely cited in historical accounts (e.g., *Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy*).

Achtergrond

The interview was conducted just months after JFK’s assassination (November 1963) and published as part of a special *Life* issue dedicated to his memory. Jacqueline Kennedy’s remarks were intended to humanize her late husband’s legacy, blending personal sorrow with public mythmaking. The phrase 'magic' aligns with her later characterization of the Kennedy administration as 'Camelot.'

Samenvatting verdict

The quote is accurately attributed to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from her 1964 *Life* magazine interview about JFK’s legacy.

Geraadpleegde bronnen

— White, Theodore H. (1964). *Life Magazine*, March 6, 1964 (Interview with Jacqueline Kennedy).
— Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy. (2011). Hyperion. (Edited by Michael Beschloss).
— The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. (n.d.). *Oral History Interviews: Jacqueline B. Kennedy*. [https://www.jfklibrary.org/](https://www.jfklibrary.org/)