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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’re real, they’re so simple that you don’t even notice them.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

From the 1964 oral history interviews with Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., reflecting on JFK’s charisma · 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’re real, they’re so simple that you don’t even notice them.

Analyse

The quote appears verbatim in the **John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s** official transcript of Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1964 oral history interviews, conducted just months after JFK’s assassination. The interviews were sealed for decades but released in 2011, confirming the authenticity of the passage. The phrasing aligns with Kennedy’s reflective, intimate tone throughout the interviews, particularly when discussing her husband’s public persona. No credible evidence suggests misattribution or fabrication.

Achtergrond

In early 1964, Jacqueline Kennedy participated in a series of interviews with historian and JFK aide **Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.**, aiming to preserve her memories of the administration. The interviews were part of a broader oral history project for the Kennedy Library but remained private until 2011 due to their personal nature. This specific remark underscores her perspective on JFK’s charisma as an almost imperceptible, innate quality.

Samenvatting verdict

The quoted statement is accurately attributed to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis from her 1964 oral history interviews with Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.

Geraadpleegde bronnen

— "Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy" (2011, Hyperion) – Official transcript of the 1964 interviews, edited by Michael Beschloss
— John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum – [Oral History Archives](https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/oral-histories)
— The New York Times (2011): [‘Jacqueline Kennedy, in Her Own Words’](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/12/us/september-12-2011-jacqueline-kennedy-tapes.html) – Coverage of the interviews’ public release