John F Kennedy Got A Flight Attendant Pregnant, Paid For Abortion: Report

Former US President John F Kennedy once got a flight attendant pregnant, and then paid for her abortion, just months after his wife, Jackie, gave birth to their daughter, Caroline, a new book has claimed. According to People, the claims were made in a bombshell new biography, titled 'JFK: Public, Private, Secret', by J. Randy  Taraborrelli. Excerpts from the book reveal that Mr Kennedy had an affair with a young flight attendant named Joan Lundberg, whom he met in 1956 when he was a senator from Massachusetts. 

According to the book, at the time, the former president was 39 years old, while Ms Lundberg was 23. In 1958, shortly after the birth of the Kennedys' daughter Caroline, Ms Lundberg reportedly called JFK to share her own pregnancy news. 

"Joan would recall that her news about the baby was 'like a knife to Jack's heart," reads the excerpt, per the People.

"Jack couldn't help but wonder if Joan had purposely planned the pregnancy, given that she'd seen his devotion to Jackie after Caroline's birth. He also wondered if he was really the father, and Joan assured him he was," the author wrote. 

Further, the book claims that after their phone call revelation, Mr Kennedy told the 23-year-old that he would mail her $400 to get an abortion. "'Being a politician is who I am,' he told her. 'Politics is all I know. If you take that away . . .' His voice trailed off. Before she could respond, he disconnected the line," the excerpt states.

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According to the biography, when the money failed to reach Ms Lundberg, JFK became "unhinged". Eventually, he wired more money, following which the flight attendant "took care of things". 

"Jack was very clear; he didn't want Joan to have the baby... She was angry and disappointed, but also realistic," Mr Taraborrelli writes.

According to People, Ms Lundberg was a single mom of two. At the time, she was living with a man named Norm Bishop and working as a flight attendant for Frontier Airlines. 

JFK, on the other hand, was married to Jacqueline Kennedy at the time. He never publicly acknowledged the affair.

'JFK: Public, Private, Secret', by J. Randy Taraborrelli, is due to be published on July 17. 

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