The documented relationship between Marilyn Monroe and President John F. Kennedy — FBI records, witness accounts, what happened at the birthday gala, and how it ended.
Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy were introduced through Peter Lawford — Kennedy's brother-in-law and a member of the Rat Pack. Lawford's Malibu beach house was the informal meeting point for the Kennedy social circle and Hollywood. Kennedy and Monroe first met sometime around 1961, though their social paths may have crossed earlier.
The affair is documented in multiple ways:
The relationship was primarily sexual and conducted largely on Kennedy's terms. It lasted months, not years. She was not the only woman Kennedy was involved with outside his marriage — his affairs were numerous and largely protected by a compliant press corps in an era when the private lives of politicians were considered off-limits for reporting.
The most famous moment of their relationship was also its public ending. At Madison Square Garden, before 15,000 guests at a Democratic fundraiser for Kennedy's 45th birthday, Marilyn Monroe performed "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" wearing a Jean Louis dress made of flesh-coloured, crystal-beaded fabric so tight she had to be sewn into it. Kennedy introduced her as "the late Marilyn Monroe" (she was characteristically late). She sang it in her famous breathy whisper — more intimate than any room full of people should contain.
Kennedy quipped afterward: "I can now retire from politics, having had 'Happy Birthday' sung to me in such a sweet, wholesome way."
What the audience did not know: JFK had already been distancing himself from Marilyn for weeks. His brother-in-law Peter Lawford had been managing the communication. After that night, direct contact ended. She was cut off.
Marilyn reportedly found the abrupt ending devastating. She had believed the relationship was more significant than it was. In the weeks after, she became increasingly isolated and dependent. She called the White House and was told by an operator that there was no one there by that name for her to speak with.
The transfer of her calls to Robert Kennedy — and what happened then — is the next chapter.