A previously unseen letter from John F. Kennedy to his Swedish mistress, arranging a secret romantic rendezvous behind Jackie Kennedy's back, has emerged 71 years after it was written. The future US president, a known serial adulterer, penned the note to Gunilla von Post in June 1955, expressing his hopes to meet her in Stockholm during a European trip.
Details of the Intimate Correspondence
In the handwritten, one-page letter signed "Jack," Kennedy informed von Post that he was coming to Stockholm around September 7 and asked if she would be there, adding, "I would like to say hello." He urged her to write back immediately as he was leaving for Europe in two weeks. Interestingly, Kennedy concluded the letter by congratulating her on her engagement to Swedish landowner Anders Ekman, yet this did not deter his romantic intentions.
A Chance Meeting and a Secret Affair
Kennedy first met Gunilla von Post, a Scandinavian aristocrat, by chance in Cannes, France, in the summer of 1953, just weeks before his wedding to Jacqueline Bouvier. According to von Post's memoirs, titled Love, Jack, the pair ended up spending an "intensely intimate and joyful" week traveling through Sweden together in August 1955, following the letter's arrangements.
She later revealed that Kennedy considered leaving Jackie for her, but his father, political ambitions, and sensitivity to Jacqueline's miscarriage in 1955 and pregnancy in 1956 blocked these efforts. Von Post and Kennedy saw each other only one other time, by chance at a gala at the Waldorf Astoria in 1958 while she was pregnant with her first child.
The Letter's Auction and Historical Significance
The letter has now surfaced for sale at RR Auction in Boston, USA, with a price tag of $29,700 (approximately £22,000). An RR Auction spokesperson described it as a handwritten note from Senator Kennedy arranging plans for a romantic reunion with his Swedish mistress, highlighting its poignant connection to their brief affair.
This revelation adds to the complex legacy of JFK, the 35th US President who was also romantically linked with Marilyn Monroe and was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas, in 1963. The sale is scheduled for March 27, offering a rare glimpse into the private life of one of America's most iconic leaders.
Broader Context of Kennedy's Personal Life
Kennedy's adulterous tendencies have long been documented, but this letter provides a tangible artifact of his secret liaisons. Gunilla von Post's husband was killed in a plane crash in 1960, adding a layer of tragedy to her story. The emergence of this correspondence underscores the ongoing public fascination with JFK's personal affairs and their intersection with his political career.
As historians and collectors alike take note, this letter serves as a reminder of the hidden narratives behind historical figures, blending romance, ambition, and scandal in a single page of history.
