Bettmann; Frank Povolny/Twentieth Century Fox/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images
According to his biography, Kennedy later described Monroe’s words during the interview as having a “sadness” and a “loose, lost attitude toward girls,” which he found “disturbing.” And according to Jackie: Public, Private, Privateit remains a mystery how Monroe got the number – the bedroom was the only phone line in the house where calls were not made by the Secret Service.
It was just over a month after the phone call that Monroe badly translated “Happy Birthday” to JFK at his 45th birthday celebration – where the First Lady was not present.
After Monroe’s death at the age of 36 in August, Tarborrelli told Fox that while Kennedy was “grieved” by Monroe’s sudden death, he also saw the star as a “tragedy waiting to happen,” and “a very vulnerable, very vulnerable person. It will be played by JFK.”
However, she also said that she finally understands her husband. As he explained: “His greatest concern was JFK. He knew what it took to have a very powerful man. And great men like JFK have great flaws.”