"History will not likely forget Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis," Jack Anderson believed. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 Gallup Poll list of the women most admired by the American public, Jackie was "possibly the most famous woman" when she was alive. However William Manchester conceded, "I don’t have the faintest idea what Jackie Kennedy Onassis is really like. That's a question I will take to my grave."
Joan Cirillo clarified, "She flirts with attention but forbids it to trespass the boundaries of her personal life." Jackie-watchers tried but said could not break through the aura of aloofness and remoteness Jackie had created about herself. Jeff Tambornino noted, "Jackie moved in a glass bubble of her own design, enabling her to hide in plain sight, a focus of the attention she created and often seemed to shun."
Tom Kennedy of the American Astrological Association, America's largest astrological society told the public in 1976, "On July 28, 1929 (the year of America's Stock Market Crash), Jackie entered this world as all of us do, a helpless little baby. But Jackie was not destined to be an ordinary individual. Astrologers examining her natal horoscope clearly agree, her only possible fate would be wealth and fame.
"Now (in 1976) at age 47 this prediction has become more than true. Let's take a look at her natal chart and see why. Jackie's Cancer lays in the cusp of her 8th house. This indicates that she will marry a man connected with water. Her first husband, the late President Kennedy, was a PT boat captain in World War II and also enjoyed sailing.
"And of course her second husband, Aristotle Onassis was a super-wealthy shipping magnate. Her Sagittarian rising sign shows that she prefers foreign countries and people. Her late husband, Aristotle, was Greek. And Jackie is known for her jet-setting image. Finally, the planets Jupiter and Venus symbolize money. The fact that these 2 planets fall in her 7th house, the house of partners, indicates that she will have a wealthy husband. John Kennedy and Aristotle were both wealthy."
Jack Anderson continued, "An enormous investment of national interest, respect, affection and prestige was once made in Jacqueline Kennedy. She was a factor in the imagery surrounding John F Kennedy’s rise to the presidency and in the glittering aura cast by his administration. As First Lady, she occupied the position of a national exemplar. There is, therefore, a continuing interest in her that does not cease at a convenient moment, an interest in the key events of her life, in how she conducts herself. There is an historical interest, too, in what kind of person she was at the time when she was a symbol of America, the cynosure of all eyes.
"For a moment in history, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was superb. The nation will not soon forget that time of shock and grief after Dallas (the aftermath of November 22, 1963) when she rose above the shattering personal ordeal to give those bitter hours a presence of dignity and nobility which has become part of our national heritage. The Jacqueline Kennedy who in the years of Camelot and the days of Dallas won a place in the nation’s heart and imagination left the White House with a prestige that could have been a tremendous force for good. When fate bestows a staggering opportunity to serve mankind, it also inflicts a responsibility that supersedes private inclinations. Jacqueline Kennedy has shirked it."
Philip Nobile of 'Gannett News Service': Do you have any idea why Jackie has never used her influence with the public for more than elitist campaigns to save historic sites? Why hasn’t she lent herself to humanitarian causes where she could do immense good?
Kitty Kelly: Politics means nothing to her, and she doesn’t pretend.
Back in 1973, a friend since the White House years told Fredrick Winship of 'United Press International', "Jacqueline Onassis is as happy a woman as anyone I know. She was never a political person nor a social person in the sense of capital society. She is basically domestic and artistic and her current way of life allows her to indulge these interests. She can look back on the tragedy of President Kennedy’s death with detachment ... She is wise enough to know that when one of life's chapters closes another opens and must be coped with. I think she has coped with more dignity than a lot of people give her credit for."
Fred Sparks was the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter on the Middle East offered, "I’m a middle-class American. I think of the social significance. But that's me. I think the romance of Jackie Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis is one of the great stories of two people of wealth, power and beauty in our time. I’m looking at two people who are part of another world.
"Jackie Onassis was raised to be a debutante. Some people say she sleeps with those long white gloves on to be perfectly proper when she wakes up. She was seated to face Europe by her father. And when she did come into contact with socially significant subjects as the wife of President Kennedy, her attitude was less than enthusiastic.
"There is a famous story about Jackie and ecology. When she heard of the impending dangers of the environment, Jackie was supposed to have told President Kennedy, 'Why don't they just hire planes and spray Chanel No. 5 over the country?' She doesn’t think politically. She thinks jet set. And she is doing her thing." In 1970, Fred's book, 'The $20,000,000 Honeymoon' was published, "It is not a book about social significance – it’s a book about love and money.
"And the one newsworthy thing I can say about my whole research on these two people is that I never knew that a woman could spend so much on fashion. She has made fashion designers, 7th Avenue and hairdressers social figures and that has never happened before in real society. The fashion industry owes its new-found social position to Jackie Onassis. Jackie Onassis doesn’t have to worry about what is in. She is in. And wherever she goes automatically becomes the place to be. When she went to see 'I Am Curious, Yellow' the box office jumped $20,000 the next week because of her appearance."
"Even in retreat her name and image are constantly in the news, her charisma remains compelling," Jeff Tambornino remarked. Kyriakos Drakoulis told John Rigos of 'United Press International', "Thanks to Jackie's arrival here (in Nidri), our (fishing) village has become a tourist center. We had 600 inhabitants last year (in 1968). Now (in 1969) we have more than 900. People are moving here from the surrounding villages because we expect to have a tourist boom, thanks to Jackie."
Damianos Gazis was the deputy-president of the municipality at the time "graduated from high school and lived for years in Australia where he learned English and is now running our (community) affairs." Damianos Gazis told the press, "Mrs Onassis has helped us very much by being here. She is a graceful and kind neighbor. I hope she will live to celebrate her 100th anniversary on her island."
Nikos Kominatos ran the Kohyli restaurant/bar/coffee shop/travel agency/touring office told John Rigos over a small glass of ouzo, "Onassis wanted to turn this village into a paradise, but we were stupid and opposed his proposals. Now (in 1969) we are becoming wise. During summer the island needs 1,000 tons of water." Fred Sparks insisted, "The Onassises lead a hate/love relationship with the press. They are the epitome of Oscar Wilde's statement, 'The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.'"
Jackie married Ari on a rainy Sunday in October 1968. Jackie's sister Lee Radziwill who married Polish nobleman Prince Stanislas Radziwill, the best man at the wedding, flew in from Paris to Levkas and broke the news to anxious newsmen. The Greek Orthodox ceremony took place between 4:00pm and 5:00pm Greece time (10:00am – 11:00am Eastern Standard Time) in the tiny 40-seat Chapel of the Mother of God on Skorpios, off the western coast of Greece. The wedding was conducted by the Greek Orthodox bishop of Levkas.
The priest of Nidri, Father Apostolos Zavitsanos recounted in 1969, "Mrs Onassis came to my church on Nidri immediately after the wedding to pray and to seek the blessing of the church. Let the blessings of the Lord be with them on their first anniversary." Father Apostolos Zavitsanos remembered after the wedding, Father Polucarpos Athanassiou blessed their union. Father Polucarpos Athanassiou was the rector of Kapnikarea, the oldest Byzantine church in Athens dating from the 9th century. He had studied in Boston and was archdeacon of the Greek-Orthodox archdiocese of North and South America.
The Vatican did not officially made public its view at the time of Jackie's wedding to Ari. Roman Catholic Church legal experts told the press, "If Mrs Kennedy (a Roman Catholic) marries a (Greek Orthodox) divorcee her marriage would be considered null and void by the Catholic Church. In doing so, she would commit an illicit action and would put herself outside the church.
"She could no longer receive sacraments and would automatically enter the category of persons the Catholic Church considers public sinners." It was reported officials of the Greek Orthodox Church would be issuing the necessary papers to validate the marriage. Lee Radziwill informed the press the couple would obtain a marriage license "at the last possible moment" – reportedly "possibly as late as an hour before the wedding."
Ari Onassis died on Saturday March 15, 1975 at 12.30pm in room 274 on the second floor of the Eisenhower wing of the American Hospital of Paris in nearby Neuilly-sur-Seine. The 'New York Times' reported, "As controller of about 100 companies in a dozen countries, Onassis operated a fleet of about 5 million tons displacement under 'flags of convenience.'
"Onassis once said, 'My favorite country is the one that grants maximum immunity from taxes, trade restrictions and unreasonable regulations. Greece during its 7 years of military rule (1967-1974) was not a reasonable country.' His holdings included hotels, banks, pier facilities and real estate, not to mention Olympic Airways, the Greek national airline, for which he secured from the Greek government a profitable concession set for expiration in the year 2006.
"Onassis's exact age could not be immediately determined. The French Who's Who gives his birthdate as January 15, 1902, which would make him 73. International Who's Who gives 1906 as the year of his birth. Although he had little formal education, Ari was fluent in Greek, English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German and Italian and he was well read in Greek and English history."
Damianos Gazis was the deputy-president of the municipality at the time "graduated from high school and lived for years in Australia where he learned English and is now running our (community) affairs." Damianos Gazis told the press, "Mrs Onassis has helped us very much by being here. She is a graceful and kind neighbor. I hope she will live to celebrate her 100th anniversary on her island."
Nikos Kominatos ran the Kohyli restaurant/bar/coffee shop/travel agency/touring office told John Rigos over a small glass of ouzo, "Onassis wanted to turn this village into a paradise, but we were stupid and opposed his proposals. Now (in 1969) we are becoming wise. During summer the island needs 1,000 tons of water." Fred Sparks insisted, "The Onassises lead a hate/love relationship with the press. They are the epitome of Oscar Wilde's statement, 'The only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about.'"
Jackie married Ari on a rainy Sunday in October 1968. Jackie's sister Lee Radziwill who married Polish nobleman Prince Stanislas Radziwill, the best man at the wedding, flew in from Paris to Levkas and broke the news to anxious newsmen. The Greek Orthodox ceremony took place between 4:00pm and 5:00pm Greece time (10:00am – 11:00am Eastern Standard Time) in the tiny 40-seat Chapel of the Mother of God on Skorpios, off the western coast of Greece. The wedding was conducted by the Greek Orthodox bishop of Levkas.
The priest of Nidri, Father Apostolos Zavitsanos recounted in 1969, "Mrs Onassis came to my church on Nidri immediately after the wedding to pray and to seek the blessing of the church. Let the blessings of the Lord be with them on their first anniversary." Father Apostolos Zavitsanos remembered after the wedding, Father Polucarpos Athanassiou blessed their union. Father Polucarpos Athanassiou was the rector of Kapnikarea, the oldest Byzantine church in Athens dating from the 9th century. He had studied in Boston and was archdeacon of the Greek-Orthodox archdiocese of North and South America.
The Vatican did not officially made public its view at the time of Jackie's wedding to Ari. Roman Catholic Church legal experts told the press, "If Mrs Kennedy (a Roman Catholic) marries a (Greek Orthodox) divorcee her marriage would be considered null and void by the Catholic Church. In doing so, she would commit an illicit action and would put herself outside the church.
"She could no longer receive sacraments and would automatically enter the category of persons the Catholic Church considers public sinners." It was reported officials of the Greek Orthodox Church would be issuing the necessary papers to validate the marriage. Lee Radziwill informed the press the couple would obtain a marriage license "at the last possible moment" – reportedly "possibly as late as an hour before the wedding."
Ari Onassis died on Saturday March 15, 1975 at 12.30pm in room 274 on the second floor of the Eisenhower wing of the American Hospital of Paris in nearby Neuilly-sur-Seine. The 'New York Times' reported, "As controller of about 100 companies in a dozen countries, Onassis operated a fleet of about 5 million tons displacement under 'flags of convenience.'
"Onassis once said, 'My favorite country is the one that grants maximum immunity from taxes, trade restrictions and unreasonable regulations. Greece during its 7 years of military rule (1967-1974) was not a reasonable country.' His holdings included hotels, banks, pier facilities and real estate, not to mention Olympic Airways, the Greek national airline, for which he secured from the Greek government a profitable concession set for expiration in the year 2006.
"Onassis's exact age could not be immediately determined. The French Who's Who gives his birthdate as January 15, 1902, which would make him 73. International Who's Who gives 1906 as the year of his birth. Although he had little formal education, Ari was fluent in Greek, English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German and Italian and he was well read in Greek and English history."
