Jackie Kennedy, the wife of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, was highly impressed by ex-Colombian President Alberto Lleras Camargo, audio-recordings released Wednesday revealed.
In a recently released interview from 1964, Kennedy said she was most impressed by Lleras and referred to him as “Nordic in his sadness.” She was not so kind to other heads of state, calling French President Charles de Gaulle an “egomaniac” and soon-to-be Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi “a real prune – bitter, kind of pushy, horrible woman.” She also referred to civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. as a “phony.”
Lleras, president of Colombia from 1958 to 1962, was one of the main sponsors of Alliance for Progress, aimed at strengthening economic relations between the U.S. and South America. Lleras also joined President Kennedy in breaking off diplomatic relations with Cuba.
The seven-part interview, conducted just one year after the assassination of her husband, was sealed for 47 years. It was released as a book and audio-recording by her daughter Caroline Kennedy.
