Kennedy Censorship

Mrs. John F. Kennedy's suit to prevent the forthcoming publication of William Manchester's Death of a President revolves around the legal validity of a "memorandum of understanding" signed by the author and Robert F. Kennedy in early 1964. The agreement states that "publication will take place promptly after November 22, 1968, and that "the completed manuscript shall be reviewed by Mrs. John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, and the final text shall not be published unless and until approved by them."

Neither Mrs. Kennedy nor Senator Kennedy of New York has apparently read the manscript and the book is scheduled to be published next year. On this basis, Mrs. Kennedy has a case. The Kennedys, however, have behaved so erratically in the past year that their sincerity is open to serious question. Last summer, after Manchester has finished the manuscript and it was being prepared for publication, Senator Kennedy sent him a telegram stating that "members of the Kennedy family will place no obstacle in the way of publication of his book." And at about the same time, a panel of former New Frontiersmen read the manuscript, and suggested changes and deletions which were accepted by Manchester.

Why a suit now? Mrs. Kennedy seems to feel that the author was not circumspect enough in his use of material gleaned from ten hours of her tape recorded reminiscences a few months after the assassination. Undoubtedly, she revealed her "innermost" thoughts to Manchester--but why did she do so, if she didn't want him, the authorized historian of the assassination, to use the material? And if she is so touchy about her so-called privacy, why did she ever allow Manchester to invade it in the first place? What is most perplexing, however, is that the elite group of ex-Kennedy cronies appointed for the purpose of checking the book for the family, finally approved a version that the family now finds unsatisfactory.

Mrs. Kennedy has erred in refusing to confront the manuscript until now. She will have to read the book and undoubtedly withhold her approval. But she should never have given the impression that the approval of her late husband's friends was tantamount to a family imprimatur. Look Magazine, which will serialize the book in January, has reportedly started its presses rolling -- and if the injunction Mrs. Kennedy seeks is granted, it stands to lose a great deal of money. The bitterness and rumors this controversy has engendered could have easily been avoided if the family had taken the direct interest in the book it claims in the suit.

Mrs. Kennedy's suit also exposes the problem of "authorized history." The Kennedy family chose Manchester to write the history of the assassination and made him the exclusive recipient of their recollections. The family, particularly Mrs. Kennedy, has also taken pains to forestall the attempt of other authors to investigate the days surrounding November 22, 1963. The logical, and unfortunate implication of their action is that they are trying to "manage history," much in the same manner Presidents manage news. And the consequences of such behavior can be only more rumor, and dead silence from the only credible sources of information.

The censorship they are trying to impose on the already-written book is another story -- and a much blacker one. The Kennedys, after all, didn't have to designate one person to chronicle the late President's last days. But once they did, they should not have imposed such stringent ex post factor limits on the author of their choice.