Rosemary Kennedy…
she’s probably the Kennedy you don’t know about.
At 23 years old, she was trying to live her best life…
or at least, live up to the impossible standard of being a Kennedy.
But unlike her siblings,
she struggled to keep up appearances.
And in a family where image was everything…
that was a problem.
So her father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., made a decision.
A quiet one.
A secret one.
He approved an experimental procedure and he did it without telling the rest of the family.
Not even her mother.
It was meant to “calm her down”
and “fix” her mood swings—
A lobotomy.
Because apparently, that was considered a solution.
But it went horribly wrong.
It took everything from her—
her independence,
her ability to speak
and left her with the mental capacity of a young child.
And after that…
it was like she disappeared.
Hidden away from the public eye for decades.
Betrayed by her own father…
erased from her own family’s story.
She was kept a secret that her own family and the world we wouldn’t know the truth about until deacdes later
Hi, I’m Nat… and this is The Midnight Files.
Welcome to WTF Wednesday—
where I find something mildly concerning…and instead of moving on like a normal person,
I research it for hours. So… let’s unpack it together.
This is Part Two of my series of the kennedy cures and im honestly just so surprised at how much shady behaviour is going down so prepared to be shook. Grab yourself a coffee because we need to sit down for this one
We’re picking up right where we left off.
Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed during world war 2 and now the expectation Is on JFk.
JFK was born on May 29, 1917, and compared to his older brother, his childhood was a bit more complicated. He was often seriously unwell, nearly dying from scarlet fever at just three years old, and he dealt with chronic health issues for most of his life.
At school, he wasn’t the standout student like his brother Joe Jr. He was more of a prankster, a bit of an underachiever, but he was known to be very charming and persuasive.
He studied international affairs at Harvard,graduating just before the U.S. entered World War II. During the war was where he became a hero for saving his crew when they became under attack from the Japanese forces. That story and the attention it came with helped his launch his political career he started in the house of representatives, than became a senator before eventually becoming president.
Then along came Jackie. The two met at a dinner party in George town introduced by friends. Jfk saying he was immediately taken with her and saying “he’d never met anyone like her” and Jackie telling a friend that she felt like he would have “disturbing effects on her life “and which is actually very accurate haha
Just 13 months after meeting they were engaged and the in 1953 24 year old Jackie and 36 JFK were now married.
From the outside everything looked perfect, JFK a devoted husband and Jackie the picture perfect first lady. But it wasn’t the fairytale it appeared to be.
Because JFK…
liked his secrets. And he had a lot of them.
And some of his favourite secrets
came in the form of multiple affairs.
I think he may have missed the memo
that marriage usually involves monogamy.
And I don’t think Jackie realised
she was signing up for an open relationship—
on his behalf.
Let’s start with one of the earliest alleged affairs linked to JFK…
because honestly, it doesn’t take long for things to get complicated.
The same night JFK met Jackie in 1952 at that Georgetown dinner party…
it’s also believed he met her sister, Lee.
Some biographers say they had actually met before that night…
others say it all started there. Either way,
there have been long-standing rumours
that Lee jackies sister and JFK had an affair.
And the dynamic between Jackie and Lee
has often been described as… competitive.
Almost like a constant need to one-up each other.
Lee’s first husband, Michael Canfield, reportedly told writer Gore Vidal
that Lee had slept with JFK while they were all staying together
in the south of France… allegedly in a room next to his.
Now, there’s no concrete evidence confirming this affair.
But some people believe it may have contributed to why Jackie
later left Lee out of her will.
Around the same time, JFK was also linked to actress Audrey Hepburn. Their relationship is believed to have started in early 1953, while JFK was still a senator and Audrey just 24 years old was beginning her rise to fame, filming Roman Holiday. It’s often thought that their relationship overlapped with the early stages of his relationship
with Jackie in 1953. Because apparently… one relationship at a time just wasn’t the vibe. The connection between JFK and Audrey is described as short, private and intense but like most affairs it didn’t last. The overlap ended By June 1953, JFK proposed to Jackie… which was seen as him making a clear decision. Some believe that even if things had been different, a relationship with Audrey may not have been encouraged by his family. At the time, marrying a foreign-born actress could have been seen as risky for someone with political ambitions. Despite that, it’s said that JFK and Audrey remained on good terms. And she was reportedly present at his 1962 birthday celebration… the same event where Marilyn Monroe famously sang the breathy Happy Birthday Mr president..
Then in 1953, just weeks before JFK and Jackie were to be married, he met a 21-year-old on a summer day in the French Riviera, Swedish aristocrat Gunilla von Post. And from the start, their connection was described as intense. That first night, it’s said they danced all night and shared what were described as passionate kisses. And what might have seemed like a one-off encounter… didn’t end there. By 1954, he was still in contact with her, sending letters and even suggesting they sail around the Mediterranean together for two weeks. Which… is a bold suggestion
for a man about to be married. That trip never happened though, because JFK needed major back surgery that year and spent months recovering. Which, honestly, feels a little bit like the universe stepping in and going… yeah, maybe not this one. Just let the affair go.
But it didn’t deter him and in 1955t hey spent a week together in Sweden staying at a castle and visiting her family’s summer house in Båstad. (PRONOUCE BOW STAH) Von wrote In her memoir, Gunilla described that time as “a beautiful dream.” She wrote that JFK told her: “Gunilla, we’ve waited two years for this… it seems almost too good to be true, and I want to make you happy.” She recalled them driving through the countryside, singing together, like something out of a movie. But even during that time, reality was starting to catch up. later in the month they tried to meet up again in Europe But in a letter from August 1955, JFK wrote:“I just got word today that my wife and sister are coming here. It will all be complicated the way I feel now — my Swedish flicka… All love, Jack.”
So, very quickly, things became… complicated. And it wasn’t just on his side. Not to mention that Gunilla was also in a committed relationship with a man named Anders Ekman. So this wasn’t just one affair… it was two people both involved with other partners.
After returning to the U.S., JFK reportedly encouraged her to move closer to him, even suggesting he could help her find work and that he would consider discussing a divorce from Jackie with his father.
Which really gives you an idea of how controlled and strategic the family still was behind the scenes. His own personal divorce would need to be ok’d by his father…
According to Gunilla’s account, Joseph Kennedy’s reaction was immediate and firm: “You’re out of your mind. You’re going to be president someday. This would ruin everything. Divorce is impossible.”

In his letters from 1956, JKK’s tone seemed more conflicted about Gunilla moving on and being engaged, even snarkily referring to her fiancé as a "farmer" before wishing her happiness. JFK also wrote to her:
“If you don’t marry come over as I should like to see you,” it reads. “I had a wonderful time last summer with you. It is a bright memory of my life — you are wonderful and I miss you.”
By July 1956, Gunilla married Anders Ekman. But their connection didn’t completely disappear.
They reportedly had a chance encounter at a high-profile event known as the “April in Paris” ball.
At the time, she was visibly pregnant.
She sent him a note, and he asked her to meet him briefly in a corridor, where he reportedly told her:
“It’s wonderful to see you. I love you.”
Which is…
an interesting thing to say
to someone who isn’t your wife.

And just in case that wasn’t complicated enough…
there’s also this.
Because around the same time,
John F. Kennedy was being linked to yet another woman—
this time, a rising Hollywood star in the 1950’s.
Anita Ekberg.
Its believed they met her through the Rat Pack scene in Hollywood.
JFK’s brother-in-law, Peter Lawford, played a key role in introducing him and his brothers to Hollywood’s elite.
Through this circle, it’s suspected that JFK met Ekberg…
and that the two had a short-lived affair in the late 1950s.
However, this relationship has never been confirmed.
And interestingly…
Anita Ekberg is one of the few women linked to John F. Kennedy
who never went on to write a memoir or publicly confirm anything. Which is… rare.
Because the next woman we’re about to talk about
had a lot more to say.
In February 1960, Frank Sinatra introduced JFK to a 36year old Judith Exner in Las Vegas… and Frank also introduced her to Sam Giancana (pronoused Jee en kahn na)— a powerful Chicago mob boss.
Their first extracurricular “activity” to kick off the affair is believed to have taken place just a month later, in March, at the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
Over the next two years, Judith reportedly had numerous encounters with JFK, at the White House after his inauguration, and at his Georgetown home.
There is documented proof of her visits to the White House in the logs, and phone records show around 70 calls between the two.
But this is where things start to get messy…
Exner wasn’t just involved with JFK — she was also in an intimate relationship with Sam Giancana that mob boss me mentioned earlier.
And JFK himself was indirectly tied to Sam Giancana…
because his father, Joseph Kennedy Sr., had allegedly sought the mob’s help to secure Illinois votes during the presidential election — a state that was critical to JFK’s victory.
Judith later claimed she even secured help from Giancana to influence the election during the West Virginia primary… allegedly delivering cash to buy votes.
In a 1988 interview with Kitty Kelley for People Magazine, Judith said she arranged a meeting between JFK and Giancana during the election.
However… her story has changed in different interviews over time — so she’s not always considered a fully reliable source.
But Exner apparently wasn’t just a mistress… She said she was a liaison between JFK and the mob.
According to her, she made 10 to 12 trips — acting as a courier, delivering sealed envelopes, cash, and intelligence between JFK and Giancana.
She alleged these communications were connected to a CIA–Mafia plot to assassinate Fidel Castro…
including Operation Mongoose — a covert mission targeting the Cuban leader during a time of intense tension between Cuba and the United States.
In that same People Magazine interview, she claimed she helped arrange around 10 meetings between JFK and Giancana…
and later, in a 1997 interview with Vanity Fair, she expanded that claim — saying she also organised meetings involving mobster John Roselli.
The problem is… there’s no solid proof she actually acted as this go-between. And this is where it starts to feel dangerous and messy..
Because both JFK and Giancana are connected to the same woman — Judith Exner.
JFK is allegedly relying on her to communicate with the mob…
while she’s also involved with the mob boss himself.
But when FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover began monitoring calls between the White House and Exner… and realised she was also connected to top mob figures…
this became a major security concern.
A president linked to a mistress with organised crime ties created a huge risk —
not just for scandal… but for blackmail, influence and political manipulation.
At the same time, the CIA was involved in plots against Castro — but those operations were highly classified, and it’s unlikely the FBI had full visibility of them.
And then… it gets even more complicated.
While all of this was happening, JFK’s younger brother, Robert F. Kennedy was now the Attorney General…
and he launched a massive crackdown on organised crime.
Under his leadership, prosecutions of mob figures increased by around 800%.
Which… is incredibly awkward…
considering the Kennedy family’s alleged ties to mob boss Giancana — who now felt completely double-crossed.
Meanwhile, Hoover had been quietly building leverage.
In 1962, he delivered a memorandum to Robert Kennedy — detailing Exner’s White House calls to jfk and her mob connections. This became known as the “Hoover Memo.”
The implications were serious:
Exner could be used to expose the affair, influence JFK, or act as a channel for the mob to gain political advantage.
Hoover now had the upper hand. He met with JFK in March 1962… and warned him directly. The affair had to end. But even that wasn’t the end of it…
Exner later claimed that in 1963, she became pregnant with JFK’s child.
According to her, JFK urged her to have an abortion — and even suggested that Giancana could help arrange it, because it needed to remain completely secret.
She said the procedure took place in January 1963 in a Chicago hospital.
There are no official records of this — which could be due to the fact that abortions were illegal in Chicago at the time… or simply because they wanted to keep it a secret.
Exner claimed she had evidence… but it was never verified.
And some historians question the timeline entirely, as many believe her relationship with JFK had already ended by early 1962.
Perhaps one of JFK’s most famous alleged affairs… was with actress Marilyn Monroe.
Some believe they met as early as 1954 but their most widely suspected involvement with each other was between 1961 and 1962…
One of the most iconic moments that increased speculation of their affair came on May 19th, 1962…
when Marilyn sang that breathy “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” at Madison Square Garden.
The dress she wore that night famously sold at auction for around $4.8 million — was famously worn again by Kim Kardashian at the 2022 Met Gala… sparking its own controversy.
Actress Shirley MacLaine also claimed that at JFK’s birthday party on May 29th, 1962…
she saw JFK leaving a bedroom with Marilyn — just before Robert Kennedy entered.
Still, many historians remain cautious.
Some biographers suggest that while JFK and Marilyn may have had casual encounters… there’s no strong evidence their relationship was ever serious.
There are also claims that Marilyn once called the White House…
saying JFK had promised to marry her.
According to author Christopher Andersen, Jackie Kennedy’s alleged response to Marilyn saying this was:
“Marilyn, you’ll marry Jack, that’s great… you’ll move into the White House and take on all the responsibilities of First Lady — and I’ll move out, and you’ll have all the problems.”
The rumoured affair is said by some to have ended when Marilyn became involved with Robert Kennedy…
And then… in August 1962… Marilyn Monroe died she was 36 year old.
Her death remains controversial and with her reported connections to both JFK and Robert F. Kennedy…
we’ll come back to that later.
Because this wasn’t the only complicated relationship in JFK’s life.
Then there was Mary Pinchot Meyer.
She and John actually first met back in the 1930s… at school dances.
Years later, in 1954, the Kennedys bought a house in Virginia — right next door to Mary and her husband at the time.
It’s even said that Mary and Jackie Kennedy were friendly and went on walks together.
In 1958, Mary divorced her husband…
and by 1961 Mary was 41 years old and, she would be having an affair with JFK.
But this relationship was said to be different to other mistresses JFK had, this was More intellectual… more long-term.
White House logs show Mary visiting around 15 times — often while Jackie was out of town.
It’s believed Mary spent time in the Oval Office…
acting as a confidante to JFK, discussing world issues — even peace policies.
A letter resurfaced in 2016, written by JFK to Mary shortly before his death in 1963. It read:
“Why don’t you leave suburbia for once… why don’t you just say yes?”
— urging her to come and see him.
Then, just one year after JFK’s assassination, Marys story takes a disturbing turn
In October 1964, Mary Meyer was walking along the C&O Canal towpath in Georgetown. When smeone came up to her and shot twice at point-blank range, once in the head, and once in the heart. Did she know this person, is that how they were able to get so close to her to shoot her?
But Her murder remains unsolved.
And this is where the story takes an even darker turn…
Just two weeks before her death, the Warren Commission Report had been released — an 888-page document concluding that JFK was killed by a lone gunman.
Some believe Mary was planning to go public with information that contradicted that conclusion.
Mary was one of those girls who kept a dairy her entire life…
And it’s widely believed those diaries contained deeply personal — and potentially sensitive — information about JFK, including his views on peace at the height of the Cold War.
There are also claims she was involved in circles that explored influencing global leaders toward peace — even through the use of psychedelics like LSD.
After her death, A CIA chief James Angleton was reportedly linked to a break-in attempt to retrieve her diaries from her apartment.
Some of those diaries were never recovered.
And because of that…
conspiracy theories began to grow —
that Mary Meyer knew too much…
and that her death may not have been random at all.
Some of these women JFK was involved with were barely out of their teens… while JFK was already in his mid-40s like
“Fiddle” and “Faddle” were nicknames given by the Secret Service to two young White House secretaries — Jill Cowan and Priscilla Wear and both women were in their early 20’s.
Although they held secretarial positions, their roles weren’t exactly clearly defined… and they reportedly lacked the typical secretarial skills.
Instead, they became known for their close — and somewhat controversial — relationship with John F. Kennedy.
It’s been claimed that they would frequently go skinny-dipping with the president in the White House pool…in these private pool parties and
sometimes joined by Dave Powers, one of JFK’s closest aides.
Priscilla Wear, in particular, also accompanied JFK on several international trips between 1961 and 1963 — including visits to Berlin, Rome, Ireland, and Costa Rica.
And if youre wondering was Jackie aware of any of this? Apparently ye…
In an interview with Paris Match, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis allegedly pointed out Priscilla Wear and remarked in French:
“This is the girl who is supposedly sleeping with my husbanded
Now if you're questioning JFK's choices in young women based on the age fiddle an faddel who are in their early 20s the next one gets even worse because she's just a teenager
Mimi Alford was just 19 years old when she began her internship at the White House in 1962…
and would go on to have an 18-month affair with John F. Kennedy — who was 45 at the time.
Her story didn’t become widely known until 2012, when she published her memoir Once Upon a Secret.
According to Mimi, on just her fourth day at the White House, she was invited to one of the special private pool parties that JFK and Dave Powers like to have.
Later that evening, the pool party turned into a cocktail party where mimi said she had been drinking lots of daiquiris and JFK took her on a tour of the White House…
which ended in his bedroom that he shared with Jackie and this is where mimi said he took her virginity…
There was clearly a power imbalance here and it feels like Mimi is being taken advantage of
She claimed that JFK at times would pressure her into uncomfortable situations like at one of those “pool parties “ JFK pressured her to perform sexual acts on Dave Powers while he watched.
She also alleged that he suggested similar situations involving his brother Ted Kennedy, which she refused.
Mimi said she never called him “Jack”… only ever “Mr. President.”
And she noted that their interactions were often emotionally distant — highlighting just how one-sided the dynamic felt.
A rare moment she also recalled being a source of comfort to him following the death of his premature son, Patrick, in 1963.
Their final meeting took place on November 15, 1963, at the Carlyle Hotel in New York
just one week before JFK’s assassination — where he gave her $300 (around $3,000 today) as a wedding gift

If you think Kennedy just had a thing for younger women then think again Marlene Dietrich was 60years old when she had one night stand of sorts with JFK who was 45 at the time, in 1962.
She had been performing in Washington, D.C., when she received an invitation to the White House.
Marlene arrived by 630pm to the Whitehouse but had to be gone by 7pm. With limited time before her next engagement, JFK apparently said "That doesn't give us much time, does it?” and they both went to the bedroom. she later recalled how quickly the encounter unfolded — even joking that she had to remind him not to ruin her hair before her performance.
But what stood out most was an uncomfortable remark attributed to JFK as she was leaving — he asking whether she had ever been involved with his father.
Her response was no…to which he reportedly replied:
“Well… this is the only time I got there first.”
It’s a moment many look back on as… unsettling, to say the least…
And if you think that’s where it ends—
it’s not.
In 1963, Ellen Rometsch (pronounced Row metched)— then 27 — was living in Washington, D.C. with her husband, a West German Air Force sergeant.
She worked as a hostess at the Quorum Club — an exclusive private club near the U.S. Capitol, which was basically a place where powerful businessmen and politicians frequented to drink, eat and flirt with young women.
JFK was introduced to her by Bobby Baker his self proclaimed wing man. Bobby would say that JFK raved to him about ellens sexual prowess. Oh and remember those pool parties they had, ellen was invited to them aslwell apparently, while Jackie was away.
But this situation raised far more serious concerns.
J. Edgar Hoover the FBI director became aware of her connection to JFK…
and was alarmed by rumours that she may have had ties to soviet intelligence.
Ellen had grown up in communist East Germany, and there were claims — never definitively proven — that she had worked for Walter Ulbricht who was leader of the German Democratic republic. There were concerns that Ellen was a spy…
Fearing a potential national security risk, Robert Kennedy intervened…
and Ellen was suddenly deported back to West Germany.
Allegedly Ellen was given hundreds of thousands of dollars as hush money to keep silent by the Kennedys.
JFK was a busy man a shocking amount of affairs and these are the only ones that we kind of know about so I wouldn't be surprised if there's lots more I don't know how he keeps track of all of these affairs And still has time to have children and be president of a whole country it's giving a little bit of like master manipulator of all of these situations

So while his personal life was filled with secrecy and controversy…
it’s not what he’s most remembered for.
Because in 1963, everything changed
On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was in Dallas, Texas.
He was riding in an open-top motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Jackie Kennedy was sitting beside him, while Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie sat in front.
As the car passed the Texas School Book Depository at 12:30pm… shots were fired.
Kennedy was struck in the neck and head. The moment was captured on film. Governor Connally was also seriously injured but survived.
JFK was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 1:00pm.
He was 46 years old.
Police quickly entered the depository building, where they encountered workers—including a man named Lee Harvey Oswald sitting calmly, in a second-floor lunchroom. He wasn’t detained at the time, as he didn’t appear suspicious and was identified as an employee.
However, when workers were later accounted for, Oswald was missing—and he became the main suspect.
He left the building, briefly returned to his boarding house to retrieve a revolver, and about 45 minutes later was stopped by Dallas police officer J. D. Tippit, who had been searching for a suspect matching the broadcast description. During this encounter, Oswald shot and killed Tippit before fleeing the scene.
Multiple witnesses identified him, and he was arrested shortly after in a nearby movie theatre.
Oswald, just 24 years old, was a former U.S. Marine who had previously defected to the Soviet Union before returning to the United States. He was also known for being pro communist and pro Fidel Castro. He had only recently started working at the Texas School Book Depository but it was weeks before the motorcade route was even announced.
A search of the depository revealed a sniper’s nest on the sixth floor—made of stacked boxes—along with shell casings and an Italian Carcano rifle bearing Oswald’s fingerprints.
It was later discovered that Oswald had ordered the rifle earlier that year using the alias “A. Hidell.” He had an ID under this name, along with records showing he used both his real name and alias to receive mail through a Dallas P.O. box. The handgun used to kill Officer Tippit was also purchased under the same alias. Photographs were even found of Oswald posing in his backyard with the weapons.
Two days later, while being transferred from police headquarters to the county jail, something shocking happened.
Live on television, viewers watched as a man stepped forward and shot Oswald at point-blank range.
That man was Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner with ties to organized crime. He claimed he acted out of anger and grief.
Oswald later died at the same hospital as JFK.

The official investigation, known as the Warren Commission, concluded that Oswald acted alone— Fired three shots from the 6th floor of the Texas school book deposit, including one that passed through John F. Kennedy and struck John Connally, and a final fatal headshot
But not everyone believed that, this conclusion has been debated due to conflicting witness accounts and questions about different bullet trajectories
In 1979, a second investigation suggested Kennedy was “probably assassinated as a result of a conspiracy,” partly based on acoustic audio evidence that hinted at more than three shots. However, that evidence was later discredited. Even so, witnesses reported hearing shots from the “grassy knoll”—a small hill in front of the presidential limousine—which has continued to fuel speculation about a second gunman.
Because the assassination of John F. Kennedy remains one of the most debated events in modern history, a number of theories have emerged attempting to explain motives beyond the official conclusion. One of the most widely discussed involves possible involvement of the CIA, particularly in the context of the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion, a covert operation aimed at overthrowing Fidel Castro which ended in failure and embarrassment for U.S. intelligence; critics argue this may have created internal tensions, although no direct evidence has ever linked the CIA to the assassination. Another theory centres on organized crime, pointing to historical connections between the Kennedy family and mob figures, and the aggressive crackdown on organised crime led by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, which some believe may have created motive for retaliation.
There are also theories involving Cuban or Soviet actors, suggesting either pro- or anti-Castro groups may have acted in response to Cold War tensions and U.S. foreign policy, though again, no conclusive evidence has been found.
Additionally, some critics highlight internal inconsistencies in the official findings, particularly surrounding the “single bullet theory,” which proposes that one bullet caused multiple wounds to both Kennedy and John Connally; while this has been questioned as physically improbable by some, many modern ballistic analyses support its feasibility.
Despite decades of investigation, none of these theories have been definitively proven, but the combination of conflicting accounts, complex political context, and unresolved questions has allowed speculation to persist for generations.

When we talk about the Kennedy family, one of the most tragic and often overlooked stories is that of Rosemary Kennedy — sometimes referred to as “the forgotten Kennedy.”
She was born on the 13th of September, 1918, the first daughter in what would become one of America’s most powerful families. But from the very beginning, something wasn’t quite right. It’s widely believed that during her birth, there was a delay in the doctor arriving, and Rosemary’s head remained in the birth canal for an extended period — around two hours. This likely caused hypoxia, which is basically a lack of oxygen to the brain, leading to lifelong developmental challenges.
As she grew up, Rosemary struggled. She walked slower, talked slower, and found school particularly difficult. In a family of extreme high achievers, this made her stand out and not in a way that aligned with the Kennedy image. Despite this, she was still seen as beautiful and was presented as a debutante to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace in 1938.
Publicly, she appeared alongside the family at events and photo opportunities. But privately, things were becoming more complicated. As she got older, it was said that she began experiencing mood swings, frustration, and unpredictable behaviour. For her father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., this became a serious concern, not just for her wellbeing, but for the family’s reputation.
In 1941, when Rosemary was just 23 years old, Joseph made a decision that would permanently change her life. Without consulting his wife Rose or the rest of the family, he approved for Rosemary to undergo a prefrontal lobotomy — an experimental and highly controversial procedure at the time.
A lobotomy involves cutting connections in the brain to alter behaviour. Rosemary’s procedure took place at George Washington University. Rosemarys wasn’t the icepick depicted lobotomy but a Surgeons drilled two holes into her skull — about one inch deep— and inserted what was often described as a blunt, butter-knife-like instrument to sever brain tissue.
She was awake during the procedure, only mildly sedated.
During the procedure, she was asked to recite prayers, sing songs like “God Bless America,” or count backwards. The doctors monitored her responses as they cut deeper into the brain. The operation was only stopped when she became incoherent and could no longer speak.
That’s when they knew they had gone too far.
The results were devastating. Rosemary lost her ability to speak clearly, lost coordination, and was left with the mental capacity of a young child. Her personality, everything that made her who she was, was effectively gone.
And in many ways, her father got what he wanted. She was no longer “unpredictable.” But she was also no longer herself.
After the surgery, Rosemary was hidden away — not just from the public, but from much of her own family. She was placed in St. Coletta’s School for Exceptional Children in Wisconsin, where she lived in a private cottage for the rest of her life.
For decades, the family created alternative explanations for her absence. In the 1940s and 50s, they told people she was reclusive, living privately, or even working as a teacher in the Midwest or abroad. It wasn’t until the 1960s — after Joseph Kennedy Sr. suffered a stroke in 1961 — that some of her siblings were finally told the truth about her condition and where she was.
Even then, the full story wasn’t shared publicly.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver later wrote an article in The Saturday Evening Post titled “Hope for Retarded Children,” which revealed some of Rosemary’s intellectual disabilities — but still avoided mentioning the lobotomy.
The truth remained largely hidden until 1987, when historian Doris Kearns Goodwin published details in her book about the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. Even Rose Kennedy’s own memoir only referred vaguely to it as a “tragic medical decision,” never fully confronting what had actually happened.
At the time of the procedure in 1941, laws protecting people with intellectual disabilities were virtually nonexistent. As her father and legal guardian, Joseph had the authority to approve the surgery — regardless of whether Rosemary truly understood or could consent to it.
And that raises a question we’ll never fully be able to answer:
Did she understand what was happening to her?
Or was this something that was simply done to her?
For over 20 years, the public knew almost nothing. Rosemary had effectively disappeared. Out of sight, out of the narrative — as if she had never existed.
It wasn't until 1987 the truth finally emerged to the public in historian Doris keens Goodwin book on the fitzgeralds in the Kennedys. By detailing the failure of the surgery and the decades of isolation that followed, Goodwin’s book transformed Rosemary’s story from a vague family ‘illness’ into a documented historical tragedy shaped by medical malpractice and paternal control.
It’s especially tragic because her condition likely stemmed from birth-related hypoxia — a lack of oxygen to the brain — something that causes permanent damage and cannot be reversed. This wasn’t something she chose, and it wasn’t something that needed to define her entire life.
And yet, it did.
One of the biggest unknowns is how her mother, Rose, truly felt about all of this. Imagine realising your daughter had been taken for an experimental brain procedure without your knowledge — and then hidden away for decades.
It was only briefly mentioned in Rose Kennedy’s own memoir, where she referred to it simply as a “tragic medical decision” — never fully acknowledging that it was a failed lobotomy.
What’s even more confronting is what followed.
For the first 20 years that Rosemary was institutionalised, it’s widely believed that Rose did not visit her at all. And that raises a lot of questions.
If she truly didn’t know what had happened to Rosemary — was it kept from her? Was she told where her daughter was? Because it’s hard to imagine a mother not wanting to find her child, to see her, to make sure she was okay.
And yet, reports suggest that Rose didn’t visit Rosemary until after her husband, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., was no longer able to control the situation following his stroke in the early 1960s.
So it makes you wonder…
Was this something that was deliberately hidden from her?
Or was it something she felt she couldn’t confront?
Either way, it adds another layer to an already deeply unsettling story.
Rosemary lived a long life, but not the life she was meant to have. She died at the age of 86 in 2005 surrounded by her siblings.
And her story… is one of the darkest chapters in the Kennedy legacy.
And That’s today WTF Wednesday, thank you so much for watching or listening how ever you’ve stumbled across this channel.
I genuinely thought I was going to wrap up the Kennedy family’s dark history in this episode… but this would be way too long if I tried to fit it all in here.
So in Part 3, we’re getting into more
plane crashes…car accidents…affairs… murders…
and some stories that are just… bizarre.
Including one involving a dead bear in Central Park… and another involving a raccoon that I wish i could unlearn.
So if you’re enjoying this deep dive into the kennedys dark and chaotic family history…
Let me know what you think and
Ill see you in the nex one for part 3