Jack and Lem: John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship

David Pitts

Da Capo Press, Apr 25, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 384 pages

Jack and Lem explores the enduring friendship between John F. Kennedy and Kirk Lemoyne Billings (aka "Lem"). Jack Kennedy and Lem Billings met at Choate and remained friends until the Dallas gunfire that ended Kennedy's life thirty years later. Featuring interviews with Ben Bradlee, Gore Vidal, Ted Sorenson, friends, family, and many others, award–winning journalist David Pitts begins the story with the early friendship between the men. Though Lem never held an official role in the Kennedy administration, his friendship and insight were much valued, so much so that he had his own room at the White House. This is the story of Jack and Lem and the climate for gays during he Kennedy era — the story of a great friendship that grew and survived against the odds.

Contents

• The Ties That Bind Choate 193335: 5
• Rebels with a Cause College 193537: 41
• Trip of a Lifetime 1937: 55

About the author

David Pitts is an internationally recognized journalist whose work has appeared in major magazines and newspapers worldwide, including The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Christian Science Monitor. He's worked as a senior writer at the U.S. Information Agency/Voice of America, and his writings on the Kennedy family have been disseminated around the world.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Jack and Lem: John F. Kennedy and Lem Billings: The Untold Story of an Extraordinary Friendship
• Author: David Pitts
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Da Capo Press, 2007
• ISBN: 0786719893, 9780786719891
• Length: 384 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / General; Biography & Autobiography / Historical