The Secret Letters of Marilyn Monroe and Jacqueline Kennedy by Wendy Leigh Page A

for me, his sisters are staying here, too (we have very little in common), and I would be mortified if they get their hands on it and give it to him themselves. Could you please mark it “Private and Confidential”?
    Which reminds me: I just adore your alias. I suppose movie stars invariably require an alias as protection from fans and gossip columnists. At any rate, movie star or not, in case our letters inadvertently fall into the wrong hands, I have made the momentous decision to acquire an alias of my own. You will be amused to learn that I have selected Josephine (after Napoleon’s empress) * Kendall. So let us continue our correspondence under our new aliases. Frankly, the prospect of doingso inures us against the horrific mishap of either the Hollywood hag columnists or the equally vitriolic East Coast scribes getting their vulgar ink-stained hands on our correspondence. Perish the thought! I always open my own mail, so you could address the envelope to Jackie Kennedy, but then put the letter inside a second envelope, addressed to Josephine Kendall. Also please mark the outer envelope and the inner one “Private and Confidential.” I think that phrase describes our correspondence so well, don’t you? It is not my normal practice to confide in other women, as the majority are invariably jealous, excessively competitive, and fundamentally untrustworthy. However, due to your open, trusting, unjealous, and friendly nature, I am delighted to be able to drop my guard and do so readily and happily. Apart from which, I am utterly riveted by your tales of your fellow Hollywood luminaries.
    Your story about George Sanders and Zsa Zsa Gabor was delicious. As for her tips, in the course of our conversation (we were sitting next to each other on a flight from Paris three years ago when I flew there for the Coronation), she did dispense a selection which she had gleaned from experts at MGM. When I mentioned that my large hands are the bane of my existence, she advised me never to wear pale nail polish, as that would only make my fingers appear longer. According to her, if I wore red or dark red polish, that would serve to truncate my hands. By the same token, she also advised that I create the illusion of long legs by always wearing the same color shoes as my stockings. I am not entirely sure whether these hints will be of any use, but in the light of Miss Gabor’s reaction to you in Hollywood, I am amused by the irony of my passing them on to you.
    I am unsure as to when Jack and I will return to Washington again. I am so immensely worried about him. The operation he is having onOctober 21 may be life-threatening. He has always said that he would prefer to be dead than disabled. I hope and pray that it won’t come to that. But if you are too busy, please do not, under any circumstances, give my request another thought whatsoever. Just look after yourself and guard against allowing memories of Joe to undermine you.
    With my love,
    Josephine
    __________________________
     
    * Jackie wrote in the Purple Diary, “MM has given Joe D his marching papers. Wonder how Joe K will feel about her now that she is once more fancy-fee and ripe for the picking.… Then again, the poor kid doesn’t really need to get in any deeper with him than she already is.”
    * Sarah Bradford tells of Jackie’s engraving of Empress Josephine, proudly displayed in her White House bedroom. Norman Mailer interviewed Milton Greene, Marilyn’s business partner, and his wife, Amy, for his Of Women and Their Elegance (New York: Macmillan, 1980) and they both confirmed that Marilyn was fascinated by Empress Josephine and loved their collection of books on her.

The St. Regis
     
    Josephine Kendall
    The Carlyle
    October 13, 1954
     
    Dear Josephine,
    I am so very sorry to hear about Jack’s hospitalization and am sending this signed poster by messenger. I hope it isn’t too raunchy for the hospital — but it is the only one I have here in New