Hyperion has signed a collection of never-before-published interviews with Jackie Kennedy. The book, scheduled for September 2011 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first year of the Kennedy administration, was acquired by Caroline Kennedy's longtime editor, Gretchen Young, from Robert Barnett. The seven interviews, conducted by historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., took place in the spring of 1964 and were part of an oral history project that examined the life of President Kennedy soon after his death. The interviews—which take up six and a half hours of audio tape—were intended to be deposited at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, but have remained sealed at the first lady's request. Topics covered in the conversations include everything from the Cuban missile crisis and JFK's plans for a second term in office to family life in the White House.
Hyperion took world rights to the book, proceeds of which will be shared with the Kennedy Library Foundation. Caroline Kennedy will edit the title and provide an introduction. Speaking to the acquisition, Ellen Archer, president and publisher of Hyperion, said the interviews "offer a remarkable window into the intelligent, courageous, and keen observer that Jacqueline Kennedy was," and that "readers will be riveted." Caroline Kennedy added that the book stands as a way for her to "honor the memory of my parents by making this unique history available."
