What If: JFK Sex Scandal in 1962 or early 1963?

In OTL, before the post-Viet Nam and post-Watergate era of the 1970s, journalists generally did not report about the extramarital sex lives of politicians (assuming the politicians were at least somehwat discreet). There were numerous married politicians in Washington D.C. (besides JFK) and the state capitals have affairs with other (and younger) women, but it neither appeared in the newspapers nor was broadcast on the radio or TV. Many reporters were very familar with the various rumored extramarital affairs of President Kennedy--he was rather recklessness about his liasons--but they liked JFK and generally didn't report about such matters anyway.

What if women publicly came forward about their sexual relationships with JFK in 1962 or early 1963--perhaps the unstable Marilyn Monroe and a young White House secretary or two--and mainstream media outlets actually began reporting about it?
 
Marilyn Monroe didn't actually have an affair with JFK. There's no basis in that, though I imagine JFK would have liked very much to have done that.

And I doubt the mainstream media would report it, or that the girls could not be placated with Papa Joe's money. If the media were to get involved in that, it risks a lot, since the Democrats could embargo whatever outlet did that, refusing them interviews or coverage (the parties were solid enough in those days to be able to do that) and they could get publicly condemned.

And the fact is, as you said, JFK is overrated as a womanizer. He did have relations with scores of women, but he was not alone. A lot of people in Washington had affairs and mistresses, as well as a lot of other public figures at that time. There was an incident with a cat house mistress that was thought to be a spy, for instance, that endangered Washington since half the people in office were using her services (which is why the investigation was swept under the rug); at least that's what I remember, and it may be different but same idea. LBJ did the exact same thing as Kennedy where it came to having relations with secretaries and other women.
 
My understanding is that, in OTL, President Kennedy had a brief fling--perhaps just a one-night stand--with Marilyn Monroe. Her May 1962 appearance at JFK's birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden, where she famously sang "Happy Birthday" to him while wearing a very tight gown, certainly did not thrill Jackie Kennedy who declined to attend. It is acknowledged that Marilyn repeatedly telephoned the White House in 1962.
 
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Or more directly, DOJ could set the IRS on you- as many presidents dating back to FDR (esp. JFK/LBJ/Nixon) have done with particularly persistent opponents.

The major problem is that as Norton said, if you try and knock Kennedy you'll be blackballed because once the precedent is set that whole edifice comes crashing down as it did (thankfully, IMO) IOTL after Watergate. Hoover had everything on everyone but those files were destroyed after he died.
 
And the fact is, as you said, JFK is overrated as a womanizer. He did have relations with scores of women, but he was not alone. A lot of people in Washington had affairs and mistresses, as well as a lot of other public figures at that time. There was an incident with a cat house mistress that was thought to be a spy, for instance, that endangered Washington since half the people in office were using her services (which is why the investigation was swept under the rug); at least that's what I remember, and it may be different but same idea. LBJ did the exact same thing as Kennedy where it came to having relations with secretaries and other women.


Perhaps I'm really wrong here, but my opinion is that's the only kind of "sex scandal" that could have actually landed Kennedy in trouble in the period in a worse case scenario sort of situation. Once things enter the realm of national security, you're in an entirely different ballpark. A hypothetical American Profumo scandal is a very different beast from some random woman claiming to have slept with Kennedy.
 
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