When we think of John F. Kennedy, the image that usually comes to mind is one of political glamour, charismatic speeches, and a legacy tangled in both triumph and tragedy.
But behind the iconic presidency was a deeply complicated personal life — one that might have looked very different if a love story in his twenties had been allowed to play out.
In a new book titled JFK: Public, Private, Secret, author J. Randy Taraborrelli dives into a lesser-known chapter of JFK’s early life: a passionate romance with Danish journalist Inga Arvad — and how his father, Joe Kennedy, crushed it before it had a chance to bloom.
A Love That Felt Fated
Jack Kennedy met Inga Arvad in October 1941.
She was four years older, twice divorced, and a well-known foreign correspondent.
But none of that seemed to matter to the 24-year-old naval officer.
Their chemistry? Instant. Inga later described Jack as someone who “made the birds come out of the trees.”
He was magnetic, warm, and effortlessly charming.
Her son, Ron McCoy, later recalled that she called meeting Jack an “awakening” — something that felt organic and real, as if their souls had known each other before.
Jack was equally enamored. He gave her the nickname “Inga Binga,” and they spent every moment they could wrapped up in each other — emotionally, physically, spiritually.
A Scandal That Tore Them Apart
But love wasn’t enough in the world of political ambition.
Just two months into their whirlwind romance, things took a sharp turn.
Arvad was accused of being a Nazi spy — all because of an old photo with Adolf Hitler from her journalism days.
Joe Kennedy, Jack’s powerful father, was furious.
He was already mapping out Jack’s path to the presidency and saw Inga as a threat to the family brand.
In his words, she was nothing more than a “Nazi b***h.”
The FBI got involved, with J. Edgar Hoover himself demanding updates.
Inga admitted she had interviewed Hitler years earlier and had even attended the 1936 Olympics with him.
She told both Jack and the FBI that after their lunch, someone with Nazi ties tried to recruit her as a spy — and she flatly refused.
But Joe Kennedy wasn’t having any of it. He pressured Jack hard.
Despite loving Inga deeply — and even talking marriage — Jack broke things off under his father’s iron grip.
A Decade Before Jack Loved Again
Although the FBI dropped their investigation in 1942, it didn’t matter.
The damage was already done. Jack had ended the relationship five months earlier.
Taraborrelli suggests the breakup left a lasting scar.
It would be ten years before Jack would seriously consider marriage again.
And when he did, it wasn’t for love — at least not at first.
A Different Kind of Match with Jackie
Enter Jacqueline Bouvier. Brilliant, poised, and elegant — but very different from the free-spirited Dane who had stolen Jack’s heart a decade earlier.
The Kennedys agreed: Jack needed a wife if he was ever going to be president.
Jackie was the perfect public match. But behind closed doors, things were more complicated.
According to the book, Jack was only lukewarm about her.
Jackie’s mother even asked her bluntly, “Do you love him?” Jackie’s answer was hesitant: “I enjoy him.”
To those close to her, including society columnist Betty Beale, it was clear Jackie saw something familiar — and troubling — in Jack’s behavior.
She reportedly once said, “He treats me the way his father treats his mother.”
Beale didn’t mince words: “That should be a warning to you.”
A Pre-Wedding Detour in the South of France
Just weeks before his wedding, Jack flew to Cannes for a boys-only trip.
There, he met a 21-year-old Swedish woman named Gunilla von Post — blonde, beautiful, and uncannily similar to Inga Arvad.
They hit it off, and though they stopped short of sleeping together, Gunilla would later write in her memoir Love, Jack that JFK told her: “If I’d met you a month ago, I’d have canceled the whole thing.”
Taraborrelli, however, isn’t convinced. JFK rarely expressed emotion for any woman after Inga.
And would he really defy his father to cancel the wedding to Jackie? Probably not.
A Bold and Bizarre Wedding Request
As if things weren’t already tangled, Jack made a curious request before his wedding: he wanted Inga Arvad invited.
He eventually dropped the idea, but it showed just how much of a hold she still had on him — even after six years of no contact.
The Secret Swedish Reunion
Two years into his marriage, Jackie suffered a heartbreaking miscarriage.
Instead of comforting her, Jack proposed they take separate trips — she would visit her sister, and he would return to Sweden… to reunite with Gunilla.
This time, their relationship turned physical.
They spent a week together, and according to Gunilla’s version, it was romantic, sensual, and deeply emotional.
Taraborrelli, however, is skeptical of just how sincere JFK’s feelings were — suggesting the version of Jack in Gunilla’s memory may not match the emotionally distant man he had become by the 1950s.
On the flight back home, Jack reportedly told a friend, “This was a sh***y thing to do to Jackie. This was a mistake.”
Still Blaming His Father Years Later
Even years later, JFK seemed to rationalize his behavior by pointing the finger at his father.
In his view, if Joe Kennedy hadn’t forced him to end things with Inga, he would’ve married the woman he truly loved — not the one he was pushed toward for political gain.
Jackie eventually became someone he did care for deeply, but Taraborrelli suggests the foundation was built more on strategy than romance.
A Legacy of What-Ifs
Inga Arvad never became First Lady, but her presence lingered in JFK’s heart — and possibly influenced every major romantic decision he made afterward.
JFK’s romantic life, like his political career, was shaped by power, ambition, and legacy — but also by heartbreak and “what ifs” that never fully faded.