JFK’s Secret Love Affair With a Suspected Nazi Spy

She was also Hitler’s special guest at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Sal
Lessons from History
7 min readApr 5, 2024

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Left: Inga Arvad | Right: JFK | Image Source: JJG (No Known Copyright Restrictions)

Most of us are familiar with JFK’s alleged and illicit love affair with famous American actress and model Marilyn Monroe. On May 19th, 1962, during a fundraiser and early birthday celebration for President John Kennedy Sr. (D-Massachusetts) Marilyn took to the Madison Square Garden stage in a glamorous outfit to sing him happy birthday, sparking the rumors.

However, lesser known is the famous president’s entanglement with a suspected Nazi spy, Inga Arvad, who had known ties to Hitler and prompted the FBI to launch a secret investigation into the future president.

She wrote love letters to JFK

In 1942, Inga Arvad wrote a letter to her lover, Jack, that said, “Remember to save this letter for defense against Inga-Binga in the Supreme Court of the U.S. I will be seeing you — here or there or somewhere in the world, and it will be the best, or rather second best moment in a lifetime. The best was when I met you.” Here, “Inga-Binga” was Inga Arvad, and the recipient “Jack” was the nickname for the man who would go on to become the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy.

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Sal
Lessons from History

I am a History Educator and a Lifelong Learner with a Masters in Global History.