Kennedy Family Collection
KFC-060-001
This diary, kept by Kathleen Kennedy, contains handwritten entries in blue and black ink detailing her daily activities from December 20, 1935, to June 19, 1936, when she spent time abroad attending the Holy Child School in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, and traveling with friends in Europe. The gold stamped title on the cover reads, “Agenda / 1936.” Pages contain pre-printed ruling and text, including entry dates printed in French, as well as manuscript entries in blue ink. An original handwritten inscription in blue ink on the front free endpaper reads, "Kathleen Kennedy / 44 Rue Perronet / Neuilly Sur Seine." An original handwritten note in blue ink on the title page reads, “Private - All who look within do so under pain of sin!!!" Entries are mostly written in English, although Kathleen would occasionally write in French or switch between English and French within a single entry. Entries for December 1935 are written at the back of the diary on pages with the pre-printed titles, “Notes” and “Récapitulations.” Entries cover a variety of topics, including her time spent in Gstaad, Switzerland, for the 1935 Christmas holiday, where she skied, luged, and ice skated; her education at the Holy Child School; day trips to Paris, France; and films, parties, dances, and other social and religious events that she attended. Entries also document trips to Geneva, Switzerland; London, East Grinstead, and Cambridge, England; and Fontainebleau and Reims, France. Entries for February 27 through 29 all read, “Retreat,” with no further details. Notations on the diary pages spanning March 26 through April 22 indicate a trip to Italy, and one entry, at the end of March 1936, includes an itinerary with locations in Venice, Florence, and Rome, but no other details are provided about the trip. Kathleen also refers to various communications that she has with members of her family, including her grandfather, John F. “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald; parents, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy; and brothers, Joseph P. "Joe" Kennedy, Jr., and John F. "Jack" Kennedy. Friends and classmates mentioned include Elizabeth “Betty” Rice, Mary Veronica “Von” Rice, Edith Garver, Allison Garver, Eleanor “Ellie” Hoguet, Derek Richardson, Frederick Sinclair “Freddy” Carson, Kirk LeMoyne “Lem” Billings, and Ralph “Rip” Horton. The last entry of the diary is June 19, 1936; the remaining pages dated through December 31, 1936, are blank.