The Lost Prince : Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy

by Hank Searls

Casting a giant shadow over the spectacular careers of the three Kennedy brothers has always been the inspiring memory of a fourth - the first born among them.

Here is the story of that remarkable, romantic figure, Joe Kennedy Jr., moving like some golden boy through a series of pranks, antics, beautiful girls, international incidents, fledgling politics, on to the sobering responsibilities of manhood...

Here is the story of a hero - glamorous, loyal, arrogant, charming, ambitious - cut down before his destiny could be realized. The Lost Prince.

285 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Born Henry Hunt Searls Jr. novelist and screenwriter Hank Searls, author of the best-selling Overboard, Jaws II (based on the movie), and Sounding, is creator of the New Breed TV series and writer for the 1960's classic television series The Fugitive . His novel Pilgrim Project became Robert Altman's film Countdown. He has lived most of his life on, under, or over the ocean, having been a world-cruising yachtsman, underwater photographer, and Navy flier.

Reviews

[KOMET · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those of us with a fascination or interest in the lives of the Kennedys, the story of the eldest child, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (aka Joe Kennedy), is one of unrealized promise. Unlike his brother JFK (who was not quite 2 years his junior), who had suffered from a host of ailments from childhood - yet managed to persevere, Joe was the "Golden Boy." He seemingly breezed through life from prep school to Harvard, to the London School of Economics, and to Harvard Law School.

Like all the Kennedy children, Joe was a keen competitor and risk taker. He also took a special interest in his younger siblings that, as this book illustrates, was heartfelt and unselfish. I think that of all the Kennedy children, he was most like the Old Man. Joe was the standard bearer of that generation of Kennedys. Indeed he would assert to anyone who knew him that his great ambition was to be the first Roman Catholic to be elected President of the United States.

Joe was entering his third year at law school when he willingly opened himself to the draft and enlisted in the U.S. Navy as an aviation cadet in May 1941. A year of arduous flight training followed which led to Joe earning his golden wings and commission. What erked Joe, however, was that his brother JFK (who managed to get into the Navy with the Old Man's help) earned his commission as a Lieutenant (jg) before him. (Joe was an ensign, which ranks below Lieutenant.) Next to JFK having had his Harvard senior thesis published and become a best seller in 1940, this was the first time Joe had been eclipsed by his younger brother. Furthermore, JFK (through pulling more strings) managed to get transferred from a desk job in Washington into a program in which he learned to operate patrol torpedo boats. This was hazardous duty. Subsequently, JFK was posted to combat duty in the South Pacific early in 1943 - several months before Joe (who was impatient to see action) was posted from Puerto Rico (where he flew flying boats with a patrol squadron tasked with seeking out and destroying German U-boats; the squadron was also stationed for a time in Norfolk VA) managed a transfer to VB-110. This unit flew the naval version of the U.S. Army Air Force's B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, flying long range missions out of England into the Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay hunting for U-boats.

Unlike Joe's previous posting, there were many more hazards with which to contend. Examples: the vagaries of the English weather, flak, and enemy fighters (both long-range and short-range operating out of Occupied France).

Joe flew 2 combat tours (in excess of 50 missions, each of which lasted on average 12 hours). He was "tour expired" shortly after D-Day and could've returned to the States. But he was dissatisfied with his war experience, having failed to earn any medal or commendation. That was in contrast to JFK, whose ship had been cut in two by a Japanese destroyer on a night patrol deep in enemy waters in August 1943. Though seriously wounded, JFK managed to bring together the survivors of his crew and swim to a nearby island, where they sheltered for several days. All the while, JFK swam into shark-infested waters, seeking help. Eventually, JFK and his crew were found by Allied coastwatchers and friendly natives in the area, and spirited away to Allied territory. JFK was later decorated and his story was published worldwide.

Joe would volunteer for an extremely hazardous secret mission which would lead to his death on August 12, 1944. He was 29 years old.


This is a rather remarkable book, originally published in 1969. Hank Searls (who had himself been a naval pilot during WWII) was able to interview many people who knew Joe Kennedy Jr., including his mother Rose and brothers Bobby and Ted. He also consulted a wealth of resources from different phases of Joe's life.

Having read this, one can't help but wonder: How would have Joe Jr. fared postwar had he survived? What type of career would he have had if he had been elected to Congress? Would he have gone on to be elected President of the United States? Who would Joe Jr. have married and what would his family have been like?

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Admittedly, I'm a fan of Kennedy bio's. Strange as I'm not really a fan of the Kennedy family . . .anyway, I finally tracked down tis 40 year old bio. It's good but a bit too fawning. I doubt the guy was perfect but he was quite handsome and (allegedly) much more charismatic than JFK. Can you imagine?

[Tim Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Joe Kennedy Jr. - his life and eventual death during World War II. He was the anointed one by his father to be President of the United States. A very interesting read and the first of the Kennedy tragedies. The thing is he did not have to fly the fateful mission that killed him. He was finished with his tour of duty and could have returned home. When JFK won a medal for his valor during the PT-109 incident, it forced him, in his mind, to try to out do his brother. Competitiveness was a family trait - even in life and death.

[Anna]

A biography of Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., JFK’s older brother. Somewhat interesting to read about the Kennedy kids growing up, but sometimes it occurred to me that except for being a Kennedy, Young Joe didn’t have a particularly remarkable life. The account of his World War II service and final mission might have been one of the more interesting parts.

[Tutu]

Its okay