THICK AS THIEVES Frank Sinatra and his pal John F Kennedy are all smiles at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas in February 1960. But how long will the good times last?
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Frank Sinatra was angry. Livid. Livid enough to take an axe to the fixtures and fittings of his Palm Springs home. Livid enough to storm out of the house, brandishing a sledgehammer. Livid enough to rain blows down upon the heli-pad he had recently had modified, shards of concrete flying off in all directions.
John F Kennedy was the reason for his anger. The President – his close friend – had just cancelled a March 1962 visit to Sinatra’s California residence, the desert retreat that the singer had recently upgraded, at no small cost, in advance of the presidential arrival. But this was no casual change of plans.This was a snub to Sinatra, to his standing, to his reputation. It was a loss of face that signalled the end of both their friendship and their political allegiance.
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