To Orwell Today,

Hi,

My name is Jordan Harris. I was reading your website about the letter Bucky had sent to JFK. See JFK PT-109 GUNNER HARRIS

I think they said they were trying to get in contact with relatives to send a copy of a letter Bucky sent.

I want to inform you that my father, David Harris, was Bucky Harris' nephew. Donald Harris was my father's dad (and Bucky's brother) and we are very interested in the letter.

Please get back to me ASAP,
Jordan Harris

Greetings Jordan,

It was seven years ago -- in 2009, it now being 2016 -- that I received that email from the researcher asking if I had contact info for relatives of Charles A Harris. She was working on a book comprised of condolence letters sent to Jackie after the death of JFK, and one of those letters was from your great-uncle -- nickname "Bucky" Harris. They wanted to use it in the book.

In my response I suggested she contact family members of a maternal grandson of Bucky Harris -- a Navy Seal who had recently died and was eulogized by President Bush in a ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. I had read the obituary and referenced that for her.

I never did hear back as to whether she did make contact with the Harris family, but I assume she probably did, there being so much identifying information there to work with.

Now, since receiving your email, it occurs to me that the book the researcher was working on -- as an assistant to the author -- would have been the one that came out in 2010 entitled LETTERS TO JACKIE: CONDOLENCES FROM A GRIEVING NATION, by Ellen Fitzpatrick.

I haven't seen or read the book but I saw the documentary that was made for TV in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination. It was based on the book.

To find out if your great-uncle's letter is in the book you could buy or borrow a copy, or contact the author. If all else fails, it's in the JFK Library & Museum archives -- probably filed in alphabetical order.

When you do find Bucky Harris's letter to Jackie please let me know and I'll share it with ORWELL TODAY readers who follow all things JFK.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

watch Letters to Jackie -- Official Documentary Trailer, June 2013

watch Letters To Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation, a lecture by historian Ellen Fitzpatrick, The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, March 11, 2010

Letters to Jackie, by Ellen Fitzpatrick, published March 2010
Within seven weeks of the President's death, Jacqueline Kennedy received more than 800,000 condolence letters. Two years later, the volume of correspondence would exceed 1.5 million letters. For the next forty-six years, the letters would remain essentially untouched. Now historian Ellen Fitzpatrick has selected approximately 250 of these letters for inclusion in LETTERS TO JACKIE, a remarkable human record that perfectly preserves the heart-wrenching grief and soul searching of the nation in a time of crisis...

To Orwell Today,

Thanks so much, hopefully I can get in touch with whoever owns the letters. I am very interested in reading them and seeing how my great uncle thought after JFK's tragedy.

-Jordan

Greetings again Jordan,

The letter to Jackie from your great uncle is still in the JFK LIBRARY & MUSEUM in Boston, Massachusetts. If you lived in Boston you could just go there and look it up in the archives.

But if Bucky Harris's letter made it into the book LETTERS TO JACKIE by Ellen Fitzpatrick you can see a copy of it there -- at least a transcript of the letter, not necessarily the handwritten copy.

If you can't find the book in a bookstore (and probably can't, it being 6 years old now) or in a used-book store, you can order it on-line from Abe Books, or Alibris, or Amazon -- just google around.

I have ordered a copy of the book and when it arrives, and if Bucky Harris's letter is in the book, I'll be scanning it to share with you and other readers.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

To Orwell Today,

Thank you so much for all your help. My family moved out of Massachusetts when father was young, due to being a military family and moving around a lot, but we are now planning a trip to return to check out the JFK museum. I would love to have a scan of the letters if you could, but if it's too much trouble don't worry about it, we will eventually see it on our family trip.

Once again thanks so much for the help, I can't wait to learn more about Bucky,
Jordan

Hello again Jordan,

It's no trouble at all -- everything I do for JFK is a labour of love -- and I'm very interested too in reading the letter from Bucky.

When the book arrives, and if Bucky's letter is in it (which I think it will be), I'll scan the page for you and all the world to see.

All the best,
Jackie Jura

Reader Dennis Harris writes: "My father, who passed away in 2004, once told me that one of the men who served on PT 109 was a distant relative. His name was Charles Harris. Do you have any idea where I might find more info on Mr Harris?"

SEARCHING 4 JFK 109 CREW

JFK PT-109 GUNNER HARRIS (Reader Rachel Benneck writes: I am a research assistant for an author who is writing a book comprised of condolence letters sent to Jackie Kennedy after JFK was shot. Among the letters found at the Kennedy Library was one from Charles A. Harris, who was a PT 109 Crew member. I am trying to locate him and find a current mailing address so that the author can send him a copy of the letter he wrote, and request permission to include it in his book....)

JFK PT 109 WHO'S WHO

       JFK'S PT-109 CREW

READERS' JFK EMAIL

JFK TRUTHS & UNTRUTHS & JFK ASSASSINATION PUZZLE PIECES