The widespread promotion of this myth originated with the Dec. 6, 1963 issue of LIFE Magazine. The Kennedy-Camelot Myth was concocted by Jacqueline Kennedy, in an interview given to Theodore H. White (“For President Kennedy An Epilogue,” pp. 158-159). The following is from the top of page 159.

“There was a thought, too, that was always with her. ‘When Jack quoted something, it was usually classical,’ she said, ‘but I’m so ashamed of myself–all I keep thinking of is this line from a musical comedy.

‘At night, before we’d go to sleep, Jack liked to play records; and the song he loved most came at the very end of this record. The lines he loved to hear were: Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.’
She wanted to make sure that the point came clear and went on: ‘There’ll be great Presidents again– and the Johnsons are wonderful, they’ve been wonderful to me–but there’ll never be a Camelot again….’”

The last line of the piece is: “For one brief shining moment there was Camelot.”

Several years ago, on a TV program, a former editor of LIFE stated that White had telephoned the story to the editor, and that Mrs. Kennedy kept making changes while White was on the phone. The time has come to stop promoting the Kennedy-Camelot Myth and to expose the origins of this myth.

More information about the interview and of White’s notes is at:

http://www.jfklancer.com/pdf/Camelot.pdf