Seventeen years after the death of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and nearly 50 years after the assassination of the husband who placed her at the centre of the world's fascination, she still retains the power to shock.

Shortly after her husband's assassination, Jackie Kennedy sat down with the historian Arthur Schlesinger, who recorded many hours of their conversation.

In this extract the former US First Lady describes how supportive her husband was in the face of criticism of her as a "liability".

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