I never knew the extent of JFK's illnesses, especially since he was so young. I knew about the Addison's and the bad back (from the war, I think), but had no idea about all the rest.
JFK's back problems far predated the famous PT-109 incident. He suffered from scoliosis, starting as a youngster. He was legitimately heroic in the PT-109 incident, but that didn't cause his back problems. He used it as an excuse for his long record of illnesses and absences from Congress. Had the real cause of his absences--Addison's--been known, he probably never would have been elected president.
And my mother swears that nobody knew about FDR's paralysis. She read later that the press knew, but completely accommodated him. She read that during a press conference, the photographers would willingly lower their cameras to the ground until his aides had him propped up behind the podium. Imagine the press going along with something like that today?????
Yes, the media in those days had an unwritten agreement not to show anything that revealed FDR's crippling as a result of polio. It's hard to find a photo of him wearing his leg braces, in a wheelchair, or being lifted in and out of a car. The media also had an unwritten agreement not to say anything about his philandering. Fifty reporters were on the train for his final trip from DC to Warm Springs, GA, where he later died. None reported that the train detoured for 12 hours in Flemington NJ so he could dally with his mistress, Lucy Mercer. She was with him when he died in Warm Springs. Media also never reported on JFK's spectacular philandering, which they were all aware of.
