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JFK Assured 8-Year-Old Girl That Santa Was Safe

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm David Greene with an Arctic blast from the past. The year was 1961, the height of the Cold War. And U.S. intelligence indicated the Soviets might soon test nuclear bombs at the North Pole. An 8-year-old girl wrote to President John F. Kennedy expressing her concern for Santa Claus. According to the JFK Library, he wrote her back.

(Reading) You must not worry about Santa Claus. I talked with him yesterday, and he's fine. He'll be making his rounds again this Christmas. Sincerely, John F. Kennedy.

You're listening to MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.