A handsome, tall, thin fellow approached me. He was dressed in a tweed jacket, khaki trousers, wore brown loafers and carried a cane.

"You look pretty depressed, pal," he said with a smile as he sat down beside me. "Anything I can do for you?" he asked.

Then he introduced himself.

"I'm Jack Kennedy. What is your name?"

When I answered, informing him of my Massachusetts background, he sparkled, wanting to be filled in on why I was in uniform sitting there alone in the lobby of the Palace Hotel...

This fortunate encounter sparked almost two decades of friendship between John F. Kennedy and the author, John G. W. Mahanna. The Human Touch is Mahanna's unique memoir, which shows Kennedy as a genuine friend, and which also reveals the savvy inner workings of JFK's political campaigns. Readers will gain a fresh perspective of JFK by seeing him through a friend's eyes, and experiencing his "human touch" - his unbounded charisma, humor, and warmth.