Truman Capote on JFK as Peniculus

In one of the classical Latin comedies, Manaechmi, the ancient Roman writer, Plautus, had a character named Peniculus. That ulus at the end is a diminutive in Latin, so the name was a comic commentary on the fellow's somewhat tiny personal reproductive equipment.

Truman Capote

If American Presidents were historically referenced as Roman Emperors or medieval kings, as Rush Limbaugh refers to the Great Ronald Reagan as Ronaldus Magnus, Truman Capote practically referred to John F. Kennedy as Iohannes Peniculus.

In the supposedly definitive biography (Capote: A Biography, by Gerald Clarke, Simon & Schuster,1988) on the very gay and very self promotional 50s and 60s novelist, old Tru is quoted at length discussing the size (or lack thereof) of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and little brother Teddy Kennedy's male appendages.

From page 271 in Capote's own words:

"(Jackie) was hurt because (JFK) was banging all these other broads. She never said that, but I knew about it rather vaguely.

What I don't understand is why everybody said the Kennedys were so sexy. I know a lot about cocks...I've seen an awful lot of them. And if you put all the Kennedys together, you wouldn't have one good one.

I used to see Jack when I was staying with Loel and Gloria Guinness in Palm Beach. It had a little guest cottage with its own private beach. And he would come down so he could swim in the nude.

He had absolutely nuthin'! Bobby was the same way. I don't know how he had all those children. As for Teddy, forget it!"

And can you possibly get that from a better authority on the subject than Truman Capote? Like he said, "he's seen an awful lot of them."

Here's Truman Capote, in one of his rare, more or less, lucid appearances, discussing Sex, Love and Friendship as interviewed by David Frost in 1969: