JFK diary written in post-WWII Europe to go up for auction

In this photo, taken Feb. 9, 1944, US Navy Lt. John F. Kennedy smiles at the Stork Club in New York. A diary written by Kennedy in 1945 during his brief stint as a journalist after World War II is being auctioned on April 26, 2017, by RR Auction in Boston. (File photo from AP)

BOSTON — A diary kept by John F. Kennedy during his brief stint as a journalist after World War II is up for auction this week.

Boston-based RR Auction says the diary is expected to fetch at least $200,000 at the auction on Wednesday.

The 61-page diary was written in 1945 when the 28-year-old Kennedy was a correspondent for Hearst newspapers and traveled through a devastated Europe.

It provides insights into Kennedy’s thoughts on world leaders of the era. Kennedy reflects on the legacy of Hitler and presages the future of the United Nations and the Western power struggle with the Soviet Union, a central conflict during his presidency 16 years later.

The diary was given by Kennedy to Deirdre Henderson, a research assistant in his campaign office in the late 1950s.