Read JFK's letter reassuring a little girl that Santa is safe from nuclear bombs
Michelle Rochon can still remember worrying about Santa Claus' safety when she was 8 years old, during the height of the Cold War in 1961. "I knew nuclear bombs were bad," she recalled to CBC News. "And if [the Russians] were testing them at the North Pole, what was Santa going to do?"
There was one man who she thought could answer her concerns — President John F. Kennedy.
"Dear Mr. Kennedy," she wrote in a letter with her mother's help. "Please stop the Russians from bombing the North Pole because they will kill Santa Claus. I am 8 years old. I am in the third grade at Holy Cross School. Yours truly, Michelle Rochon."
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A few weeks later, she got her reply. Read the president's adorable reassurance below, and Rochon's full story at CBC News. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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