Canadian claiming to be JFK's love child calls for DNA test

London, Feb 14 (UNI) A Canadian businessman, claiming to be the secret love child of former American President John F Kennedy, has called on the family to provide a DNA sample for testing to prove it.

Forty-six-year old Jack Worthington insists he is the illegitimate son of Kennedy born of a fling between his Texan mother and the American president in 1961, the Daily Mail reported.

Mr Worthington, who lives in British Columbia, Canada, says he wanted nothing from the Kennedy family except a DNA sample to prove his claim.

Kennedy, who was assassinated in Dallas in November 1963, was a known womaniser whose conquests are said to have included Marilyn Monroe.

In a brief interview with a Canadian newspaper, Mr Worthington gave few details of his claim but did not explain why he had waited so long to come forward.

''It's simply a profound duty I feel to do the right thing.

Many Americans won't agree and will want to sweep the dirt under the rug. Unfortunately, I'm a born whistleblower,'' he said.

He said his mother was introduced to Kennedy by vice-president Lyndon Johnson.

Mr Worthington revealed his identity after reports surfaced in the US press that Vanity Fair magazine had been investigating his claims for 18 months. ''Vanity Fair needs help. We need JFK DNA and, barring that, DNA from any male Kennedy directly related to Joe Kennedy [JFK's father],'' he said.

He gave no details of how he was made aware that he was allegedly JFK's child and did not explain how contact was made with Vanity Fair.

If Mr Worthington is telling the truth, he would have been conceived about a month after JFK told Americans at his 1961 inauguration, ''Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.'' The revelation, if proved true, could have an impact on the Democratic presidential race.

The New York Post reported last week that Senator Ted Kennedy, JFK's brother, had intervened to try to quash the story.

Two of the president's four children with Jacqueline, his wife of ten years, lived past infancy.

His son, JFK junior, who was born in 1960, died in a plane crash with his wife in July 1999. His daughter, Caroline, 50, is the sole survivor.

UNI XC MS BST1554