Through his worldwide popularity Sinatra was a much sort after celebrity during that era (1950s-1960s), and he had many close friends that straddled the fence between Hollywood and politics. A perfect example was fellow actor/movie star Peter Lawford, who was an intimate of Sinatra's. So much so, that Lawford was a card-carrying member of Sinatra's famous "Rat Pack" which consisted of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Frank himself. It just so happened that Lawford was also a brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy. Some believe that Sinatra was able to get in Kennedy's ear through Lawford.

Sinatra was believed to also exert influence over the Kennedy brothers (and the White House) thorough Hollywood bombshell Marylin Monroe and a few others.