The 5 Most Shocking Secrets Truman Capote Exposed: How 'The Tiny Terror' Destroyed His 'Swans'

The legendary feud between literary icon Truman Capote and his circle of glamorous, elite female friends, known as "The Swans," has resurfaced with a vengeance, becoming one of the most talked-about cultural events of early 2024. This renewed public fascination is driven by the highly anticipated second season of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series, *Feud: Capote vs. The Swans*, which premiered on January 31, 2024. The series, starring Tom Hollander as Capote and Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, chronicles the astonishing betrayal that saw the celebrated author turn against the women who had been his muses, confidantes, and closest allies in New York high society. The story is a devastating masterclass in social self-immolation, revealing how a single, devastating magazine excerpt could shatter friendships, end careers, and ultimately lead a brilliant writer down a path of social exile and personal ruin. This is the definitive look at the true story of the "Tiny Terror" and the society queens he destroyed.

The Principal Players: Truman Capote and His Swans

The feud centered on a small, exclusive group of the world's most glamorous and powerful women, whom Truman Capote affectionately nicknamed his "Swans." These women were style icons, social arbiters, and the wives of some of the wealthiest men in America, giving Capote an unprecedented, intimate view into the gilded cage of 1960s and 1970s Manhattan.

• Truman Capote (Born Truman Streckfus Persons, 1924–1984):
  An American novelist, screenwriter, and playwright best known for *Breakfast at Tiffany's* (1958) and the seminal non-fiction novel *In Cold Blood* (1966). Born in New Orleans, he was a flamboyant and openly gay figure who, after the success of *In Cold Blood*, became a fixture in the highest echelons of society. He spent years cultivating the trust of the Swans, believing their stories would form the basis of his magnum opus, *Answered Prayers*.
• Babe Paley (Born Barbara Cushing Mortimer, 1915–1978):
  Widely considered the most elegant of the Swans and Capote's closest female friend. She was a former *Vogue* editor and the wife of CBS founder William S. Paley. Babe Paley’s impeccable style and social grace made her the undisputed queen of New York society. Capote’s betrayal of her—exposing her husband’s infidelity and her private despair—was the most painful and consequential of the entire affair.
• Slim Keith (Born Mary Raye Gross, 1917–1990):
  A California-born socialite and fashion icon known for her sharp wit and effortless, breezy style. She was married to Hollywood director Howard Hawks and later to agent Leland Hayward, before marrying British banker Kenneth Keith, becoming Lady Keith of Castleacre. Slim was famously tough and unforgiving, and her reaction to Capote's betrayal was swift and absolute.
• C.Z. Guest (Born Lucy Douglas Cochrane, 1920–2003):
  An American socialite, stage actress, and horticulturist known for her classic, aristocratic beauty and clean-cut style. Unlike some of the other Swans, she was married to a blue-blood, Winston Frederick Churchill Guest, a cousin of Winston Churchill. C.Z. Guest was known for her composure and was one of the few Swans who maintained a cautious, albeit strained, connection with Capote after the scandal.
• Lee Radziwill (Born Caroline Lee Bouvier, 1933–2019):
  The younger sister of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Lee was a public relations executive and interior decorator who often lived in the shadow of her famous sister. Capote was a close confidant, and her stories, particularly those touching on the Kennedy family, were a wellspring of material for his writing.

The Catalyst: 'La Côte Basque, 1965' and the Ultimate Betrayal

The entire foundation of the Capote vs. The Swans feud rests on a single, explosive 8,000-word chapter, "La Côte Basque, 1965," which was published in *Esquire* magazine in November 1975. Capote had been working on his much-anticipated novel, *Answered Prayers*, for over a decade, promising it would be the American equivalent of Marcel Proust's *Remembrance of Things Past*, an epic exploration of high society. The chapter, presented as a barely fictionalized account, was set at the exclusive La Côte Basque restaurant in New York. It was a thinly veiled roman à clef, where Capote recounted the most scandalous, humiliating, and deeply personal secrets his friends had ever entrusted to him. The most damaging revelations included:

1. Babe Paley's Humiliation: The chapter featured an anecdote about a beautiful socialite (clearly Babe Paley) discovering a shocking item related to her husband’s long-term infidelity. The detail was so specific and cruel that it confirmed her husband, William S. Paley, was a serial cheater, a fact she had long tried to ignore or conceal.
2. The Murder Cover-Up: Capote included a story about a socialite (believed to be Ann Woodward) who shot her husband, claiming she mistook him for a burglar, and the subsequent efforts to cover up the scandal.
3. Gloria Guinness's Secrets: A character based on the glamorous socialite Gloria Guinness was depicted as a woman whose wealth was tied to a dark past.
4. Slim Keith's Private Life: Capote exposed private details about Slim Keith’s romantic life and her famously acrimonious divorce from Leland Hayward.

The Immediate Fallout and Capote's Social Exile

The reaction to the publication of "La Côte Basque, 1965" was immediate, seismic, and unforgiving. The article was not seen as great art, but as a staggering act of betrayal—a social suicide note written in acid. The women Capote had relied on for his social standing and his literary material instantly cut him off.

• Babe Paley was devastated. Already ill with cancer, she reportedly never spoke to Capote again, viewing the exposure of her private grief as the ultimate cruelty. Her death in 1978 marked the end of Capote’s most important friendship.
• Slim Keith took the most aggressive stance, leading the charge to have Capote permanently exiled from their social circles. She was quoted as saying, "I would not let him back into my life for anything."
• Gloria Guinness and Lee Radziwill also severed ties, ensuring that Capote was no longer welcome at the parties, dinners, and gatherings that defined his life and provided the fuel for his writing.

Capote, who had previously been the toast of the town—the man who hosted the legendary 1966 Black and White Ball—found himself completely alone. He had believed the Swans were sophisticated enough to appreciate the artistic merit of his work, or that they would forgive him, but he was profoundly wrong. The "Tiny Terror" became a social pariah, a cautionary tale about the dangers of mixing literature with life.

The Aftermath: The Price of Betrayal and a Swan Song

The loss of his friends was more than a social inconvenience; it was a professional and personal catastrophe for Truman Capote. The isolation and the public backlash fueled a sharp decline into alcoholism and drug addiction, which plagued the remaining years of his life. The scandal effectively derailed *Answered Prayers*. The book, which was meant to be his crowning achievement, remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1984. Only a few chapters, including the infamous "La Côte Basque, 1965," were ever published. The work is now viewed less as a literary masterpiece and more as a historical artifact of a brilliant writer's self-destruction. The new FX series, *Feud: Capote vs. The Swans*, has brought this dark chapter back into the cultural spotlight, analyzing the complicated dynamics of friendship, class, and the ethics of a writer using real-life sources. It serves as a modern reminder of the power of secrets and the devastating cost of a writer’s ultimate betrayal, ensuring that the saga of Truman Capote and his betrayed Swans remains a timeless tale of New York high society's most dramatic downfall. The true answer to his *Answered Prayers* was a life of isolation.