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Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-26A
Dictation Belt 26A contains six sound recordings. Item 26A.1 is a telephone conversation held on August 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. In preparation for Secretary Rusk’s press conference, they discuss the prospect of answering a question about France and a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). The recording begins in mid-conversation, and machine noise follows the conversation. Item 26A.1A is a telephone conversation between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and a White House Operator. The operator brings Lincoln up to date on President John F. Kennedy’s recent telephone calls. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 26A.2 is a telephone conversation held on August 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. They discuss the possibility of appointing United States Ambassador to Costa Rica Raymond L. Telles to a new position. They also discuss the prospects of political problems in California, where Latin American groups could resent a perceived favoritism in appointments given to Texans. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 26A.3 is a telephone conversation held on August 19, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Under Secretary of State George W. Ball. They discuss foreign aid given to countries that engage in merchant shipping to Cuba. They also discuss foreign aid for India and negotiations with the Soviet Union on nuclear test inspections. They also discuss American troops in Europe and German officials’ views on the matter. Item 26A.4 is a brief telephone exchange between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Kennedy asks to visit President Kennedy to review an unidentified matter. Item 26A.5 is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. The recording is noisy and ends abruptly. The full conversation (including this fragment) is recorded on Dictation Belt 26B.Transcript included. Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-23D
Dictation Belt 23D contains six sound recordings. Item 23D.1 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of Defense Arthur Sylvester. They discuss the purchase of furniture at Otis Air Force Base and wasteful spending. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 23D.2 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and United States Air Force General Godfrey T. McHugh, Air Force Aide to the President. They discuss the purchase of furniture at Otis Air Force Base and the possible effect on the Air Force budget. Item 23D.3 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy. They discuss the timing of a presidential speech on a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 23D.4 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss former Vice President Richard M. Nixon’s upcoming meeting with President Charles de Gaulle of France. They consider whether Director of the Central Intelligence Agency John A. McCone should speak to Nixon about the meeting. They also discuss the protection of U.S. embassy property in Havana, Cuba. Item 23D.5 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Deputy Attorney General Nicholas deB. Katzenbach. They discuss James M. Landis and an issue involving the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 23D.6 is a telephone conversation held on July 25, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Senator Clair Engle of California. They discuss the impending resignation of Postmaster General J. Edward Day and their thoughts on choosing a successor. Following this conversation, there is a fragment of another conversation; the entire conversation, including this fragment, is recorded on Dictation Belt 23E.Transcript included. Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-19A
Dictation Belt 19A contains five sound recordings. Item 19A.1 is a telephone conversation held on May 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss the nomination of William J. Crockett, the work of William H. Orrick, relations with Haiti and its President François Duvalier, and plans for Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson to travel to Scandinavia. Machine noise precedes the conversation. Item 19A.2 is a telephone conversation held on May 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss test ban negotiations. Item 19A.3 is a telephone conversation held on May 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and NASA astronaut Major Gordon Cooper. President Kennedy congratulates Major Cooper on his orbital flight. Item 19A.4 is a telephone conversation held on May 17, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John W. McCormack. They discuss plans to hold a congressional reception in honor of NASA astronaut Major Gordon Cooper. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 19A.5 is a telephone conversation held on May 22, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Senator Clinton P. Anderson of New Mexico. They discuss prospective wheat legislation. The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly. The recording of this conversation continues on Dictation Belt 19B.Transcript included. Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-218
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address to the 18th General Assembly of the United Nations. In his speech the President discusses the recently signed treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty or Limited Test Ban Treaty), remarking that peace may be attainable when two nations with incompatible ideologies successfully negotiate. The President famously asks, "Space offers no problems of sovereignty…Why, therefore, should man's first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?" President Kennedy also explains that the task of maintaining peace and decreasing global tension must be shared by all nations. He proposes ways for the United Nations to increase and improve their efforts in developing countries, specifically focusing on health, human rights, agriculture, communication, and the environment.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-210
Sound recording of the President’s News Conference of August 20, 1963 (News Conference 60). The President begins the press conference with a statement urging the House of Representatives to pass the Mutual Defense and Assistance Bill of 1964, stating that the foreign aid program is essential to the strength of the free world. Following this announcement the President answers questions on a variety of topics including the four safeguards proposed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff to protect the country under the limited language of the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), the upcoming civil rights march in Washington D.C., atmospheric nuclear testing, British Guiana, and legislation.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-205
Sound recording of the President’s News Conference of July 17, 1963 (News Conference 58). The President begins the press conference with an update on the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty negotiations occurring in Moscow between the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and expresses satisfaction at their progress. He then announces the preliminary budget results for fiscal year 1963 and urges a reduction and revision of taxes in order to further boost the economy. Following the announcements the President answers questions from the press on a variety of topics including the space program, Cuba, civil rights demonstrations, and the current economic state of the country.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-184-005
This file contains copies, drafts, and memoranda regarding correspondence between Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev and President John F. Kennedy on Laos, Cuba, nuclear weapons, and a nuclear test ban treaty.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-027
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 239 (NSAM 239) titled, “U.S. Disarmament Proposals,” to Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) William C. Foster and the Committee of Principals from President John F. Kennedy. Also included is a response to NSAM 239 by the ACDA titled, “A Gradual Approach to Arms Control and Disarmament.”
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-106-003
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 15, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson. Ambassador Thompson reviews his recent conversations with Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev and other Soviet leaders regarding the non-aggression pact, Laos, Cuba, China, trade, balance of payments, commercial credits, gold stocks, the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), Berlin, German leadership, Brazil, Japan, Hungary, and the defense budget. One segment of the recording totaling 6 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 106, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 106 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-103-004
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 5, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Under Secretary of State George Ball, and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy (who joins later in the meeting). This long meeting covers a variety of issues concerning the Federal Republic of Germany. Secretary McNamara just returned from a meeting with German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and relays the specifics to President Kennedy. The German reservations about the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), criticisms of the State Department by Chancellor Adenauer, the effect of German abstention on the U.S. Senate debate on the Treaty, and the German political climate are discussed in detail. In addition, during the latter half of the meeting, President Kennedy discusses the upcoming U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on the Treaty, who should testify in front of the Committee, who the White House would like to testify to offset negative testimony from such witnesses as Teller and General Curtis LeMay. There is also a brief discussion that is difficult to hear concerning a Northeast Airline issue and the Civil Aeronautics Board. Six segments of the recording totaling 7 minutes and 48 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 103, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 103 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-103-002
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson, Director of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) William Foster, Under Secretary of State George Ball, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Richard H. Davis. President Kennedy and his advisors discuss the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), especially the issues that might come up with the Soviet Union during Secretary Rusk’s upcoming trip to Moscow. They also discuss Berlin, the multilateral force (MLF), and the non-aggression pact. Two segments of the recording totaling 1 minute and 23 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 103, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 103 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-099-007
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 22, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson, Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency William Foster, and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Bromley Smith. They discuss the negotiations going on in Moscow concerning the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). Drafts of documents and letters to French President Charles de Gaulle and to Under Secretary of State W. Averell Harriman are also reviewed. There is also mention of the upcoming debate on the treaty that will take place on Capitol Hill. Please note that the last 17 minutes of this tape is blank. Three segments of the recording totaling 1 minutes and 8 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 99, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 99 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-099-006
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 22, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and White House staffers. This short conversation takes place after a Railroad Works meeting ends. Participants discuss U.S. relations with Europe concerning the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 99, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 99 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-097-004
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, and Deputy Special Assistant to the President Walt Rostow. They discuss a possible meeting on nuclear test ban negotiations with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev, French President Charles DeGaulle, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. The negotiations concern the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). President Kennedy describes Premier Khrushchev’s personality. One segment of the recording totaling 1 minute and 30 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 97, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 97 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-096-001
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 3, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State W. Averell Harriman, Assistant Secretary of State William R. Tyler, Military Representative of the President Maxwell Taylor, Director of the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) William Foster, Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner, Deputy Special Assistant to the President Carl Kaysen, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense John McNaughton, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Assistant Secretary of Defense Paul Nitze, Assistant Director of ACDA Adrian Fisher, and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy. This meeting takes place in the late afternoon (another meeting had taken place earlier in the day). The main topic of conversation is Averell Harriman's upcoming mission to Moscow for negotiations on a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), and how those negotiations would or could affect relationships between the United States and West Germany and its Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, France and its President Charles DeGaulle, and the United Kingdom and its Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Ideas for letters from President Kennedy to Chancellor Adenauer are also discussed. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 96, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 96 in its entirety.