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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-38
Dictation Belt 38 contains five sound recordings. Item 38.1 is a telephone conversation held in October 1962 between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They discuss requirements concerning missiles in Cuba, an issue related to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Machine noise precedes and follows the conversation. There is an echo during part of the recording. Item 38.2 is a brief telephone exchange in October 1962 between Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell D. Taylor and operators. General Taylor asks an operator to place a call to his office and asks to speak to a colonel. The recording ends abruptly. Item 38.3 is a telephone conversation held in October 1962 between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss Cuba’s requirements regarding the removal of missiles. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 38.4 is a recording of President John F. Kennedy dictating a memorandum on the State Department's Agency for International Development (AID) program. Some speech is indistinct. Item 38.5 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Adlai Stevenson. They discuss the blockade of Cuba. Most of Ambassador Stevenson’s speech is indistinct. The recording ends abruptly.Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.