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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-FTH-01
This interview focuses on John F. Kennedy’s relationship with the United States Catholic Conference, Catholicism and aid to education under the Kennedy Administration, and programs such as the Peace Corps, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MJH-01
In this interview Hillenbrand discusses President John F. Kennedy [JFK] entering office amid the Berlin crisis; working as the Director of the Office of German Affairs with JFK; the Berlin Task Force and the Ambassadorial Group; JFK's attitude towards the German problem and German reactions to the Kennedy Administration; the State Department and Germany; the 1961 Vienna talks with Nikita S. Khrushchev; the erection of the Berlin Wall and the crisis it generated; the Kennedy Administration's reaction and response to the Berlin Wall; talks with Russia over Berlin and the Wall; the press "leaks crisis" on the Germany problem; JFK's working style and approach to problems, according to Hillenbrand; the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Berlin talks; JFK's German policy and relationship with German leaders; and what JFK accomplished related to Germany, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-BBH-01
In this interview Hickenlooper discusses various meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on foreign relations; Soviet and American nuclear testing; the nuclear test ban treaty; the Bay of Pigs invasion; Laos and Vietnam; the Punta del Este Conference in 1962; the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; Hickenlooper's 1962 reelection campaign; traveling with JFK to Costa Rica; the 1961 Berlin crisis; JFK's congressional relations; and social occasions at the Kennedy White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JCPW-01
In this interview they discuss their article in Look magazine; personal recollections of President John F. Kennedy's [JFK] assassination; working on JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign; JFK’s campaigning style; JFK’s relationship with the press, White House staff, and his family; and JFK’s trips to Nassau, Europe, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ranch, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-NEH-02
In this interview Halaby discusses different civil rights issues throughout John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Administration, including the process of and problems with desegregating airport terminals in accordance with Boynton v. Virginia (1960); the 1961 hijacking of a plane, referred to as the El Paso incident; constructing and dedicating the new John Foster Dulles Airport; federal transportation policy; different White House staff members and procedures; and running the Federal Aviation Administration, including problems with certain political figures, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WIEK-01
This written statement focuses on William E. Knox’s trips to the Soviet Union and Knox’s meeting with Chairman Krushchev in 1962, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-03
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses the 1962 steel crisis; some major issues and accomplishments of John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] presidency; choosing the U.S. Ambassador to Russia; foreign aid and treaties; the military coup in Peru; the space race during the Kennedy Administration; the 1962 congressional and gubernatorial campaigns; JFK’s dinner for the Nobel Prize winners; the Polaris submarines; problems with the New York Herald Tribune; New York politics; various pieces of federal legislation, 1961–1963; the Dominican Republic; Department of Justice investigations under RFK; the difficulties of being Attorney General; congressional issues in early 1963; the Vietnam War escalation in 1963; American support of the coup in Vietnam; Henry Cabot Lodge as the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; the prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion; American actions in Cuba; unemployment and civil rights; RFK’s meeting with James Baldwin; JFK’s trips to the South and speeches on civil rights; the nuclear test ban treaty; and JFK’s trip to Ireland and Rome, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-02
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses the 1961 Berlin crisis; American forces, military and diplomatic, in Germany; John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] recommendation for Americans to have fallout shelters; nuclear testing; problems with the Department of State; the start of the conflict in Vietnam, 1961; the Department of Justice under RFK and organized crime; RFK’s difficult relationship with J. Edgar Hoover; the wiretapping bill; new federal judgeships in 1961 and other presidential appointments; the Alliance for Progress; Red China; crises during JFK’s presidency and how he was an optimist; RFK’s move for an income tax increase during the Berlin crisis; RFK’s disagreements with President JFK; indecisiveness over picking JFK’s running mate, 1960; the missile gap; fighting and UN operations in the Congo; Nikita S. Khrushchev’s speeches; RFK’s 1962 trip to Japan, Indonesia, Germany, and other countries; the release of Allen L. Pope; Dutch disputes in Southeast Asia; the 1961 crisis in the Dominican Republic and the assassination of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina; the 1962 disarmament conference in Geneva; Edward M. Kennedy’s 1962 campaign for U.S. Senate; the Kennedy family national and political reputation; the Justice Department under RFK and civil rights; and the 1962 steel crisis, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-01
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses beginning John F. Kennedy's [JFK] presidential Administration with no political obligations; carefully picking Cabinet members, specifically Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury; RFK’s decision on what role to play in JFK’s Administration; JFK’s unhappiness with Dean Rusk as Secretary of State; JFK’s advisers and other presidential appointments; Cabinet meetings; Department of Justice organization under RFK; the first 100 days of the Kennedy Administration; the role of the Vice President, according to RFK; JFK’s relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson and why JFK put Johnson on the ticket in 1960; what JFK was most concerned with as President; domestic programs versus foreign affairs in the Kennedy Administration; Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.’s role during JFK’s presidency; the Bay of Pigs, the aftermath, and its effect on JFK; how JFK approached problems as President; dealing with Georgi Bolshakov; negotiating with the Soviet Union in Vienna, over Laos and Cuba, etc.; JFK’s relationship with foreign heads of state; State Department staff and U.S. Ambassadors; the military coup in Vietnam; the Berlin crisis of the summer of 1961 and the Berlin Wall; RFK’s 1961 trip to the Ivory Coast; and Soviet and American nuclear testing, among other issues.
Oral history
Robert F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
RFKOH-JTC-02
In this interview Conway discusses working with John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] 1960 presidential campaign; the negative reaction to the choice of Lyndon B. Johnson for JFK’s running mate; labor leadership and JFK’s campaign; unions and the religious issue during the 1960 election; discussing presidential appointments with JFK after the election; Conway’s role in JFK’s Administration; the Housing and Home Finance Agency, legislation, and working with Congress; accelerated public works, the Department of Commerce, and problems with the extent of presidential powers; Walter Reuther and his relationship with JFK; confrontations between Johnson and Robert F. Kennedy [RFK]; working with RFK on civil rights marches and their legislative demands; and interactions with RFK from 1964 through 1968, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JEN-01
In this interview he discusses the Cuban prisoners release project, including working with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; why the Cubans agreed to the prisoners’ release; trips to Cuba and interactions with Fidel Castro; starting as the administrative assistant to the Attorney General; James B. Donovan; Castro’s view of the United States; problems with the prisoners’ release; and the significance of this project in regards to John F. Kennedy’s Administration as a whole, among other issues.
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-4
Sound recording of 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.This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 23D, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-23D, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 23D.
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-14A-3
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on March 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Edwin Martin, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. They discuss whether Latin-American presidents will issue a statement on Cuba before President Kennedy’s trip to Costa Rica.Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 14A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-14A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 14A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-14A
Dictation Belt 14A contains five sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 14A.1 begins on Dictation Belt 13A. Item 14A.1 is part of a telephone conversation held on March 9, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Governor Harold E. Hughes of Iowa. They continue to discuss an appeal for clemency on behalf of a prisoner awaiting execution in Iowa. They also discuss Iowa politics. Machine noise follows the conversation.Item 14A.2 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss Henry R. (“Harry”) Luce and articles in “Time” and “Newsweek” magazines. They also discuss proposed school construction on military bases in the South. A fragment of unintelligible chatter from [White House Operator?] follows the conversation. Item 14A.3 is a telephone conversation held on March 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Edwin Martin, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. They discuss whether Latin-American presidents will issue a statement on Cuba before President Kennedy’s trip to Costa Rica. Item 14A.4 is a telephone conversation held on March 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of Defense Arthur Sylvester. They discuss Sylvester’s remarks about hearings on the TFX airplane. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 14A.5 is part of a telephone conversation held on March 12, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon. They discuss Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules on expense accounts and the effects on businesses. The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly. The recording of this conversation continues on Dictation Belt 14B.
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-10B-3
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on March 6, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Lawrence F. O'Brien, Special Assistant to the President. They discuss the issue of participation of Arkansas National Guard fliers in the Bay of Pigs invasion.The recording begins in mid-conversation.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 10B, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-10B, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 10B.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-10B
Dictation Belt 10B contains five sound recordings from March 6, 1963. The recording of the conversation in item 10B.1 begins on Dictation Belt 10A.7. Item 10B.1 is part of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Deputy Attorney General Nicholas deB. Katzenbach. They continue to discuss issues involving the Communications Satellite Corporation. Item 10B.2 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. They discuss unemployment figures and plans for releasing a statement. Item 10B.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Lawrence F. O'Brien, Special Assistant to the President. They discuss the issue of participation of Arkansas National Guard fliers in the Bay of Pigs invasion. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 10B.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Under Secretary of the Treasury Henry H. (“Joe”) Fowler. They discuss the location of an IRS facility and possible repercussions in Pennsylvania. The recording begins with [White House Operator?] placing calls as requested by President Kennedy and Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln. After delays, [White House Operator?] announces the call from Under Secretary Fowler. Item 10B.5 is a telephone conversation between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and Mary Wilder, secretary to Clark Clifford. Wilder reads a letter from Philip L. Graham announcing his resignation as an incorporator of the Communications Satellite Corporation.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-41-3
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Harry S. Truman. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.[White House Operator?] places the call at President Kennedy’s request and a delay follows.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 41, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-41, Title: Telephone Recordings: Dictation Belt 41.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-41-2
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis.[White House Operator?] connects the call at President Kennedy’s request.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 41, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-41, Title: Telephone Recordings: Dictation Belt 41.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-41
Dictation Belt 41 contains four sound recordings. Item 41.1 is a telephone conversation between unidentified men. They discuss aerial reconnaissance and various proposals involving airplanes or aerial photography, including the sale of an airplane to the United Nations (U.N.). Most of one speaker’s side of the conversation is indistinct. The conversation ends abruptly and machine noise follows. Item 41.2 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. [White House Operator?] connects the call at President Kennedy’s request. Item 41.3 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Harry S. Truman. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. [White House Operator?] places the call at President Kennedy’s request and a delay follows. Item 41.4 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Herbert Hoover. They discuss conditions for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation.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-38-3
Sound recording of 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.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 38, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-38, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 38.
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.