Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-327-002
This folder contains memoranda to and from Arthur Schlesinger, Special Assistant to the President, on various foreign affairs issues. Also included in this folder are articles regarding former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Morgenthau Plan to control Germany after World War II; and a letter to Schlesinger from journalist and author Theodore H. White discussing White’s trip to Asia with comments on Communist China, Vietnam, and the U.S. Department of State.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-321-024
This folder contains memoranda from Robert W. Komer of the National Security Council (NSC) to McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include nuclear weapons test resumptions by the Soviet Union, representation of China (Peoples Republic) in the United Nations (UN), United States policy towards Outer Mongolia, and Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-056a-007
This folder contains background material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of June 27, 1962 (News Conference 37). Materials primarily consist of memorandums and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Topics include the recent action by Chinese Communist military forces in the Taiwan Strait area, the situation in Laos, the President's forthcoming trip to Mexico, Berlin negotiations, and United States policy towards India. Also included are draft press conference announcements and a Department of Defense publication titled "The Changing Pattern of Defense Procurement." Of note are handwritten notes and doodles by President Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-062-016
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include Cuba, Berlin, China, and administration changes within the Department of State. Of note is a handwritten resignation letter from Bundy. Also included in this folder is a copy of a speech given by Bundy to the Economic Club of Chicago titled "Policy for the Western Alliance-Berlin and After."