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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RH-01
In this interview Hilsman discusses his initial interactions with John F. Kennedy [JFK]; Hilsman’s appointment to the Department of State during the Kennedy Administration; Foreign Service officers and “hot-seat” jobs; issues with Dean Rusk as Secretary of State; reorganizing the Bureau of Intelligence and Research; the flow of information between the State Department and the White House; staffing the State Department; the use of satellite intelligence; John A. McCone; working with and around Robert F. Kennedy [RFK]; JFK, RFK, and Vietnam; Edward G. Lansdale; Maxwell D. Taylor; the connection between Vietnam and Laos; U.S. action in Laos; the Buddhist crisis in Vietnam; the impact of WWII on Hilsman and JFK’s generation; and the 1963 coup in Vietnam, among other issues.
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-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
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JKR-02
In this interview Ruina discusses the background of the nuclear test ban treaty, including the research and development to improve nuclear test detection capabilities; congressional hearings on the test ban and the nuclear detection technology; different political interests in the test ban debate; and some issues in getting the test ban signed, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HGR-01
This interview focuses on meetings at the White House about establishing a multilateral force, John F. Kennedy’s concern about education, and the internal operations of the Kennedy administration, among other topics.
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.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-29-A
ST15
Textual folder
James C. Thomson Personal Papers
JCTPP-008-012
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-027-003
This folder consists of correspondence collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and journalist and Kennedy friend Joseph W. Alsop. Materials mainly represent Alsop's views and advice on political and foreign affairs and personal matters. Topics include reaction to Alsop's newspaper columns, the Defense and State Department's news control directive, and the potential departure of Roswell Gilpatric, Deputy Secretary of Defense. A letter to First lady Jacqueline Kennedy is also included.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-018
This folder contains correspondence and memoranda primarily between Henry Kissinger, consultant to the National Security Council (NSC), and McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include a conversation between Kissinger and West German Minister of Defense Franz Josef Strauss discussing nuclear weapons and the United States defense policy, landing rights for airline KLM in Los Angeles, and Kissinger’s schedule as a consultant. Also included in this folder is a memorandum from Kissinger to President John F. Kennedy titled, “Major Defense Options,” regarding the U.S. defense policy including strategic planning, and nuclear and conventional weapons.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-002
This folder contains memoranda to and from General Chester V. Clifton (C.V. Clifton), Military Aide to President John F. Kennedy, on various issues of national security, foreign affairs, and information requested by the President. Topics include Vietnam, Laos, a proposal to increase the size of the United States Army and conventional military forces, and the swiftness of U.S. responses to messages from the Soviet Union. Also included in this folder are background memoranda on the Geneva Protocol of 1925 and actions of the U.S. in relation to the Protocol.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-115-005
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Cuba. Materials concern the Cuban Brigade, travel to Cuba for subversive training, United States policy towards Cuba, and a comparative inventory of Cuban military equipment. Of note is a memorandum to the President from Special Assistant for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy titled, “Further Organization of the Government for Dealing with Cuba.” Also included in this folder is a report titled, “Report of the Interdepartmental Team on Counter Subversive Measures in Central America and Panama.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-115-004
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Cuba. Materials pertain to the missile crisis in Cuba between the United States and the Soviet Union, Cuba’s economic situation, and a meeting between President Kennedy and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko. Also included in this folder are memoranda from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) regarding a planned uprising of counterrevolutionary groups in Cuba.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-399-001
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons, Germany, and China, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-398-015
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's trip to France, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-398-014
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons, President John F. Kennedy's appearance at the United Nations General Assembly, and the Soviet Union, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-398-013
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons, Cuba, and National Security Council management and organization, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-398-012
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons, Berlin, and China, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-398-006
This folder contains carbon copies of McGeorge Bundy's outgoing correspondence on various topics, including nuclear weapons and President John F. Kennedy's upcoming visit to Vienna, Austria for talks with Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union, as well as responses to letters from the public and members of the press. This folder also contains a memorandum from Bundy to President Kennedy outlining White House management and staffing issues.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-064-003
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include nuclear weapons, Department of Defense expenditures and the international balance of payments, Spain, and foreign aid. Of note are tables summarizing correspondence between President Kennedy and Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru and President of Pakistan Ayub Khan. Also included in this folder is an issue of The Outsider’s Newsletter.