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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-06
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] and Marshall discuss civil rights legislation, and how it was innovative and yet inevitable; meetings between RFK and businessmen on civil rights legislation; RFK’s unintentional intimidation of the businessmen based on his history with Senate hearings on labor; attempting to put leadership in the community (North and South) to deal with the problem of segregation and other racial discrimination; hostile treatment of RFK in Alabama; working with the NAACP on school desegregation; the desegregation of the University of Alabama, and the question of if and how to bring in troops to help; and using the incident at the University of Alabama as a political stepping stone, 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.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-24A-6
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on July 30, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, and Representative George H. Mahon of Texas. They discuss a defense budget cut, related concerns involving Korea and the Soviet Union, and potential political consequences.The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 24A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-24A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 24A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-24A
Dictation Belt 24A contains seven sound recordings. Item 24A.1 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Harry S. Truman. Former President Truman congratulates President Kennedy on The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. President Kennedy asks former President Truman to make a public statement about the treaty. Item 24A.1A is a brief telephone exchange on July 26, 1963, between a White House Operator and Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. The operator speaks to Secretary Wirtz as he holds for President Kennedy. Item 24A.2 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. They discuss legislation regarding railroad work rules and George Meany’s position and strategy on the matter. Item 24A.3 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss enlisting businessmen for an unidentified project. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 24A.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. The unidentified man reports on Cardinal (Richard J.) Cushing’s discussion of the election of Pope Paul VI. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 24A.5 is a telephone conversation held on July 30, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss whether United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General U. Thant and Ambassador to the U.N. Adlai E. Stevenson should attend the signing of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. They also discuss releasing a statement concerning President Charles de Gaulle of France. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 24A.6 is a telephone conversation held on July 30, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, and Representative George H. Mahon of Texas. They discuss a defense budget cut, related concerns involving Korea and the Soviet Union, and potential political consequences. The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly.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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-064-014
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and Lawrence F. O'Brien, Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Relations and Personnel. Topics include legislation, background information for meetings between President Kennedy and individual congressman, congressional social events, and the disposal of land from Barksdale Air Force Base. Of note is a folder containing the analysis of legislative records of the 83rd, 84th, and 87th Congresses.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-064-013
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and Lawrence F. O'Brien, Special Assistant to President for Congressional Relations and Personnel. Topics include legislation, background information for meetings between President Kennedy and individual congressman, and the possible construction of a veteran's hospital in Florida.