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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-PAHD-01
Douglas discusses his memories of John F. Kennedy as a Senator and as President, including their work on labor and civil rights legislation, among other issues.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-25A
Dictation Belt 25A contains six sound recordings. Item 25A.1 is a telephone conversation held on July 31, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon. They discuss an unidentified situation concerning United Air Lines. They also discuss Peru using aid money from the United States to buy gold. Item 25A.2 is a telephone conversation held on July 31, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Senator Russell B. Long of Louisiana. Senator Long raises an objection to an order requiring the state government of Louisiana to enforce compliance with a federal integration order on a highway project. Item 25A.3 is a brief telephone exchange between President John F. Kennedy and a White House Operator. When President Kennedy answers, the operator informs him that the call from Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John W. McCormack of Massachusetts is intended for Special Assistant to the President Kenneth O’Donnell. Item 25A.4 is a brief telephone exchange between an unidentified man and a White House Operator. The unidentified man asks for an outside line. Item 25A.5 is a telephone conversation held on August 6, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Special Assistant to the President Claude Desautels. They discuss the integration of African Americans into the federal workforce and plans for a field hearing in Philadelphia. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 25A.6 is part of a telephone conversation held on August 7, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Representative Martha W. Griffiths of Michigan. They discuss their positions on a tax bill and its possible effects on the economy and politics. Machine noise precedes the conversation, and the conversation begins in mid-sentence. The recording of this conversation ends abruptly and continues on Dictation Belt 25B.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
Theodore C. Sorensen Personal Papers
TCSPP-059-007