Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
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-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-MGB-01
Bundy discusses John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) thinking and decision making style; his relationship with other members of his administration, including his close working relationship with Theodore C. Sorensen; the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion; the Cuban Missile Crisis; Laos and the Vietnam War; the threat of military conflict with the Soviet Union over Berlin; and JFK’s relationship with other heads of state, 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.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-03-23-D
AR05, ST01
Textual folder
James C. Thomson Personal Papers
JCTPP-024-018
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-193-004
This folder contains telegrams and memoranda regarding Vietnam. Topics include a counterinsurgency plan by the United States for South Vietnam; relations between Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Thailand; and the threat of communism in the region. Also included in this folder is a letter and report to Walt W. Rostow, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, from Kenneth T. Young (later U.S. Ambassador to Thailand) on observations made during Mr. Young’s trip through Southeast Asia.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-006
This folder contains memoranda and telegrams to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC). Topics include diplomatic activities and appointments, Forrestal’s trip to the Far East, discussion for the formation of a counter-insurgency (CI) group, a proposal for a joint aid program for Indonesia from the United States and Netherlands, South Vietnam, and Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-005
This folder contains memoranda to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC), regarding the food shortage in Communist China; military action plans against Communist China; and issues in Asian countries including South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Also included in this folder are memoranda discussing the situation in Cuban between the U.S. and Soviet Union (later known as the Cuban Missile Crisis).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-004
This folder contains memoranda to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC). Topics include the appointment of Forrestal to the NSC, casualty information for United States and foreign troops in Laos and South Vietnam, the estimated number of North Vietnamese troops in Laos, and potential military sanctions in order to preserve neutrality for Laos. Also included in this folder is a memorandum for the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding military activity and operations in Laos and South Vietnam, including Operation Sunshine.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-022
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include a report prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) entitled "Communist Reactions to US Actions Taken with Regard to Laos," a summary of military and diplomatic recommendations for American interventions in Laos, and memoranda regarding military activities in North Vietnam and the presence of communism in Southeast Asia.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-021
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include telegrams regarding recent military activities in Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-020
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include maps, memoranda, a telegram to Laotian Prime Minister Prince Souvanna Phouma, a draft of a resolution for the United Nations, a report of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) Counsel Representatives' meeting, a report on discussions between Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia and W. Averell Harriman, Governor of New York and Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs, and summaries of public statements made by Laotian King Savang Vatthana and Kong Le, former paratrooper captain in the Royal Lao Army.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-019
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include memoranda, a meeting agenda, and situation reports on recent Pathet Lao activities.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-018
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include maps, a telegram, a briefing paper on the Pathet Lao movement and American objectives in Laos, a situation report on recent Pathet Lao activities, and memoranda regarding recommended military and diplomatic courses of action.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-012
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include a map, a report on American military presence in Laos and Vietnam, and memoranda regarding a contingency plan for military withdrawal from Laos and the impact of Laos' geography on military strategies.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-011
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos) and the possibility of a Pathet Lao Communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include telegrams, a report prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) regarding the presence of communist factions in Laos, and memoranda regarding military operations, the President's meetings with Cabinet members and advisers, and prior administrations' policies towards Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-010
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning negotiations over communist insurgency in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos). Materials in this folder include memoranda, briefing papers, a telegram from United States Ambassador to Laos Winthrop G. Brown, and correspondence between President Kennedy and Laotian King Savang Vatthana. This folder contains some French-language material.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-009
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning negotiations over communist insurgency in Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos). Materials in this folder include a telegram from United States Ambassador to Laos Winthrop G. Brown, a letter from Laotian King Savang Vatthana, a memorandum from Secretary of State Dean Rusk, a summary of the President's meeting with Cabinet members and advisers prepared by Special Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, a report prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on the relative military capabilities of opposing forces in Laos, and a briefing paper for the President's meeting with Laos Ambassador to the United States Prince Khampan with handwritten notations by the President.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-008
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos and the possibility of a Pathet Lao communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include a map, telegrams, newspaper articles, a briefing paper for the President's meeting with Laotian Ambassador to the United States Prince Khampan, a report prepared in the White House Situation Room, and memoranda regarding the United States' policy toward Laos, Laotian diplomatic representation to the United States, the capabilities of the Laotian army, North Vietnamese support of Pathet Lao operations in Laos, and a plan for strengthening non-communist forces in Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-007
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos and the possibility of a Pathet Lao communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include telegrams, correspondence between President Kennedy and Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia, a summary of a conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Laotian Deputy Prime Minister Phoumi Novasan, biographical information on prominent Laotian government officials, a summary of the Soviet Union's response to a British message to the International Commission for Supervision and Control of Laos, and memoranda regarding the activities of the Pathet Lao, the implications of American military intervention, and a possible international conference on Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-006
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning potential foreign military intervention in Laos and the possibility of a Pathet Lao communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include maps, newspaper articles, telegrams from United States Ambassador to Laos Winthrop G. Brown, a summary of recent intelligence concerning the activities of the Pathet Lao movement, a summary of the President's meeting with Cabinet members and advisers prepared by Special Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, and memoranda regarding the fall of Muong Sai, the implications of the Pathet Lao violation of the cease-fire, and a public statement made by the People's Republic of China.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-005
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Laotian neutrality and the possibility of a Pathet Lao communist rebellion supported by the Soviet Union. Materials in this folder include telegrams, summaries of Task Force on Laos meetings, a summary of recommended political and military actions, and memoranda from Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Special Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy, and Deputy Special Assistant to the President W.W. Rostow.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-121a-004
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Laos (then officially known as the Kingdom of Laos). Materials in this folder include memoranda (including some with handwritten notations by the President), newspaper articles, a summary of recent intelligence concerning the activities of the Pathet Lao movement, and a summary of international reactions to President Kennedy's statement concerning the possibility of a communist rebellion in Laos.