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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LWH-01
In this interview, Lord Harlech discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] early opinions on disarmament; dealings with Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Soviet Union; the Cuban crisis; issues with selling and testing American missiles; how JFK’s relationship with British Prime Minister M. Harold Macmillan developed over time and how they worked together on specific issues; how JFK’s interest in politics and foreign affairs developed; difficulties with France over their nuclear program in 1962; JFK’s skills and character; JFK’s different circles of friends; and JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ approaches to life in the public eye, 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.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30
Dictation Belt 30 contains two sound recordings from October 22, 1962. Item 30.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and John J. McCloy. President Kennedy asks McCloy to return to the United States from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to support the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis at the United Nations (U.N.). The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 30.2 is a recording of three telephone exchanges. The first exchange is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss ways to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis and consider possible consequences, including nuclear war and actions taken by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation. The second exchange is chatter involving [White House Operators?]. Machine noise follows. The third exchange is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They talk about an impending address to the nation on providing an “effective quarantine” against a threat.Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
United States Information Agency Audio Recordings Collection
USIAAU-044
Sound recording of a Russian-language Radio Liberty (RFE/RL, Inc.) broadcast on October 12, 1961, called “War or Peace.” The radio broadcast includes excerpts from President John F. Kennedy's address in New York City before the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.N.) on September 25, 1961; excerpts cover nuclear testing and disarmament, a proposal for a treaty to stop nuclear testing, free elections, security, the crisis in Berlin, Germany, and the role and organization of the U.N. Also included are excerpts from remarks by the Premier of the Soviet Union Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union Andrei Gromyko. Accession MR-1965-143B
Moving image
Television Network Columbia Broadcasting System Collection
TNC-020
CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) motion picture of President John F. Kennedy's address before the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) in New York City. See "Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1961: Item 387." President of the General Assembly Mongi Slim, a Representative from Tunisia, introduces the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Venezuela Marcos Falcon Briceno, who addresses the General Assembly, speaking about the recent death of U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold and international relations. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy arrives at U.N. Headquarters. President Kennedy arrives and is introduced by President Slim. In his speech President Kennedy addresses the recent death of Secretary-General Hammarskjold, presents six proposals for the new Disarmament Program, and provides information on the current crises in Berlin, Germany, Laos, and South Vietnam. At the conclusion of the President's address, there are shots of delegates in the General Assembly, and President Kennedy being escorted out of the hall by President Slim. CBS No. 610925. Copyright restrictions apply.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-081a-008
This file contains a report to President John F. Kennedy from Henry Kissinger, consultant to the National Security Council (NSC), discussing the situation in Berlin including contingency planning, relations between the United States and Soviet Union, and the role of the United Nations.