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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.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-225-006
This folder contains telegrams and memoranda regarding a potential revision of the Finnish Peace Treaty that would allow Finland to acquire guided missile weapons; and sales of missiles and military equipment to Finland by the Soviet Union and Great Britain.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-223-007
This file contains Department of State telegrams and memoranda regarding a NATO (North Atlantic Trade Organization) embargo on the export of large diameter pipe to the Soviet Union. Topics include pressure by the United States on NATO member countries to enforce the embargo, the response of the Soviet Union, and Great Britain’s rejection of the embargo.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-008
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include air corridor violations; guidelines for assisting East German refugees injured at the Berlin Wall; meetings between the Berlin Commandants for the United States, Great Britain, and France; and the use of armored vehicles (APCs) in the transport of Soviet guards to the war memorial in West Berlin.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-070-005
This folder contains telegrams and memoranda regarding a potential revision of the Finnish Peace Treaty to allow Finland to acquire guided missile weapons; sales of missiles and military equipment to Finland by the United States and Great Britain; purchase of Soviet Union military equipment by Finland; Finnish relations with the Soviet Union; and Finland’s defense policy. Also included in this folder is a report by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) titled, “Foreign Policy Pressures on Finland’s Internal Politics.”
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-213-002
This folder contains memoranda and reports regarding European countries. Topics include United States policies in Europe; relations between France and the Soviet Union; French President Charles de Gaulle and resistance to Great Britain’s entry into the Common Market (also known as the European Economic Community); and a cost estimate of the U.S. partnership with Europe in the areas of military expenditures, foreign aid, and trade. Also included in this folder are memoranda by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) titled, “Franco-Soviet Discussions and Negotiations,” and United States Information Agency (USIA) Research and Reference Service reports titled, “Reactions to European Situation.”
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-318-005
This folder contains memoranda and indexes of materials compiled for President John F. Kennedy’s weekend reading. Topics include various matters regarding Canada, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, a multilateral nuclear weapons force (MLF), Cuba, and Asia. Also included in this folder is a memorandum in preparation for President Kennedy’s meeting with Vice Chancellor Ludwig Erhard of West Germany.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-026
This folder contains a draft of the test ban treaty and summaries of meetings regarding the test ban treaty negotiations between the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain; potential French reaction to the treaty; and instructions for Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman in his communication with members of the Russian delegation.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-025
This folder contains a draft of a letter from President John F. Kennedy to President of France Charles de Gaulle regarding test ban treaty negotiations between the United States, Soviet Union, and Great Britain. Also included in this folder is a summary of a meeting discussing the test ban treaty, revisions to the letter to President de Gaulle, and potential French reaction to the treaty.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-024
This folder contains summaries of meetings regarding a trip by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman to the Soviet Union to participate in nuclear test ban treaty negotiations. Of note is a letter from President John F. Kennedy to British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan. Also included in this folder are drafts of a non-aggression pact and a test ban treaty by the Soviet Union and the United States.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-023
This folder contains a meeting summary, memorandum, and a paper by the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) regarding the United States position on a nuclear test ban treaty with the Soviet Union and Great Britain.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-012
This folder contains summaries of meetings with President John F. Kennedy discussing the potential creation of a multilateral nuclear force and European interest, particularly Germany and France. Also included in this folder is a paper by the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) regarding the recommended United States position on a nuclear test ban treaty in preparation for negotiations with the Soviet Union in Geneva.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-327-001
This folder contains memoranda to and from Arthur Schlesinger, Special Assistant to the President, on various topics including an amendment to Executive Orders 10501 and 10816 for the automatic declassification of documents, the appointment of Rajeshwar Dayal as the United Nations (UN) Special Representative to Congo and its effect on United States and India relations, and a proposal to counteract the Soviet Union propaganda phrase of “peaceful coexistence.” Also included in this folder is a memorandum from Schlesinger to President John F. Kennedy titled, “How to Organize an Intelligence Service: Implications of the British Example.”
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-127a-008
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the United Kingdom. Materials in this folder include letters from British Ambassador to the United States David Ormsby-Gore, telegrams to Secretary of State Dean Rusk from American Ambassador to the United Kingdom David K.E. Bruce, a memorandum from Chairman of the Policy Planning Council in the Department of State Walt Whitman Rostow regarding the President's meeting with British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in The Bahamas, a draft of a proposed agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom concerning nuclear weapons, and a transcript of a telephone conversation between President Kennedy and Prime Minister Macmillan. The majority of the folder consists of correspondence between the President and Prime Minister Macmillan on subjects such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and both countries' interactions with the Soviet Union.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-274-004
This folder contains memoranda of conversations between Paul Nitze, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and various British and German officials regarding NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and a “forward strategy,” a multilateral nuclear weapons force, the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and Berlin.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-302-001
This folder contains memoranda, telegrams, and press releases concerning the Soviet Union’s resumption of atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, including the detonation of a 50 megaton bomb; and international reaction, primarily from Japan and France, to the tests. Also included in this folder are press releases and drafts of proposed statements by the United States and Great Britain to the Soviet Union regarding a nuclear test ban agreement.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-300-001
This folder contains memoranda concerning atomic energy, nuclear testing, Soviet Union developments in nuclear weapons, and an agreement between the United States and Great Britain to test British nuclear devices on American soil.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-299-017
This folder contains memoranda concerning nuclear testing, atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, and a joint response by the United States and Great Britain to continued nuclear testing by the Soviet Union.
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Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-126-006
This folder contains a briefing book for President John F. Kennedy's trip to London, England and his meeting with Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna, Austria. The briefing book contains biographical information on leading Austrian, British, and Soviet political figures.