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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-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WAH-02
In this interview Harriman discusses his position in the State Department as a roving ambassador, including his flexibility in making decisions in the field, and traveling around the world; John F. Kennedy's [JFK] conception of the Soviet Union; interactions with Souvanna Phouma and changes in general opinion of him; evaluating options for American action or intervention in Laos; the international meeting in Geneva over Laos, including dealing with the Soviet negotiator George M. Pushking and with the Chinese; comparing JFK and Franklin D. Roosevelt in their respective administration of the State Department; and the Joint Chiefs’ attitude towards Laos and the concept of limited commitment, 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-ROWK-03
In this interview Komer discusses negotiating disengagement with Gamal Abdel Nasser and Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia; John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] involvement in the Yemen crisis and the negotiations with Nasser and Faisal; U.S. New Guinea policy and the Dutch-Indonesian conflict; JFK and counterinsurgency; Komer and police programs as part of U.S. counterinsurgency efforts; JFK’s policy towards and involvement with India and Pakistan; U.S. military assistance to India, 1962; and U.S. missions to Pakistan and India, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, 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.
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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-02
In this interview Young discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the high level visit; the need for scholarly diplomacy in U.S. relations with Asian countries; the role of an ambassador; the relationships between the Embassies in Thailand and Laos; William Averell Harriman’s meetings with Thai and Laotian leaders; different strategy proposals for and conflicting opinions on Laos; U.S. programs in Thailand; and the Dean Rusk-Thanat Khoman Agreement, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PRP-01
This interview focuses on John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] relationship with the press prior to and during his presidency, among other topics.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-18A-4
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on April 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and W. Averell Harriman. They discuss fighting in Laos involving the Pathet Lao and the forces of Kong Le and others. They also discuss whether the United States should discuss the matter with Soviet officials.Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 18A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-18A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 18A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-18A
Dictation Belt 18A contains eight sound recordings. Item 18A.1 is a sound recording of a brief fragment of a telephone conversation held on April 4, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Walter W. Heller, Chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. They talk about budgetary matters. The recording starts in mid-conversation. Item 18A.2 is a brief telephone exchange on April 4, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Ralph A. Dungan, Special Assistant to the President. They talk about a letter from Lucius Clay. Item 18A.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. The topic of discussion is unclear. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 18A.3A is a brief telephone exchange between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and a White House Operator. The operator notifies Lincoln of an incoming call from Robert B. Troutman. The recording ends abruptly. The telephone conversation with Troutman is not recorded. Item 18A.4 is a telephone conversation held on April 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and W. Averell Harriman. They discuss fighting in Laos involving the Pathet Lao and the forces of Kong Le and others. They also discuss whether the United States should discuss the matter with Soviet officials. Item 18A.5 is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation held on April 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy. They talk about a Laos statement and a list of raids. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 18A.6 is a telephone conversation held on May 6, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss Secretary Rusk’s trip to Europe, matters involving Yugoslavia, and arrangements for a meeting. Item 18A.7 is part of a telephone conversation held on May 7, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Representative Edith S. Green of Oregon. They discuss an education bill and a newspaper article that characterized their political relationship. The recording ends abruptly and continues on Dictation Belt 18B.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.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-037
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s speech addressed to the American people from his office in the White House. In his speech the President summarizes his trip to Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and London, England. The President affirms the strong alliance between European nations and the United States as an assurance of mutual security. He then reports on his meeting with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev regarding nuclear weapons proliferation, the current situation in Laos, and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
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.
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-183-001
This folder contains correspondence between President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Topics include relations between the United States and Soviet Union, Berlin and German unification, disarmament, nuclear testing, Laos, space flights, and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Also included in this folder are letters from Premier Khrushchev to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and John J. McCloy, Advisor to President Kennedy on Disarmament. This folder contains some Russian-language material.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-035-012
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning President Kennedy's speech addressed to the American people from his office in The White House. In his speech the President summarizes his trip to Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and London, England. The President reiterates the strong alliance between Europe and the United States as an assurance of mutual security. He goes on to report on his meeting with Premier Nikita Khrushchev regarding U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, the nuclear arms race, and the current situation in Laos. Materials in this folder include a draft, a reading copy, and a press copy of the speech.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-323-007
This folder contains memoranda from Walt Rostow, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and later Chairman of the Policy Planning Council in the Department of State, to President John F. Kennedy and McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include foreign aid, speech theme suggestions for the President, policy towards the Communist Bloc, and a proposal for domestic and foreign economic policy. Also included in this folder is a transcript of a “Meet the Press” interview with Rostow discussing nuclear weapons, the Soviet Union, Laos, Vietnam, and communism.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-315-005
This folder contains an agenda, background memoranda, a summary, and a Record of Actions for a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) Standing Group regarding United States policy towards Cuba. Also included in this folder are memoranda of conversations on Laos between Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Soviet Union Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gromyko, and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-314-010
This folder contains an agenda, a summary, a list of attendees, and a Record of Actions for meeting number 516 of the National Security Council (NSC) discussing a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) memorandum titled, “Possibilities of Greater Militancy by the Chinese Communists.” The memorandum focuses on China’s relations with the Soviet Union, India, Laos, and other countries in Asia.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-314-007
This folder contains telegrams, background memoranda, a list of attendees, a summary, and a Record of Actions for meeting number 513 of the National Security Council (NSC). The meeting focused on the military situation in Laos between neutralist forces and the Pathet Lao, and United States policy towards Laos.