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Sound recording
United States Information Agency Audio Recordings Collection
USIAAU-010
Sound recording of Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow speaking at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Luncheon. An unidentified speaker notes that Director Murrow is the recipient of the NAB's Distinguished Service Award and introduces Director Murrow. Director Murrow speaks primarily about the Soviet Union and Communism's challenge to free people. He describes the USIA's mission, approach, and challenges in competing with the Soviet Union abroad in the arena of information. Accession MR-1972-096-010.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-240-005
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address 7th annual National Catholic Youth Organization convention held at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. In his speech President Kennedy commends the organization for their commitment to public service, and discusses the ideological differences between the United States and other nations.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-234-005
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks upon his departure from Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the role of the military during peace time, and commends the overseas military forces for their efforts to curtail the spread of communism.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-232-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the University of Maine in Orono, Maine. In his speech President Kennedy thanks the University for the honorary degree bestowed upon him, describes the American college and university system as a national asset, and discusses his hopes for a peaceful end to the Cold War.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-228-004
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s statement in the White House Treaty Room upon the signing of the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). In his speech President Kennedy describes the treaty as a beginning of effective disarmament and peaceful negotiations with the Soviet Union. The recording does not contain an introduction.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-226
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah. In his speech President Kennedy explains the recent shift in United States foreign policy from isolationism to a conceptual framework that encourages cooperative international partnerships.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-224-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at the Great Falls High School Memorial Stadium in Great Falls, Montana. In his speech President Kennedy discusses his optimism for a peaceful conclusion to the Cold War, explains the United States’ central position in international politics and economics, and describes his administration’s plans to implement natural resource conservation and development programs.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-218
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address to the 18th General Assembly of the United Nations. In his speech the President discusses the recently signed treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests (later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty or Limited Test Ban Treaty), remarking that peace may be attainable when two nations with incompatible ideologies successfully negotiate. The President famously asks, "Space offers no problems of sovereignty…Why, therefore, should man's first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition?" President Kennedy also explains that the task of maintaining peace and decreasing global tension must be shared by all nations. He proposes ways for the United Nations to increase and improve their efforts in developing countries, specifically focusing on health, human rights, agriculture, communication, and the environment.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-211-005
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s television and radio statement following a Congressional cut in the Mutual Security Act. In his speech the President characterizes the decision to reduce foreign aid expenditures as shortsighted and dangerously partisan, explaining how a decrease in foreign assistance will weaken the Alliance for Progress and undermine the United States' efforts to curtail the spread of communism.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-207
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s radio and television address to the American people on the passage of a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). In his speech the President explains that the treaty will strengthen national security, lessen the risk and fear of radioactive fallout, reduce world tension by encouraging further dialogue, and prevent acquisition of nuclear weapons by nations not currently possessing them. The President emphasizes that while the treaty does not eliminate the threat of nuclear war, a limited test ban is safer than an unlimited arms race.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-201-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the Free University of Berlin in Berlin, Germany. In his speech the President thanks the school for the Honorary Citizen award bestowed upon him, describes his hopes for the reunification of Germany, and discusses the future of Berlin in the context of the ideals of truth, justice, and liberty.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-200-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at the United States Headquarters in West Berlin, Germany. In his speech the President commends the United States military forces for their efforts concerning German-Soviet relations and the division of the city of Berlin.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-200-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks upon signing the Golden Book at the Rathaus Schöneberg on Rudolph Wilde Platz in Berlin, Germany. In his speech the President discusses his hopes for the reunification of Germany, and emphasizes the philosophical differences between capitalism and communism, noting, "Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free." In his remarks President Kennedy famously proclaims, "Ich bin ein Berliner." The recording has been noticeably edited.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-198-007
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks to the national congress of the German Industrial Trade Union of Construction Workers at Congress Hall in Berlin, Germany. In his speech the President characterizes the free trade movement as a casualty of the spread of communism, and explains that its core political principles are antithetical to the ideals of freedom and economic advancement.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-195-007
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks upon his arrival in Bonn, Germany. In his speech the President commends Chancellor Konrad Adenauer of the Federal Republic of Germany on West Germany's economic recovery, announces the end of the United States's tradition of isolationism, and discusses the importance of strengthening the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in order to achieve unity amongst European nations.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-190-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the 1963 commencement ceremony for The American University held at the John M. Reeves Athletic Center in Washington, D.C. In his speech the President asks the graduates to re-examine their attitudes towards peace, the Soviet Union, and the Cold War, famously remarking, "If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can make the world safe for diversity." The President also announces that he, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan have agreed to hold discussions concerning a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty. Finally, he explains that the United States will not conduct atmospheric nuclear tests on the condition that other countries uphold this same promise.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-082-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address at the University of California at Berkeley 94th Charter Day commemorative ceremonies held at the school’s Memorial Stadium. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the important role education plays in intellectual and political leadership, and explains the recent decision between the United States and the Soviet Union to seek agreements on joint exploration of space.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-080-004
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address to Latin American diplomats in the State Dining Room of the White House concerning the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress. In his speech President Kennedy provides a history of the initiative’s creation, the program’s recent accomplishments, including the Charter of Punta del Este, and his hopes for future social, political, and economic developments in Latin American nations.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-077-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks concerning President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address (also known as the Four Freedoms speech) during which President Roosevelt identified four fundamental freedoms that everyone ought to enjoy, including freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In his speech President Kennedy discusses domestic and cooperative international efforts to ensure the four freedoms, with specific emphasis on disarmament and assistance to newly independent nations.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-145-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks to members of the First Armored Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia. In his speech President Kennedy commends his audience for their past military service, specifically noting their recent efforts related to Soviet missile bases in Cuba.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-143-004
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s radio and television statement on the dismantling of Soviet missile bases in Cuba. In his speech President Kennedy indicates that the missile bases are in the dismantlement process, and explains that the naval quarantine on Cuba will remain in effect until the situation is resolved.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-142-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s radio and television address to the nation regarding the former Soviet Union’s military presence in Cuba. In his speech President Kennedy reports the establishment of offensive missile sites presumably intended to launch a nuclear offensive against Western nations. The President characterizes the transformation of Cuba into an important strategic base as an explicit threat to American security, and explains seven components to his proposed course of action: quarantine all offensive military equipment under shipment to Cuba, increase the degree of surveillance, regard a possible attack launched from Cuba as a Soviet attack, reinforce the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, call for a meeting of the Organ of Consultation, call for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, and demand that Premier Nikita Khrushchev cease his current course of action. In his speech the President famously states, “Our goal is not the victory of might, but the vindication of right- not peace at the expense of freedom, but both peace and freedom, here in this Hemisphere, and, we hope, around the world.”
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-139-003
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at the Pulaski Day Parade in Buffalo, New York. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the contemporary relevance of General Kazimierz Pulaski’s efforts in the American Revolution, noting Poland’s role in the Cold War. The President describes the Soviet Union’s domination as temporary, and notes that in order to prevent the spread of communism, the United States must enact policies of economic flexibility and strengthen the links that connect Poland to Western nations.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-128-004
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks concerning trade and foreign aid filmed for television use. In his speech President Kennedy proposes a new trade bill as a solution to the challenges of the European Common Market and the advance of communism.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-127-002
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks at Rice University Stadium in Houston, Texas concerning the nation’s space exploration efforts. In his speech President Kennedy discusses the necessity for the United States to become an international leader in space exploration, and famously states, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”