Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
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
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18772
President John F. Kennedy signs S. 1656, S. 1657, and S. 1653 (bills to combat organized crime and racketeering) in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. Looking on (L-R): Unidentified; Senator John L. McClellan of Arkansas; Deputy Attorney General, Byron White; Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois; Senator Olin Johnston of South Carolina; Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina; Senator Kenneth Keating of New York; Chief of the Organized Crime Section in the Department of Justice, Edwyn Silberling (partially hidden); Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division in the Department of Justice, Harold D. Koffsky; Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jerry Adlerman; Deputy Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division, Edward T. Joyce; Assistant Deputy Attorney General, William A. Geoghegan.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18771
President John F. Kennedy signs S. 1656, S. 1657, and S. 1653 (bills to combat organized crime and racketeering) in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. Looking on (L-R): Unidentified; Senator John L. McClellan of Arkansas; Deputy Attorney General, Byron White; Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois; Senator Olin Johnston of South Carolina; Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina; Senator Kenneth Keating of New York; Chief of the Organized Crime Section in the Department of Justice, Edwyn Silberling (partially hidden); Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division in the Department of Justice, Harold D. Koffsky; Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Jerry Adlerman; Deputy Chief of the Legislation and Special Projects Section of the Criminal Division, Edward T. Joyce; Assistant Deputy Attorney General, William A. Geoghegan.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18770
President John F. Kennedy signs S. 1656, S. 1657, and S. 1653 (bills to combat organized crime and racketeering) in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. Looking on (L-R): Deputy Attorney General Byron White (partially out of frame); Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois; Senator Olin Johnston of South Carolina; Senator Sam Ervin of North Carolina; Senator Kenneth Keating of New York; Chief of the Organized Crime Section in the Department of Justice, Edwyn Silberling; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.