Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-06
In this interview Komer discusses U.S. aid to India and Pakistan and some problems involved with it, including the question of long-term U.S. aid and a shift in focus from Pakistan to India; problems with the Agency for International Development; oil and U.S. policy; U.S. involvement in the Congo; Komer’s meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] and how Komer briefed him; the relations among JFK, Dean Rusk, John Kenneth Galbraith, Adlai E. Stevenson, and McGeorge Bundy; JFK’s interest in India and Pakistan and his attempt at a mediation between the two on Kashmir; and JFK and Algeria and Morocco, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-05
In this interview Komer discusses working with McGeorge Bundy; the “inner circle” of the Bundy State Department; Komer’s major contacts; the intelligence system; the power and responsibilities of the State Department; how Bundy screened what President John F. Kennedy [JFK] would see; relations with other key officials; Robert F. Kennedy and foreign policy issues; the Bundy State Department and White House staff; the “little State Department” in the White House; the bureaucratic role of the State Department; U.S. foreign policy in Asia; relations with key U.S. Ambassadors; handling Arab-Israeli issues; domestic pressures of American-Jewish community on JFK; Arabists in the Kennedy Administration; working with Myer Feldman on Israeli issues; the United States, Saudi Arabia, and oil; filling the power vacuum left by the British; dealing with Congress on foreign aid matters; counterinsurgency; and looking back at programs during the Kennedy Administration, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-04
In this interview Komer discusses President John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] interest in Indonesia and Iran; U.S.-Indonesian relations; the Indian Ocean and Iran task forces; JFK’s contact with the Iranian Shah; Pakistani-Afghani disputes; U.S. aid to Afghanistan; Komer’s attempt to revamp the military aid program; McGeorge Bundy and Walt W. Rostow as President JFK’s advisers; and JFK’s direct contact with a select few National Security staff, 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-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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-335-012
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 133 (NSAM 133) titled, "Ryukyus Action Program," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Director of the Bureau of the Budget David Bell from President John F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-010
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 119 (NSAM 119) titled, “Civic Action,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included are memoranda from various departments and agencies regarding civic action programs and a report by the United States Army titled, “Cold War Activities of the United States Army, 1 January 1961-26 January 1962.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-020
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 232 (NSAM 232) titled, “Follow-up on King Hassan’s [of Morocco] Visit,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) David Bell from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included are memoranda relating to NSAM 232.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-007
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 221 (NSAM 221) titled, "U.S. Policy Toward Algeria," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) David Bell, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, and Director of the Peace Corps R. Sargent Shriver from President John F. Kennedy. Also included are memoranda from Secretary Rusk to President Kennedy discussing a plan of action for Algeria in response to NSAM 211.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-339-025
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 211 (NSAM 211) titled, “U.S. Policy Toward Algeria," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) David Bell, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, and Director of the Peace Corps Sargent Shriver from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-339-023
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 209 (NSAM 209) titled, "Actions on South Asia," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton from President John F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-339-005
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 195 (NSAM 195) titled, “U.S. Policy Toward Indonesia,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-017
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 189 (NSAM 189) titled, "Presidential Meeting on Laos, September 28, 1962," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone from Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-006
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 179 (NSAM 179) titled, “U.S. Policy Toward Indonesia,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from President John F. Kennedy. Also included are memoranda to the President discussing a plan of action for Indonesia.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-004
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 177 (NSAM 177) titled, “Police Assistant Programs,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone from President John F. Kennedy. Also included is a report titled, “Survey of Training Activities of the A.I.D. Police Assistant Program,” by Arthur M. Thurston, a consultant to the Office of Public Safety division of AID.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-337-011
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 171 (NSAM 171) titled, “Department of Defense Actions to Reduce its Overseas Expenditures,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, and Director of the Bureau of the Budget David Bell from President John F. Kennedy. Also included are memoranda regarding NSAM 171 and a list of projects and actions to reduce Department of Defense expenditures overseas.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-337-009
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 169 (NSAM 169) titled, "Maintaining Momentum of Makarios Visit," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, and Administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included is a progress report on U.S. economic aid programs in Cyprus.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-336-015
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 159 (NSAM 159) titled, "Methods for Improving the Coordination of Economic and Military Aid Programs," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton from President John F. Kennedy. Also included are memoranda and reports related to NSAM 159.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-342-001
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 257 (NSAM 257) titled, “Aide Memoire for Greece,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) David Bell from President John F. Kennedy. Also included is a copy of the Aide Memoire.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-336-009
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 153 (NSAM 153) titled, "Policy Statement on Dominican Republic," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included are memoranda regarding the United States plan of action for the Dominican Republic and the status of compliance with NSAM 153.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-336-008
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 152 (NSAM 152) titled, "Panama Canal Policy and Relations with Panama," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, and Director of the Bureau of the Budget David Bell from President John F. Kennedy. Also included are memoranda on a proposed nuclear excavation program and the Panama Canal policy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-336-002
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 146 (NSAM 146) titled, "Improvement of Police Training and Equipment in Newly Emerging Countries," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of Central Intelligence John McCone, and Director of the Bureau of the Budget David Bell from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included are reports of the Committee on Police Assistance Programs and the Interagency Committee on Police Assistance Programs in Newly Emerging Countries.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-335-018
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 139 (NSAM 139) titled, "Military Aid Program for Greece," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; and Fowler Hamilton, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID), from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.