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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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-327-002
This folder contains memoranda to and from Arthur Schlesinger, Special Assistant to the President, on various foreign affairs issues. Also included in this folder are articles regarding former President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Morgenthau Plan to control Germany after World War II; and a letter to Schlesinger from journalist and author Theodore H. White discussing White’s trip to Asia with comments on Communist China, Vietnam, and the U.S. Department of State.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319a-007
This folder contains memoranda by Chester Bowles, President John F. Kennedy’s Special Representative for Asian, African, and Latin American Affairs, regarding relations between Taiwan and Communist China, discrimination against private United States investments and industry by Mexico, and the need for a restriction on distribution of aid to Latin American countries. Also included in this folder are memoranda and a draft of a proposed speech for President Kennedy regarding U.S. policies towards Southeast Asia, particularly Laos and Vietnam.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-065-001
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and Walt W. Rostow, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include Vietnam, the Soviet Union, and China. Of note is a telegram from President Kennedy to President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam.