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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-340-023
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 235 (NSAM 235) titled, “Large-Scale Scientific or Technological Experiments with Possible Adverse Environmental Effects,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall; Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges; Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Anthony J. Celebrezze; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg; Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James E. Webb; Director of the National Science Foundation Alan Tower Waterman; Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy; and Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Jerome B. Wiesner from President John F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-003
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 176 (NSAM 176) titled, “Release of Public Information Concerning Soviet Nuclear Tests,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) Anthony J. Celebrezze; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone; Director of the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) Edward McDermott; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg; Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow; Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James E. Webb; and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Jerome B. Wiesner from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.