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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MJH-01
In this interview Hillenbrand discusses President John F. Kennedy [JFK] entering office amid the Berlin crisis; working as the Director of the Office of German Affairs with JFK; the Berlin Task Force and the Ambassadorial Group; JFK's attitude towards the German problem and German reactions to the Kennedy Administration; the State Department and Germany; the 1961 Vienna talks with Nikita S. Khrushchev; the erection of the Berlin Wall and the crisis it generated; the Kennedy Administration's reaction and response to the Berlin Wall; talks with Russia over Berlin and the Wall; the press "leaks crisis" on the Germany problem; JFK's working style and approach to problems, according to Hillenbrand; the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Berlin talks; JFK's German policy and relationship with German leaders; and what JFK accomplished related to Germany, among other issues.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6340-B
President John F. Kennedy meets with State Department Officials in the Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C. (L-R) Far side of table: United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union Llewellyn Thompson; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Ambassador at Large Averell Harriman; Special Assistant to the Secretary of State Charles Bohlen. (L-R) With backs to camera: Ambassador-designate to Yugoslavia George Kennan; President Kennedy; Secretary of State Dean Rusk.