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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.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-06-12-A
AR38, ST25
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7970-D
President John F. Kennedy presents the President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service to Director of Air Traffic Service for the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), David D. Thomas (center, behind microphones), at a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House, Washington, D.C. Administrator of the FAA, Najeeb Halaby, and Chairman of the Distinguished Civilian Awards Board and Under Secretary of State, George Ball (mostly hidden on edge of frame), observe at right. Standing in the background (left to right): member of the Awards Board and Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; award recipient and Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Dr. Fred L. Whipple (in back); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Secretary of State, Dean Rusk; award recipient and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Systems Analysis, Dr. Alain C. Enthoven (in back); award recipient and Deputy Commandant for Foreign Affairs of the National War College, Ambassador Winthrop G. Brown; Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Dr. Leonard Carmichael; Military Aide to the President, General Chester V. Clifton.