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Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-116-001
Sound recording of three meetings. First is a meeting held on October 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, President Kennedy’s Berlin Representative General Lucius Clay, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, Military Aide to the President General Chester Clifton, Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze, Special Military Assistant to the President General Maxwell Taylor, National Security Council (NSC) Assistant for Europe and Canada David Klein, and Executive Secretary of the NSC Bromley Smith. President Kennedy and his staff review in detail recent issues that Allied troops have faced regarding convoy holdups by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. They discuss changes to the dismount instructions for Berlin convoys and also discuss having talks with Allies concerning these changes. One segment of this recording totaling 29 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526.Second is an October 16, 1963, meeting on the Dominican Republic. This meeting is closed in full under NLK-10-154a and NLK-01-393-6-4-7: one segment of the recording totaling 38 minutes and 48 seconds has been removed.
Third is a meeting on Berlin, Germany, held on October 21, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Ambassador-at-Large Llewellyn Thompson, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs William Tyler, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Richard Davis; John Ausland from the Department of State; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze, Special Military Assistant to the President General Maxwell Taylor, President Kennedy’s Berlin Representative General Lucius Clay, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, and the following meeting participants listed in the President's schedule: Mr. Janney, Mr. Whitman, Colonel William Smith, and Mr. Diklein. This meeting is similar to a meeting that was held on October 11, 1963. They review recent problems with the Soviets on convoy procedures. They debate further the sorts of discussions that need to be held with officials of the Soviet Union concerning these ongoing problems. One segment of the recording totaling 26 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526.
This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 116/A52, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 116/A52 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-109-004
Sound recording of a meeting about Vietnam held on September 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy; former United States Ambassador to Vietnam Frederick Nolting; Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell D. Taylor; Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone; Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman; Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric; Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow; Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman; Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy; National Security Council (NSC) member Michael Forrestal; Specialist on Counterinsurgency for the JCS General Victor Krulak; Executive Secretary of the NSC Bromley Smith; Foreign Service Officer Joseph Mendenhall; Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman; Military Aide to the President General Chester Clifton; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; USIA Official-Public Affairs Officer at the United States Embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam, John Mecklin; Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) David Bell; and Assistant Director for Rural Affairs, Operations Mission in Vietnam Rufus Phillips. This meeting is essentially the platform through which General Krulak and Foreign Service Officer Mendenhall report to President John F. Kennedy on their fact-finding mission to South Vietnam in September 1963. General Krulak and Mendenhall's four-day trip was intended to gain an overview of the military and civilian views of the country. General Krulak’s view, taken from his visits with military leaders, is generally optimistic on the progress of the war. Mendenhall presents the opposite view, one of widespread military and social discontent. After the two men present their views, President Kennedy quips, “You both went to the same country?” In this rather long and involved meeting, they delve into divergent views and possible steps to take. Responding to a question from former Ambassador Frederick Nolting, State Department official Rufus Phillips comments, “This was not a military war, but a political war.” Four segments of the recording totaling 3 minutes and 46 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 109, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 109 in its entirety.