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Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-32
Dictation Belt 32 contains three sound recordings. Item 32.1 is a telephone conversation held on October 23, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and General Lucius Clay. President Kennedy reads a message from Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev delivered in response to U.S. actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Kennedy invites General Clay to be involved in discussions about the crisis and expresses concern about possible consequences for Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 32.2 is a brief telephone exchange between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Secretary Rusk asks to see President John F. Kennedy. The recording begins in mid-sentence and ends abruptly. Item 32.3 is a telephone conversation possibly held on October 23, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatric. They discuss setting rules of engagement for a naval blockade of Cuba, in case American naval forces need to engage Soviet ships. They also discuss arranging a meeting with Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York and the Civil Defense Committee. The recording begins in mid-conversation. After the conversation, there is a brief fragment of indistinct speech followed by another brief exchange between President Kennedy and Gilpatric. Machine noise follows.Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-087-004
Sound recording of a meeting held on May 17, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs Philips Talbot, Deputy Administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) Frank Coffin, Special Representative and Advisor on African, Asian, and Latin American Affairs Chester Bowles, Assistant Secretary of Defense William Bundy, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatric, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, and member of the National Security Council Robert W. Komer. President Kennedy again discusses what steps the United States can take to aid India against Chinese aggression without inflaming Pakistan and the rest of the region. The relations between the United States and the United Kingdom on this subject are also discussed as well as what should be said to Indian Minister of Economic and Defense Coordination T.T. Krishnamachari during his upcoming meeting with President Kennedy. The recording ends abruptly and the rest of the tape is blank. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 87, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 87 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-086-001
Sound recording of a National Security Council Meeting on India held on May 9, 1963. Identified participants in this meeting include: President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Assistant Secretary of State Phillips Talbot, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Ambassador to India Chester Bowles, Acting Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Frank Coffin, Assistant Secretary of Defense William Bundy, and Member of the National Security Council Robert Komer. President Kennedy discusses with his staff the sale of mobile air defense units to India and potential diplomatic consequences. There is also extensive conversation on the possibility of providing a defense commitment to India in the case of a Chinese attack on the sub-continent and the use of nuclear weapons in the defense of countries in Asia instead of the introduction of large numbers of US soldiers. General Maxwell Taylor is first to bring up the issue of nuclear weapons versus ground troops. President Kennedy speaks briefly, and then General Taylor’s point is affirmed strongly by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Eight segments of the recording totaling 2 minutes and 43 seconds have been removed for reasons of national security. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 86, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 86 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-113-005
Sound recording of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on September 30, 1963, concerning wheat sales to the Soviet Union. Discussed are Canadian-Soviet wheat negotiations and the possible sale of U.S. wheat to the Soviet Union and political pitfalls of such an action. The first eight minutes of the meeting are recorded and then the recording skips to the end of the meeting when President John F. Kennedy asks a smaller group of several staff members to stay to continue the discussion. The discussion with the smaller group continues on Tape 114/A49. The larger group includes President Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Under Secretary of the Treasury Henry Fowler, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, Under Secretary of Agriculture Charles Murphy, Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) General Marshall Carter, Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Curtis LeMay, Director of the Office of Emergency Planning Edward McDermott, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Acting Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Donald Wilson, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Special Counsel to the President Theodore Sorensen, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Relations Lawrence F. O’Brien, Presidential Advisor Kenneth O’Donnell, Department of Justice official Norbert Schlei, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Jack Behrman, Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze, Chief United States Trade Negotiator Christian Herter, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Bromley Smith. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 113, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 113 in its entirety or the remainder of this recording on Tape 114/A49.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-108-003
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 29, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, former United States Ambassador to Vietnam Frederick Nolting, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) General Marshall Carter, Director of the United States Information (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Specialist on Counterinsurgency for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Victor Krulak, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman, Deputy Director of the CIA for Plans Richard Helms, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Military Aide to the President General Chester Clifton, National Security Council member Michael Forrestal, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Bromley Smith. This meeting is a discussion between President Kennedy and a wide range of Department of State, Department of Defense, CIA, and White House advisors on the volatile situation in South Vietnam. Three segments of the recording totaling 1 minute and 44 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 108, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 108 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-107-005
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 27, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, former United States Ambassador to Vietnam Frederick Nolting, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) General Marshall Carter, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, Deputy CIA Director for Plans Richard Helms, Director of the CIA's Far Eastern Division William Colby, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, member of the National Security Council (NSC) Michael Forrestal, Specialist on Counterinsurgency for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Victor Krulak, and Executive Secretary of the NSC Bromley Smith. This meeting on Vietnam is a follow-up to the meeting from the day before. President Kennedy asked Frederick Nolting, the recently replaced Ambassador to Vietnam, to attend this meeting in order to discuss his views on the Vietnam situation. One segment of the recording totaling 8 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 107, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 107 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-107-004
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Marshall Carter, Director of the CIA's Office of Special Operations (OSO) Richard Helms, 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, and Specialist on Counterinsurgency for the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Victor Krulak. This meeting on Vietnam takes place the Monday following the now infamous Saturday telegram concerning a possible coup in Vietnam. The meeting is contentious at times between the Department of State and the Department of Defense/White House staff on what steps should be taken in Vietnam. Near the end of the meeting, President Kennedy changes the topic to foreign aid cuts requested by Congress and what can be done to sway opinions in the opposite direction. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 107, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 107 in its entirety.