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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JKR-01
In this interview Ruina discusses the Nike-Zeus antiballistic-missile-missiles; briefing President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on the Nike-Zeus missiles; JFK’s comprehension of the briefing material and the type of questions he asked; Project Defender; the background and organization of the Advanced Research Projects Agency; the leadership and organization of the Department of Defense; interactions with Robert S. McNamara; competition between the military and the Defense Department on research and development and for resources and congressional funds; the period of new, advanced—but not always useful—technology; and Project AGILE and counterinsurgency efforts in Vietnam, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JOR-01
In this interview, Rubel discusses the administration transition from Dwight D. Eisenhower to John F. Kennedy, Air Force bombing technology, and space programs, among other issues.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-09-11-D
ST13, KN22
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-09-11-C
ST13, KN22
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23699
President John F. Kennedy (wearing sunglasses) views models of the Titan II and Titan III missiles, during a tour of the Titan Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida; Director of Range Safety Operations with the Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Colonel Dan F. Thompson (center right, in foreground), briefs President Kennedy. Also pictured: Senator Alexander Wiley (Wisconsin); Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense, Dr. Harold Brown; Secretary of the Air Force, Eugene M. Zuckert; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Paul Nitze; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft; Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb; Director of NASA's Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston; White House Secret Service agents, Rufus Youngblood, Ron Pontius, and Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn. President Kennedy visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23698
President John F. Kennedy (wearing sunglasses) tours the Titan Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Director of Range Safety Operations with the Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Colonel Dan F. Thompson (center right, back to camera), briefs President Kennedy; models of the Titan II and Titan III missiles sit on table in foreground. Also pictured: Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb; Director of NASA's Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston; White House Secret Service agent, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn. President Kennedy visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23696
President John F. Kennedy (center right, in foreground) tours the Titan Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida; a Titan II Air Force rocket sits on launch pad in background. Also pictured: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Secretary of the Air Force, Eugene M. Zuckert; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston; Representative Victor L. Anfuso (New York); chief scientific adviser to the Ministry of Defence of Great Britain, Sir Solly Zuckerman; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell; White House Secret Service agents, Bill Greer, Rufus Youngblood, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn, Ron Pontius, Bill Duncan, and Toby Chandler. Site workers observe in background. President Kennedy visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations. [Discoloration along top edge of image is original to the negative.]
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23692
President John F. Kennedy (right) walks toward the presidential limousine outside the blockhouse at Launch Complex 34, following a briefing of the manned lunar landing program during a tour of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Also pictured: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center, Major General Leighton I. Davis; White House Press Secretary, Pierre Salinger; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft; Military Aide to the President, General Chester V. Clifton; Secretary of the Army, Cyrus R. Vance; Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb; White House Secret Service agents, Bill Greer, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn, Roy Kellerman, Dave Grant, Toby Chandler, Ron Pontius, Bill Duncan, and Dick Johnsen. President Kennedy visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations. [Blemish in upper right portion of image is original to the negative.]
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23628
President John F. Kennedy visits with astronaut Commander Walter M. Schirra, during a tour of the Mercury-Atlas Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Left to right: Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston (mostly out of frame); Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Associate Administrator of NASA, Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; President Kennedy; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft (partially hidden); Commander Schirra; unidentified; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb (partially out of frame). The President visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23679
President John F. Kennedy tours the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama; Director of the MSFC, Dr. Wernher von Braun, walks right of President Kennedy. Also pictured: Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft; Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb; Representative Robert E. Jones (Alabama); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner; White House Secret Service agent, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn. The Saturn C-1 rocket sits in background. The President visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C23678
President John F. Kennedy (right, facing away) views Saturn engine displays, during a tour of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama; Director of the MSFC, Dr. Wernher von Braun (partially hidden, with arm raised), briefs President Kennedy. Also pictured: Representative Albert Thomas (Texas); Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Paul Nitze; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; Naval Aide to the President, Captain Tazewell T. Shepard, Jr.; Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Representative George P. Miller (California). The President visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-A16-44-62
President John F. Kennedy (lower left, with back to camera) views the Saturn C-1 rocket, during a tour of the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama; Director of the MSFC, Dr. Wernher von Braun (back to camera), briefs President Kennedy. Also pictured: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb; Representative Robert E. Jones (Alabama); Associate Administrator of NASA, Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Senator Alexander Wiley (Wisconsin); Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Dr. Jerome B. Wiesner; Naval Aide to the President, Captain Tazewell T. Shepard, Jr.; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell; Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense, Dr. Harold Brown; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Paul Nitze; Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and Vice Chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, Dr. Leonard Carmichael; Secretary of the Air Force, Eugene M. Zuckert; Air Force Aide to the President, Brigadier General Godfrey T. McHugh; Military Aide to the President, General Chester V. Clifton; White House Press Secretary, Pierre Salinger; Secretary of the Army, Cyrus R. Vance; White House Secret Service agents, Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn, Roy Kellerman, Toby Chandler, and Dave Grant. Photographers and members of the press stand at right in foreground. The President visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-A16-18-62
President John F. Kennedy visits with astronaut Commander Walter M. Schirra (back to camera), during a tour of the Mercury-Atlas Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Left to right (in foreground): Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston (head bowed); Director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; President Kennedy; Associate Administrator of NASA, Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr. (in back); Commander Schirra; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (mostly hidden); Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft (partially hidden); Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara. Also pictured: White House Secret Service agents, Roy Kellerman and Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn. The President visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-A16-10-62
President John F. Kennedy visits with astronaut Commander Walter M. Schirra (back to camera), during a tour of the Mercury-Atlas Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston, stands left of President Kennedy; Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera), stands behind Commander Schirra in foreground. Also pictured: Commander of the 6555th Aerospace Test Wing, Colonel Paul R. Wignall; Director of NASA's Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft; Commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center, Major General Leighton I. Davis; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara. The President visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-387-27C-62
Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (left), and Representative George P. Miller (California) stand in front an exhibit of the Saturn rocket, during President John F. Kennedy's visit to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. President Kennedy visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-387-27B-62
Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (left), and Representative George P. Miller (California) stand in front of an exhibit of the Saturn rocket, during President John F. Kennedy's visit to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. President Kennedy visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-23728
President John F. Kennedy (wearing sunglasses) tours the Titan Launch Complex at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida. Director of Range Safety Operations with the Eastern Test Range at Patrick Air Force Base, Colonel Dan F. Thompson (center right, back to camera), briefs President Kennedy; models of the Titan II and Titan III missiles sit on table in foreground. Also pictured: Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr.; Commander of the Air Force Missile Test Center, Major General Leighton I. Davis; Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense, Dr. Harold Brown; Secretary of the Air Force, Eugene M. Zuckert; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Paul Nitze; Minister of Defence of Great Britain, Peter Thorneycroft; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Administrator of NASA, Dr. James E. Webb; Director of NASA's Launch Operations Center, Dr. Kurt H. Debus; Manager of Florida Operations for the Manned Spacecraft Center, G. Merritt Preston. The President visited Cape Canaveral as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-387-27A-62
Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (left), and Representative George P. Miller (California) stand in front an exhibit of the Saturn rocket, during President John F. Kennedy's visit to the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. Also pictured: Director of Defense Research and Engineering for the Department of Defense, Dr. Harold Brown; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell; Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. Robert C. Seamans, Jr. President Kennedy visited the MSFC as part of a two-day inspection tour of NASA field installations.