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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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-DH-01
In this interview Henderson discusses working at the United States Embassy in Peru under President Dwight D. Eisenhower; his daily routine and responsibilities as economic counselor; the Point Four Program and Peru; Peruvian elections; James I. Loeb as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru and changes and tensions within the Embassy; the military coup in Peru and the events leading up to it; Haya de la Torre’s self-destructive behavior in the Peruvian presidential election; working at the Embassy in Peru after the coup and after Loeb leaves his position; pressure on the United States from Peruvian authorities; the issue of U.S. non recognition of the military leaders; Canadian and British interests in Peru; John Wesley Jones as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru; problems with military governments and transitions; Henderson’s daily routine and responsibilities as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia; his first few weeks in Bolivia; John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Bolivian President Victor Paz Estenssoro; Henderson’s impressions of JFK; American hostages in Bolivia in late 1963; the military coup in Bolivia and the events leading up to it; the political breakdown of Bolivia; and political and military maneuvering in other Latin American countries, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-02
In this interview Heinz discusses his primary contacts in other government agencies; the Vietnam task force; the different political trips and survey missions to Vietnam; the Maxwell D. Taylor-Walt W. Rostow mission to Vietnam and subsequent report; the Ngo Dinh Diem regime; the rise in interest in the concept of counterinsurgency; problems with working in Vietnam; changing the terrain in Vietnam with the use of defoliants; the Strategic Hamlet program; how to measure success in warfare; the International Control Commission; General Paul D. Harkins; the various agency reports coming out of Vietnam and interagency meetings; the Buddhist crisis in the summer of 1963; the appointment of Henry Cabot Lodge as Ambassador; and the military coup in Saigon and the rumors leading up to it, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-03
In this interview Hart discusses Ellsworth Bunker’s mission in Saudi Arabia; meetings between Bunker and Prime Minister Faisal; Faisal’s distrust of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Egyptian inaction in regards to the agreement reached with Bunker; difficulties with the U.S. Department of Defense over the agreement to train Saudi pilots and use American military equipment; major problems in the Middle East, 1957–1967; communications between John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Faisal; and Saudi reactions to JFK’s death and to Lyndon B. Johnson becoming President, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-01
In this interview Hart discusses his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia including King Saud’s visits to the United States for medical treatment beginning in 1961; the issue of the Dhahran Airfield and the American military’s use of it; the creation of the Saudi cabinet and political leadership and the transition to Faisal [Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia] in power; the revolution in Yemen and the problems and tensions it caused within Saudi Arabia and between Saudi leaders and other governments; the debate over U.S. recognition of the new Yemen Republic; various meetings of Near East State Department staff from 1961 through 1963; communication between President John F. Kennedy and Faisal; oil matters in the Near East and different oil companies and related groups; Soviet interest in Middle East oil and in Saudi Arabia; and the work of American advisers in Saudi Arabia, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-06
In this interview Komer discusses U.S. aid to India and Pakistan and some problems involved with it, including the question of long-term U.S. aid and a shift in focus from Pakistan to India; problems with the Agency for International Development; oil and U.S. policy; U.S. involvement in the Congo; Komer’s meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] and how Komer briefed him; the relations among JFK, Dean Rusk, John Kenneth Galbraith, Adlai E. Stevenson, and McGeorge Bundy; JFK’s interest in India and Pakistan and his attempt at a mediation between the two on Kashmir; and JFK and Algeria and Morocco, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-05
In this interview Komer discusses working with McGeorge Bundy; the “inner circle” of the Bundy State Department; Komer’s major contacts; the intelligence system; the power and responsibilities of the State Department; how Bundy screened what President John F. Kennedy [JFK] would see; relations with other key officials; Robert F. Kennedy and foreign policy issues; the Bundy State Department and White House staff; the “little State Department” in the White House; the bureaucratic role of the State Department; U.S. foreign policy in Asia; relations with key U.S. Ambassadors; handling Arab-Israeli issues; domestic pressures of American-Jewish community on JFK; Arabists in the Kennedy Administration; working with Myer Feldman on Israeli issues; the United States, Saudi Arabia, and oil; filling the power vacuum left by the British; dealing with Congress on foreign aid matters; counterinsurgency; and looking back at programs during the Kennedy Administration, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-04
In this interview Komer discusses President John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] interest in Indonesia and Iran; U.S.-Indonesian relations; the Indian Ocean and Iran task forces; JFK’s contact with the Iranian Shah; Pakistani-Afghani disputes; U.S. aid to Afghanistan; Komer’s attempt to revamp the military aid program; McGeorge Bundy and Walt W. Rostow as President JFK’s advisers; and JFK’s direct contact with a select few National Security staff, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-03
In this interview Komer discusses negotiating disengagement with Gamal Abdel Nasser and Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia; John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] involvement in the Yemen crisis and the negotiations with Nasser and Faisal; U.S. New Guinea policy and the Dutch-Indonesian conflict; JFK and counterinsurgency; Komer and police programs as part of U.S. counterinsurgency efforts; JFK’s policy towards and involvement with India and Pakistan; U.S. military assistance to India, 1962; and U.S. missions to Pakistan and India, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-02
In this interview Komer discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] personal diplomacy with the United Arab Republic [UAR] through letters; normalizing U.S.-Egypt relations; the Yemen conflict and U.S. interests; negotiating Yemen with M. Harold Macmillan and the attempt to have the United Kingdom recognize the Yemen Republic; dealing with Gamal Abdel Nasser; and difficulties with Saudi Arabia and the UAR, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-03
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses the 1962 steel crisis; some major issues and accomplishments of John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] presidency; choosing the U.S. Ambassador to Russia; foreign aid and treaties; the military coup in Peru; the space race during the Kennedy Administration; the 1962 congressional and gubernatorial campaigns; JFK’s dinner for the Nobel Prize winners; the Polaris submarines; problems with the New York Herald Tribune; New York politics; various pieces of federal legislation, 1961–1963; the Dominican Republic; Department of Justice investigations under RFK; the difficulties of being Attorney General; congressional issues in early 1963; the Vietnam War escalation in 1963; American support of the coup in Vietnam; Henry Cabot Lodge as the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; the prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion; American actions in Cuba; unemployment and civil rights; RFK’s meeting with James Baldwin; JFK’s trips to the South and speeches on civil rights; the nuclear test ban treaty; and JFK’s trip to Ireland and Rome, among other issues.
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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PBF-03
Fay discusses Admiral George Anderson, Fay’s role as Under Secretary of the Navy, President John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) relationships with heads of state, foreign visits, JFK’s interest in General Douglas MacArthur, the missile gap, and the Kennedy family, among other issues.
Sound recording
Edward M. Kennedy Senate Files
EMKSEN-AU0002-001-030
Sound recording of the radio program "Face Off." Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator Robert J. "Bob" Dole of Kansas comment on the visit of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega to New York, and U.S. military aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. The episode aired on Monday, August 11, 1986, on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Sound recording
Edward M. Kennedy Senate Files
EMKSEN-AU0007-014-005
Sound recording of the radio program "Face Off." Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator Alan K. "Al" Simpson of Wyoming debate U.S. military aid to the Contras in Nicaragua and the negotiations for peace with Nicaragua's Sandinista government led by President Daniel Ortega. The episode aired on Monday, November 16, 1987, on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-24A
Dictation Belt 24A contains seven sound recordings. Item 24A.1 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Harry S. Truman. Former President Truman congratulates President Kennedy on The Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. President Kennedy asks former President Truman to make a public statement about the treaty. Item 24A.1A is a brief telephone exchange on July 26, 1963, between a White House Operator and Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. The operator speaks to Secretary Wirtz as he holds for President Kennedy. Item 24A.2 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz. They discuss legislation regarding railroad work rules and George Meany’s position and strategy on the matter. Item 24A.3 is a telephone conversation held on July 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss enlisting businessmen for an unidentified project. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 24A.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. The unidentified man reports on Cardinal (Richard J.) Cushing’s discussion of the election of Pope Paul VI. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 24A.5 is a telephone conversation held on July 30, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss whether United Nations (U.N.) Secretary General U. Thant and Ambassador to the U.N. Adlai E. Stevenson should attend the signing of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. They also discuss releasing a statement concerning President Charles de Gaulle of France. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 24A.6 is a telephone conversation held on July 30, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John W. McCormack of Massachusetts, and Representative George H. Mahon of Texas. They discuss a defense budget cut, related concerns involving Korea and the Soviet Union, and potential political consequences. The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly.Transcript included. 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-TPH-47
Dictation Belt 47 contains seven sound recordings. Item 47.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss defense appropriations and the military aspect of the space program. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 47.2 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of the Air Force Eugene M. Zuckert. They discuss the Air Force budget. [White House Operator?] places the call at President Kennedy’s request. After a brief delay and a fragment of an exchange, the conversation begins in mid-sentence. Item 47.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. They discuss the resignation of Robert B. Troutman, Jr., from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the appointment of an African-American. Item 47.4 is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified senator. President Kennedy congratulates the senator on passing an unidentified bill. [White House Operator?] speaks to the senator as he holds for President Kennedy. The recording of the conversation ends abruptly and a fragment of indistinct speech follows. Item 47.5 is a brief telephone exchange between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and a White House Operator. The operator announces a call from “Sam Gallo” of Warner Brothers. Item 47.6 is a telephone conversation between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and a woman called Miss “Gallenburg” from Protocol. They discuss gifts for Prime Minister Eric Eustace Williams of Trinidad and Tobago and others. [White House Operator?] announces the call. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 47.7 is part of a telephone conversation between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and Stanley Tretick. Tretick inquires about scheduling time with President John F. Kennedy to do work related to an article for “Look” magazine. [White House Operator?] announces the call. Occasionally there is an echo. The recording of this conversation ends abruptly and continues on Dictation Belt 48.Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-10-22-B
AR41, ST31, KN40
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-10-01-A
ST30, KN40
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-07-02-C
ST27, KN38
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-07-23-A
AR24, ST12, KN20
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-04-27-B
AR19, ST09, KN15
Moving image
United States Government Agencies Collection
USG-01-P
Motion picture covering the official state visit of the Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Empress Farah, including welcoming ceremonies at Union Station in Washington, D.C., and visits to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) site at Cape Canaveral, Florida, military sites with President John F. Kennedy, the United States Capitol, and the White House and other sites in Washington, D.C., for meetings and gatherings involving President Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Also included is a visit to New York City and United Nations (UN) headquarters.Presented by: United States Information Agency (USIA)
Produced by: Van Praag Productions, Inc.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-10-D
AR28, KN24
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-09-24-A
ST14, KN23