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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-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, 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-01
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses beginning John F. Kennedy's [JFK] presidential Administration with no political obligations; carefully picking Cabinet members, specifically Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury; RFK’s decision on what role to play in JFK’s Administration; JFK’s unhappiness with Dean Rusk as Secretary of State; JFK’s advisers and other presidential appointments; Cabinet meetings; Department of Justice organization under RFK; the first 100 days of the Kennedy Administration; the role of the Vice President, according to RFK; JFK’s relationship with Lyndon B. Johnson and why JFK put Johnson on the ticket in 1960; what JFK was most concerned with as President; domestic programs versus foreign affairs in the Kennedy Administration; Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.’s role during JFK’s presidency; the Bay of Pigs, the aftermath, and its effect on JFK; how JFK approached problems as President; dealing with Georgi Bolshakov; negotiating with the Soviet Union in Vienna, over Laos and Cuba, etc.; JFK’s relationship with foreign heads of state; State Department staff and U.S. Ambassadors; the military coup in Vietnam; the Berlin crisis of the summer of 1961 and the Berlin Wall; RFK’s 1961 trip to the Ivory Coast; and Soviet and American nuclear testing, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ACE-01
Enthoven discusses his impressions of Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara and his work applying systems analysis to Defense Department problems, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EMZ-02
Zuckert discusses the impact Robert S. McNamara made as the Secretary of Defense through his military planning and reorganization of the Department of Defense. Zuckert also discusses the type of person McNamara wanted to see dealing with defense planning, and he briefly discusses McNamara’s working relationship with John F. Kennedy [JFK], among other issues.
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-1963-10-02-C
AR40
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-29-A
ST15
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-01-25-E
KN29
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-04-14-C
KN15
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-04-14-B
KN15
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-04-14-A
KN15
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Staff Files of Walter W. Heller
JFKWHSFWWH-MF22-008
This folder contains Walter W. Heller's correspondence with the Department of Defense. Types of material include letters, memoranda, directives, press releases, and reports. Correspondents include Roswell L. Gilpatric (Deputy Secretary of Defense) and Elvis J. Stahr, Jr. (Secretary of the Army). The file also contains a Congressional report on providing for fallout protection in federal structures and nonprofit institutions; an excerpt from the Federal Civil Defense Guide; and information on the National Fallout Shelter Survey Marking and Stocking Program.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-26282
President John F. Kennedy meets with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Maxwell D. Taylor (center), and Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (left), following a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-M27-5-62
President John F. Kennedy speaks with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (right) in the West Wing Colonnade outside the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. President Kennedy met with Secretary McNamara and other members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) that day regarding the crisis in Cuba.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-M27-4-62
President John F. Kennedy speaks with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (right) in the West Wing Colonnade outside the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. President Kennedy met with Secretary McNamara and other members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) that day regarding the crisis in Cuba.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-M27-3-62
President John F. Kennedy speaks with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (right) in the West Wing Colonnade outside the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. President Kennedy met with Secretary McNamara and other members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) that day regarding the crisis in Cuba.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-M27-2-62
Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (left), Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Paul Nitze (partially hidden), and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell D. Taylor leave the White House after meeting with President John F. Kennedy and other members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) regarding the crisis in Cuba. West Wing Colonnade, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-M27-1-62
President John F. Kennedy speaks with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (right) in the West Wing Colonnade outside the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. President Kennedy met with Secretary McNamara and other members of the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM) that day regarding the crisis in Cuba.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C21152
President John F. Kennedy (center right, wearing sunglasses), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shahanshah of Iran (left of President Kennedy, wearing sunglasses), and other distinguished guests watch a demonstration of United States Navy and Marine Corps amphibious landing operations at Onslow Beach from Riseley Pier, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Shahanshah, in the United States on a state visit, joined the President in North Carolina to inspect the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Seated in the reviewing stand, first row (L-R): Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (looking through binoculars); Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; the Shahanshah; the President; Commandant of the United States Marine Corps General David M. Shoup; and Congressman Carl Vinson (Georgia). Those seated in the second row include (L-R): Foreign Minister of Iran Abbas Aram; Chief of Naval Operations Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr.; Admiral Robert L. Dennison, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Command (CINCLANT), Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT); and Chief of Staff of the United States Army General George H. Decker. Naval Aide to the President Captain Tazewell Shepard, Jr. (bottom left, wearing sunglasses) sits in front of the reviewing stand.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C21145
President John F. Kennedy (center right, wearing sunglasses), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shahanshah of Iran (left of President Kennedy, wearing sunglasses), and other distinguished guests watch a demonstration of United States Navy and Marine Corps amphibious landing operations at Onslow Beach from Riseley Pier, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Shahanshah, in the United States on a state visit, joined the President in North Carolina to inspect the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Seated in the reviewing stand, first row (L-R): unidentified; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (looking through binoculars); Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (partially hidden, looking through binoculars); the Shahanshah; the President; Commandant of the United States Marine Corps General David M. Shoup (facing away); and Congressman Carl Vinson (Georgia). Those seated in the second row include (L-R): Chief of Naval Operations Admiral George W. Anderson, Jr.; Admiral Robert L. Dennison, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Command (CINCLANT), Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT); and Chief of Staff of the United States Army General George H. Decker. Seated in front of the reviewing stand are (L-R) an unidentified foreign military officer; Naval Aide to the President Captain Tazewell Shepard, Jr. (wearing sunglasses); Vice Admiral Alfred G. Ward, Commander, Amphibious Force, Atlantic; and Lieutenant General Robert B. Luckey, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic (partially hidden on far edge of image).
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C21137
President John F. Kennedy (center, wearing sunglasses), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shahanshah of Iran (left of President Kennedy), and other distinguished guests watch a demonstration of the Short Airfield for Tactical Support (SATS) at Bogue Field, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Shahanshah, in the United States on a state visit, joined the President in North Carolina to inspect the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Those pictured include: Admiral Robert L. Dennison, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Command (CINCLANT), Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic (SACLANT); Senator Richard B. Russell (Georgia); Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Ambassador of Togo Dr. André Akakpo; Major General Mohammad Amir-Khatami, Commanding General of the Imperial Iranian Air Force; Secretary of the Navy Fred Korth; Ambassador of Vietnam Tran Van Chuong; Commandant of the United States Marine Corps General David M. Shoup; Ambassador of Peru Fernando Berckemeyer; Congressman Carl Vinson (Georgia); Chief of Staff of the United States Army General George H. Decker; Lieutenant General Robert B. Luckey, Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic; Ambassador of Pakistan Aziz Ahmed; Naval Aide to the President Captain Tazewell Shepard, Jr.; White House Secret Service agent Gerald A. “Jerry” Behn; and Ambassador of South Korea General Il Kwon Chung.