Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-BBH-01
In this interview Hickenlooper discusses various meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on foreign relations; Soviet and American nuclear testing; the nuclear test ban treaty; the Bay of Pigs invasion; Laos and Vietnam; the Punta del Este Conference in 1962; the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; Hickenlooper's 1962 reelection campaign; traveling with JFK to Costa Rica; the 1961 Berlin crisis; JFK's congressional relations; and social occasions at the Kennedy White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WAH-02
In this interview Harriman discusses his position in the State Department as a roving ambassador, including his flexibility in making decisions in the field, and traveling around the world; John F. Kennedy's [JFK] conception of the Soviet Union; interactions with Souvanna Phouma and changes in general opinion of him; evaluating options for American action or intervention in Laos; the international meeting in Geneva over Laos, including dealing with the Soviet negotiator George M. Pushking and with the Chinese; comparing JFK and Franklin D. Roosevelt in their respective administration of the State Department; and the Joint Chiefs’ attitude towards Laos and the concept of limited commitment, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-CLC-01
Cooper discusses the effects of downsizing the National Security Council, the 1961-1962 Geneva Conference on Laos, and John F. Kennedy’s and Nikita S. Khrushchev’s 1961 Vienna meeting, 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-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.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-037
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s speech addressed to the American people from his office in the White House. In his speech the President summarizes his trip to Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and London, England. The President affirms the strong alliance between European nations and the United States as an assurance of mutual security. He then reports on his meeting with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev regarding nuclear weapons proliferation, the current situation in Laos, and relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-035-012
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning President Kennedy's speech addressed to the American people from his office in The White House. In his speech the President summarizes his trip to Paris, France; Vienna, Austria; and London, England. The President reiterates the strong alliance between Europe and the United States as an assurance of mutual security. He goes on to report on his meeting with Premier Nikita Khrushchev regarding U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, the nuclear arms race, and the current situation in Laos. Materials in this folder include a draft, a reading copy, and a press copy of the speech.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-317-006
This folder contains summaries of meetings with President John F. Kennedy. Topics include Laos and a failed SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization) initiative, development of a civil defense policy, and United States policy towards the Dominican Republic following the assassination of Generalissimo Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. Also included in this folder is a summary of President Kennedy’s trip to Europe and his conversations with President of France Charles de Gaulle and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Presidential Campaign Files, 1960
JFKCAMP1960-1060-017
This folder contains a transcript of a press conference given by President-elect John F. Kennedy and Senator Paul Douglas, Chairman of the Task Force on Area Redevelopment, at the President-elect’s home in Palm Beach, Florida. President-elect Kennedy begins the press conference by making a brief statement on the results of the task force followed by a statement from Senator Douglas concerning unemployment. Senator Douglas goes on to answer questions from the press concerning unemployment compensation, the distribution of food to needy families, and area redevelopment legislation. The press also asks President-elect Kennedy questions on various topics including Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s New Years greetings and Laos.