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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.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6424-E
Reception for Latin American Diplomats, Officials, and Members of Congress. Front row, L-R: Foreign Minister of Honduras, Dr. Andrés Alvarado Puerto; Berta Alvarado Puerto; Ambassador of Honduras, Dr. Céleo Dávila; Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Johnson; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Ambassador of Nicaragua and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Dr. Guillermo Sevilla-Sacasa; Ambassador of Peru, Fernando Berckemeyer; Claribel Berckemeyer; Ambassador of Costa Rica, Manuel G. Escalante; Mrs. Manuel G. Escalante. Also pictured: Under Secretary of State, Chester Bowles; Congressman Carl Albert (Oklahoma); Senator Hubert Humphrey (Minnesota); Special Assistant to the President, Arthur Schlesinger; Senator George Smathers (Florida); Edward R. Murrow. East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.