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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-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.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-16A
Dictation Belt 16A contains five sound recordings. Item 16A.1 is a recording of remarks made by President John F. Kennedy to an unidentified group of visitors. The remarks concern the United States economy. This is not a telephone conversation. The recording begins in mid-sentence. Item 16A.2 is a fragment of a telephone conversation held on March 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss congressional hearings. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 16A.3 is a telephone conversation held on March 26, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss hearings concerning the TFX airplane. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 16A.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss Senate hearings concerning the TFX airplane. They also discuss a raid by Cuban exiles targeting a ship, concerns about a Russian ship being targeted, and consultations with John A. McCone. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 16A.5 is a telephone conversation held on March 28, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs William R. Tyler. They discuss press reports of Canadian Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker possessing a working paper written by Walt W. Rostow on relations between the United States and Canada.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-14A
Dictation Belt 14A contains five sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 14A.1 begins on Dictation Belt 13A. Item 14A.1 is part of a telephone conversation held on March 9, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Governor Harold E. Hughes of Iowa. They continue to discuss an appeal for clemency on behalf of a prisoner awaiting execution in Iowa. They also discuss Iowa politics. Machine noise follows the conversation.Item 14A.2 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss Henry R. (“Harry”) Luce and articles in “Time” and “Newsweek” magazines. They also discuss proposed school construction on military bases in the South. A fragment of unintelligible chatter from [White House Operator?] follows the conversation. Item 14A.3 is a telephone conversation held on March 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Edwin Martin, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs. They discuss whether Latin-American presidents will issue a statement on Cuba before President Kennedy’s trip to Costa Rica. Item 14A.4 is a telephone conversation held on March 11, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Assistant Secretary of Defense Arthur Sylvester. They discuss Sylvester’s remarks about hearings on the TFX airplane. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 14A.5 is part of a telephone conversation held on March 12, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon. They discuss Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules on expense accounts and the effects on businesses. The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly. The recording of this conversation continues on Dictation Belt 14B.
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-08B
Dictation Belt 8B contains five sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 8B.1 begins on Dictation Belt 8A.4. Item 8B.1 is a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They continue to discuss a press item about a proposed nuclear naval force and Soviet surveillance of naval vessels. Item 8B.2 is a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy. They discuss reconnaissance flights over Cuba and statements made by Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 8B.3 is a sound recording of a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss reconnaissance flights over Cuba and surveillance of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) naval fleet and merchant ships. Item 8B.4 is a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss the Stennis Committee’s review of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. Item 8B.5 is a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss the Stennis Committee’s review of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, results of a recent Gallup Poll, and problems for Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York. The recording of the end of the conversation repeats on Dictation Belt 9A.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-08A-4
Sound recording of part of a telephone conversation held on March 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss reconnaissance flights over Cuba and statements attributed to Senator Barry M. Goldwater of Arizona. They also discuss a press item about a proposed nuclear naval force and Soviet surveillance of naval vessels.The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly. The recording of this conversation continues on Dictation Belt 8B.1.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 8A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-08A, Title: Telephone Recordings: Dictation Belt 8A.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-126
Sound recording of the President’s News Conference of September 13, 1962 (News Conference 43). The President begins the press conference with a statement concerning the recent shipments of supplies and technicians into Cuba from the Soviet Union, events that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He goes on to say that the United States would not take military action against Cuba unless necessary. The President then answers questions from the press on a variety of topics including the Alliance for Progress, civil rights, the Chicago Northwestern Railway strike, the military space program, nuclear testing, and the President’s request for special reserve mobilization powers.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-025-001
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy's address to the American Newspaper Publishers Association at a Bureau of Advertising dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. In his speech President Kennedy addresses his discontent with the press' news coverage of the Bay of Pigs incident, suggesting that there is a need for "far greater public information" and "far greater official secrecy."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-034-021
This folder contains a press copy and a reading copy of President Kennedy's address to the American Newspaper Publishers Association at a Bureau of Advertising dinner held at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. In his speech President Kennedy addresses his discontent with the press's news coverage before, during, and after the Bay of Pigs incident, suggesting that there is a need for "far greater public information" and "far greater official secrecy."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-315-004
This folder contains background material for meeting number two of the National Security Council (NSC) Standing Group. Materials include excerpts of news conferences, speeches, and television interviews given by President John F. Kennedy regarding United States policy towards Cuba, the Bay of Pigs incident, the Soviet Union presence in Cuba, and U.S. military intelligence. Also included in this folder is a press release of President Kennedy’s remarks at the annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, as well as a transcript of the question and answer period following the President's speech.
Textual folder
Papers of Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Papers
RFKAG-202-002
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-114a-015
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Cuba. Materials include a memorandum from the President to editors and radio and television news directors regarding sensitive national security information, correspondence between the President and Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev, and a memorandum to the President’s personal secretary Evelyn Lincoln from Naval Aide to the President Tazewell T. Shepard titled, “Relocation of Dependents of Personnel Involved in the White House Emergency Plan.” Also included in this folder is the text for a pamphlet by a group named DADVER titled, “Experiences Adquired [sic] as a Result of the Communist Occupation of the Island of Cuba.” This folder contains some foreign language material.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-114a-014
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Cuba. Materials include a transcript of a conversation between the President and Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell L. Gilpatric; transcripts of three press conferences held by Press Secretary Pierre Salinger on October 23, 1962; and a proclamation titled, "Interdiction of the Delivery of Offensive Weapons to Cuba." Also included in this folder is a report by the United States Information Agency (USIA) Research and Reference Service titled, "Overseas Reactions to President Kennedy's Cuban Announcement."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-054-011
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the President's News Conference of April 12, 1961 (News Conference 9). President Kennedy began the press conference by encouraging the public to get vaccinated for polio. He then announced the formation of an advisory group to assist in changes to the foreign aid program and the sale of a United States Naval Ordnance Plant in West Virginia. Following the announcements the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including the possibility of an intervention in Cuba by the United States Armed Forces, the United States and Soviet space programs, and a comparison of democracy versus communism. Items include a draft press conference announcement, the official White House transcript of the press conference, and the stenotype transcript of the press conference.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-060-009
This folder contains background material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of August 20, 1963 (News Conference 60). Materials primarily consist of department reports and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Topics include nuclear testing, the tax bill, balance of payments, Cuban refugees at Anguilla Cay, and the effect of the Army reorganization on troop levels in Berlin. Also included is a draft press conference announcement with handwritten editorial marks and annotations by the President, and newspaper clippings. Of note is a letter from Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield to the President titled "Observations on Vietnam."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-057-012
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of September 13, 1962 (News Conference 43). The President began the press conference with a statement concerning the recent shipments of supplies and technicians into Cuba from the Soviet Union, events that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. He went on to say that the United States would not take military action against Cuba unless necessary. The President then answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including the Alliance for Progress, the Chicago Northwestern Railway strike, the military space program, nuclear testing, and the President's request for special reserve mobilization powers. Background materials in this folder include briefing papers and memorandums for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Of note is a telegram to various American Embassies from the Department of State detailing the influx of ships, supplies, and technicians to Cuba from the Soviet Union; memorandum from legal advisor to the Department of State Abram J. Chayes to Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy titled "International Law Problems of Blockade;" and a memorandum to the President from Vice President Lyndon Johnson summarizing his trip of August 22 through September 7. The official White House transcript of the press conference and the stenotype transcript of the press conference are also included.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-057-009
This folder contains background material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of August 22, 1962 (News Conference 41). Materials primarily consist of draft press conference announcements and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Topics include the economy, disarmament, the military space program, Latin America and the Alliance for Progress, the Soviet Union and Berlin, and foreign aid. Of note are materials relating to recent activity surrounding Cuba, including an increase in supplies and technicians from the Soviet Union and the possibility of lawyer James B. Donovan traveling to Cuba to negotiate for the release of prisoners.
Textual folder
Chalmers M. Roberts Personal Papers
CMRPP-035-006
Collection
MKPLRLPP
Papers 1961-1979. Co-authors of The Kennedy Crises (1983). Notes, correspondence, interviews, audiotapes, research materials, draft manuscript.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Presidential Campaign Files, 1960
JFKCAMP1960-1052-003
This folder contains a National Broadcasting Company (NBC) transcript of the second presidential debate between candidates Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon. The candidates answered questions on numerous issues, including civil rights, the Cold War, the economy, foreign policy, labor, national defense, taxes, Cuba, the invasion of Quemoy and Matsu, and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The debate was moderated by Frank McGee of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Presidential Campaign Files, 1960
JFKCAMP1960-1052-002
This folder contains an unofficial transcript of the second presidential debate between candidates Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon. The candidates answered questions on numerous issues, including civil rights, the Cold War, the economy, foreign policy, labor, national defense, taxes, Cuba, the invasion of Quemoy and Matsu, and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The debate was moderated by Frank McGee of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Presidential Campaign Files, 1960
JFKCAMP1960-1061-017
This folder contains unofficial transcripts of the first and second presidential debates between candidates Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon. The candidates answered questions on numerous issues, including agriculture, the economy, education, foreign policy, medical care for the aged, civil rights, the Cold War, labor, national defense, taxes, Cuba, the invasion of Quemoy and Matsu, and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. The first debate was moderated by Howard K. Smith of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and the second debate was moderated by Frank McGee of the National Broadcasting Company (NBC).