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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.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-18-B
AR28, KN24
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-11-B
AR28, ST14, KN24
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6287-D
Swearing in ceremony and reception for Cabinet members and their families, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy speaks during the swearing-in ceremony for his Cabinet. (L-R) Front row: Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Postmaster General J. Edward Day; Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; President Kennedy; Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman; Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges; Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg; Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Abraham A. Ribicoff; Chief Justice Earl Warren. Back row: Military Aide General Chester V. Clifton; Air Force Aide Colonel Godfrey T. McHugh; Naval Aide Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6862-A
Cabinet meeting. At table (clockwise from bottom left): Frederick C. Belen, Assistant Postmaster General; Vice President Lyndon Johnson; Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara; Charles S. Murphy, Under Secretary of Agriculture (mostly hidden); Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg; Abraham Ribicoff, Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; President John F. Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon; Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall. Seated at back right of room (L – R): Unidentified man; Najeeb Halaby, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency; Walter Heller, Chairman of Council of Economic Advisers. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C30753
Members of the cabinet walk in the funeral procession of President John F. Kennedy to the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle. Those walking include: Secretary of State, Dean Rusk; U.S. Representative to the United Nations (UN), Adlai Stevenson; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Secretary of the Interior, Stewart L. Udall; Secretary of Commerce, Luther Hodges; Postmaster General, John A. Gronouski; Secretary of Agriculture, Orville Freeman; Secretary of the Army, Cyrus R. Vance; Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Paul Nitze. North Lawn driveway, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24647
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller (on edge of frame). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24646
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24645
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver (face obscured); Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24644
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (face obscured); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24643
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner; Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7550-C
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb; Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver (hidden behind Webb); Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne (hidden behind Day); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Administrator of the Veterans Administration (VA), General John S. Gleason, sits at far left in front of bookcase; Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), Bernard L. Boutin, sits next to Gleason. Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby, sits at far right in front of window; Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner, sits next to Halaby. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7535-H
President John F. Kennedy (seated) signs the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Standing (L-R): Senator B. Everett Jordan (North Carolina); Executive Director of the Committee for a National Trade Policy (CNTP), John W. Hight; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; unidentified (in back); Representative John J. Flynt, Jr. (Georgia); Representative Hale Boggs (Louisiana); unidentified (in back); Representative Wilbur D. Mills (Arkansas); Senator Harry Flood Byrd (Virginia); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (in back); Senator Robert S. Kerr (Oklahoma); Representative John W. Byrnes (Wisconsin); Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana); Senator Russell B. Long (Louisiana); Senator John O. Pastore (Rhode Island); Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (Minnesota); Representative Cecil R. King (California); Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon (in back); Representative Howard H. Baker (Tennessee); Representative Eugene J. Keogh of New York (in back); Special Assistant to the President for International Trade Policy, Howard C. Petersen. Fish Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7535-G
President John F. Kennedy (seated) signs the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Standing (L-R): Senator B. Everett Jordan (North Carolina); Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; unidentified; Representative John J. Flynt, Jr. (Georgia); Representative Hale Boggs (Louisiana); unidentified (in back); Representative Wilbur D. Mills (Arkansas); Senator Harry Flood Byrd (Virginia); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (in back, mostly hidden); Senator Robert S. Kerr (Oklahoma); Representative John W. Byrnes (Wisconsin); Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana); Senator Russell B. Long (Louisiana); Senator John O. Pastore (Rhode Island); Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (Minnesota); Representative Cecil R. King (California); Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon (in back); Representative Howard H. Baker (Tennessee); Representative Eugene J. Keogh of New York (in back); Special Assistant to the President for International Trade Policy, Howard C. Petersen; Secretary of Agriculture, Orville L. Freeman. Fish Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7535-E
President John F. Kennedy (seated) signs the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Standing (L-R): Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; unidentified; Representative John J. Flynt, Jr. (Georgia); Representative Hale Boggs of Louisiana (partially hidden); Representative Wilbur D. Mills (Arkansas); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (in back, mostly hidden); Senator Robert S. Kerr (Oklahoma); Representative John W. Byrnes (Wisconsin); Senator Mike Mansfield (Montana); Senator Russell B. Long (Louisiana); Senator John O. Pastore (Rhode Island); Secretary of State, Dean Rusk (in back); Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (Minnesota); Representative Cecil R. King (California); Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon (in back, mostly hidden); Representative Howard H. Baker (Tennessee); Representative Eugene J. Keogh of New York (in back, mostly hidden); Special Assistant to the President for International Trade Policy, Howard C. Petersen; Secretary of Agriculture, Orville L. Freeman; Under Secretary of State, George Ball. Fish Room, White House, Washington, D.C.