John F. Kennedy Pre-Presidential Papers Addition (#2)

Addition of June 2005 (Acc. 2005-187)

About 3,600 items (2 linear feet, 10 linear inches).
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This addition to the John F. Kennedy Pre-Presidential Papers consists of items that were recovered by the National Archives and Records Administration, on behalf of the Kennedy Presidential Library, from the estate of Robert L. White. White obtained the material from Evelyn Lincoln, President Kennedy’s secretary, who improperly removed and then sold or gave away the material. Had they not been separated by Lincoln, materials in this addition would have been placed in order in the following series within the Pre-Presidential Papers.

In cases where the intended file location was typed or handwritten on the documents, those documents were placed in folders bearing titles that matched the file location indicated. Documents that were not marked in this way were organized as closely as possible to the original filing system, according to the processing archivist’s judgment. For example, a letter written to Senator Kennedy in 1954 from a constituent requesting an autograph would be placed in a folder entitled “General Files, 1954: Requests,” as a folder with that title already exists in the original collection. A program from a 1953 Memorial Day Ceremony was placed in a folder entitled “General Files, 1953: Memorial Day Ceremony,” even though no such folder exists in the original collection. Descriptive notes inserted by Mrs. Lincoln long after the creation of the documents were placed in folders entitled “Lincoln, Evelyn.” In the few cases when an appropriate file location was too difficult to determine, documents were placed in folders entitled “Miscellaneous.” The arrangement in which the material arrived did not appear to be meaningful, as the folder titles did not correspond with the filing system that is reflected in the original finding aid. However, a detailed description of the original location of the material as it was received is available. This addition includes eleven folders of 1960 Democratic National Convention material that makes up Series 13.4., a new subseries within the 1960 Campaign Subcollection. Four folders of additional material from the 1960 Convention can be found in the President’s Office Files (POF) in the series entitled “Special Events through the Years.” Note that, while this addition has not been integrated into the original deposit, it has been arranged according to the organization scheme of the previously deposited materials (with Series 13.4. added).

List of Series in Addition 2005-187