Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-048-008
This folder contains materials collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning President Kennedy's address to the fifth constitutional convention of the American Federation of Labor, Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO) held at the Americana Hotel in New York City. In his speech the President discusses the persistence of unemployment despite the country's recent economic growth and prosperity. He explains how high unemployment rates may negatively impact the country's economic climate, and proposes tax reductions, improved education, and training programs for new or unskilled laborers as possible solutions. Materials in this folder include note cards, a draft by Special Counsel and speechwriter Theodore Sorensen, and a press copy of the speech, in addition to an itinerary for the President's visit, a memorandum regarding the AFL-CIO's housing project in Mexico, a copy of The Sojourner (the official bulletin of National Sojourners, Inc.), and copies of Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz and AFL-CIO President George Meany's speeches at the same convention. Of note are several items with handwritten notations by the President.