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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, 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.
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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JKR-02
In this interview Ruina discusses the background of the nuclear test ban treaty, including the research and development to improve nuclear test detection capabilities; congressional hearings on the test ban and the nuclear detection technology; different political interests in the test ban debate; and some issues in getting the test ban signed, among other issues.
Textual folder
William W. Kaufmann Personal Papers
WWKPP-001-003
Textual folder
William W. Kaufmann Personal Papers
WWKPP-001-002
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-334-014
This file contains memoranda and papers regarding continuing education and training in the areas of national security and foreign affairs, counter-insurgency training objectives, and the implementation of National Security Action Memoranda number 131 (NSAM 131) titled, “Training Objectives for Counter-Insurgency.” Also included is a copy of NSAM 131 to Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; General Lyman Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Director of Central Intelligence John McCone; Fowler Hamilton, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID); and Edward R. Murrow, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA), from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-016
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 124 (NSAM 124) titled, “Establishment of the Special Group (Counter-Insurgency),” from President John F. Kennedy to Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; General Lyman Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Director of Central Intelligence John McCone; Fowler Hamilton, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID); Edward R. Murrow, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA); and General Maxwell Taylor, Military Representative to the President.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-006
This file contains a memorandum for Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding program proposals for Latin America in response to National Security Action Memoranda number 118 (NSAM 118) titled, “Participation of U.S. and Latin American Armed Forces in the Attainment of Common Objectives in Latin America.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-003
This file contains memoranda for McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, from the Department of State regarding policies and program recommendations from the Departments of State and Defense, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff in response to National Security Action Memoranda number 118 (NSAM 118) titled, “Participation of U.S. and Latin American Armed Forces in the Attainment of Common Objectives in Latin America.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-002
This file contains copies and drafts of National Security Action Memoranda number 118 (NSAM 118) titled, “Participation of U.S. and Latin American Armed Forces in the Attainment of Common Objectives in Latin America,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-006
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include the establishment of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), amendments to the 1962 budget for additional appropriations to foreign assistance programs and defense, the crisis in Berlin, and the Act for International Development (AID). Also included in this folder are numerous newspaper clippings.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-021
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 233 (NSAM 233) titled, “MLF [multilateral force] and IANF [inter-allied nuclear force] Developments,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-002
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 216 (NSAM 216) titled, “Study of Disclosure to Russians of U.S. Satellite Reconnaissance Capability," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included is a report in response to NSAM 216 titled, “Disclosure of U.S. Satellite Reconnaissance Capability.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-001
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 215 (NSAM 215) titled, “Inclusion of Tactical Weapons in the Paragraph 6 Force," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-339-018
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 204 (NSAM 204) titled, "Special Group (Counter-Insurgency)," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from President John F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-292-006
This folder contains telegrams, press releases, and memoranda concerning the withdrawal of United States military forces from Europe and a reduction in Department of Defense spending to improve the balance of payments.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-292-005
This folder contains telegrams and memoranda concerning the withdrawal of United States military forces from Europe and a reduction in Department of Defense spending to improve the balance of payments.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-017
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 189 (NSAM 189) titled, "Presidential Meeting on Laos, September 28, 1962," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone from Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-014
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 186 (NSAM 186) titled, "Countries under the Cognizance of the Special Group (CI)," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-012
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 184 (NSAM 184) titled, "Countries under the Cognizance of the Special Group (CI)," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-011
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 183 (NSAM 183) titled, “Space Program of the United States,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Director of Central Intelligence John McCone, Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James E. Webb, Director of the United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) William C. Foster, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg, and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Jerome B. Wiesner from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included are position and contingency papers related to NSAM 183.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-010
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 182 (NSAM 182) titled, “Counterinsurgency Doctrine,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer, Director of Central Intelligence John McCone, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, and Military Representative to the President General Maxwell Taylor from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included is a paper prepared by the Department of State in conjunction with the Special Group (CI) titled, “U.S. Overseas Internal Defense Policy.”