About Oral History
Digital Identifier
JFKOH-RFK-01
Interviewee(s)
Kennedy, Robert F. (Robert Francis), 1925-1968
Biographical Note
(1925 - 1968) Brother of President Kennedy; Attorney General of the United States (1961-1964); Senator from New York (1965-1968)
Interviewer(s)
John B. Martin
Access Restriction Status
Open
Use Restriction Status
Portion(s) Closed
Description
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.
Date(s) of Materials
29 February 1964
Deed Status
No Deed
Copyright Status
Retained by Donor
Collection
Series
Series 1. John F. Kennedy Oral History Interviews, 1964-2012.
Preferred Citation
Robert F. Kennedy, recorded interview by John B. Martin, February 29 and March 1, 1964, (page number), Robert F. Kennedy Oral History Program of the John F. Kennedy Library.
Subject(s)
Person(s)
Organization(s)
Place(s)
Use Restriction Note
Some of the archival materials in this collection may be subject to copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Users of these materials are advised to determine the copyright status of any document from which they wish to publish.
Accession Number
OH(R) 1979-002
Page Last Updated
October 28, 2023 9:18:57 AM EDT