About Oral History
Digital Identifier
JFKOH-RFK-05
Interviewee(s)
Kennedy, Robert F. (Robert Francis), 1925-1968
Marshall, Burke, 1922-2003
Biographical Note
(1925 - 1968) Brother of President Kennedy; Attorney General of the United States (1961-1964); Senator from New York (1965-1968)
Interviewer(s)
Anthony Lewis
Access Restriction Status
Open
Use Restriction Status
Portion(s) Closed
Description
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] and Marshall discuss how John F. Kennedy [JFK] and RFK grew increasingly more involved with and concerned about civil rights; getting Martin Luther King out of jail during JFK’s 1960 campaign; civil rights advisers during JFK’s 1960 campaign; RFK becoming Attorney General amidst the civil rights battle and the transitional period in the Department of Justice [DOJ]; how Marshall got his position in the DOJ; the struggle over school desegregation; the New Orleans school crisis of February 1961; the Freedom Riders and violence against them; sending federal marshals to Alabama; trying to find a bus driver to get the Freedom Riders out of Birmingham, Alabama; criticism of RFK’s response to the Freedom Riders; how Freedom Riders were arrested and threatened in Mississippi; African-American voting rights in the South and DOJ authority; difficulties with judges; Supreme Court appointments; the FBI and organized crime; reorganization of the DOJ; RFK’s interactions with the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover after JFK’s death; Hoover’s allegations about JFK and the Kennedy family; the alleged FBI wiretapping of officials; JFK’s opinion of Hoover; FBI press releases; connecting the civil rights movement with communism to discredit it; FBI involvement in civil rights matters; issues with the FBI as having civilian control of a police force; JFK’s communication with King and other civil rights leaders; civil rights legislation; the issue of equal employment; the Civil Rights Commission; and violence against African Americans in Birmingham in the spring of 1963, among other issues.
Date(s) of Materials
4 December 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 Anthony Lewis, December 4, 1964, (page number), John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.
Subject(s)
Person(s)
Organization(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