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About Oral History
Digital Identifier
JFKOH-ROWK-05
Interviewee(s)
Komer, Robert W. (Robert William), 1922-2000
Biographical Note
(1922 - 2000) Senior staff member, National Security Council (1961-1965)
Interviewer(s)
Dennis O'Brien
Access Restriction Status
Open
Use Restriction Status
None
Description
In this interview Komer discusses working with McGeorge Bundy; the “inner circle” of the Bundy State Department; Komer’s major contacts; the intelligence system; the power and responsibilities of the State Department; how Bundy screened what President John F. Kennedy [JFK] would see; relations with other key officials; Robert F. Kennedy and foreign policy issues; the Bundy State Department and White House staff; the “little State Department” in the White House; the bureaucratic role of the State Department; U.S. foreign policy in Asia; relations with key U.S. Ambassadors; handling Arab-Israeli issues; domestic pressures of American-Jewish community on JFK; Arabists in the Kennedy Administration; working with Myer Feldman on Israeli issues; the United States, Saudi Arabia, and oil; filling the power vacuum left by the British; dealing with Congress on foreign aid matters; counterinsurgency; and looking back at programs during the Kennedy Administration, among other issues.
Date(s) of Materials
22 December 1969
Deed Status
Deeded
Copyright Status
Donated to the United States
Collection
Series
Series 1. John F. Kennedy Oral History Interviews, 1964-2012.
Preferred Citation
Robert W. Komer, recorded interview by Dennis O'Brien, December 22, 1969, (page number), John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program.
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.
Associated Record
Accession Number
OH 1976-015
Transcript
Page Last Updated
October 28, 2023 9:18:57 AM EDT