This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the President's News Conference of August 1, 1962 (News Conference 40). The President began the press conference with a statement against the sedative thalidomide and its harmful side effects. He praised the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Dr. Francis Kelsey for preventing the commercial distribution of thalidomide in the United States, and announced a 25 percent increase in FDA staff. The President also emphasized the importance of legislative safeguards for pharmaceuticals and stated his support for the bill introduced by Congressman Oren Harris. The President also announced a review of technical issues associated with a test ban treaty and urged the House of Representatives to support the United Nations bond proposal. Following these statements the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including civil rights in Albany, Georgia, nuclear testing, the economy, disarmament, foreign affairs, the Alianzo para el Progreso (Alliance for Progress), and the rumored resignation of Ambassador to France James M. Gavin. Background materials in this folder include a memorandum on the communications satellite bill and briefing papers on domestic and foreign affairs. Of note are the transcript of a press conference conducted by Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg on August 1, 1962 and handwritten notes by the President in preparation for the press conference. The official White House transcript of the press conference and the stenotype transcript of the press conference are also included.