Close
Not finding the information you're looking for? Please contact the Archives research staff.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MJH-01
In this interview Hillenbrand discusses President John F. Kennedy [JFK] entering office amid the Berlin crisis; working as the Director of the Office of German Affairs with JFK; the Berlin Task Force and the Ambassadorial Group; JFK's attitude towards the German problem and German reactions to the Kennedy Administration; the State Department and Germany; the 1961 Vienna talks with Nikita S. Khrushchev; the erection of the Berlin Wall and the crisis it generated; the Kennedy Administration's reaction and response to the Berlin Wall; talks with Russia over Berlin and the Wall; the press "leaks crisis" on the Germany problem; JFK's working style and approach to problems, according to Hillenbrand; the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Berlin talks; JFK's German policy and relationship with German leaders; and what JFK accomplished related to Germany, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LWH-01
In this interview, Lord Harlech discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] early opinions on disarmament; dealings with Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Soviet Union; the Cuban crisis; issues with selling and testing American missiles; how JFK’s relationship with British Prime Minister M. Harold Macmillan developed over time and how they worked together on specific issues; how JFK’s interest in politics and foreign affairs developed; difficulties with France over their nuclear program in 1962; JFK’s skills and character; JFK’s different circles of friends; and JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ approaches to life in the public eye, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JCPW-01
In this interview they discuss their article in Look magazine; personal recollections of President John F. Kennedy's [JFK] assassination; working on JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign; JFK’s campaigning style; JFK’s relationship with the press, White House staff, and his family; and JFK’s trips to Nassau, Europe, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ranch, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WIEK-01
This written statement focuses on William E. Knox’s trips to the Soviet Union and Knox’s meeting with Chairman Krushchev in 1962, 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.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30-2
Sound recording of three telephone exchanges. The first exchange is a telephone conversation held on October 22, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss ways to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis and consider possible consequences, including nuclear war and actions taken by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation.The second exchange is chatter involving [White House Operators?]. Machine noise follows.
The third exchange is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They talk about an impending address to the nation on providing an “effective quarantine” against a threat.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 30, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-30, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 30.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30
Dictation Belt 30 contains two sound recordings from October 22, 1962. Item 30.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and John J. McCloy. President Kennedy asks McCloy to return to the United States from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to support the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis at the United Nations (U.N.). The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 30.2 is a recording of three telephone exchanges. The first exchange is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss ways to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis and consider possible consequences, including nuclear war and actions taken by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation. The second exchange is chatter involving [White House Operators?]. Machine noise follows. The third exchange is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They talk about an impending address to the nation on providing an “effective quarantine” against a threat.Each item listed above is also available individually as an excerpt derived from this full-length digitized recording. See Related Records for more information.
Sound recording
United States Information Agency Audio Recordings Collection
USIAAU-032
Sound recording of an interview of Ted Sorensen, former Special Assistant to the late President John F. Kennedy, conducted by Robert S. Greene on January 30, 1964. Excerpts from the interview were used in a Voice of America (VOA) program called "John F. Kennedy - A Personal Memory" by Robert S. Greene. Main interview topics include President Kennedy's leadership qualities and view on the office of the presidency, happiest and toughest moments of his presidency, his speeches, his visit to West Berlin, the Cuban missile crisis, and his contribution as "the author of a new birth of hope in this country and in this world." Sorensen also speaks briefly about his own plans. The recording ends abruptly. Accession MR-1965-85.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-18-D
AR28, ST15, KN24
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-183-001
This folder contains correspondence between President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev. Topics include relations between the United States and Soviet Union, Berlin and German unification, disarmament, nuclear testing, Laos, space flights, and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Also included in this folder are letters from Premier Khrushchev to President Dwight D. Eisenhower and John J. McCloy, Advisor to President Kennedy on Disarmament. This folder contains some Russian-language material.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-318-003
This folder contains memoranda and indexes of materials compiled for President John F. Kennedy’s weekend reading. Topics include various matters regarding Cuba, United States policy towards Middle Eastern countries, Communist China, disarmament, France, Berlin, and the Soviet Union.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-015
This folder contains memoranda to and from Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, on various topics of foreign affairs including international economics; Cuba; and Berlin, disarmament, and relations between United States and Soviet Union.
Textual folder
Papers of Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Papers
RFKAG-216-003
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-057-009
This folder contains background material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of August 22, 1962 (News Conference 41). Materials primarily consist of draft press conference announcements and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Topics include the economy, disarmament, the military space program, Latin America and the Alliance for Progress, the Soviet Union and Berlin, and foreign aid. Of note are materials relating to recent activity surrounding Cuba, including an increase in supplies and technicians from the Soviet Union and the possibility of lawyer James B. Donovan traveling to Cuba to negotiate for the release of prisoners.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-062-016
This folder contains memoranda between the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, and McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include Cuba, Berlin, China, and administration changes within the Department of State. Of note is a handwritten resignation letter from Bundy. Also included in this folder is a copy of a speech given by Bundy to the Economic Club of Chicago titled "Policy for the Western Alliance-Berlin and After."
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-119-004
Sound recording of two meetings held on November 5, 1963. The first is a meeting about the Dominican Republic between President John F. Kennedy, United States Ambassador to the Dominican Republic John Bartlow Martin, United States Ambassador to Chile Ralph Dungan, Assistant Secretary of State Edwin Martin, and Deputy Chief of Mission from the Department of State Spencer King. They discuss prospects for constitutional elections in the Dominican Republic, an assessment of the situation there, and prospects for the future. Second is a meeting about foreign policy between President John F. Kennedy and Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy. They discuss convoys in Berlin, Germany, and action by the Soviet Union against the French and the British and French stance. They also discuss problems concerning the ticketing of Russian journalists by police in Washington, D.C.; Berlin convoy access; and William Attwood and Prime Minister of Cuba Fidel Castro.
This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 119/A55, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 119/A55 in its entirety.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C24663
President John F. Kennedy meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko. Seated (L-R): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov; Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin; Minister Gromyko; President Kennedy (in rocking chair). Also pictured: US State Department interpreter, Alexander Akalovsky (standing second from right, in shadow); United Press International (UPI) photographer, Frank Cancellare (standing second from left in background); White House Secret Service agent, Frank Yeager (standing in back, hands folded). Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C24662
President John F. Kennedy meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko. Seated (L-R): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov; Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin; Minister Gromyko; President Kennedy (in rocking chair). United Press International (UPI) photographer, Frank Cancellare, stands at far left in background; others are unidentified. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C24661
President John F. Kennedy meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko. Seated (L-R): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov; Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin; Minister Gromyko; President Kennedy (in rocking chair). Also pictured: US State Department interpreter, Alexander Akalovsky (standing third from right, in shadow); United Press International (UPI) photographer, Frank Cancellare (at far left in background); White House Secret Service agent, Frank Yeager (behind photographers). Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C24660
President John F. Kennedy meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko. Seated (L-R): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov; Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin; Minister Gromyko; President Kennedy (in rocking chair). United Press International (UPI) photographer, Frank Cancellare, stands at far left in background; others are unidentified. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Collection
MKPLRLPP
Papers 1961-1979. Co-authors of The Kennedy Crises (1983). Notes, correspondence, interviews, audiotapes, research materials, draft manuscript.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-456-3-62
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko (right center), arrives at the White House for a meeting with President John F. Kennedy. Walking with Minister Gromyko are Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov, and Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin. National Park Service (NPS) Photographer, Abbie Rowe (wearing glasses), stands in group at left; others are unidentified. West Wing Entrance, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-456-2-62
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko, arrives at the White House for a meeting with President John F. Kennedy. Arriving with Minister Gromyko are Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov, and Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin. West Wing Entrance, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-456-1-62
President John F. Kennedy meets with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union (USSR), Andrei Gromyko. Seated (L-R): Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, Vladimir S. Semenov; Soviet Ambassador to the United States, Anatoliy Fedorovich Dobrynin; Minister Gromyko; President Kennedy (in rocking chair). United Press International (UPI) photographer, Frank Cancellare, stands in background. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.