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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SH-01
This interview focuses on the presidential campaign, the reorganization of the Department of Defense, and the controversy over the TFX contract, among other topics.
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-BBH-01
In this interview Hickenlooper discusses various meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on foreign relations; Soviet and American nuclear testing; the nuclear test ban treaty; the Bay of Pigs invasion; Laos and Vietnam; the Punta del Este Conference in 1962; the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; Hickenlooper's 1962 reelection campaign; traveling with JFK to Costa Rica; the 1961 Berlin crisis; JFK's congressional relations; and social occasions at the Kennedy White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-DH-01
In this interview Henderson discusses working at the United States Embassy in Peru under President Dwight D. Eisenhower; his daily routine and responsibilities as economic counselor; the Point Four Program and Peru; Peruvian elections; James I. Loeb as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru and changes and tensions within the Embassy; the military coup in Peru and the events leading up to it; Haya de la Torre’s self-destructive behavior in the Peruvian presidential election; working at the Embassy in Peru after the coup and after Loeb leaves his position; pressure on the United States from Peruvian authorities; the issue of U.S. non recognition of the military leaders; Canadian and British interests in Peru; John Wesley Jones as the U.S. Ambassador to Peru; problems with military governments and transitions; Henderson’s daily routine and responsibilities as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia; his first few weeks in Bolivia; John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Bolivian President Victor Paz Estenssoro; Henderson’s impressions of JFK; American hostages in Bolivia in late 1963; the military coup in Bolivia and the events leading up to it; the political breakdown of Bolivia; and political and military maneuvering in other Latin American countries, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-02
In this interview Heinz discusses his primary contacts in other government agencies; the Vietnam task force; the different political trips and survey missions to Vietnam; the Maxwell D. Taylor-Walt W. Rostow mission to Vietnam and subsequent report; the Ngo Dinh Diem regime; the rise in interest in the concept of counterinsurgency; problems with working in Vietnam; changing the terrain in Vietnam with the use of defoliants; the Strategic Hamlet program; how to measure success in warfare; the International Control Commission; General Paul D. Harkins; the various agency reports coming out of Vietnam and interagency meetings; the Buddhist crisis in the summer of 1963; the appointment of Henry Cabot Lodge as Ambassador; and the military coup in Saigon and the rumors leading up to it, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-REH-01
In this interview Hedrick discusses how he first became interested in John F. Kennedy [JFK] as a presidential candidate and initial interactions with him; the 1960 West Virginia [WV] presidential primary; the economics of Randolph County, WV; the issue of religion during JFK’s 1960 campaign; the Douglas Committee and legislation; forestry and Randolph County’s economy; Hubert H. Humphrey’s campaign in Randolph County during the 1960 primary; mining communities in southern WV; which of JFK’s domestic policies played well in WV; the students and faculty of Randolph County colleges and JFK’s campaign; Republican hostility towards JFK versus religious hostility in the 1960 election; the impact of JFK’s war record on the WV vote; how the JFK campaign helped WV’s national image and reputation; and the 1960 Democratic National Convention, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KGH-01
In this interview Heath discusses her family and her childhood; how she reached her chosen career path; obstacles to her advancement because of her gender; studying at American University and at Syracuse University; myths of the “male chauvinists’ world”; taking a women’s studies course; working while in school; running a cost of living survey for the Department of Labor in Rochester, NY, and then in Richmond, VA; the Temporary Emergency Relief Administration; working with the disadvantaged during the Depression; the “great American dream”; the effectiveness of institutionalization and the rise in bureaucracy; the National Association of Deans of Women; stigmas attached to higher education; the Civil Service Commission; working during World War II with various organizations, including the Norden Company in Elmira, NY, at the bombsight plant and the United States Army; the attitude towards women in war work; and writing her dissertation and getting her doctorate, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-03
In this interview Hart discusses Ellsworth Bunker’s mission in Saudi Arabia; meetings between Bunker and Prime Minister Faisal; Faisal’s distrust of Gamal Abdel Nasser and Egyptian inaction in regards to the agreement reached with Bunker; difficulties with the U.S. Department of Defense over the agreement to train Saudi pilots and use American military equipment; major problems in the Middle East, 1957–1967; communications between John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Faisal; and Saudi reactions to JFK’s death and to Lyndon B. Johnson becoming President, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PTH-01
In this interview Hart discusses his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia including King Saud’s visits to the United States for medical treatment beginning in 1961; the issue of the Dhahran Airfield and the American military’s use of it; the creation of the Saudi cabinet and political leadership and the transition to Faisal [Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia] in power; the revolution in Yemen and the problems and tensions it caused within Saudi Arabia and between Saudi leaders and other governments; the debate over U.S. recognition of the new Yemen Republic; various meetings of Near East State Department staff from 1961 through 1963; communication between President John F. Kennedy and Faisal; oil matters in the Near East and different oil companies and related groups; Soviet interest in Middle East oil and in Saudi Arabia; and the work of American advisers in Saudi Arabia, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WAH-02
In this interview Harriman discusses his position in the State Department as a roving ambassador, including his flexibility in making decisions in the field, and traveling around the world; John F. Kennedy's [JFK] conception of the Soviet Union; interactions with Souvanna Phouma and changes in general opinion of him; evaluating options for American action or intervention in Laos; the international meeting in Geneva over Laos, including dealing with the Soviet negotiator George M. Pushking and with the Chinese; comparing JFK and Franklin D. Roosevelt in their respective administration of the State Department; and the Joint Chiefs’ attitude towards Laos and the concept of limited commitment, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JH-01
In this interview Harllee discusses his interactions with John F. Kennedy [JFK] during World War II; working with Congressman JFK on selection procedures for Annapolis and West Point, 1947–1948; his impressions of JFK in Congress; working as chairman of Citizens for Kennedy and Johnson [Lyndon B. Johnson] in northern California, 1960; anti-Catholic opposition to JFK in California during the 1960 presidential election; and becoming a member of the Federal Maritime Commission amid changes to the Commission’s powers and functions, among other issues.
Textual folder
United States General Services Administration Records
USGSA-MF15-004
This folder contains two items related to an Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Defense to assist in mitigating unemployment and economic problems caused by the closure of military installations.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-GWA-01
Anderson discusses the Cuban Missile Crisis, controversy over government contract for the TFK military airplane, conflicts between civilian and military personnel in Defense Department, and Robert S. McNamara and John F.Kennedy's decision not to reappoint Anderson.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SA-04
Ailes talks about the organization of the government’s civil defense efforts, and also touches on issues of civil rights and discrimination in the military.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SA-03
Ailes talks about the Reserves and the National Guard, and discusses the reorganization of those forces.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SA-02
Ailes discusses issues surrounding the United States’ presence on Okinawa, and also procedural and bureaucratic matters within the Department of Defense.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SA-01
Ailes discusses his appointment as under secretary of the army, his involvement in the 1960 campaign, the political appointments process in the Department of Defense, and issues regarding Panama and the canal.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-09-26-G
KN08
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-06-08-D
KN04
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-06-07-A
AR08, ST03, KN04
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-05-27-B
KN04
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-08-09-C
AR10, KN06
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-03-24-F
ST01, KN01
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-09-08-C
KN07