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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-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-EDAG-04
In this interview Gullion discusses his impressions of President John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] character; JFK’s attitude toward and experience with disarmament; President JFK and the arts; and JFK’s concept of the presidency, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EDAG-03
In this interview Gullion discusses the fighting in the Congo over Katangese secession; the UN forces involved in the Katanga fighting, including prominent generals; John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] role in the Congolese crisis and various influences on his view of U.S. and UN policy in the Congo; differing opinions on the U.S. Congo policy; and the importance of Belgian and British views on the Congo to JFK, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EDAG-02
In this interview Gullion discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] views on the roles of U.S. Ambassadors and diplomatic missions; Gullion’s work in the Congo, 1961-1963; JFK’s views of the Congo and of Africa; UN policy in the Congo and the U Thant plan; and Moise Kapenda Tshombe and Cyrille Adoula and Katangese secession, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-05
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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, 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-GFK-01
Kennan discusses his position as United States Ambassador to Yugoslavia and his working relationship with John F. Kennedy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JDJ-01
In this interview Jernegan discusses John F. Kennedy’s 1957 speech on Algeria; working as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq; the transition between Administrations in the State Department, 1960; Abd al-Karim Qasim and Iraqi politics; Soviet involvement and influence in Iraq; the Kuwait problem; the Iraqi government and Israel; U.S. policy in regard to oil-bearing countries; oil company negotiations with foreign countries; U.S. foreign aid programs in Iraq; Yemen affairs in the State Department, 1963; Middle East affairs in the Kennedy Administration; changes in Jernegan’s long-range views for Near East problems, 1941–1969; and the influence of pro-Israel and pro-Arab groups on U.S. policy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-03
In this interview Young discusses the creation of the Dean Rusk-Thanat Khoman Agreement in March 1962; drafting the Internal Security Program for Thailand and urging Thai officials to create their own; Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to Bangkok in 1962 and his support on Thai issues; Thailand’s road building program; the different approach to Asia by select assistant secretaries of State; and working with the country team for Thailand, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-02
In this interview Young discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the high level visit; the need for scholarly diplomacy in U.S. relations with Asian countries; the role of an ambassador; the relationships between the Embassies in Thailand and Laos; William Averell Harriman’s meetings with Thai and Laotian leaders; different strategy proposals for and conflicting opinions on Laos; U.S. programs in Thailand; and the Dean Rusk-Thanat Khoman Agreement, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-01
In this interview Young discusses issues with American policy in Southeast Asia and the need for more informed decision makers; the process of his appointment as Ambassador to Thailand; Thai distrust over French actions in SEATO [South East Asia Treaty Organization] and inaction in Laos; and the various debates over U.S. actions in Laos and Thailand in the early 1960s, among other issues.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17B-1
The recording of this conversation begins on Dictation Belt 17A.4. Sound recording of part of a telephone conversation held on April 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss speaking to Richard M. Helms about the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. They also discuss facilitating the movement of members of the Peace Corps into the Foreign Service.Machine noise follows the conversation.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 17B, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-17B, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 17B.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-17B
Dictation Belt 17B contains four sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 17B.1 begins on Dictation Belt 17A.4. Item 17B.1 is part of a telephone conversation held on April 2, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Sargent Shriver, Director of the Peace Corps. They discuss speaking to Richard M. Helms about the suspicion that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is trying to place people in the Peace Corps. They also discuss facilitating the movement of members of the Peace Corps into the Foreign Service. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 17B.2 is a telephone conversation held on April 3, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss possible requests by the Air Force Inspector General to use polygraph tests to investigate a Defense Department leak. They also discuss seeking input on the matter from Press Secretary Pierre Salinger and Assistant Secretary of Defense Arthur Sylvester. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 17B.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Louis Harris. They discuss polling on upcoming elections in Canada and Kentucky. They also discuss Harris’s professional plans. Item 17B.4 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. First they discuss a topic that is unclear. Then they discuss providing a recommendation for a student applying to Harvard. There is a brief delay before the conversation, and machine noise follows the conversation.Transcript included. 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
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-168-007
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s remarks to a group of newly promoted Foreign Service officers in the White House Rose Garden. In his speech the President discusses the symbiotic relationship between the office of the Presidency and the State Department in the development and enforcement of foreign policy.
Collection
MSC
Photographs and diary entries, May-June 1961. United States Information Service Press Attache at the United States Embassy in Vienna, Austria, at the time of the June 1961 summit conference between U.S. President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Senate Files
JFKSEN-0914-068
This file contains a copy and draft of Senator John F. Kennedy's remarks given at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, California, during his 1960 presidential campaign. In his speech the Senator discusses international challenges, disarmament, and the need for qualified Foreign Service officers. He also proposes a volunteer corps of peace ambassadors. Of note is a partial draft with notations by Senator Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-043-007
This folder contains a press copy of President John F. Kennedy's remarks to a group of newly promoted Foreign Service officers in the White House Rose Garden. In his speech the President discusses the symbiotic relationship between the office of the Presidency and the State Department in the development and enforcement of foreign policy. The press copy also includes remarks from Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-088-008
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of State. Topics include Secretary of State Dean Rusk’s visit to Berlin and Bonn, coordination between United States international programs, MRBMs (medium-range ballistic missiles), Congo, and a seminar by the Foreign Service Institute titled, “Problems of Development and Internal Defense.” Also included in this folder is a map dated December 1, 1960 detailing United States Foreign Service Posts and Department of State Jurisdictions.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C17157
Reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, descend the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. Behind them (L-R) are Military Aide to the President General Chester V. Clifton; Air Force Aide to the President General Godfrey McHugh; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Naval Aide to the President Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr. (partially hidden); Dean Rusk's wife Virginia Rusk.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C17155-B
Reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, descend the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. Behind them (L-R) are Military Aide to the President General Chester V. Clifton; Secretary of State Dean Rusk and wife Virginia Rusk; Naval Aide to the President Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr.; Air Force Aide to the President General Godfrey McHugh.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C17155-A
Reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy descend the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. Behind them (L-R) are Military Aide to the President Chester V. Clifton; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Secretary of State Dean Rusk (partially hidden); Lady Bird Johnson; Dean Rusk's wife Virginia Rusk; Naval Aide to the President Tazewell Shepard, Jr.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C17158
Reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, with Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson, descend the Grand Staircase to the Entrance Hall. Behind them (L-R) are Military Aide to the President General Chester V. Clifton (partially hidden); Air Force Aide to the President General Godfrey McHugh (partially hidden); Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Naval Aide to the President Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr.; Dean Rusk's wife Virginia Rusk.
Collection
USDS
Records 1961-1963. Microfilm copies of memorandums for the President, Presidential memorandums of conversation, memorandums to White House staff, chronologies of Presidential conferences abroad and official visits to Washington, incoming and outgoing telegrams, files of American Foreign Service posts, files of bureaus and divisions, personal papers of Secretary Dean Rusk, ceremonial messages with foreign governments, and miscellaneous Central Files related to President Kennedy.