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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.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1963-10-11-D
AR40, ST31, KN40
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-18-B
AR28, KN24
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6441-C
Meeting with the President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Management. Seated, L-R: President of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, George Meany; Publisher of the Atlanta Constitution newspaper, Ralph E. McGill; unidentified man; Secretary of Commerce, Luther Hodges; Secretary of Labor, Arthur Goldberg; President John F. Kennedy; President of the Brotherhood of Railway and Steamship Clerks, Freight Handlers, Express and Station Employees, George M. Harrison; Chairman and President of Burlington Industries, Inc., J. Spencer Love; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford II. Standing, L-R: Professor of Labor Relations in the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. George W. Taylor; unidentified; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inland Steel Company, Joseph L. Block; President of the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Thomas J. Watson, Jr.; President of Reynolds Metal Company, Richard S. Reynolds, Jr.; President of the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union, David Dubinsky; Editor and Publisher of Business Week Magazine, Elliott V. Bell; President of the International Union of United Automobile, Aircraft, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, Walter P. Reuther; President of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Dr. Arthur Burns; unidentified man. Also included in the President’s schedule: David L. Cole, of Cole, Morrill, and Berman; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the United States Lines Company, John M. Franklin. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6441-A
Meeting with the President’s Advisory Committee on Labor Management. Seated, L-R: Unidentified man; Secretary of Commerce, Luther Hodges; Secretary of Labor, Arthur Goldberg; President John F. Kennedy. Standing, L-R: Professor of Labor Relations in the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. George W. Taylor; unidentified; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inland Steel Company, Joseph L. Block; President of the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Thomas J. Watson, Jr.; President of Reynolds Metal Company, Richard S. Reynolds, Jr.; President of the International Ladies Garment Workers’ Union, David Dubinsky. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24647
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller (on edge of frame). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24646
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24645
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz (mostly hidden); Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver (face obscured); Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24644
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy (face obscured); Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby; Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-24643
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left foreground): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb (back to camera); Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver; Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne; Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara (mostly hidden); Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Seated along windows behind table (L-R): Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner; Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby (mostly hidden behind President Kennedy); Special Counsel to the President, Theodore C. Sorensen; Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, Jerome B. Wiesner; Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, Walter W. Heller. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR7550-C
President John F. Kennedy meets with members of the Cabinet. Seated at table (clockwise from left): Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Dr. James E. Webb; Administrator of the Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA), Robert C. Weaver (hidden behind Webb); Postmaster General, J. Edward Day; Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), John E. Horne (hidden behind Day); Secretary of Defense, Robert S. McNamara; Under Secretary of Agriculture, Charles S. Murphy; Under Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, Anthony Celebrezze; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg; Deputy Under Secretary of State for Management, William H. Orrick, Jr.; President Kennedy; Secretary of the Treasury, C. Douglas Dillon; Assistant Secretary of the Interior, John A. Carver; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Director of the Bureau of the Budget, David E. Bell (back to camera). Administrator of the Veterans Administration (VA), General John S. Gleason, sits at far left in front of bookcase; Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA), Bernard L. Boutin, sits next to Gleason. Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA), Najeeb Halaby, sits at far right in front of window; Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Aubrey J. “Red” Wagner, sits next to Halaby. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-9-63
President John F. Kennedy speaks with Representative Edith Green and Senator Maurine Neuberger (both of Oregon) after receiving the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women.” Also pictured: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; President of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Dorothy Height; Executive Director of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), Margaret Mealey; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont). East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-5-63
President John F. Kennedy (at lectern) delivers remarks upon receiving the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women.” Also pictured: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; contributing editor for the Ladies’ Home Journal, Margaret Hickey; Executive Director of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), Margaret Mealey; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; past president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Dr. Marguerite Rawalt; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Representative Edith Green (Oregon); Senator Maurine Neuberger (Oregon); President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont); Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission, John W. Macy, Jr. East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-4-63
President John F. Kennedy (at lectern) delivers remarks upon receiving the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women.” Also pictured: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; contributing editor for the Ladies’ Home Journal, Margaret Hickey; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; past president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Dr. Marguerite Rawalt; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Representative Edith Green (Oregon); Senator Maurine Neuberger (Oregon); President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont). East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-3-63
President John F. Kennedy (at lectern) delivers remarks upon receiving the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women.” Also pictured: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; contributing editor for the Ladies’ Home Journal, Margaret Hickey; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; past president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Dr. Marguerite Rawalt; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Representative Edith Green (Oregon); Senator Maurine Neuberger (Oregon); President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont); Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission, John W. Macy, Jr. East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-11-63
President John F. Kennedy receives the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women,” from Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Standards and Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Esther Peterson. Left to right: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; President of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Dorothy Height; unidentified; Executive Director of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), Margaret Mealey; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; President Kennedy; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson; Director of the New School for Social Research, Dr. Henry David; past president of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs (NFBPWC) and the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL), Dr. Marguerite Rawalt; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; unidentified; Assistant Secretary Peterson; Assistant General Secretary for Program of the National Council of Churches, Dr. Cynthia C. Wedel (mostly hidden); President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; technical advisor in community development and cultural affairs for the United Nations (UN), Dr. Caroline F. Ware (face obscured); Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont). East Room, White House Washington, D.C. [Horizontal line along bottom of image is original to the negative.]
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White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-10-63
President John F. Kennedy stands with members of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women after receiving the Commission’s final report, titled “American Women.” Left to right: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; President of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW), Dorothy Height; unidentified; Executive Director of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW), Margaret Mealey; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; President of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Viola Hymes; Secretary of Labor, W. Willard Wirtz; President Kennedy; Director of the New School for Social Research, Dr. Henry David; two unidentified women; Assistant General Secretary for Program of the National Council of Churches, Dr. Cynthia C. Wedel; President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting; technical advisor in community development and cultural affairs for the United Nations (UN), Dr. Caroline F. Ware; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont); Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Standards and Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Esther Peterson. East Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
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White House Photographs
JFKWHP-ST-459-1-63
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and President of Radcliffe College, Dr. Mary I. “Polly” Bunting, sit at a table during the presentation of the final report of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, titled “American Women,” to President John F. Kennedy. Also pictured: Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission, John W. Macy, Jr.; Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Director of the New School for Social Research, Dr. Henry David. East Room, White House Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR8177-A
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Labor Standards and Executive Vice Chairman of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women, Esther Peterson (right), delivers remarks at the presentation of the final report of the Commission, titled “American Women,” to President John F. Kennedy. Also pictured: Secretary of Commerce, Luther H. Hodges; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson (face obscured); Vice Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Richard A. Lester; Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission, John W. Macy, Jr.; Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW), Anthony J. Celebrezze; Senator George D. Aiken (Vermont); Senator Maurine Neuberger (Oregon). East Room, White House Washington, D.C.