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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-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
Edward M. Kennedy Senate Files
EMKSEN-AU0007-037-012
Sound recording of the radio program "Face Off." Senator Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy of Massachusetts and Senator Alan K. "Al" Simpson of Wyoming debate the need for United Nations (UN) action in response to guerrilla warfare that is threatening the peace agreement in southwest Africa. The peace plan called for Cuban troops to withdraw from Angola, for South Africa troops to withdraw from Namibia, and for independence for Namibia. The episode aired on Tuesday, April 11, 1989, on the Mutual Broadcasting System.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-05A-1
Sound recording of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy, John J. McCloy, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss McCloy’s dealings with Vasilii V. Kuznetsov concerning the surveillance and quarantine of Cuba. They also discuss plans to speak to U Thant of the United Nations (U.N.).[White House Operator?] speaks to McCloy as he holds for President Kennedy.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 5A, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-05A, Title: Telephone Recordings: Dictation Belt 5A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-05A
Dictation Belt 5A contains three undated sound recordings. Item 5A.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy, John J. McCloy, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss McCloy’s dealings with Vasilii V. Kuznetsov concerning the surveillance and quarantine of Cuba. They also discuss plans to speak to U Thant of the United Nations (U.N.). [White House Operator?] speaks to McCloy as he holds for President Kennedy. Item 5A.2 is a telephone conversation between United States Army General Chester V. Clifton and an unidentified man. On the advice of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, the man asks General Clifton to arrange a meeting with President John F. Kennedy for Clarence Francis and S.H. Egbert. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 5A.3 is a sound recording of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They discuss negotiations on Cuba at the United Nations (UN). The recording begins in mid-conversation and ends abruptly.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
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-41
Dictation Belt 41 contains four sound recordings. Item 41.1 is a telephone conversation between unidentified men. They discuss aerial reconnaissance and various proposals involving airplanes or aerial photography, including the sale of an airplane to the United Nations (U.N.). Most of one speaker’s side of the conversation is indistinct. The conversation ends abruptly and machine noise follows. Item 41.2 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. [White House Operator?] connects the call at President Kennedy’s request. Item 41.3 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Harry S. Truman. They discuss dealings with Soviet Premier Nikita S. Khrushchev for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. [White House Operator?] places the call at President Kennedy’s request and a delay follows. Item 41.4 is a telephone conversation held on October 28, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Herbert Hoover. They discuss conditions for ending the Cuban Missile Crisis. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation.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
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-36
Sound recording of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai E. Stevenson, Deputy Under Secretary of State U. Alexis Johnson, and Michael V. Forrestal. They discuss issues involving Cuba and the United Nations (U.N.), including the possibility of aerial reconnaissance of Cuba. Secretary Rusk mentions that he is in a meeting with President John F. Kennedy.The recording ends abruptly. Most of Ambassador Stevenson’s side of the conversation is indistinct.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30-1
Sound recording of a telephone conversation held on October 22, 1962, 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.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 30, which contains additional sound recording(s) following 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-007
Sound recording of a taped program with United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Adlai Stevenson, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, and Arnold Michaelis. John MacVane of ABC (American Broadcasting Company) introduces the program. Ambasador Stevenson describes the program as an effort to inform people of what's being done "in diplomacy, in our foreign policy, and especially at the United Nations," and announces that the subject of this episode is communication. They discuss the USIA's efforts and challenges with print and broadcast communication abroad and in relation to the Soviet Union and China. They also discuss the challenges of diplomacy due to language differences. Other topics include accusations from Cuba that the United States interfered with the internal affairs of the Dominican Republic, the wide ranging involvement of the United States in international affairs, and issues in Latin American affairs. Accession MR-1972-096-007.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-169-003
This file contains memoranda and copies of correspondence between the Department of State, President John F. Kennedy, and President of the United Arab Republic (UAR) Gamal Abdel Nasser discussing American foreign policy, the United Nations response to the Congolese fight for independence, and relations between the United States and Cuba.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-064-014
This file contains the text of correspondence between United Nations (UN) Secretary General U Thant, President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-047-005
This file contains correspondence between President John F. Kennedy, Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev, United Nations Acting Secretary General U Thant, and Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro regarding the Cuban Missile Crisis. This file contains some Spanish-language material.
Textual folder
Papers of Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Papers
RFKAG-217-001
Textual folder
Papers of Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Papers
RFKAG-215-002
Textual folder
Papers of Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Papers
RFKAG-218-002
Collection
HCPP
Diplomat, government official, educator. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs (1961-1965); United States ambassador to NATO (1965-1969); author. Correspondence, appointment books, articles, drafts, meeting minutes, memoranda, press releases, reports, speeches, and telegrams.