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Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-114-A50c
Sound recording of two meetings. First is a meeting on Brazil held on October 7, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs Edwin Martin, United States Ambassador to Brazil Lincoln Gordon, Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) David Bell, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Marshall Carter, Director of Covert Operations for the CIA Richard Helms, and Special Assistant to the President Ralph Dungan. They discuss the conditions in Brazil, President of Brazil Joao Goulart’s popularity, and the possible removal of President Goulart and his possible successors. There are also discussions on Brazilian military intervention, President Kennedy's possible trip to Brazil, and a Presidential statement regarding coups. Second is a meeting on Vietnam held on October 8, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell Taylor. They discuss a possible coup and the position of the United States on a possible coup and Vietnamese military leaders, press leaks, the use of Lucien Conein, a military display for Vietnamese Independence Day, appearances by Secretary McNamara and General Taylor before the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the Congressional adjournment. At the end of the meeting, several Senators enter the room and talk among themselves briefly before the tape cuts off.
This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 114/A50, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 114/A50 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-096-002
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 4, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman, and member of the National Security Council Michael Forrestal. The main focus of this White House off-the-record meeting is the situation in Vietnam. The meeting takes place not long after a Buddhist monk burned himself to death to protest the relationship between the government of Vietnam and the Buddhists and amidst recent Buddhist demonstrations. The possibility of a coup in Vietnam and differing staff assessments of that possibility are also presented. Other topics are discussed near the end of the meeting, including Laos, Indonesia, Brazil, and Averell Harriman’s upcoming mission to Moscow concerning the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), and specific aspects of its negotiations. One segment of the recording totaling 35 seconds has been removed in accordance with the donor's deed of gift. Four segments of the recording totaling 41 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 96, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 96 in its entirety.