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Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-26A
Dictation Belt 26A contains six sound recordings. Item 26A.1 is a telephone conversation held on August 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. In preparation for Secretary Rusk’s press conference, they discuss the prospect of answering a question about France and a treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT). The recording begins in mid-conversation, and machine noise follows the conversation. Item 26A.1A is a telephone conversation between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and a White House Operator. The operator brings Lincoln up to date on President John F. Kennedy’s recent telephone calls. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 26A.2 is a telephone conversation held on August 16, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. They discuss the possibility of appointing United States Ambassador to Costa Rica Raymond L. Telles to a new position. They also discuss the prospects of political problems in California, where Latin American groups could resent a perceived favoritism in appointments given to Texans. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 26A.3 is a telephone conversation held on August 19, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Under Secretary of State George W. Ball. They discuss foreign aid given to countries that engage in merchant shipping to Cuba. They also discuss foreign aid for India and negotiations with the Soviet Union on nuclear test inspections. They also discuss American troops in Europe and German officials’ views on the matter. Item 26A.4 is a brief telephone exchange between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Attorney General Kennedy asks to visit President Kennedy to review an unidentified matter. Item 26A.5 is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and an unidentified man. The recording is noisy and ends abruptly. The full conversation (including this fragment) is recorded on Dictation Belt 26B.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-18B
Dictation Belt 18B contains three sound recordings. The recording of the conversation in item 18B.1 begins on Dictation Belt 18A.7. This is a sound recording of part of a telephone conversation held on May 7, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Representative Edith S. Green of Oregon. They complete their discussion about legislative strategy on an education bill and dealing with the National Education Association of the United States. Item 18B.2 is a telephone conversation held on May 8, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. They discuss a strategy for the State Department to deal with an unidentified issue at the United Nations (U.N.). The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 18B.3 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss administering the State Department and making staff changes at the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). They also discuss conferring with Carl Kaysen on a plan to assist Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique’s effort to gain independence. The beginning of the recording is garbled. 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
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-27A
Dictation Belt 27A contains six sound recordings. Item 27A.1 is a telephone conversation held on October 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss a situation involving access at Berlin and related talks with Soviet officials. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 27A.2 is a telephone conversation held on October 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They talk about the hospitalization of newspaperman Ed Lahey and plan a future discussion. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 27A.3 is a telephone conversation held on October 10, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. They discuss the Soviets permitting convoys to move at Berlin. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 27A.3A is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation held in October 1963. An unidentified man (possibly Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara) says he will report back when he hears more information. The recording begins in mid-sentence. Item 27A.4 is a brief telephone exchange in October 1963 between President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Secretary Rusk reports on Soviet officials and issues involving the Berlin access situation. The recording begins in mid-conversation. Machine noise follows the conversation. Item 27A.5 is a telephone conversation held in October 1963 between Personal Secretary Evelyn Lincoln and Gerald G. Wagner. Lincoln reports that she has not relayed Wagner’s letter. [White House Operator?] announces the call. 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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Central Files. Chronological File
JFKWHCFCHRON-016-008
This file contains letters and memoranda regarding requests for Presidential Action written by various White House staff members and brought to President John F. Kennedy’s attention for further disposition. Topics include event invitations, proposed executive orders, appointments to federal positions, the activities of the Civil Aeronautics Board, and drafts of public statements delivered by the President. Also included are letters and memoranda to President Kennedy from Secretary of State Dean Rusk regarding international relations and diplomatic service, and letters from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Central Files. Chronological File
JFKWHCFCHRON-016-007
This file contains letters and memoranda regarding requests for Presidential Action written by various White House staff members and brought to President John F. Kennedy’s attention for further disposition. Topics include committee reports, appointments to federal positions, proposed executive orders, and efforts to improve local economies. Also included are letters and memoranda to President Kennedy from Secretary of State Dean Rusk regarding international relations and diplomatic service, and letters from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Central Files. Chronological File
JFKWHCFCHRON-016-005
This file contains letters and memoranda regarding requests for Presidential Action written by various White House staff members and brought to President John F. Kennedy’s attention for further disposition. Topics include dinner invitations, committee reports, appointments to federal positions, the activities of the Civil Aeronautics Board, and recent interviews given by the President. Also included are letters and memoranda to President Kennedy from Secretary of State Dean Rusk concerning diplomatic service and international relations, and several letters from Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-118-003
Sound recording of a meeting about Vietnam held on October 29, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Chief of the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) Far East Division William Colby, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Military Advisor to the President General Maxwell Taylor, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Director of the CIA John McCone, and Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. They discuss an intelligence report on Vietnam, the orientation of various Vietnamese forces, a 1960 coup attempt, messages to United States staff in Vietnam, whether or not United States Ambassador to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge should return to the United States, the chain of command, and convoy procedures for Berlin, Germany. Seven segments of the recording totaling 27 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 118/A54, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 118/A54 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-114-A50b
Sound recording of a meeting on Vietnam held on October 5, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell Taylor, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Secretary of Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) David Bell, and Senior Member of the National Security Council (NSC) Michael Forrestal. They discuss the possible impact on the government of South Vietnam if the United States cuts off commodities and also discuss the Vietnamese oppression of Buddhists. They also discuss General Paul D. Harkins's meeting with President of South Vietnam Ngo Dinh Diem and Colonel Le Quang Tung, the role of United States Ambassador to Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge, conditions needed for the resumption of aid, General Harkins’s role regarding the military, proposed testimony before a Congressional committee, and the timing of the reduction of troops and advisors. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 114/A50, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following 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-113-005
Sound recording of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on September 30, 1963, concerning wheat sales to the Soviet Union. Discussed are Canadian-Soviet wheat negotiations and the possible sale of U.S. wheat to the Soviet Union and political pitfalls of such an action. The first eight minutes of the meeting are recorded and then the recording skips to the end of the meeting when President John F. Kennedy asks a smaller group of several staff members to stay to continue the discussion. The discussion with the smaller group continues on Tape 114/A49. The larger group includes President Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Under Secretary of the Treasury Henry Fowler, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman, Under Secretary of Agriculture Charles Murphy, Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) General Marshall Carter, Acting Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Curtis LeMay, Director of the Office of Emergency Planning Edward McDermott, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Acting Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Donald Wilson, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Special Counsel to the President Theodore Sorensen, Press Secretary Pierre Salinger, Special Assistant to the President for Congressional Relations Lawrence F. O’Brien, Presidential Advisor Kenneth O’Donnell, Department of Justice official Norbert Schlei, Assistant Secretary of Commerce Jack Behrman, Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze, Chief United States Trade Negotiator Christian Herter, Executive Secretary of the National Security Council Bromley Smith. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 113, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 113 in its entirety or the remainder of this recording on Tape 114/A49.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-111-003
Sound recording of a meeting about Vietnam held on September 17, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell Taylor, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. The discussion centers around a proposed trip of General Taylor and Secretary McNamara to Vietnam. President Kennedy requested this trip as a way to get additional viewpoints on the current situation, both political and military, in Vietnam. Much of the discussion centers around how United States Ambassador to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge might react to the proposed trip and how to phrase a letter to Ambassador Lodge. There is also further discussion on South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu and what course of action the United States should take to put pressure on them, particularly on President Diem. Eight segments of the recording totaling 6 minutes and 51 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 111, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 111 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-111-001
Sound recording of part of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting held on September 12, 1963. The recording of this meeting begins on Tape 110. Participants include President John F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Glenn Seaborg, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell Taylor, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Edward McDermott, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Special Counsel to the President Theodore Sorensen, Military Aide to the President Major General Chester Clifton, and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (NSC) Bromley Smith. They discuss the Armed Services Committee and the Joint Chiefs of Staff and their thoughts on nuclear superiority, including what nuclear superiority means with regard to weaponry and strategy. One segment of the recording totaling 1 minute and 14 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 111, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 111 in its entirety or the beginning of this recording on Tape 110.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-110-004
Sound recording of part of a National Security Council meeting meeting held on September 12, 1963. Participants include President John F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission Glenn Seaborg, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Maxwell Taylor, Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Edward McDermott, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, Special Counsel to the President Theodore Sorensen, Military Aide to the President Major General Chester Clifton, and Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (NSC) Bromley Smith. The first portion of this NSC meeting concerns a recent Air Force Association statement on nuclear superiority and what that means in regards to weaponry and strategy. Only about 7 and a half minutes of the meeting are recorded on this tape. The recording ends abruptly and continues on Tape 111. Four segments of the recording totaling 3 minutes and 46 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 13526. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 110, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding one. See Related Records to access Tape 110 in its entirety or the remainder of this recording on Tape 111.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-107-005
Sound recording of a meeting held on August 27, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, former United States Ambassador to Vietnam Frederick Nolting, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs W. Averell Harriman, Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric, Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) General Marshall Carter, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, Deputy CIA Director for Plans Richard Helms, Director of the CIA's Far Eastern Division William Colby, Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs McGeorge Bundy, member of the National Security Council (NSC) Michael Forrestal, Specialist on Counterinsurgency for the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) General Victor Krulak, and Executive Secretary of the NSC Bromley Smith. This meeting on Vietnam is a follow-up to the meeting from the day before. President Kennedy asked Frederick Nolting, the recently replaced Ambassador to Vietnam, to attend this meeting in order to discuss his views on the Vietnam situation. One segment of the recording totaling 8 seconds has been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 107, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 107 in its entirety.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-MTG-098-003
Sound recording of a meeting held on July 18, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Ambassador to the United Nations (U.N.) Adlai Stevenson, Deputy Ambassador to the U.N. Charles W. Yost, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Harlan Cleveland, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs G. Mennen Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Frank Sloan, Legal Advisor for the Department of State Abram Chayes, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs William Bundy. The meeting focuses on the steps to be taken in the United Nations pertaining to a resolution on self-determination for Portuguese Africa. Topics include the wording of the resolution, the setup of any mediation, the level of U.S. involvement, the possible effect on the Azores base, an arms embargo, and the effect of all of these matters on U.S. foreign policy with African nations and with Portugal. Four segments of the recording totaling 2 minutes and 11 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 98, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. See Related Records to access Tape 98 in its entirety.