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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-FUF-01
Freeman discusses being named Ambassador to Colombia, the episode involving the possible cancellation of Kennedy’s visit to Colombia, and working with the foreign ministers and President Lleras, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LBK-01
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-03
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses the 1962 steel crisis; some major issues and accomplishments of John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] presidency; choosing the U.S. Ambassador to Russia; foreign aid and treaties; the military coup in Peru; the space race during the Kennedy Administration; the 1962 congressional and gubernatorial campaigns; JFK’s dinner for the Nobel Prize winners; the Polaris submarines; problems with the New York Herald Tribune; New York politics; various pieces of federal legislation, 1961–1963; the Dominican Republic; Department of Justice investigations under RFK; the difficulties of being Attorney General; congressional issues in early 1963; the Vietnam War escalation in 1963; American support of the coup in Vietnam; Henry Cabot Lodge as the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam; the prisoners from the Bay of Pigs invasion; American actions in Cuba; unemployment and civil rights; RFK’s meeting with James Baldwin; JFK’s trips to the South and speeches on civil rights; the nuclear test ban treaty; and JFK’s trip to Ireland and Rome, 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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-UAJ-01
Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. In this interview, U. Alexis Johnson discusses working with John F. Kennedy [JFK] during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Laos Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in addition to his personal experience with JFK’s conduct in official meetings, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-GHD-01
Decker discusses the Joint Chiefs of Staff Laotian policy, the Joint Chiefs’ role in the Bay of Pigs planning and execution, and the Joint Chiefs’ relationship with Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SD-01
Davis discusses the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Lyndon B. Johnson’s swearing in, and the press coverage of the White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LNC-01
Cutler and Rathbun discuss the pharmaceutical drug industry’s role in the Cuban prisoner exchange, the motivations behind their drug contributions, and negotiating a letter of credit to Cuba from the Royal Bank of Canada, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RCC-01
Cushing discusses his friendship with John F. Kennedy (JFK), the similarities between JFK and Pope John XXIII, and JFK’s religious practices, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-CPEP-01
Jones, Oberdorfer, and Rogovin discuss the feasibility of the Cuban prisoners exchange, negotiations with U.S. corporations over whether or not the goods they donated would be tax exempt, the Red Cross’s involvement, and the problems with fulfilling Cuba’s ransom demands, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WLC-01
Cronkite discusses his first impressions of John F. Kennedy (JFK), his one-on-one interviews with JFK, as well as reporting on the assassination and announcing JFK’s death, and covering the 1969 moon landing, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JOFF-01
In this written statement Figueres discusses his memories of John F. Kennedy [JFK], the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Social Democratic Movement in Latin America, JFK’s assassination, the Alliance for Progress, and attending JFK’s funeral, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PBF-04
Fay discusses playing golf with President John F. Kennedy (JFK), JFK’s reflections on being president, the Bay of Pigs, Robert McNamara’s ability to communicate, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PBF-01
Fay discusses personal interactions with John F. Kennedy (JFK), JFK’s views of foreign policy, his relationship with staff, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, as well as Fay’s book, The Pleasure of His Company, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JSF-02
Farland discusses the Bay of Pigs controversy and Panama’s involvement, the Panama Canal treaty, and JFK’s visit to Costa Rica for the San Jose meeting, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-FGD-01
Dutton discusses the Kennedy presidential campaign in California and the Kennedy Administration Cabinet, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-AWD-01
Dulles discusses the planning for, execution, and aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion, and briefly discusses his service on the Warren Commission, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MDT-01
In this interview Taylor discusses his early memories of meeting John F. Kennedy, the 1960 Presidential campaign, and his involvement with the Committee to investigate the Bay of Pigs invasion, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-TCS-02
This interview focuses on the Bay of Pigs Invasion, staffing changes, the Vienna meeting with Nikita Khrushchev, the Berlin Wall, National Security Council members, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ERGW-01
Wheeler discusses his various roles as the director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the United States Commander-in-Chief in Europe, and the Chief of Staff of the United States Army. He discusses communication with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] and the issues that arose with the Soviet Union, Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-SLU-04
This interview focuses on Department of Interior appointments, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and evaluations of Kennedy Administration Cabinet members, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JCT-01
In this interview, he discusses Chester Bowles’ political style, the unconventional selections of ambassadorial positions, and the nation’s role in the world, 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.