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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-AUG-01
In this interview Heckscher discusses John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis as an “inspiration to cultural life”; Heckscher’s involvement in government affairs prior to becoming a Special Consultant to the President; the invitation of 168 artists to JFK’s 1961 inauguration and its impact; how Heckscher came to work for the White House; discussing Heckscher’s position with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; the reasoning behind the creation of the new position of Special Consultant on the Arts and the favorable public reaction to it; enlarging the definition of “The Arts,” especially regarding architecture; Arthur Goldberg; the establishment of the Freedom Medal; creating the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts through executive order; personal impressions of JFK; setting up Heckscher’s office and staff; how Heckscher was meant to advise JFK and what his position entailed; the Cultural Center [Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]; conversations with JFK; Mrs. Kennedy’s expansive work for the arts; the arts as part of national policy; working with other White House staff members and other Departments; designing special postage stamps; what the President’s role in the arts should be; and the Fine Arts Commission, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WBH-01
In this interview Hartsfield discusses the 1960 presidential election; the sit-in demonstrations in Atlanta in the fall of 1960; Martin Luther King’s arrest in Atlanta; the meeting between Hartsfield and the demonstrators; the idea to have John F. Kennedy [JFK] speak out to have King released from jail; proposing this idea to the Democratic National Committee; the reaction in the national press to JFK’s supposed intervention on behalf of King; JFK’s immediate acceptance of the plan; John C. Calhoun and the Republican National Committee’s unwillingness to get Richard M. Nixon similarly involved; and other memories of JFK, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-GAH-01
In this interview Harrison discusses his interactions with John F. Kennedy [JFK] beginning when JFK was a congressman; the American Veterans Committee’s interest in JFK; JFK’s personal interactions with journalists; The New Republic’s support for Adlai E. Stevenson over the years and then for JFK in 1960; Stevenson’s position within JFK’s Administration; an article about the Bay of Pigs that Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., asked Harrison to pull; and Harrison’s opinion of JFK as President, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EA-01
Abel discusses his relationship with President Kennedy and his administration, and talks about the role the media played during the presidency, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-CC-02
Camp discusses the card file that the 1960 Kennedy campaign kept of potential supporters and Democratic National Convention delegates, the operations of John F. Kennedy’s press secretary’s office during the campaign and White House years, and campaign trips and later state visits that she did advance work for, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ERB-01
Bayley discusses the 1960 primary and presidential campaigns in Wisconsin, including Governor Gaylord Nelson’s role in the campaigns; the 1960 Democratic National Convention; forming the Peace Corps administration and mission; and attempts to fix the Kennedy Administration’s public image, as well as to improve the operations of the White House Press Secretary.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-CLB-01
Bartlett discusses his role in introducing Jacqueline Bouvier to John F. Kennedy (JFK), JFK’s relationship with Lyndon Baines Johnson, and JFK’s Cabinet appointments, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-GGB-01
Burkley discusses John F. Kennedy's (JFK) health, Burkley’s place in the November 22, 1963 presidential motorcade, the medical care JFK received in Dallas, Texas after being shot, and his subsequent autopsy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROAL-01
This interview focuses on Lovett being offered the role of Secretary of Treasury and a lunch meeting with John F. Kennedy, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PIL-01
This interview focuses on the news coverage of John F. Kennedy during his time as senatr and his presidential campaign and the selection of Lyndon B. Johnson as vice president, among other topics.
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-RJD-01
Donovan discusses the process of writing his book, the casting of the PT 109 film, and his memory of the assassination, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-TGW-02
In this interview Wicker discusses John F. Kennedy's [JFK] unique way of giving speeches; Lyndon B. Johnson’s unhappiness with his position as Vice President; Anthony J. Celebrezze’s appointment to the Cabinet, 1962; Wicker’s sources for Kennedy Without Tears; traveling with JFK to Texas in November, 1963; the motorcade through Dallas on November 22, 1963; the confusion after the shooting and learning what happened; gathering information from witnesses and hospital staff at Parkland Hospital; the announcement of JFK’s death and the general atmosphere after; Johnson’s swearing in as President; reporting on the day’s events from the airport; and the rapid transition to the Johnson White House, among other issues.