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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-JDJ-01
In this interview Jernegan discusses John F. Kennedy’s 1957 speech on Algeria; working as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq; the transition between Administrations in the State Department, 1960; Abd al-Karim Qasim and Iraqi politics; Soviet involvement and influence in Iraq; the Kuwait problem; the Iraqi government and Israel; U.S. policy in regard to oil-bearing countries; oil company negotiations with foreign countries; U.S. foreign aid programs in Iraq; Yemen affairs in the State Department, 1963; Middle East affairs in the Kennedy Administration; changes in Jernegan’s long-range views for Near East problems, 1941–1969; and the influence of pro-Israel and pro-Arab groups on U.S. policy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ABD-01
Duke discusses informal and state visits to the White House during John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) presidency, including those of John G. Diefenbaker, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Kwame Nkrumah, and other dignitaries, and changes that Duke and JFK made to state visit policy and format, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MF-09
Feldman discusses developing a plan for the refugee problem, the secret mission to Israel to work for peace, and further initiatives to solve the refugee problem during the Kennedy Administration, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PJF-01
Farley discusses establishing the communications satellite program, the politics that went along with it, and the Multi-Lateral Force, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JSE-01
Everton discusses the 1962 coup d’état, Burmese and Chinese foreign policy issues, and Burmese nationalization, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ABD-04
Duke discusses John F. Kennedy’s 1963 state visits to Germany, Ireland, and Italy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ABD-03
Duke discusses John F. and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy’s state visits to Paris, London, Venezuela and Colombia, and John F. Kennedy’s 1961 meeting with Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev in Vienna, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ABD-02
Duke discusses informal and state visits to the White House during JFK's presidency, including Apollo Milton Obote, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Marshal Tito, visits by ceremonial monarchs; and JFK’s meetings with Latin American political leaders.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LEM-03
In this interview Martin discusses helping fill government positions after John F. Kennedy [JFK] is elected President, 1960; the appointment of African American judges, including Thurgood Marshall to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; providing African American candidates for different agency positions; civil rights crises during JFK’s Administration; Lee White as the White House advisor on civil rights; the civil rights bill introduced in 1963; religious groups in the civil rights movement; the issue of “white backlash”; and working for President JFK versus working for President Lyndon B. Johnson, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-03
In this interview Young discusses the creation of the Dean Rusk-Thanat Khoman Agreement in March 1962; drafting the Internal Security Program for Thailand and urging Thai officials to create their own; Robert F. Kennedy’s visit to Bangkok in 1962 and his support on Thai issues; Thailand’s road building program; the different approach to Asia by select assistant secretaries of State; and working with the country team for Thailand, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-KTY-02
In this interview Young discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the high level visit; the need for scholarly diplomacy in U.S. relations with Asian countries; the role of an ambassador; the relationships between the Embassies in Thailand and Laos; William Averell Harriman’s meetings with Thai and Laotian leaders; different strategy proposals for and conflicting opinions on Laos; U.S. programs in Thailand; and the Dean Rusk-Thanat Khoman Agreement, 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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JEN-01
In this interview he discusses the Cuban prisoners release project, including working with Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; why the Cubans agreed to the prisoners’ release; trips to Cuba and interactions with Fidel Castro; starting as the administrative assistant to the Attorney General; James B. Donovan; Castro’s view of the United States; problems with the prisoners’ release; and the significance of this project in regards to John F. Kennedy’s Administration as a whole, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-BHR-03
This interview focuses on the operations of the State Department during the Kennedy administration, the relationships between government agencies, and the transition to the Johnson administration, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-BHR-02
This interview covers the 1963 negotiations for the Test Ban Treaty in Moscow and the internal operations of the State Department during the Kennedy administration, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-DDR-07
This interview focuses on the role of the Cabinet during the Kennedy administration, the diplomatic corps in Washington D.C., and the State Department’s role in civil rights actions, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-DDR-06
This interview focuses on the internal operations of the Foreign Service, the appointments of ambassadors during the Kennedy administration, and staffing the State Department, among other topics.