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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LWH-01
In this interview, Lord Harlech discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] early opinions on disarmament; dealings with Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Soviet Union; the Cuban crisis; issues with selling and testing American missiles; how JFK’s relationship with British Prime Minister M. Harold Macmillan developed over time and how they worked together on specific issues; how JFK’s interest in politics and foreign affairs developed; difficulties with France over their nuclear program in 1962; JFK’s skills and character; JFK’s different circles of friends; and JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ approaches to life in the public eye, among other issues.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-07-25-B
AR09, ST03
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MGB-01
Bundy discusses John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) thinking and decision making style; his relationship with other members of his administration, including his close working relationship with Theodore C. Sorensen; the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs invasion; the Cuban Missile Crisis; Laos and the Vietnam War; the threat of military conflict with the Soviet Union over Berlin; and JFK’s relationship with other heads of state, among other issues.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-52-1
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy dictating a memoir entry in November 1963. He talks about the coup in Saigon, South Vietnam, and the assassinations of Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu, about the Soviet Union's stand on autobahn access, about American oil contracts in Latin-American countries, and about a statement by West German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer concerning the Berlin Wall. President Kennedy also speaks with his son John F. Kennedy, Jr.The recording ends abruptly.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30-2
Sound recording of three telephone exchanges. The first exchange is a telephone conversation held on October 22, 1962, between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss ways to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis and consider possible consequences, including nuclear war and actions taken by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation.The second exchange is chatter involving [White House Operators?]. Machine noise follows.
The third exchange is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They talk about an impending address to the nation on providing an “effective quarantine” against a threat.
This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 30, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-30, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 30.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-30
Dictation Belt 30 contains two sound recordings from October 22, 1962. Item 30.1 is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and John J. McCloy. President Kennedy asks McCloy to return to the United States from Frankfurt am Main, Germany, to support the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis at the United Nations (U.N.). The recording begins in mid-conversation. Item 30.2 is a recording of three telephone exchanges. The first exchange is a telephone conversation between President John F. Kennedy and former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. They discuss ways to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis and consider possible consequences, including nuclear war and actions taken by the Soviet Union in Berlin, Germany. The recording begins in mid-conversation. The second exchange is chatter involving [White House Operators?]. Machine noise follows. The third exchange is a brief fragment of a telephone conversation between Secretary of State Dean Rusk and an unidentified man. They talk about an impending address to the nation on providing an “effective quarantine” against a threat.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-4
Sound recording of 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.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 27A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-27A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 27A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-27A-3
Sound recording of 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.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 27A, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding and following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-27A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 27A.
Sound recording
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-TPH-27A-1
Sound recording of 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.
Transcript included. This sound recording was originally recorded on Dictation Belt 27A, which contains additional sound recording(s) following this one. To hear all of the recordings on the Dictation Belt, see Digital Identifier: JFKPOF-TPH-27A, Title: Telephone recordings: Dictation Belt 27A.
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.
Sound recording
United States Information Agency Audio Recordings Collection
USIAAU-044
Sound recording of a Russian-language Radio Liberty (RFE/RL, Inc.) broadcast on October 12, 1961, called “War or Peace.” The radio broadcast includes excerpts from President John F. Kennedy's address in New York City before the General Assembly of the United Nations (U.N.) on September 25, 1961; excerpts cover nuclear testing and disarmament, a proposal for a treaty to stop nuclear testing, free elections, security, the crisis in Berlin, Germany, and the role and organization of the U.N. Also included are excerpts from remarks by the Premier of the Soviet Union Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union Andrei Gromyko. Accession MR-1965-143B
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-045
Sound recording of President John F. Kennedy’s address to the American public regarding the impending possibility of war between the United States and the Soviet Union over the crisis in Berlin, Germany. In his speech the President discusses the Soviet Union’s attempts to cut off American access to West Berlin, thus making it impossible to secure freedom from communism for the people of Berlin. President Kennedy also discusses the imminent threat of nuclear war and his plan to increase funding and manpower for the military, provide appropriate communications for air raid warnings, and ensure that all Americans have access to fall-out shelters in the event of a nuclear holocaust. The recording contains some distortion.
Textual folder
Theodore C. Sorensen Personal Papers
TCSPP-060-018
Textual folder
Theodore C. Sorensen Personal Papers
TCSPP-060-017
Textual folder
Theodore C. Sorensen Personal Papers
TCSPP-060-016
Moving image
United States Government Agencies Collection
USG-01-15
Motion picture narrated by Charlton Heston and focusing on the national and international scene during the month of June, 1963. Events covered include activities at the Vatican, with the election and coronation of Pope Paul VI as successor to the late Pope John XXIII, the launching of a Soviet rocket and background on the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union, battles in South Vietnam between Communists and South Vietnamese soldiers, the integration of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, with the admission of African-American students Vivian Malone and James Hood while Alabama Governor George C. Wallace stood by in opposition, and President John F. Kennedy's trip to Berlin, Germany, and his remarks upon signing the Golden Book at the Rathaus Schöneberg on Rudolph Wilde Platz. In his remarks President Kennedy famously proclaims, "Ich bin ein Berliner."Directed by: Walter de Hoog and Bruce Herschensohn.
Screenplay and Music by: Bruce Herschensohn.
Narrated by: Charlton Heston.
"A News of the Day Production."
Moving image
Television Network Columbia Broadcasting System Collection
TNC-258
CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System) motion picture covering President John F. Kennedy's radio and television address to the American people regarding the impending possibility of war between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR) over the crisis in Berlin, Germany. See "Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, John F. Kennedy, 1961: Item 302." The President delivers the remarks from the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. In his speech the President addresses the Soviet Union's attempts to cut off America's access to West Berlin, thus making it impossible to secure freedom from communism for the people of Berlin. The President goes on to discuss the imminent threat of nuclear war and his plan to increase funding and manpower for the military, provide appropriate communications for air raid warnings, and ensure that all Americans have access to fall-out shelters should a nuclear holocaust occur. Copyright restrictions apply.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1962-10-18-D
AR28, ST15, KN24
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-098-002
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include Berlin contingency planning, Communist presence in West Berlin, convoy procedures, policies on the proper channels of communication to the Soviets within Germany, and the potential effect of the Cuban Missile Crisis on Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-098-001
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include Berlin contingency planning with a nuclear demonstration plan, the filming and potential broadcast by NBC Television Network of an escape attempt by East Berlin refugees via a tunnel, policies for future action to assist wounded refugees in East Germany, and an Ambassadorial Working Group meeting on Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-011
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include Berlin contingency planning, TTD (temporary travel document) policy and discussions on civilian traffic between East and West Germany, the shooting of a refugee at the Berlin Wall and the refusal of East German guards to permit entry to a British ambulance; and a plebiscite proposal for West Berlin. Of note is a draft of a memorandum of conversation between West Germany Mayor Willy Brandt and President John F. Kennedy discussing Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-010
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include the possible withdrawal of a U.S. garrison in Berlin; TTD (temporary travel document) policy discussions; incidents in the Berlin air corridor between the Soviet Union and Allied aircraft; an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. by Mayor of West Berlin Willy Brandt; and the right of asylum for East German refugees. Of note is a background paper by the Department of State and U.S. Information Agency (USIA) titled, “Berlin in Brief.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-009
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include TTD (temporary travel document) policy discussions, the use of armored vehicles (APCs) in the transport of Soviet guards to the war memorial in West Berlin, and the North Atlantic Council (NAC) and Berlin contingency planning.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-008
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include air corridor violations; guidelines for assisting East German refugees injured at the Berlin Wall; meetings between the Berlin Commandants for the United States, Great Britain, and France; and the use of armored vehicles (APCs) in the transport of Soviet guards to the war memorial in West Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-097-007
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin. Topics include assistance by the Red Cross for East German refugees injured at the Berlin Wall, air corridor violations, and entry points and the use of armored vehicles (APCs) in the transport of Soviet guards to the war memorial in West Berlin.