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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.
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.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WIEK-01
This written statement focuses on William E. Knox’s trips to the Soviet Union and Knox’s meeting with Chairman Krushchev in 1962, among other issues.
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.
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-085-002
This folder contains memoranda regarding the United States, Soviet Union, and Berlin including a review of Berlin contingency planning and a record of a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and West Berlin Mayor Willy Brandt. Of note are memoranda and papers regarding a potential effect on West Berlin of the Soviet Union build-up in Cuba (also known as the Cuban Missile Crisis) including a blockade by the Soviet Union, inspections of allied traffic into Berlin by the Soviet Union and Germany (Democratic Republic), and immediate military preparations for Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-321-016
This folder contains telegrams and memoranda from David Klein, National Security Council Assistant for Europe and Canada, to McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Topics include France and Great Britain’s entrance into the European Common Market, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the closure of the Soviet Commandant’s office in East Berlin.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-117a-001
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning Germany. Materials pertain to the situation in Berlin, German defense expenditures, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Of note is a memorandum from Canadian Ambassador to the Soviet Union Arnold Smith regarding his talk with Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev about Berlin and Germany, and a letter from Khrushchev to President Kennedy concerning the Cuban Missile Crisis. Also included in this folder is a memorandum of a conversation between United States Secretary of State Robert S. McNamara and Foreign Minister of Germany (Federal Republic) Gerhard Schroeder. This folder contains some German-language material.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-272-005
This file contains Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) memoranda regarding the Soviet Union. Topics include global reactions to Soviet military buildup in Cuba; submarine technology; Soviet policy in Berlin, Germany; relations with Albania; and attitudes of Soviet military officers towards the United States-NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) strategic deterrent forces.