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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MJH-01
In this interview Hillenbrand discusses President John F. Kennedy [JFK] entering office amid the Berlin crisis; working as the Director of the Office of German Affairs with JFK; the Berlin Task Force and the Ambassadorial Group; JFK's attitude towards the German problem and German reactions to the Kennedy Administration; the State Department and Germany; the 1961 Vienna talks with Nikita S. Khrushchev; the erection of the Berlin Wall and the crisis it generated; the Kennedy Administration's reaction and response to the Berlin Wall; talks with Russia over Berlin and the Wall; the press "leaks crisis" on the Germany problem; JFK's working style and approach to problems, according to Hillenbrand; the impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Berlin talks; JFK's German policy and relationship with German leaders; and what JFK accomplished related to Germany, 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
Robert F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
RFKOH-JEN-05
In this interview Nolan discusses Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] right after John F. Kennedy’s assassination; RFK’s speeches and appearances in early 1964 and his plans to leave the Department of Justice; the trip to Europe in the summer of 1964; planning RFK’s visit to Poland; RFK in Germany and Poland; and RFK’s decision to run for Senate in New York in 1964 and his campaign, among other issues.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-086
Sound recording of the President’s News Conference of April 11, 1962 (News Conference 30). The President begins the press conference by criticizing the simultaneous increase of steel prices by United States steel and several other major United States steel producers shortly after the Steelworkers Union had agreed to negotiate non-inflationary contracts. He then briefly announces that following a review of military strength the decision has been reached to release National Guardsmen called to involuntary active service and that he has created a Board of Inquiry to inquire into the issues involved in a labor dispute in the West Coast maritime industry. Following the announcements the President answers questions from the press on a variety of topics including the steel price increase and the possibility of wage-price controls in the steel industry.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-027
Sound recording of the President's News Conference of April 21, 1961 (News Conference 10). President Kennedy begins the press conference by announcing that he will not be answering any questions about Cuba during the day's press conference. He then announces that the United States would be contributing food commodities to the United Nations to help alleviate world hunger, that the Veterans Administration would be paying a special insurance premium to holders of GI life insurance, and that the Peace Corps would be proceeding with its first project in Tanganyika. Following the announcements the President answers questions from the press on a variety of topics including the space program, the withholding of information from the press, domestic legislation, and nuclear testing negotiations with the Soviet Union.
Sound recording
White House Audio Collection
JFKWHA-069
Sound recording of the President’s News Conference of January 24, 1962 (News Conference 21). During this press conference President Kennedy answers questions from the press on a variety of topics including legislation, restrictions on public statements by military personnel, radiation in milk, and mail from Communist countries.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-054-017
This folder contains background material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, for the President's News Conference of August 10, 1961 (News Conference 15). Materials primarily consist of memorandums and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Of note are briefing papers concerning the Berlin situation and a memorandum with attachments regarding Senator J. William Fulbright's concern about the proper conduct for military officers involved in educating the public about the dangers of communism.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-054-012
This folder contains the official White House transcript of the President's News Conference of April 21, 1961 (News Conference 10). President Kennedy began the press conference by announcing that he would not be answering any questions about Cuba during that day's press conference. He then announced that the United States would be contributing food commodities to the United Nations to help alleviate world hunger, that the Veterans Administration would be paying a special insurance premium to holders of GI life insurance, and that the Peace Corps would be proceeding with its first project in Tanganyika. Following the announcements the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including the space program, the withholding of information from the press, domestic legislation, and nuclear testing negotiations with the Soviet Union.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-054-002
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the President's News Conference of February 1, 1961 (News Conference 2). President Kennedy began the press conference by expressing the Kennedys' gratitude for the numerous congratulatory letters and telegrams they had received. This statement was followed by several announcements concerning the lifting of international travel restrictions on military dependents, the creation of pilot projects for food stamp distribution, veteran's insurance dividends, and the reduction of interest rates for home mortgages. Following the announcements the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including his State of the Union address, the economy, United States prisoners in Cuba and China, and Berlin. Background material in the folder includes a memorandum concerning the extension of the Sugar Act of 1948, and several department and agency reports summarizing recent activities. The official White House transcript of the press conference and the stenotype transcript of the press conference are also included.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-056-001
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the President's News Conference of April 11, 1962 (News Conference 30). The President began the press conference by criticizing the simultaneous increase of steel prices by United States Steel and other major steel producers shortly after the Steelworkers Union had agreed to negotiate non-inflationary contracts. He then briefly announced that following a review of military strength the decision had been reached to release National Guardsmen called to involuntary active service, and that he had created a Board of Inquiry to review the issues involved in a labor dispute in the West Coast maritime industry. Following the announcements the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including the steel price increase and the possibility of wage-price controls in the steel industry. Background materials in this folder include department and agency reports for the President on foreign affairs and national security. The official White House transcript of the press conference and the stenotype transcript of the press conference are also included.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-055-005
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the President's News Conference of January 24, 1962 (News Conference 21). During this press conference President Kennedy answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including restrictions on public statements by military personnel and mail received in the United States from Communist countries. Background materials in this folder include draft press conference announcements and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Of note is a copy of a statement made by General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, before the Special Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee concerning public statements by military personnel; and a copy of a statement made by Arthur J. Goldberg, Secretary of Labor, before the Special Labor Subcommittee on Education and Labor concerning equal opportunity employment. The official White House transcript of the press conference is also included.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-279-003
This file contains memoranda, telegrams, and reports from the Department of State and Joint Chiefs of Staff J-3 (Operations) Directorate coordinating the planning and execution of military exercise Long Thrust, an exercise jointly sponsored by NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), Commander-in-Chief of the United States European Command (USCINCEUR), and Commander in Chief, Allied Forces, Central Europe (CINCENT) to demonstrate strategic mobility of U.S. troops through airlift deployment and field training exercises in Central Europe, including Germany (Federal Republic). Also included are memoranda concerning foreign press coverage.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-279-001
This file contains memoranda and telegrams from the Department of State and various White House officials regarding Exercise Big Lift, a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) strategic mobility exercise in Germany (Federal Republic) executed in coordination with United States European Command (USEUCOM) to demonstrate U.S. rapid long-range reinforcement capabilities. Also included are memoranda concerning foreign press coverage and public response.