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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RH-01
In this interview Hilsman discusses his initial interactions with John F. Kennedy [JFK]; Hilsman’s appointment to the Department of State during the Kennedy Administration; Foreign Service officers and “hot-seat” jobs; issues with Dean Rusk as Secretary of State; reorganizing the Bureau of Intelligence and Research; the flow of information between the State Department and the White House; staffing the State Department; the use of satellite intelligence; John A. McCone; working with and around Robert F. Kennedy [RFK]; JFK, RFK, and Vietnam; Edward G. Lansdale; Maxwell D. Taylor; the connection between Vietnam and Laos; U.S. action in Laos; the Buddhist crisis in Vietnam; the impact of WWII on Hilsman and JFK’s generation; and the 1963 coup in Vietnam, among other issues.
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-BBH-01
In this interview Hickenlooper discusses various meetings with President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on foreign relations; Soviet and American nuclear testing; the nuclear test ban treaty; the Bay of Pigs invasion; Laos and Vietnam; the Punta del Este Conference in 1962; the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; Hickenlooper's 1962 reelection campaign; traveling with JFK to Costa Rica; the 1961 Berlin crisis; JFK's congressional relations; and social occasions at the Kennedy White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LCH-01
In this interview Heinz discusses how he came to work in the Office of International Security Affairs [ISA] in the Department of Defense [DOD]; the changeover in the DOD between the Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy Administrations; Heinz’s view of the Bay of Pigs; the regular operations and organization within ISA, including the different regional desks’ responsibilities; relationships between the ISA and other agencies; ISA as “the little State Department”; differences of opinion between DOD and the State Department, the CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the debate over whether to put troops in Laos; Robert S. McNamara and Roswell L. Gilpatric; the status of Okinawa; the question of U.S. defense perimeters; and W. Averell Harriman’s trip to Geneva and the neutralization solution for Laos, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-FMB-01
Boring discusses John F. Kennedy’s (JFK) trip to Lyndon Baines Johnson’s ranch in Texas after the election in 1960, advance work that Boring did for JFK’s international trips, and refutes media claims about JFK’s extramarital affairs, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RFK-08
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Cabinet and appointing the various secretaries; problems in and JFK’s wariness of the Department of State; the ideal State Department organization; problems with Dean Rusk; Maxwell D. Taylor’s Cuba investigation; the Bay of Pigs and its effect on U.S. action in Laos; John McCone’s prediction of missiles in Cuba; Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and foreign policy; JFK’s vice-presidential choice at the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Johnson’s hesitant acceptance of the vice-presidential slot; RFK’s appointment as Attorney General; RFK’s involvement in staffing the White House for JFK and other presidential appointments; Lord Harlech (William David Ormsby-Gore); and State Department staff, 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
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-JKR-02
In this interview Ruina discusses the background of the nuclear test ban treaty, including the research and development to improve nuclear test detection capabilities; congressional hearings on the test ban and the nuclear detection technology; different political interests in the test ban debate; and some issues in getting the test ban signed, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-WWR-01
This interview focuses on Rostow’s professional relationship with John F. Kennedy, the Kennedy administration’s policy towards Laos, Vietnam, Cuba, and Europe, and the operations of the White House during the Kennedy administration, among other topics.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. White House Staff Files of Lee C. White
JFKWHSFLCW-003-008
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-307-006
This folder contains a report to the United States Congress from President John F. Kennedy titled, “United States Aeronautics and Space Activities, 1961,” summarizing actions by various departments and agencies related to the U.S. space program. Topics include communication satellites, a reorganization of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), nuclear testing, meteorological studies, space sciences, and manned space flight. Also included in this folder are telegrams and memoranda concerning astronaut Colonel John Glenn’s successful orbit around the Earth, a directive from the Department of Defense for military space programs, and Soviet Union criticisms of the U.S. space program.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319-009
This folder contains memoranda regarding medium wave broadcasting to Cuba, Pan American Airways flights to Cuba, guidelines for Operation Mongoose Phase II, and a National Intelligence Estimate report (NIE-85-2-62) analyzing the situation in Cuba and the potential resistance to Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro. Also included in this folder are materials concerning a potential increase in Course B, a part of Phase II, to increase pressure in the areas of covert activities, politics and economics, psychological tactics, and military.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319-008
This folder contains a memorandum from Brigadier General Edward Lansdale regarding a review of Operation Mongoose (also known as the Cuba Project) upon the completion of Phase I. Also included in this folder are reports of Operation Mongoose Phase I objectives and accomplishments for the Department of State, Department of Defense, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and United States Information Agency (USIA).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319-004
This folder contains minutes and agendas for meetings of the Special Group for Counter-Insurgency (CI). Topics include an international police training program, South Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and a counterinsurgency training program for United States officials.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319-001
This folder contains memoranda regarding the Special Group for Counter-Insurgency (CI).Topics include establishment of the group, foreign police training programs, the adequacy of communications systems in Vietnam, and a subversive insurgency training program for United States government officials. Also included in this folder are materials regarding the political situation in Laos and intelligence activities in Cuba.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-327-001
This folder contains memoranda to and from Arthur Schlesinger, Special Assistant to the President, on various topics including an amendment to Executive Orders 10501 and 10816 for the automatic declassification of documents, the appointment of Rajeshwar Dayal as the United Nations (UN) Special Representative to Congo and its effect on United States and India relations, and a proposal to counteract the Soviet Union propaganda phrase of “peaceful coexistence.” Also included in this folder is a memorandum from Schlesinger to President John F. Kennedy titled, “How to Organize an Intelligence Service: Implications of the British Example.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-334-009
This file contains papers on foreign affairs training programs by the Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Department of Defense, Agency for International Development (AID), and United States Information Agency (USIA); and draft legislation by Chief of the International Division of the Bureau of the Budget Robert Amory to establish The National Academy of Foreign Affairs for continuing education and training in the areas of national security and foreign affairs. The materials in this file relate to National Security Action Memoranda number 131 (NSAM 131) titled, “Training Objectives for Counter-Insurgency.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-006
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include the establishment of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), amendments to the 1962 budget for additional appropriations to foreign assistance programs and defense, the crisis in Berlin, and the Act for International Development (AID). Also included in this folder are numerous newspaper clippings.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-084-013
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the United States Navy. Topics include suggestions of names for the new aircraft carrier CVA-66, the USS Williamsburg to compete in the International Indian Ocean Expedition, a proposal to Sir Winston Churchill to name a Polaris submarine after him, and the President's visit to observe the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. Of note is a memorandum regarding a conversation between Chancellor of Germany Konrad Adenauer, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Paul Nitze, and others. Also included in this folder is the program for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet event.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-376-027
This file contains memoranda regarding an inter-agency panel on strategic nuclear development, and a report by Professor Thomas C. Schelling titled, "Strategic Developments Over the Next Decade." The report discusses long-term strategic planning for United States nuclear development and policy including nuclear deterrence, military planning, non-technological developments, and the nuclear policy of the Soviet Union.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-055-008
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 14, 1962 (News Conference 24). The President began the press conference with a statement concerning the release of Soviet intelligence officer Colonel Rudolph Abel in exchange for the release of the American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers and American student Frederic Pryor from detention in the Soviet Union and East Germany. Following this statement the President answered questions from the press on a variety of topics including United States involvement in Vietnam, the status of the nuclear test ban treaty, and restrictions on public statements by military personnel. Background materials in this folder include a draft press conference announcement, executive department and agency reports, and briefing papers for the President on domestic and foreign affairs and national security. Topics of the briefing papers include the economy, negotiations for a nuclear test ban treaty, and the situation in South Vietnam. 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. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-010
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 182 (NSAM 182) titled, “Counterinsurgency Doctrine,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer, Director of Central Intelligence John McCone, Administrator of the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, and Military Representative to the President General Maxwell Taylor from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Also included is a paper prepared by the Department of State in conjunction with the Special Group (CI) titled, “U.S. Overseas Internal Defense Policy.”
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-337-002
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 163 (NSAM 163) titled, "Training Objectives for Counterinsurgency," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator for the Agency for International Development (AID) Fowler Hamilton, and Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.