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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-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-HAB-06
Brown discusses the cancellation of the Skybolt missile program and problems that caused with U.S.-British relations; multilateral military forces; struggles between the Air Force and National Aeronautics and Space Administration over control of the space program; and the lunar program, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HAB-05
Brown discusses the U.S. and Soviet Union’s nuclear testing, the debate within the Kennedy Administration over whether to have atmospheric or underground testing, and negotiations leading to the 1963 Partial Test Ban Treaty, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HAB-04
Brown discusses the TFX (tactical fighter experimental) airplane, nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and testifying before Congress, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HAB-03
Brown discusses antiballistic missile programs, nuclear-armed aircraft, defense department appropriations, and radar systems, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HAB-02
Brown discusses his job description; the factors that went into his, Robert S. McNamara’s, and John F. Kennedy’s decision making about whether or not a particular weapons system should be developed, and the Nike Zeus and Nike X missile systems, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-HAB-01
Brown discusses atmospheric nuclear testing by the U.S. and Soviet Union; overstatement of the nuclear threat from the Soviet Union during the Eisenhower administration, various missile systems; and the capabilities of the U.S.’ nuclear weapons, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-RLG-03
This interview focuses on the Skybolt Crisis and the inner workers of the Defense Department and related agencies during the Kennedy administration.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JWUF-02
Fulbirght discusses the 1961 “Muzzling the Military” memorandum limiting political activity by members of the military, several Foreign Agents Registration Act cases, United States relations with the Soviet Union, and an October 1963 trip to Arkansas that Fulbright took with John F. Kennedy, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ROWK-05
In this interview Komer discusses working with McGeorge Bundy; the “inner circle” of the Bundy State Department; Komer’s major contacts; the intelligence system; the power and responsibilities of the State Department; how Bundy screened what President John F. Kennedy [JFK] would see; relations with other key officials; Robert F. Kennedy and foreign policy issues; the Bundy State Department and White House staff; the “little State Department” in the White House; the bureaucratic role of the State Department; U.S. foreign policy in Asia; relations with key U.S. Ambassadors; handling Arab-Israeli issues; domestic pressures of American-Jewish community on JFK; Arabists in the Kennedy Administration; working with Myer Feldman on Israeli issues; the United States, Saudi Arabia, and oil; filling the power vacuum left by the British; dealing with Congress on foreign aid matters; counterinsurgency; and looking back at programs during the Kennedy Administration, 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-MDT-03
In this interview Taylor discusses the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vienna Summit, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Multilateral force and military trends during the Kennedy Administration among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EMZ-07
Zuckert discusses the space program, military oriented space programs, and the allocation of responsibilities between NASA and United States Air Force in regards to the space program. He also discusses his role as Secretary of the Air Force and various military relations and programs, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EMZ-03
Zuckert discusses the use of strategic weapons and programs, such as Polaris and Skybolt, and includes an overview of the opinions held by himself, John F. Kennedy [JFK], Robert S. McNamara, and the United States Air Force Chief of Staff regarding the use of them. He also discusses his own concerns as Secretary of the Air Force, touching upon general communication issues between the military and JFK regarding the use of strategic weapons, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-TSP-01
This interview focuses on concerns about a missile gap during the Kennedy administration, the use of air surveillance to gather intelligence, and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PHN-02
This interview focuses on a report Nitze wrote on nuclear weaponry and the Kennedy administration’s change in policy concerning nuclear weapons and defense strategies, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-PHN-01
This interview focuses on Nitze’s time on the National Security Policy Committee, the workings of the Department of Defense, and the Kennedy administration’s approach to nuclear weapons, among other topics.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JKR-01
In this interview Ruina discusses the Nike-Zeus antiballistic-missile-missiles; briefing President John F. Kennedy [JFK] on the Nike-Zeus missiles; JFK’s comprehension of the briefing material and the type of questions he asked; Project Defender; the background and organization of the Advanced Research Projects Agency; the leadership and organization of the Department of Defense; interactions with Robert S. McNamara; competition between the military and the Defense Department on research and development and for resources and congressional funds; the period of new, advanced—but not always useful—technology; and Project AGILE and counterinsurgency efforts in Vietnam, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-DDR-03
This interview covers the planning of the Bay of Pigs invasion, the aftermath of the invasion, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, among other topics.