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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-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-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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-319-005
This folder contains a report on the internal organization of the Joint Staff and Armed Services for counterinsurgency matters including creation of the Office of the Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency Activities (SACSA), brief biographies of officers in key positions, and organizational charts. Also included in this folder is a summary report of counterinsurgency accomplishments since January 1961.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-333-020
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 127 (NSAM 127) titled, “Emergency Planning for Continuity of Government,” to Edward McDermott, Director of the Office of Emergency Planning; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; and David Bell, Director of the Bureau of the Budget, from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-078-002
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Materials include comments on a Readers Digest article titled, "We're Running the Wrong Race with Russia," a progress report for the Department of Defense cost reduction program, Space Project 461, and a report by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maxwell D. Taylor of their mission to South Vietnam.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-078-001
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense, and consists of an interim report by the Preparedness Investigation Subcommittee on the Cuban military build-up.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-012
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 removal of JUPITER missiles from Italy and Turkey, a visit by Congolese National Army General Joseph Mobutu, tactical air force capabilities, and U.S. defense contributions for Western Europe. Of note is an article from Look magazine on Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara titled, “Revolution in the Pentagon.” Also included in this folder is an interim report by the Preparedness Investigation Subcommittee on the Cuban military build-up. [Note: Contains 1 photographic print (JFKPOF-PH-487P).]
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-011
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Materials include a memorandum by Special Assistant to the President for Science and Technology Jerome B. Wiesner regarding strategic forces, a memorandum to the President on the recommended levels of the General Purpose Forces for FY 1964-1968, and a chart concerning Soviet Union strategic retaliatory forces.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-010
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 possible effects of a reduction in the number of Army Reserve officers, reports on the Navy's physical fitness program for 1961 and 1962, and the fiscal year 1964 budget for the Department of Defense. Of note is a letter to the President from Major General William F. Train regarding a condolence letter sent by the President on the death of Train's son.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-009
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include troop withdrawals from Europe, the status of the civil defense program, Burns Waterway Harbor, and the defense of the Offshore Islands in Asia. Of note is a National Intelligence estimate titled, "Consequences of Certain U.S. Courses in Laos." Also included in this folder is a copy of a commencement speech by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara for the University of Michigan.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-008
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 Military Assistance Program Offshore Procurement (MAP/OSP), formation of the Defense Study Group on Military Compensation, civilian employment of retired military officers, and false remarks attributed to Colonel Barney Oldfield regarding a Soviet Union satellite. Of note is a report on Operation SOLANT AMITY.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-007
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include civil defense, the establishment of Logistics Management Institute to improve the procurement of defense supplies, and the reorganization of Army National Guard and Reserves. Of note is a memorandum to the President from Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara regarding the Department of Defense FY 1963 budget and the 1963-1967 defense program. Also included in this folder is a memorandum to the President from McNamara regarding a military build-up and possible action in Europe.
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-077-005
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include restrictions on overseas military dependents and the balance of payments, the reappraisal of capabilities of conventional forces, and a meeting between Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Vinson regarding the FY 1962 defense program. Of note is a memorandum to the President from Vice President Lyndon Johnson concerning Department of Defense directive 5160-32 that established and clarified responsibilities within the Department of Defense for the development of space systems. Also included in this folder is the United Service Organizations, Inc. (USO) annual report for 1960.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-004
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense, and contains a report titled, "Appraisal of Capabilities of Conventional Forces."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-003
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense, and consists of a memorandum from Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara to the President regarding proposed actions to discontinue excess defense installations.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-002
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense, and consists of a report titled, "Review of FY 1961 and FY 1962 Military Programs and Budget."
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. President's Office Files.
JFKPOF-077-001
This folder contains material collected by the office of President John F. Kennedy's secretary, Evelyn Lincoln, concerning the Department of Defense. Topics include a report on the SOLANT AMITY task force, the chronology of the change of orders for Task Force 88, major defense policy issues, production of missile motors at the Longhorn Ordnance Works, and a list of projects for within the Department of Defense. Of note is a memorandum to the President from U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency consultant Henry Kissinger regarding policy and action proposals of the Department of Defense.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-340-012
This file contains a draft and copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 226 (NSAM 226) titled, “Directive Relating to the Transmittal of Information to the Watch Committee of the USIB [United States Intelligence Board],” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges, Director of the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP) Edward McDermott, Director of the Bureau of the Budget Kermit Gordon, Director of the United States Information Agency (USIA) Edward R. Murrow, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Maxwell Taylor, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) James E. Webb, and Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) J. Edgar Hoover from President John F. Kennedy.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-339-017
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 203 (NSAM 203) titled, "Responsibility for Port Security," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon, Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) John McCone, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) Najeeb Halaby, and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Glenn T. Seaborg from President John F. Kennedy.