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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-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-MGB-04
Bundy discusses documents relating to military aide, Vietnam, and the coup against Diem.
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-UAJ-01
Deputy Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. In this interview, U. Alexis Johnson discusses working with John F. Kennedy [JFK] during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Laos Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in addition to his personal experience with JFK’s conduct in official meetings, among other issues.
Oral history
Robert F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
RFKOH-JWA-03
Alsop discusses his relationship with Robert F. Kennedy, the Civil Rights movement, counterintelligence, and Vietnam, 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-202-003
This file contains Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) telegrams, memoranda, and reports regarding South Vietnam (officially known as the Republic of Vietnam) following a coup d'état ousting President Ngo Dinh Diem. Topics include establishment of a provisional government; dissension among the leaders of the coup; and public reactions to administrative appointments.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-202-002
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding a coup d’etat in South Vietnam and the deaths of President Ngo Dinh Diem and Ngo Dinh Nhu, the President's brother and chief advisor; establishment of a provisional government; reactions to the coup; and potential United States involvement. Also included are telegrams regarding the South Vietnamese economy and U.S. aid, and military efforts against the Viet Cong.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-200-011
This folder contains Department of State telegrams regarding South Vietnam. Topics include United States policy towards South Vietnam and the government of President Ngo Dinh Diem, Ngo Dinh Nhu, and his wife Madame Nhu (Tran Le Xuan); U.S. aid; demonstrations by Buddhists and students; the conflict against the Viet Cong; and reports of a proposed attack on the U.S. embassy in Saigon.
Textual folder
Roger Hilsman Personal Papers
RHPP-003-011
Textual folder
Roger Hilsman Personal Papers
RHPP-003-010
Textual folder
Roger Hilsman Personal Papers
RHPP-003-006
Textual folder
William W. Kaufmann Personal Papers
WWKPP-001-003
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-327-012
This folder contains memoranda to President John F. Kennedy from General Maxwell Taylor, Military Representative to the President. Topics include Soviet Union aggression in Berlin and United States response, an increase in military divisions to Europe, and a trip by General Taylor to Saigon to assess the situation in South Vietnam (officially known as the Republic of Vietnam) and its conflict with North Vietnam (officially known as the Democratic Republic of Vietnam).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-332-017
This file contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 115 (NSAM 115) titled, "Defoliant Operations in Vietnam," to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. Of note are memoranda for President John F. Kennedy from Secretary Rusk, Secretary McNamara, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric on defoliant operations in Vietnam.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-006
This folder contains memoranda and telegrams to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC). Topics include diplomatic activities and appointments, Forrestal’s trip to the Far East, discussion for the formation of a counter-insurgency (CI) group, a proposal for a joint aid program for Indonesia from the United States and Netherlands, South Vietnam, and Laos.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-005
This folder contains memoranda to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC), regarding the food shortage in Communist China; military action plans against Communist China; and issues in Asian countries including South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Also included in this folder are memoranda discussing the situation in Cuban between the U.S. and Soviet Union (later known as the Cuban Missile Crisis).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-320-004
This folder contains memoranda to and from Michael V. Forrestal, senior staff member of the National Security Council (NSC). Topics include the appointment of Forrestal to the NSC, casualty information for United States and foreign troops in Laos and South Vietnam, the estimated number of North Vietnamese troops in Laos, and potential military sanctions in order to preserve neutrality for Laos. Also included in this folder is a memorandum for the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding military activity and operations in Laos and South Vietnam, including Operation Sunshine.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-338-005
This file contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 178 (NSAM 178) titled, “Destruction of Mangrove Swamps in South Vietnam,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-330-015
This folder contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 65 (NSAM 65) titled, “Joint Program of Action with the Government of Vietnam,” to Secretary of State Dean Rusk from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-330-002
This folder contains copies of National Security Action Memoranda number 52 (NSAM 52) to Secretary of State Dean Rusk from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, regarding a program of action for Vietnam. Also included in this folder is a draft report titled, “A Program of Action to Prevent Communist Domination of South Vietnam,” by the Task Force on Vietnam led by Deputy Secretary of Defense Roswell Gilpatric.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-329-003
This folder contains a copy of National Security Action Memoranda number 28 (NSAM 28) titled, “Guerilla Operations in Viet-Minh Territory,” to Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara and Director of Central Intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Allen W. Dulles from McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, regarding instructions by President John F. Kennedy to commence guerrilla operations in Viet-Minh territory (Vietnam).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-328-013
This folder contains a memorandum to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman L. Lemnitzer in reference to National Security Action Memoranda number 12 (NSAM 12) discussing the distribution of United States military forces in Vietnam to more effectively combat guerilla warfare.