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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-LWH-01
In this interview, Lord Harlech discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] early opinions on disarmament; dealings with Nikita S. Khrushchev and the Soviet Union; the Cuban crisis; issues with selling and testing American missiles; how JFK’s relationship with British Prime Minister M. Harold Macmillan developed over time and how they worked together on specific issues; how JFK’s interest in politics and foreign affairs developed; difficulties with France over their nuclear program in 1962; JFK’s skills and character; JFK’s different circles of friends; and JFK and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis’ approaches to life in the public eye, 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.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-316-006
This folder contains background memoranda, summaries, and Record of Actions for National Security Council (NSC) Executive Committee meetings. Topics include Soviet Union military forces and equipment in Cuba; United States policy towards Cuba within the OAS (Organization of American States); U.S. policy towards Europe, particularly France; and discussion of a multilateral nuclear force in Europe and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-314-002
This folder contains an agenda, background memoranda, a list of attendees, and a Record of Action for meeting number 508 of the National Security Council (NSC) wherein President John F. Kennedy discusses national security issues. Topics include Cuba; France, Great Britain, and a multilateral nuclear force; United States trade negotiations; foreign aid; and the economy. Of note is a meeting summary containing the President’s handwritten notes. Also included in this folder is a transcript of a news conference held by White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger.
Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Presidential Papers. National Security Files
JFKNSF-318-006
This folder contains memoranda and indexes of materials compiled for President John F. Kennedy’s weekend reading. Topics include various matters regarding Cuba, the Soviet Union, France and President Charles de Gaulle, Germany, nuclear weapons and the test ban treaty, and Pakistan.