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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-WAH-01
In this interview Harriman discusses early interactions with John F. Kennedy [JFK], from 1945 to 1956; the 1956 and 1960 Democratic National Conventions; helping get JFK the votes from New York state for the presidential nomination; traveling to Africa in 1960 and the problems with the Department of State’s work there; meeting with JFK and discussing various presidential appointments between JFK’s election and inauguration; and the religious demographics in New York state and how they impacted JFK’s 1960 victory, among other issues.
Photograph folder
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-1961-09-12-A
AR10, ST04, KN07
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ABJC-02
Chayes discusses Cabinet and other appointments in the Kennedy administration, including the reasons why Dean Rusk was chosen as Secretary of State; the appointment of John F. Kennedy’s Solicitor General; and use of executive privilege.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MGB-02
Bundy discusses John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] decision making style, relationship with Dean Rusk, issues in the National Security policy, and National Security personnel, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-CBB-01
Bowles discusses his role as foreign policy advisor during the presidential campaign; staffing the State Department; relationship with Dean Rusk and John F. Kennedy; foreign policy towards developing nations; and leaving his position as Under Secretary of State, 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-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-04
In this interview Robert F. Kennedy [RFK] discusses American aid to Argentina; American, British, and French involvement in Africa; the 1962 executive order about segregation in federally-funded housing; appointing African-American judges; changes John F. Kennedy [JFK] was contemplating in the Alliance for Progress; the Dominican crisis; the wheat sale to the Soviet Union; the Bobby Baker case; preparing for JFK’s 1964 campaign; RFK’s return to work after JFK’s assassination and disagreements among the Cabinet members and under President Lyndon B. Johnson; changes in White House staff and the Democratic Party; RFK’s political plans for after 1964; and JFK’s opinions of his staff and appointees, 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-JCT-01
In this interview, he discusses Chester Bowles’ political style, the unconventional selections of ambassadorial positions, and the nation’s role in the world, among other issues.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6287-E
Swearing in ceremony for Cabinet members, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C. Chief Justice Earl Warren swears-in President John F. Kennedy's Cabinet members. (L-R) Front row: Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Postmaster General J. Edward Day; Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; President Kennedy; United States Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai E. Stevenson; Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman; Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren; Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg; Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Abraham A. Ribicoff. Back row: Military Aide General Chester V. Clifton; Air Force Aide Colonel Godfrey T. McHugh; Naval Aide Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-AR6287-D
Swearing in ceremony and reception for Cabinet members and their families, East Room, White House, Washington, D.C. President John F. Kennedy speaks during the swearing-in ceremony for his Cabinet. (L-R) Front row: Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon; Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara; Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; Postmaster General J. Edward Day; Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall; First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy; President Kennedy; Secretary of Agriculture Orville L. Freeman; Secretary of Commerce Luther H. Hodges; Secretary of Labor Arthur J. Goldberg; Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare Abraham A. Ribicoff; Chief Justice Earl Warren. Back row: Military Aide General Chester V. Clifton; Air Force Aide Colonel Godfrey T. McHugh; Naval Aide Commander Tazewell Shepard, Jr.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19591
President John F. Kennedy talks with John McCone at the swearing-in ceremony of McCone as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Standing in the background (L-R): Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington); and United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19590
Swearing-in ceremony of John McCone as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (L-R) Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington); Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC); Mr. McCone; United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren; President John F. Kennedy. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19589
President John F. Kennedy (far right) shakes hands with John McCone, upon his being sworn-in as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (L-R) Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington); United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19588
President John F. Kennedy shakes hands with retired Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director Allen W. Dulles at the swearing-in ceremony of John McCone as Director of the CIA. Mr. McCone stands in the middle of Mr. Dulles and President Kennedy. Standing in the background (L-R): Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19587
United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (on left) swears-in John McCone as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). President John F. Kennedy looks on. Standing in the background (L-R): Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C. [Blue spot on bottom right is on the original negative.]
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19586
President John F. Kennedy attends the swearing-in ceremony of John McCone as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. (L-R) Secretary of the Treasury C. Douglas Dillon; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Lyman Lemnitzer; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington); Mr. McCone; United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren; President Kennedy. Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C19585
United States Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (on left) swears-in John McCone as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). President John F. Kennedy looks on. Standing in the background are (L-R) Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Senator Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson (Washington). Cabinet Room, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18747
President John F. Kennedy attends a swearing-in ceremony for representatives and alternates of the United States Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). Those pictured include: Jonathan Brewster Bingham, US representative to the UN Trusteeship Council; Representative Marguerite Stitt Church of Illinois; Charles W. Yost, Deputy Representative to the UN Security Council; Representative Omar Burleson of Texas; assistant to the UN Delegation, Barbara A. Ludden (standing immediately left of President Kennedy, wearing white gloves and holding a purse); President Kennedy; Gladys A. Tillett; Assistant Executive Clerk of the White House, Herbert L. Miller (officiating the ceremony); Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Chairman of US Delegation to the Geneva Conference on Disarmament, Arthur Dean. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18746
Assistant Executive Clerk of the White House, Herbert L. Miller, swears in representatives and alternates of the United States Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). (L-R) Clifton R. Wharton, Sr., United States Ambassador to Norway; Jonathan Brewster Bingham, US representative to the UN Trusteeship Council; Representative Marguerite Stitt Church of Illinois; Charles W. Yost, Deputy Representative to the UN Security Council; Representative Omar Burleson of Texas; US Ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson; President John F. Kennedy; Mr. Miller; Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Gladys A. Tillett; Philip M. Klutznick. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18745
Assistant Executive Clerk of the White House, Herbert L. Miller, swears in representatives and alternates of the United States Delegation to the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). (L-R) Francis T.P. Plimpton; Clifton R. Wharton, Sr., United States Ambassador to Norway; Jonathan Brewster Bingham, US representative to the UN Trusteeship Council; Representative Marguerite Stitt Church of Illinois; Charles W. Yost, Deputy Representative to the UN Security Council; Representative Omar Burleson of Texas; US Ambassador to the UN Adlai Stevenson; President John F. Kennedy; Mr. Miller; Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.
Photograph
White House Photographs
JFKWHP-KN-C18744
President John F. Kennedy shakes hands with the United States Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Adlai Stevenson during the swearing-in ceremony for representatives and alternates of the United States Delegation to the General Assembly of the UN, Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. (L-R) Francis T.P. Plimpton (partially out of frame); Clifton R. Wharton, Sr., United States Ambassador to Norway; Jonathan Brewster Bingham, US representative to the UN Trusteeship Council; Representative Marguerite Stitt Church of Illinois; Charles W. Yost, Deputy Representative to the UN Security Council; Representative Omar Burleson of Texas; Ambassador Stevenson; President Kennedy; Assistant Executive Clerk of the White House, Herbert L. Miller (officiating the ceremony); Secretary of State Dean Rusk (mostly hidden); Gladys A. Tillett.