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Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-EWH-01
In this interview Henry discusses working on John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] 1960 presidential campaign as part of the Nationalities Division of the Democratic National Committee; getting the vote of different ethnic groups in the 1960 presidential election; impressions of JFK; joining the Kennedy Administration and the Federal Communications Commission [FCC]; Newton Minow as Chairman of the FCC and his successes; the relationship between the FCC and Congress and between the FCC and the broadcasting industry; keeping the broadcasting industry fair; White House involvement in FCC conflicts with the broadcasting industry; and meeting with JFK on November 20, 1963, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-AUG-01
In this interview Heckscher discusses John F. Kennedy [JFK] and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis as an “inspiration to cultural life”; Heckscher’s involvement in government affairs prior to becoming a Special Consultant to the President; the invitation of 168 artists to JFK’s 1961 inauguration and its impact; how Heckscher came to work for the White House; discussing Heckscher’s position with Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.; the reasoning behind the creation of the new position of Special Consultant on the Arts and the favorable public reaction to it; enlarging the definition of “The Arts,” especially regarding architecture; Arthur Goldberg; the establishment of the Freedom Medal; creating the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts through executive order; personal impressions of JFK; setting up Heckscher’s office and staff; how Heckscher was meant to advise JFK and what his position entailed; the Cultural Center [Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]; conversations with JFK; Mrs. Kennedy’s expansive work for the arts; the arts as part of national policy; working with other White House staff members and other Departments; designing special postage stamps; what the President’s role in the arts should be; and the Fine Arts Commission, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JCPW-01
In this interview they discuss their article in Look magazine; personal recollections of President John F. Kennedy's [JFK] assassination; working on JFK’s 1960 presidential campaign; JFK’s campaigning style; JFK’s relationship with the press, White House staff, and his family; and JFK’s trips to Nassau, Europe, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson’s ranch, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-JAC-03
In this interview Carver discusses federal regulation of the Alaska Railroad, including rates and personnel; the debate over congressional oversight versus executive prerogatives in acquiring areas for the National Park Service; the interaction between the Department of the Interior and then First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis to preserve the White House as a monument; and the management style of Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-ENL-02
In this interview Lincoln discusses her shorthand notes from her time as John F. Kennedy's [JFK] secretary; JFK’s House and Senate files; JFK’s staff; recording telephone calls and meetings in the White House; Lincoln’s filing system in the White House; which materials the JFK Library should collect; and White House staff members Robert F. Kennedy brought in, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-MAL-01
In this interview Lasker discusses her work lobbying for different health and medical programs such as a presidential commission on strokes; her encounters with John F. Kennedy [JFK], both in the White House and socially; her friendship with Adlai E. Stevenson and his experience during the 1960 presidential campaigns; and her work on the National Cultural Center Board which she suggested be renamed as a memorial for JFK, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-NEH-02
In this interview Halaby discusses different civil rights issues throughout John F. Kennedy’s [JFK] Administration, including the process of and problems with desegregating airport terminals in accordance with Boynton v. Virginia (1960); the 1961 hijacking of a plane, referred to as the El Paso incident; constructing and dedicating the new John Foster Dulles Airport; federal transportation policy; different White House staff members and procedures; and running the Federal Aviation Administration, including problems with certain political figures, 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-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-TGW-02
In this interview Wicker discusses John F. Kennedy's [JFK] unique way of giving speeches; Lyndon B. Johnson’s unhappiness with his position as Vice President; Anthony J. Celebrezze’s appointment to the Cabinet, 1962; Wicker’s sources for Kennedy Without Tears; traveling with JFK to Texas in November, 1963; the motorcade through Dallas on November 22, 1963; the confusion after the shooting and learning what happened; gathering information from witnesses and hospital staff at Parkland Hospital; the announcement of JFK’s death and the general atmosphere after; Johnson’s swearing in as President; reporting on the day’s events from the airport; and the rapid transition to the Johnson White House, among other issues.
Oral history
John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection
JFKOH-TGW-01
In this interview Wicker discusses early impressions of John F. Kennedy [JFK], 1952–1961; Lyndon B. Johnson campaigning for JFK in the South, 1960; Richard M. Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge’s 1960 presidential campaign; JFK and Johnson in the August 1960 special session of Congress; Wicker’s first interview with President JFK for the New York Times, 1961; building a rapport with JFK’s staff; various Times articles, by Wicker and others, about the Kennedy Administration and White House reactions to them; Wicker’s arguments with Pierre E.G. Salinger over certain articles; year-end briefings in Palm Beach; and President JFK’s press conferences, among other issues.