The Presidential Recordings John F. Kennedy: The Great Crises

by Naftali, Timothy; May, Ernest; Zelikow, Philip D.

• ISBN13: 9780393049541
• ISBN10: 039304954X
• Edition: 00
• Format: Package
• Copyright: 2001-10-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

These volumes provide a unique glimpse into the real workings of the Kennedy White House, presenting perhaps the most reliable record of the Kennedy presidency ever published. In the summer of 1962, President John F. Kennedy installed a secret taping system in the White House. His aim was to record meetings and conversations he considered important, probably intending to use them when he wrote the memoir of his years in office, a book he never had the chance to write. The tapes are now being authoritatively transcribed, and those for the period from the installation of the tape system through October 28, 1962 (the end of the Cuban missile crisis), are presented here in their entirety.

Table of Contents

The Presidential Recordings Project	xi
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Preface to John F. Kennedy: The Great Crises, Volumes 1-3	xvii
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Editors' Acknowledgments	xxv
Areas of Specialization for Research Scholars	xxvii
A Note on Sources	xxix
Meeting Participants and Other Frequently Mentioned Persons	xxxi
Introduction: Five Hundred Days	xli
Timothy Naftali
Weekend of July 28-29, 1962	3	(1)
Prologue: Taping System Installed	3	(1)
Monday, July 30, 1962	4	(126)
11:52 A.M.-12:20 P.M. Meeting on Brazil	5	(21)
12:25-12:57 P.M. Meeting on Peruvian Recognition	26	(17)
12:58-1:10 P.M. Meeting on Europe and General Diplomatic Matters	43	(9)
4:00-4:55 P.M. Meeting on the Economy and the Budget	52	(28)
5:00-6:48 P.M. Meeting on Nuclear Test Ban	80	(50)
Wednesday, August 1, 1962	130	(72)
11:30 A.M.-12:43 P.M. Meeting on Nuclear Test Ban	132	(35)
4:45-5:32 P.M. Meeting on Nuclear Test Ban	167	(19)
5:35-6:25 P.M. Meeting with the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (PFIAB)	186	(16)
Friday, August 3, 1962	202	(31)
10:33-11:12 A.M. Meeting on Berlin	203	(24)
11:14-11:20 A.M. Meeting with Lyman Lemnitzer	227	(6)
Monday, August 6, 1962	233	(27)
6:00-6:42 P.M. Meeting with Wilbur Mills on the Tax Cut Proposal	234	(26)
Wednesday, August 8, 1962	260	(27)
10:36-11:12 A.M. Meeting with Llewellyn Thompson on Khrushchev	261	(11)
5:30-6:12 P.M. Meeting on China and the Congo	272	(15)
Thursday, August 9, 1962	287	(74)
10:00-10:55 A.M. Meeting on Peru and Haiti	287	(24)
10:55 A.M.-12:15 P.M. Meeting on Berlin	311	(24)
4:30-5:47 P.M. Meeting with Business Leaders on the Tax Cut Proposal	335	(26)
Friday, August 10, 1962	361	(57)
10:10-11:10 A.M. Meeting on the Tax Cut Proposal	362	(23)
11:20 A.M.-12:30 P.M. Meeting on the Gold and Dollar Crisis	385	(33)
Wednesday, August 15, 1962	418	(25)
4:10-4:45 P.M. Meeting on Laos	419	(20)
6:35-6:53 P.M. Meeting with John McCone	439	(4)
Thursday, August 16, 1962	443	(37)
10:50-11:46 A.M. Meeting with Douglas MacArthur	445	(17)
5:50-6:32 P.M. Meeting on the Gold and Dollar Crisis	462	(18)
Monday, August 20, 1962	480	(46)
11:48 A.M.-12:06 P.M. Meeting on Intelligence Matters	482	(7)
4:00-5:30 P.M. Meeting on the Gold and Dollar Crisis	489	(37)
Tuesday, August 21, 1962	526	(66)
9:30 A.M. Conversation with Orville Freeman	527	(7)
10:00 A.M. Conversation with Dean Rusk	534	(2)
10:14 A.M. Conversation with Robert McNamara	536	(4)
10:20 A.M. Conversation with Eugene Zuckert	540	(1)
10:25 A.M. Conversation with Lyndon B. Johnson	541	(4)
10:30 A.M. Conversation with James Eastland	545	(1)
5:05-5:15 P.M. Meeting on U.N. Strategy	546	(6)
5:15-5:55 P.M. Meeting with Adlai Stevenson	552	(14)
6:00-7:05 P.M. Meeting on Trade and Textile Policy	566	(26)
Wednesday, August 22, 1962	592	(11)
6:10-6:37 P.M. Meeting on Intelligence Matters	593	(10)
Thursday, August 23, 1962	603	(5)
9:36 A.M. Conversation with Philip Hart	604	(4)
Monday, August 27, 1962	608	(15)
Time Unknown. Dictated Memo to Eugene Zuckert	608	(2)
5:00-6:06 P.M. Meeting on Arab-Israeli Questions	610	(13)
Wednesday, August 29, 1962	623	(28)
11:06 A.M. Conversation with David McDonald	624	(3)
5:46-6:35 P.M. Meeting on Berlin	627	(14)
6:35-6:46 P.M. Meeting on the Congo	641	(10)
Thursday, August 30, 1962	651	(8)
9:30 A.M. Conversation with Walter Reuther	651	(3)
11:26 A.M. Conversation with Willard Wirtz	654	(1)
11:30 A.M. Conversation with a White House Operator	655	(1)
11:33 A.M. Conversation with George Harrison	656	(1)
11:35 A.M. Conversation with Walter Reuther	657	(2)
Index	659
The Presidential Recordings Project	xi
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Preface to John F. Kennedy: The Great Crises, Volumes 1-3	xvii
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Editors' Acknowledgments	xxv
Areas of Specialization for Research Scholars	xxvii
A Note on Sources	xxix
Meeting Participants and Other Frequently Mentioned Persons	xxxi
Tuesday, September 4, 1962	3	(78)
11:30-11:50 A.M. Meeting on U-2 Incident	4	(15)
12:35-1:00 P.M. Meeting on Soviet Arms Shipments to Cuba	19	(14)
4:00-4:50 P.M. Drafting Meeting on the Cuba Press Statement	33	(19)
5:00-5:55 P.M. Meeting with Congressional Leadership on Cuba	52	(21)
5:55-6:10 P.M. Meeting on the Congressional Resolution about Cuba	73	(8)
Wednesday, September 5, 1962	81	(29)
5:00-6:15 P.M. Meeting on the DOMINIC Nuclear Test Series	82	(28)
Monday, September 10, 1962	110	(39)
Time Unknown. Conversation with Douglas Dillon	112	(3)
12:35-12:40 P.M. Meeting with Billy Graham and Dwight Eisenhower	115	(3)
12:40-1:02 P.M. Meeting with Dwight Eisenhower	118	(17)
6:45-7:15 P.M. Meeting on Berlin	135	(14)
Thursday, September 13, 1962	149	(5)
4:55 P.M. Conversation with John McCormack, Thomas Morgan, and Carl Vinson	150	(4)
Tuesday, September 25, 1962	154	(24)
5:00-5:56 P.M. Meeting with Maxwell Taylor on His Far Eastern Trip	156	(22)
Friday, September 28, 1962	178	(3)
11:30 A.M.-12:03 P.M. Meeting on Laos	178	(3)
Saturday, September 29, 1962	181	(69)
11:00 A.M.-12:27 P.M. Meeting on the Soviet Union	182	(40)
1:18-1:30 P.M. Meeting on the Crisis at the University of Mississippi	222	(8)
Approximately 1:30-1:35 P.M. Meeting with Robert Kennedy on the Drummond Spy Case	230	(3)
2:00 P.M. Conversation with Ross Barnett	233	(4)
2:25 P.M. Conversation with Theodore Sorensen	237	(1)
2:30 P.M. Conversation with LeMoyne Billings	238	(1)
2:50 P.M. Conversation with Ross Barnett	239	(8)
7:36 P.M. Conversation with Torbert MacDonald	247	(3)
Sunday, September 30-Monday, October 1, 1962	250	(64)
Approximately 10:40 P.M.-1:00 A.M. Meeting on Civil Rights	251	(37)
12:14 A.M. Conversation with Ross Barnett	288	(2)
Meeting on Civil Rights, Continued	290	(9)
Approximately 12:40 A.M. Conversation from the Oval Office between Robert Kennedy and Cyrus Vance	299	(1)
Meeting on Civil Rights, Continued	299	(7)
1:45 A.M. Conversation with Ross Barnett	306	(2)
1:50 A.M. Continuation of Conversation with Ross Barnett	308	(2)
2:00 A.M. Conversation between Robert Kennedy and Creighton Abrams	310	(2)
4:20 A.M. Conversation with Creighton Abrams	312	(2)
Monday, October 1, 1962	314	(5)
8:46 A.M. Conversation with Ross Barnett	314	(2)
9:31 A.M. Conversation with Archibald Cox	316	(1)
11:12 A.M. Conversation with Cyrus Vance and Robert McNamara	317	(2)
Tuesday, October 2, 1962	319	(36)
4:20-5:20 P.M. Meeting on the Budget and Tax Cut Proposal	321	(31)
5:25 P.M. Conversation with Kenneth O'Donnell and Cyrus Vance	352	(3)
Wednesday, October 3, 1962	355	(6)
9:20 A.M. Conversation with Cyrus Vance	356	(1)
10:05 A.M. Conversation with John McCormack	357	(2)
Sometime That Morning. Conversation with Lawrence F. O'Brien	359	(2)
Monday, October 8, 1962	361	(17)
10:30 A.M. Conversation with Mike Mansfield	362	(3)
12:00 P.M. Conversation with Albert Gore	365	(4)
4:48-5:10 P.M. Meeting on the Budget	369	(9)
Tuesday, October 9, 1962	378	(3)
9:54 A.M. Conversation with Mike Mansfield and Mike Kirwan	379	(2)
Wednesday, October 10, 1962	381	(10)
Time Unknown. Conversation with George Smathers	382	(6)
Time Unknown. Conversation with Eugene Keogh	388	(1)
Time Unknown. Conversation about James Meredith	389	(2)
Tuesday, October 16, 1962	391	(77)
11:50 A.M.-1:00 P.M. Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	397	(30)
6:30-8:00 P.M. Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	427	(41)
Wednesday, October 17, 1962	468	(31)
10:00-11:30 A.M. Meeting with West German Foreign Minister Gerhard Schroeder	469	(30)
Thursday, October 18, 1962	499	(79)
10:00-10:38 A.M. Cabinet Meeting on the Federal Budget for Fiscal Year 1964	499	(13)
11:10 A.M.-1:15 P.M. Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	512	(60)
Near Midnight. Kennedy Summarizes a Late-Night Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	572	(6)
Friday, October 19, 1962	578	(21)
9:45-10:30 A.M. Meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff on the Cuban Missile Crisis	578	(21)
Saturday, October 20, 1962	599	(16)
2:30-5:10 P.M. National Security Council Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	601	(14)
Index	615
The Presidential Recordings Project	xi
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Preface to John F. Kennedy: The Great Crises, Volumes 1-3	xvii
Philip Zelikow
Ernest May
Editors' Acknowledgments	xxv
Areas of Specialization for Research Scholars	xxvii
A Note on Sources	xxix
Meeting Participants and Other Frequently Mentioned Persons	xxxi
Monday, October 22, 1962	3	(99)
9:18-9:20 A.M. Conversation with John McCloy	8	(3)
10:40-10:47 A.M. Conversation with Dwight Eisenhower	11	(5)
11:00-11:46 A.M. Meeting on Diplomatic Plans for the Crisis	16	(17)
11:47 A.M.-12:30 P.M. Meeting of Berlin Group on Crisis Planning	33	(7)
3:00-4:00 P.M. National Security Council Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	40	(18)
5:30-6:30 P.M. Meeting with the Congressional Leadership on the Cuban Missile Crisis	58	(44)
Tuesday, October 23, 1962	102	(130)
10:00-11:03 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	102	(39)
11:36-11:38 A.M. Conversation with Roswell Gilpatric	141	(2)
12:25-12:30 P.M. Office Exchange with Pierre Salinger and Conversation with Lucius Clay	143	(5)
3:52-3:57 P.M. Conversation with Roswell Gilpatric	148	(2)
6:00-7:10 P.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	150	(23)
7:10-7:20 P.M. Discussion between President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy	173	(10)
Wednesday, October 24, 1962
10:00-11:15 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	183	(23)
5:05-6:10 P.M. Meetings with Staff and Congressional Leadership on the Cuban Missile Crisis	206	(26)
Thursday, October 25, 1962	232	(52)
10:00-11:10 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	232	(37)
5:25-5:45 P.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	269	(12)
6:55-7:05 P.M. Meeting on the Cuban Missile Crisis	281	(3)
Friday, October 26, 1962	284	(72)
10:10-11:20 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	284	(38)
11:55-11:58 A.M. Conversation with Dean Rusk	322	(1)
12:00-12:12 P.M. Meeting with Intelligence Officials	323	(8)
4:30-4:32 P.M. Conversation with Dean Rusk	331	(1)
5:45-5:50 P.M. Conversation with Adlai Stevenson	332	(5)
6:03-6:19 P.M. Meeting with Indian Ambassador Nehru about the Fighting between China and India	337	(9)
7:31-7:35 P.M. Conversation with Lincoln White	346	(10)
Saturday, October 27, 1962	356	(156)
10:05-11:55 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	356	(31)
4:00-7:45 P.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	387	(101)
9:00-9:45 P.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	488	(24)
Sunday, October 28, 1962	512	(15)
11:05 A.M. Executive Committee Meeting of the National Security Council on the Cuban Missile Crisis	517	(2)
12:08-12:30 P.M. Conversation with Dwight Eisenhower, Harry Truman, and Herbert Hoover on the Cuban Missile Crisis	519	(8)
Index	527