History

Secret JFK Tapes Released

Recordings from final months of his life.

President John F. Kennedy’s library has released the last 45 hours of his secret tapes. Kennedy recorded more than 260 hours of private meetings and phone conversations, and the final batch includes discussions of Vietnam, Soviet relations, the space race, and his reelection strategy, all in the final months of his life. He worries about the disconnect between Washington and the rest of America and about how to attract young voters. The tapes also contain moments with his children. In one recording Kennedy introduces Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko to his children, Caroline and John Jr., who can be heard playing outside the Oval Office. Referring to Nikita Khrushchev, he says, “His chief is the one who sent you Pushinka. You know that? You have the puppies.”