Presidential Recordings

Join C-SPAN on a journey through the events following November 22, 1963, as we listen to the events after that fateful day in Dallas. Hear calls from President Lyndon Johnson, Michigan Governor George Romney, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, and more.

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Step back in time with C-SPAN as we dive deep into one of the most iconic and controversial events in modern history—the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In this episode, we explore the history surrounding JFK's tragic death through official phone calls from Dallas, Texas, the White House, and Air Force 1.

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In the second half of the conversation between President John F. Kenny and Civil Rights leaders, A. Phillip Randolph called for a crusade with President Kennedy as its leader. Vice President Johnson explained the realities of political power in Congress and how to craft a coalition of support.  And approaches to attracting the support of Former President Dwight Eisenhower were discussed.

We pick up the meeting as Roy Wilkins, NAACP Executive Director, presses President Kennedy on who is taking credit for what…and how to leverage that for votes moving forward.  

You can find a full transcript of this audio at: https://prde.upress.virginia.edu/conversations/4006294

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NAACP President Roy O. Wilkins isthe first speaker captured on this recording. He gives a long report on the significance of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which had taken place earlier in the day. Following Wilkins were A. Philip Randolph, a fixture in the labor field and the leader of the March on Washington; Whitney M. Young Jr., director of the National Urban League; Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers (UAW); Reverend Eugene Carson Blake, the leader of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and former president of the National Council of Churches; Floyd McKissick, national chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).

The emphasis in this meeting was clearly on the “Jobs” part of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” as most of the participants emphasized the necessity of a powerful FEPC to address employment discrimination and the importance of education and job training programs in an era when automation struck fear into the hearts of workers and economists alike.

President Kennedy emphasized the need to get Republican support for the bill and the danger of going too far. He was especially concerned about gaining the favor of House Minority Leader Charles A. “Charlie” Halleck [R–Indiana] and William M. “Bill” McCulloch [R–Ohio], the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who Kennedy believed was the key to securing the necessary 60 Republican votes in the House—although Kennedy repeatedly referred to him mistakenly as “McClintoch” in this recording.

You can find a full transcript of this audio at: https://prde.upress.virginia.edu/conversations/4006294

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October 2022 marks 60 years since the Cuban Missile Crisis that rocked the Presidency of John F. Kennedy and brought the world close to nuclear war.

C-SPAN's Presidential Recordings dives into those 13 days in October…with a bonus episode…featuring calls between JFK and his senior advisors, press conferences, and Oval Office addresses.

Plus, historical context from presidential historian Barbara Perry of the University of Virginia Miller Center.

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Listen to President Richard Nixon's resignation speech from August 8th, 1974.

Plus, CBS News reports from after the "smoking gun" tape was released, then Vice President Gerald Ford's post-resignation statement, and President Nixon's thoughts 9 years later on his decision to resign. 

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Listen to phone calls between President Richard Nixon, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover & CIA Director Richard Helms.

President Nixon and Director Hoover discuss the murder of two police officers in New York City, the Pentagon Papers, and more. 

CIA Director Helms and President Nixon speak about Vietnamization, the Soviet Union, and his eventual move to being the U.S. Ambassador to Iran. 

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President Nixon considers nominees to fill not one but two more Supreme Court seats. 

Plus, just how close did President Nixon come to nominating the first woman to the court…?

Listen to phone calls between President Richard Nixon, Attorney General John Mitchell, White House Special Counsel Richard Moore, and Julie Nixon Eisenhower. 

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Listen to conversations between President Richard Nixon and Chief Justice Warren Burger about SCOTUS nominees, the death of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, pornography, and more.  

And a portion from a 1994 oral history with former Chief Justice Warren Burger. 

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Listen to conversations between President Richard Nixon and White House Special Counsel Charles Colson, White House Chief of Staff Bob Haldeman, New York Republican Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and Republican Presidential Strategist Harry Dent.

And hear portions of President Nixon's victory speech and Democratic Nominee George McGovern's concession address.

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