President Kennedy's Memoir Dictation

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Description

This is a sound recording of President John F. Kennedy dictating a memoir entry in November 1963. He talks about the coup in Saigon, South Vietnam, and the assassinations of President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu. President Kennedy is interrupted by his son, John F. Kennedy, Jr. — the light tone he strikes with his son stands in stark contrast to his words about the overthrow of Diem and his brother, which clearly upset him. This was just a few weeks before President Kennedy’s assasination.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Collection JFK-3: Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: President's Office Files.

Full Citation: Sound Recording JFKPOF-TPH-52-1; John F. Kennedy Memoir Dictation; 11/4/1963; Telephone Recordings, ca. 1/1962 – 11/1963; Collection JFK-3: Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: President’s Office Files,; John F. Kennedy Library, Boston, MA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/john-f-kennedy-memoir-dictation/, January 23, 2026]

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