JFK Oval Office Tapes Declassified

By: Greg Sukiennik, Associated Press Writer (AP) In 15 hours of previously classified tapes, President Kennedy and his advisers are heard pondering the crises of the day: overseas conflicts, foreign relations, and a weakened economy that could spell trouble for his re-election hopes.

The new tapes are the second release of recordings that Kennedy made in the Oval Office and the Cabinet Room. The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is in the process of declassifying some 248 hours of tapes for use by historians, researchers, scholars, and journalists.

Despite often-poor sound quality, the tapes -- 135 hours of which have been released -- provide a glimpse into what Kennedy was thinking, and what his advisers were telling him.

Many of the concerns and debates Kennedy and his advisers engaged in over foreign policy and life at home four decades ago mirror those faced by the Bush administration today.

Among the highlights are conversations between Kennedy and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Earle Wheeler after his return from Vietnam. Wheeler advised that the U.S. maintain its support to the South Vietnamese, and informed the president that "the Viet Cong are not bleeding in this war. The South Vietnamese are bleeding."

In later discussion, an unidentified voice asked a question that the country would ponder years later: "How are you going to get out once you've gotten in?"

Kennedy also is heard lamenting what he viewed as softening support by French President Charles DeGaulle and other European leaders.

"They put out some pretty vicious stuff out of Paris every day," Kennedy said. "They either attack us for trying to dominate Europe or they attack us for withdrawing from Europe or that we won't use our nuclear force or that we'll get them into a war and they're not consulted."

The practice of recording conversations and meetings in the White House began in 1940 with Franklin Roosevelt, who wanted to ensure he was being accurately quoted by the media. The practice ended with Richard Nixon in 1974, after his own tape recordings exposed his administration's illegal and unethical activities against perceived political enemies.

In the Kennedy tapes, a meeting on Dec. 6, 1962, shows that his mind was on the economy, and what a recession might have meant for his re-election bid. He noted that the economy had played a role in the previous election. "I think it ruined Nixon in '60," he said.

Kennedy told unidentified advisers he was concerned about the economy and asked them what steps to take.

"If you are running for re-election in 1964, what is it you worry about most -- recession? That is what I'm worried about," he said. "I don't think the country can take another recession. Otherwise, we are liable to get all of the blame for the deficit and none of the advantage of the stimulus in the economy."