Research

History in Pieces

  • Research
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Documents
  • Articles
  • Historical Data
    • Presidential Approval Ratings
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Opinion Polls
    • NSC Meetings
    • Miscellaneous
  • White House Tapes
  • 14th Day
  • About & Disclosure
  • Contact

Articles

Short-form history articles about this, that, and the other thing.

Playing Telephone with the Historical Record

by David Coleman

When UN Secretary-General U Thant requested U.S. military equipment for UN operations in the Congo, his request included an item that didn’t make much sense.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Congo, JFK, military, U Thant, United Nations

JFK Discusses his Plans for his Presidential Library

by David Coleman

JFK never got to visit his presidential library. But that doesn’t mean he hadn’t already given it some thought. Here’s what he said about it in 1962.

Filed Under: Quotes Tagged With: JFK, JFK Library, Presidential History, Presidential Libraries

The Most Dangerous Moment in Human History

by David Coleman

A quote by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. is often used in recent years in talking about the Cuban Missile Crisis. But where and when did he say it?

Filed Under: Quotes Tagged With: Arthur Schlesinger, Cuban Missile Crisis

U Thant’s Appointment as Secretary General of the United Nations

by David Coleman

U Thant was officially appointed Secretary General of the United Nations on November 30, 1962, meaning he could drop the “Acting” prefix that he had borne through his important role in the resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: U Thant, United Nations

Nehru Appeals for JFK’s Help in Fighting China

by David Coleman

As the Indian defenses crumbled in the face of the Chinese assault, Prime Minister Nehru sent two highly sensitive and remarkable letters to President Kennedy asking for help in fighting China.

Filed Under: Articles, Documents Tagged With: India, Jawaharlal Nehru, JFK, Sino-Indian War

Members of the United States Intelligence Board 1962-63

by David Coleman

The United States Intelligence Board was often referred to during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Here’s a list of its members at the time.

Filed Under: Articles, Miscellaneous Tagged With: CIA, intelligence

Castro’s Five Points

by David Coleman

Shortly after Nikita Khrushchev backed down in the Cuban Missile Crisis, Fidel Castro laid out five conditions he said needed to be met before a pledge from Kennedy not to invade Cuba could be taken seriously.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Cuban Missile Crisis, Fidel Castro

Australian America’s Cup Yacht Buzzed by the US Navy during the Cuban Missile Crisis

by David Coleman

When the unsuccessful challenger for the 1962 America’s Cup was on its way home to Sydney, it ran into the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade line.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: US-Australian Relations

West Coast Culture Shock: An Englishman in Los Angeles, 1964

by David Coleman

Four months after arriving as the British consul in Los Angeles, P.G.F. Dalton offered his observations of the city. He was not impressed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: US-UK Relations

Playing Golf with JFK

by David Coleman

Ben Bradlee wrote of the “harrowing experience” of playing golf with JFK in 1963.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Ben Bradlee, Eisenhower, JFK

Mikoyan’s Visit to Cuba after the Cuban Missile Crisis

by David Coleman

When Anastas Mikoyan and his son visited Havana in the immediate aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, they found a very different city than they had seen on their first visit less than three years earlier.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Cuban Missile Crisis