President Kennedy's Inaugural Address Having won the presidential election in 1960 in the closest race of the 20th century, John F. Kennedy nevertheless entered the White House promising an era of dramatic change -- with a new emphasis on international affairs. His 1961 inaugural address was devoted almost exclusively to that subject.
President Kennedy's Civil Rights Address In June 1963, Alabama Governor George Wallace refused to allow two black students to enter the University of Alabama. Kennedy used the National Guard to ensure the safety of the students and proposed a civil rights bill to Congress a week after he made the following televised address on June 11, 1963.
Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society Speech In 1963, Lyndon Johnson inherited the presidency after John F. Kennedy's death in Dallas. Johnson immediately began pushing reforms to end discrimination and poverty. In the next year he would define his policies as "The Great Society." He hoped to increase national efforts to reduce poverty, improve education and prevent war. He summed up his hopes for the future in the following speech at The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
The Nixon-Khrushchev "Kitchen Debate" On July 24, 1959, Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev held a public discussion at the American National Exhibit in Moscow comparing the technologies of the two powers. This edited transcript appeared the following day in The New York Times.
Brezhnev-Dubcek Phone Call On August 13, 1968, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and Czechoslovakian President Alexander Dubcek discussed the situation in Czechoslovakia. Earlier in the year, Czechs experienced a period of relaxed ensorship and economic reform known as "Prague Spring." This conversation took place seven days before Soviet troops entered Prague, reformist leaders were arrested and hard-line communism was renewed.
Czech Communists Letter to Brezhnev The following is a letter to Leonid Brezhnev from five Communist Party officials in Czechoslovakia requesting Soviet intervention -- stating that "the very existence of socialism in our country is under threat."
The Brezhnev Doctrine In the following speech -- given in November 1968 at the Fifth Congress of the Polish United Workers' Party -- Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev justified the August 20 invasion of Czechoslovakia, stating that "Czechoslovakia's detachment from the socialist community would have come into conflict with its own vital interests and would have been detrimental to the other socialist states."
Mao's Telegrams Summarizing Moscow Visit In October 1949, Communists led by Mao Tse-tung formed the People's Republic of China. In December, Mao embarked on a two-month visit to the Soviet Union to establish a diplomatic alliance with Stalin. Mao sent the following telegrams to officials in China describing the Sino-Soviet negotiations.
U.S.-China Communiqué on Nixon's Visit In February 1972, Richard Nixon became the first U.S. president to ever visit China. The following document records the events of this historic visit.