Interview with John Sherman Cooper, May 30, 1986

Interview Summary

Cooper begins the interview by discussing key events in the Vietnam War, including the capture of the USS Pueblo, the Tet Offensive and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Cooper provides a contextual background for how the Vietnam War unfolded. Cooper discusses draft dodgers and American public opinion as it shifted to a more unfavorable stance on the Vietnam War. Additionally, Cooper recalls a trip he made to Southeast Asia with the World Bank in the 1960s. Cooper assesses how U.S. Ambassadors in Asia should have approached American policy on the Vietnam War. Cooper details the Johnson administration position on the war. Cooper considers a statement on Republicans and the Vietnam War by Senator John Tower. Cooper discusses Robert Kennedy and his views on Vietnam and poverty in Appalachia. Cooper talks of his working relationship with Secretary of Agriculture Orville Freeman. Robert Kennedy's proposal to President Johnson in 1968 is explored. Cooper discusses his friendship with John F. Kennedy and how it came about. Cooper speculates upon why Thruston Morton chose not to run for re-election to the Senate in 1968. Additionally, Cooper illustrates his experiences at the 1964 Republican National Convention. Cooper's work on environmental legislation in Kentucky is examined, including preserving the Red River Gorge, Cumberland Falls, and the Cumberland Gap. Cooper then describes several bills passed in 1968 and his position on each bill, including a Public Disclosure Law, and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. Cooper reflects upon a landmark speech made by President Johnson in 1968. Cooper highlights his interactions with Marlow Webster Cook in the Senate. Cooper briefly talks of a connection he had to Thruston Morton as a young man. Cooper offers his perspective on both the possible nomination of Abe Fortas as chief justice in 1968 and China. Cooper recalls his time spent as an American delegate to the UN in 1968, including a speech he gave denouncing Apartheid in South Africa. Cooper discusses the 1968 presidential race between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. Cooper details his working relationship with Presidents Nixon and Johnson, as well as a brief assessment of his interactions with John F. Kennedy and Eisenhower. To conclude the interview, Cooper describes an effort to cut the foreign aid budget in 1968.

Interview Keyword

Orville Freeman Dwight Eisenhower W. Averell Harriman Thruston Morton 1964 Republican National Convention Public Disclosure Law Senate Tim Lee Carter Ellsworth Bunker William Westmoreland USS Pueblo George Schultz Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Yakov Malik Mike Mansfield John F. Kennedy Lyndon Johnson Richard Nixon John Tower Robert Kennedy Frank Church George Aiken Harry F. Byrd Jr. Thomas Dodd Earle Clements William Fulbright Stuart Symington First Indochina War Draft dodgers Constituents Cumberland Falls (Ky.) Senators Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 Marlow Webster Cook Abe Fortas Hubert Humphrey Foreign aid

Interview LC Subject

Cooper, John Sherman, 1901-1991 Cooper, John Sherman, 1901-1991--Interviews Politicians Politicians--United States Politics and government United States--Politics and government Washington (D.C.) Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Vietnam North Korea Tet Offensive, 1968 France Colonies Draft Southeast Asia Philippines Red River Gorge (Ky.) Cumberland Gap (Ky. and Va.) United Nations China Communism South Africa Apartheid Presidents Kentucky

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.