Part six of an autobiographical sketch by Dean Rusk, as told to Richard Rusk. Topics include Truman, Adlai Stevenson (in contrast to Truman), foreign policy decision-making, Rusk's service as Secretary of State under John Kennedy (circumstances surrounding Kennedy’s assassination, transition to Lyndon Johnson’s administration, Rusk’s personal reaction to Kennedy’s offer of the post, Rusk’s working relationship with Kennedy), philosophical and ethical dimensions of policy-making, Arthur Schlesinger, the position of Secretary of State and its demands and responsibilities, the difficulty finding talented people to shape raw information for use by the President and Secretary of State, and Rusk's Role with the Rockefeller Foundation.

For more information, see the Russell Library finding aid for the Dean Rusk Oral History Collection.