Interview with John Sherman Cooper, June 5, 1983

Interview Summary

Cooper begins the interview by discussing why he supported a blockade of Cuba in 1963, but only if diplomatic efforts were unsuccessful to remove Russian troops from Cuba. Cooper then considers why President Kennedy did not work on civil rights issues right after getting elected, despite a campaign promise to address civil rights issues. Cooper contextualizes the link between public accommodations laws and the Commerce Clause. The stances of various Kentucky governors on civil rights are explored. Cooper evaluates whether the Civil Rights Act of 1875 would have been upheld by the Supreme Court if the controversy had occurred in the 1960s. Additionally, he discusses why he did not want to be president. Cooper recalls international diplomacy work he has done throughout the 1950s and 1960s, primarily in Europe. Cooper reflects upon the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963. Cooper also assesses the effects of the Water Pollution Act of 1963 upon states' rights. Cooper illustrates the consequences of the reversal of the decision to give federal aid to church-related institutions. Cooper then examines the growing number of churches becoming politically active. Cooper highlights the difficulties of choosing postmasters for Kentucky counties. Cooper then remembers his working relationship with Lyndon Johnson in the Senate, as well as when Johnson was vice president. To conclude the interview, Cooper articulates his views on the beginning of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War and the expansion of Great Society programs.

Interview Keyword

1964 Rules Committee American Bar Association Earl Warren Edwin Walker Everett Dirksen Gerald Ford Hale Boggs Lee Harvey Oswald Lucias Clay Ronald Reagan John F. Kennedy Allen Dulles Arlen Specter Bennett Williams Robert Kennedy Chief Justice Warren Civil Rights Act of 1875 Civil War Commerce Clause Communism Dean Acheson Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jack Ruby John McCloy Matthew McCloskey McGeorge Bundy Missiles Monroe Doctrine Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Paul Douglas Public Works Committee Kenneth Keating Richard B. Russell William Fulbright St. Regis Hotel United Nations Public accomodations Commerce 14th Amendment Lyndon Johnson Lady Bird Johnson U.S. Senate Senators McGeorge Bundy Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963 August 5) Presidents Water Pollution Act of 1963 Politics

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.) United Nations Cuba Blockade Cold War Soviet Union Russia Russians Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 Diplomacy Civil rights Civil rights movement African Americans Kentucky Governors Travel Europe States' rights Water--Pollution Church Postmasters Kentuckians Texas Vietnam War, 1961-1975 Vietnam Great Society

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.