Sound recording of a meeting held on July 18, 1963, between President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Under Secretary of State George Ball, Ambassador at Large Llewellyn Thompson, Director United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA) William Foster, and Special Assistant Ben Read from the Department of State. This meeting provides a forum in which President Kennedy and his staff review the “withdrawal clause” in the drafts of the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear weapons tests, later known as the Partial Test Ban Treaty (PTBT) or the Limited Test Ban Treaty (LTBT), and how it might be received in the United States Congress. There is also discussion on how and when to approach the United Kingdom, France, and Germany and related foreign policy issues with each of these countries. Near the meeting’s end there is also discussion about keeping the test ban treaty and the non aggression pact negotiations as separate and distinct entities. Four segments of the recording totaling 2 minutes and 11 seconds have been removed in accordance with Section 3.4 (b) (1), (3) of Executive Order 12958. This sound recording has been excerpted from Tape 98, which contains additional sound recording(s) preceding this one. See Related Records to access Tape 98in its entirety.