Databases

This collection documents the private and public life of American lawyer and diplomat George W. Ball (1909-1994). Ball served as counsel in the Lend-Lease Administration and the Foreign Economic Administration from 1942 to 1944. In 1961, he became Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs. Ball then served as Under Secretary of State from 1961 to 1966 under both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. His tenure as Under Secretary of State is most noted for his opposition to the Vietnam War. Other highlights include participating in Kennedy's inner sanctum during the Cuban Missile Crisis, negotiating a wheat deal with the Soviets, attending National Security Council meetings, brokering an international textile agreement, and serving as a mediator of crises in Cyprus, Pakistan, the Congo and the Dominican Republic.