President Kennedy Hosts State Dinner for Ẓāhir Shāh of Afghanistan

This photograph, taken by Robert L. Knudsen, shows President John F. Kennedy and his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, near the foot of the Grand Staircase with King āhir Shāh of Afghanistan and his wife, Humaira Begum, during a State Dinner held in his honor on September 5, 1963. Originally planned for the Rose Garden, the dinner took place in the State Dining Room due to the possibility of inclement weather.