This thesis embraces four major topics coinciding with the four considerations designated in President John F. Kennedy's letter to President Basil Williams of the Seneca Nation and the reactions to those items generated during numerous hearings of the House Subcommittee on Indian Affairs. The four topics covered in the President's letter include the possibility of acquiring adjacent property, commonly referred to as "in lieu of" lands, to replace the Indian real estate taken for the Allegheny Reservoir; a review of the reservoir's recreational potential for the benefit of the Seneca Nation; special damages accruing to the Senecas for the loss of their land; and relocation and resettlement.