Kennedy and the Cold War

Joseph Kennedy Sr SEC Ambassador to Court of St. James Steel Appeasement Family ambitions

Election of 1960 Democrat – John F. Kennedy “get America running again” Republican – Richard M. Nixon Ike’s VP – ride coattails

Televised Debate affects Votes First televised debate between presidential candidates (Sept. 26, 1960) 70 million viewers Kennedy – well-coached and articulate Kennedy attacked a “missile gap” – accurate?

Civil Rights Kennedy worked to get MLK, JR out of jail after demonstrating at a segregated lunch counter in ATL Nixon took no public position This gave Kennedy many Af. American votes

Roman Catholic in the White House? Kennedy wins, closest election since 1884 Things working against him – age, religion TX and IL political machines?

Camelot Americans began a love affair with the Kennedy family – Jackie, Caroline, John Jr.

Eisenhower’s Warning Military-industrial complex - military and industry would become too powerful, eclipsing the government.

Kennedy’s Cabinet John Kenneth Galbraith Robert McNamara

Flexible Response Kennedy and Sec. of Defense (R. McNamara) – preparing for a variety of responses to internat’l crises other than nuclear war

Cuba Fidel Castro seizes power and turns Cuba into a communist country

Communism in Cuba Castro seizes oil refineries and turns commercial farms into communes

Cuban exiles Many Cuban exiles go to Miami

Bay of Pigs Eisenhower gave CIA permission to train exiles for invasion of Cuba. Kennedy reluctantly went along with plan.

FAILURE Advance group never reached shore Air strike failed to knock out Cuban air force Some exiles killed, others imprisoned Kennedy paid $53 million in food and medical supplies to ransom captives

Effects of Bay of Pigs U.S. was embarrassed Cuba moved closer to the Soviets

Cuban Missile Crisis Soviets sent many weapons to Cuba (Nikita Khrushchev to Fidel Castro) Kennedy warned that American would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba

October 1962 – US aerial photos showed Soviet missile bases in Cuba – ready to launch

Cuban Missile Crisis (continued) Kennedy warns that attack from Cuba on US will signal US nuclear attack on USSR Soviet ships headed toward Cuba, while US ships and planes quarantined the island

American military buildup in Miami Soviet ships stopped suddenly, Khrushchev pulls missiles out of Cuba (in return for a promise to move outdated US missiles out of Turkey)

Effects of Cuban Missile Crisis Khrushchev’s prestige in USSR and world severely damaged Kennedy criticized for practicing brinksmanship

Berlin Wall Khrushchev and Soviets have a wall erected between East and West Berlin. Many refugees had been fleeing from East Berlin to West Berlin to escape communism

Berlin Wall US and Soviet Tanks face off Kennedy calls up reserves “we have never had to put up a wall to keep our people in…Ich bin ein Berliner” -1963

Trying to ease tensions? 1963 – hot line established between White House and Kremlin Limited Test Ban Treaty – banned nuclear testing in atmosphere

Flexible Response Kennedy and McNamara move away from Dulles’ idea of massive retaliation and nuclear weapons Increased spending on conventional (nonnuclear) weapons

Flexible Response Dealt with “brushfire” wars in Africa and Southeast Asia Congo (Zaire) Laos Vietnam Green Berets all over the world