THE JFK YEARS Nixon Debates Bay of Pigs Invasion Berlin Wall The Thirteen Days Assassination

1. John Fitzgerald Kennedy Elected President in 1960 (Democrat) First ever televised Presidential debates: JFK vs. Nixon JFK youngest President ever elected: 42 Barely defeats Vice- President Richard M. Nixon Nixon wanted to charge fraud in the election

The Kennedys Politically Prominent family – very wealthy Father Joseph Kennedy one of the participants of 1938 Munich Conference (appeasement) Reputation a problem for JFK (weakness) Appoints brother Bobby (RFK) to Attorney- General Kennedys not well liked or respected in the White house by old Eisenhower Gov’t people

2. Containing Communism “NEW FRONTIER” Cuba is the thorn in the side of the USA 90 miles off the coast of Florida Castro’s radical Communist Gov’t a threat to the USA CIA plan to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro in the works from Eisenhower years Plan presented to JFK with full support from Joint Chiefs JFK agrees to the plan

2. Bay of Pigs Invasion April 19, ,500 anti-Castro Cuban exiles land at Bay of Pigs, Cuba CIA and JFK advisors sure a Cuban uprising would occur Poorly planned and executed scheme fails miserably Invasion force wiped out in 3 days – 1,200 captured No such uprising – bad CIA Info Castro solidifies power and popularity in the face of USA aggression

“The USA looked like fools to our friends, like rascals to our enemies, and incompetents to everyone else” -New York Times on Bay of Pigs Invasion JFK publicly accepts blame for the fiasco JFK privately claims the CIA manipulated and lied to him JFK cleans house at CIA but still is forming Cuba invasion plans Tensions run high for JFK & Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev meeting 2 months later in Austria JFK gets bullied by Khrushchev

3. Berlin Wall Khrushchev wary of USA aggression Berlin is hot spot for Soviets E. Berlin is poor and under strict rule W. Berlin is wealthy and free By 1961, 3 million had fled to the West Khrushchev (USSR) closes the border and erects a 12 foot, 96 mile wall - closes off East Berlin from West B. Becomes ultimate symbol of harsh Communist rule and of the Cold War

4. Beginning of a Crisis USSR and Cuba challenge American Containment policy Cuba secretly imports Nuclear missiles from Russia to resist another USA invasion USA U-2 spy planes discover missiles Oct. 12, 1962 USA already has Jupiter Missiles in Italy, England, & Turkey – which has angered Russia

U-2 Pictures

Range of the SS-4 Sandal Missile

USA Reaction JFK assembles a team to weigh options and solutions Determine missiles will be operational in 13 Days Military wants to strike Cuban Missile Sites JFK staff afraid Joint Chiefs setting up for a war (redeem for Pigs) JFK decides to blockade (quarantine) Cuba to stop missile shipments Can still bomb missile sites if have to

Cuban Missile Crisis Horrible psychological effect on American public Russia tries to run the blockade USA running out of time, prepares to strike the missile sites US U-2 spy plane shot down over Cuba

4. At the Last Minute… Russian ambassador cuts a secret deal with RFK to end crisis 1. USSR removes missiles from Cuba 2. USA pledges not to invade Cuba 3. USA pledges to remove Jupiter missiles from Turkey in 6 months The “Hot-Line” phone installed between USA and USSR